Handywoman

   So, I’ve been promising this post for a while to a few family members and it is long overdue I know!  This post is all about building things.  Growing up around parents who were, for much of my childhood, building a house gave me the chance to learn a few skills and I’m thankful because I use them everyday!  Now, that being said, ANYBODY can build things.  I wasn’t always such a DIY’er, ok maybe I was, but on a smaller scale.  Then one day out of the blue when I needed a piece of furniture I realized something, furniture including tables, chairs, benches, and etc are very expensive and I found that for how they were made I questioned whether they were really worth what stores wanted you to pay for them.  Then began my quest. 

Pallet coffee table with wheels

Night stand

Storage

   My first REAL project was a coffee table made completely of pallet boards.  It had been a while since I had touched any power tools so I was a bit rusty and there was more than one day where I cursed myself in frustration when the drill bit broke or the boards wouldn’t do what I wanted them to do.  I got better through the project and when all was said and done it was the piece of furniture that I was most proud of to show off.  I BUILT that, I didn’t buy it, but made it from my own imagination (with hel  So from there I realized hey why can’t I make everything?  When Adam and I bought our home with space that is when I really went tool crazy!  FINALLY space for a table saw, nail gun and more drill bits.  I’ve slowly accumulated many tools, like routers, and saws, and sanders, all of which I have needed at one time or another for projects.  I've tackled several projects to help me get organized including the can holder and spice rack below.  The can holder was a little tricky, but with a little help from my router it turned out great, making my pantry just that much more usable.

p from Pinterest) and my own two hands.

Rotating can holder

Spice Rack Holder

   Would you believe it, I got better and more precise at making cuts and always always pre-drill holes.  The old adage of measure twice cut once is a constant whisper that I never ignore, because when boards are as expensive as they are in Alaska you tend to not want to buy them twice.  As I’ve honed my building skills I’ve gotten bolder too, not afraid to take on bigger projects.  You can see my larger project, the farmhouse bed is made from solid wood and aged.  Now, I don’t think of most of these projects off the top of my head.  One of my favorite builders is Ana White, an Alaskan who builds everything.  If she can’t inspire you to build something I don’t know who can.  She publishes plans for FREE on her site that are very easy for anyone to follow.  I built the farmhouse bed and the nightstands both with plans from her site, with a few slight modifications.  I’ve also started to learn how to stray from the plans, to use scrap wood for projects and how they will look put together. 

I refinished this built in that came with our home into a very useful kitchen island

   As a side note, I’ve also started to put my sewing machine to good use.  While I have sewn in the past it has been quite some time and I think I probably put it off as long as I could.  It’s true, I couldn’t remember how to thread a bobbin, but thanks to YouTube I do now!  In a quest to be frugal and smart about money I decided to sew my own water resistant dog bed.  All the dog beds are, you guessed it, expensive and if you’ve ever priced them out you know what I’m talking about!  It looks good overall and serves its purpose, just don’t look at the stitching too closely as it is nowhere near perfect or straight. 

Pinned and ready to be sewn

Finally sewn, turning right side out

Complete! Water resistant dog bed

   A certain pride comes with building your own things that you can’t get through buying simply buying them.  With homemade comes a quality you are satisfied with, and built with materials that you know the sources of.  So if you are wondering when to start your own projects, now is the time.  It doesn’t matter if the project is “easy”, because your first one probably never is.  It’s not about being easy though, it’s about having fun. 

Until Next time,

Kelly