A Weekend Project

For awhile now we have been toying with the idea of a new TV stand.  (And by 'awhile' I mean like 2 years.  Can't be too careful in the decision making process!)  Mike was thumbing through a Handyman magazine awhile back and a plan caught his eye.  We both liked the design and the article mentioned that it only took a weekend for the creator of the pattern to finish this project.  Perfect!

So, Mike set out to put his tools to good use and started on our new piece of furniture. 

And after a weekend, this is what was finished:

So, Mike kept working diligently and after a week and a half this is what it looked like: 

 Another week or so and he had the drawers in and ready to go (something he had to learn as he had not done drawers before!).  I should mention here that we did have to wait a few days for drawer hardware to arrive as the size we needed isn't carried at Home Depot or Lowes. 

 Next came all the staining and polyurethane-ing.  I didn't get any pictures of that process.  And, once you apply the final coat it is recommended that you wait a week before moving it inside.  So we did.

We are pretty sure this 'weekend project' took about a month, but last night we got it into the house and all set up.  Mike did an awesome job on this - what a beautiful piece of furniture we now have!!

Crafty Christmas

This year was a Christmas filled with crafts! And, this thrilled me to no end!! There is just something wonderful about home-made projects - fun to give and fun to receive...and fun to EAT!
Katey with her Christmas cookie creations. We also did chocolate covered pretzels that Katey decorated with sprinkles and Mike and Uncle Jason worked on a gingerbread house with the kids (I forgot to get pictures).

While we were in Middlebury, Indiana for a wedding (more on that in a later post) Jen picked up a craft called Locker Hook. It uses scrap fabric and a crochet-like hook. After just a couple of hours the trivet project was finished:
I picked up some more base material to do a little rug for the bathroom next!!

Katey got a weaving loom for potholders for Christmas and has already put it to good use:
She is pretty crafty! She also did a bunch of finger-knitting and is getting good at that. Wish I had snapped some shots of her in process, but here is some of the finished project:
Finally, the hand-crafted gifts. I made this out of ribbon and loved the way it turned out.
I have been able to cross stitch since I was young but hadn't done any projects in about a decade. So, I decided to pick it back up and do a piece for Mike's parents. The picture doesn't do the color justice - the matting is a sage green color with dark brown along the inside.
Next come the gifts that were received! Mom Averill is a master quilter and did this lap quilt with matching pillow for Seth. Isn't it beautiful?!?! Seth really likes his special quilt!
And, a couple of years ago, Mom A did a Christmas wall hanging for me. This year she used the leftover pieces and did a pillow to coordinate with it. So very festive!!
Finally, we made a trip to the craft store yesterday to get some knitting needles and yarn. Mike's sister, Joanna, is teaching me and our sister-in-law, Annie, how to knit!! Maybe pictures will follow soon. :-)