AW. Yeah, it's me- PIPing. :)

[cmeon]

We've been cleaning out/organizing/throwing away everything in the garage to make way for my newest hobby- woodworking- which I need like a hole in the head.

So far, I've made a bunch of "magic" wands- these are so simple to make, but, both kids LOVE them- they really have fun turning their dad into a dog.


And then there was this rainbow puzzle. Good practice- not so awesome outcome (it's really hard to put together- the pieces only fit one way). But, my daughter really loved playing with it- she'd set it up as pens for her little zoo animals, as slides, as a big flower...


So, I made her a better set. It's far from perfect, but, we love it- it stacks well, almost all the pieces fit both ways (heh), and it's thicker, so it stands up nicely.



I've finished a rolling helicopter toy, but, haven't taken pictures of it yet (it's a gift), and I've started a small dollhouse. Woodworking is something I've wanted to get into for sooooooo long. It's frustratingly VERY dominated by much older men, and we really don't have many resources in Florida, but, thank goodness for the internet.

[charlatti]

I'm so impressed! I love, love, love that rainbow toy -- are you taking orders? The wands are great too -- DD would love them.

[cmeon]

Sept 21, 2012 11:43:25 GMT -5 charlatti said:

I'm so impressed! I love, love, love that rainbow toy -- are you taking orders? The wands are great too -- DD would love them.

Aw, thanks! The wands are SUPER easy to make- I got the "pattern" from a nice easy project book called "Natural Wooden Toys" - it's by an Etsy seller, Imagination Kids. She sells the wands for $6-8 (depending on shape/details)- a decent deal. They're really quick, though- you could even do them with a coping saw, if you don't have access to a scroll or bad saw.

I will admit that while I was cutting the second rainbow out, I was thinking, "Woah, why do people charge so much for these!?" It took less than 10 minutes- I imagine it cut be done a lot faster if I'd actually known what I was doing (this was my very first cut on a band saw EVER).

Then... I got to the sanding, painting and finishing. That took FOREVER. A lot of surface. Still a fun project, but, a labor of love, for sure! LOL

[juliabug]

This is seriously impressive!

[mrscarroll61007]

I want some!! They are adorable!

[hunniapple]

Wow amazing! I love these!!!

[drloretta]

So cool.

Now I want a garage. With woodworking tools

[cmeon]

Heh- thanks everyone! Am I our first woodworker? Seriously, I looked up the local guild, and I almost want to join, just to see how weird it would be. My pre-SAHM field was heavy heavy heavy on the males, and the business was heavy heavy heavy on the "older", so it really wouldn't be that weird for me- but, I have a feeling they wouldn't be into the types of things I want to make.

There are some (very, very few) younger scroll saw pattern designers that are putting out more modern designs- but, the bulk of stuff out there is definitely in the type-of-stuff-old-dudes-would-make territory.

[emoflamingo]

I like them! Perfect your craft and sell those suckers!

[TBM]

They look great!


I am a woodworker. I have my own scroll saw, but I haven't used it in quite some time. I share it with DH but he hasn't used it in a long time either. We seem to be using the table saw and miter saw more often these days....home improvement takes precedence over non work related crafting/art.


I remember being frustrated that most of the patterns were either 'country' crafts or looked like something from the 70s. It seemed like I was the only one who wanted something different, and when I tried to come back to it years later, nothing had changed. I used to make up my own designs for puzzles. I think most of our nieces and nephews were recipients of those and our bunny baskets that we made one Easter.

[craftymrs]

wow!! This is so cool! Can't wait to see what else you come up with!

[chuicafina]

Those rainbows are seriously awesome!! My hubby's not going to be pleased when I ask for woodworking equipment to take up more room in our garage

[cmeon]

Yes- the pattern books I've run across are very, very "country" in the tacky way the 70's and 80's interpreted country, at least. Galleries full of very intricate and skillful fretwork featuring eagles and wolves and cartoony animals- just not my style. I love looking through European toy manufactures, though- beautiful wooden blocks and toys. And there are a few women blogging their woodwork that are very fun and more my speed- even though their style may not fit mine perfectly, they're close enough to be inspiring.

[daniebob]

Those look like so much fun! And your kids are creative with the different ways to use the rainbows too!

[adhdfashion]

So cute! :Y:

[MommaK]

I have a scroll saw; had it for years....haven't used it in years...

I used to make things and my mom would sit at craft fairs and sell, er, talk to everyone. She did sell, too.

[franklintngirl]

OMG! I love!

[justinlove]

Love it!! The rainbows are amazing!

[jlandjl]

I totally and completely LOVE it!!! Did you buy the tools special or did you have them? I've done a bit of woodworking-doll bed, child size and doll size picnic tables, ball drop, push cart, chicken coop nesting boxes, play garden and entry way bench. Plus there's some I'm forgetting. Only I'm not brave enough to make the cuts myself. I either make DH do them or I make him supervise me. I'm thinking of investing in some more woodworking supplies (we use our neighbor's tools...he's a woodworker by profession), but I really need to get brave enough to do them myself.

[cmeon]

Sept 28, 2012 12:49:19 GMT -5 jlandjl said:

I totally and completely LOVE it!!! Did you buy the tools special or did you have them? I've done a bit of woodworking-doll bed, child size and doll size picnic tables, ball drop, push cart, chicken coop nesting boxes, play garden and entry way bench. Plus there's some I'm forgetting. Only I'm not brave enough to make the cuts myself. I either make DH do them or I make him supervise me. I'm thinking of investing in some more woodworking supplies (we use our neighbor's tools...he's a woodworker by profession), but I really need to get brave enough to do them myself.

Do it do it! What I'm using (scroll saw, band saw, drill press, orbital sander) are all super safe- I'd have to do something really dumb to injure myself too badly with them. I'll admit that I'm still a little scared of tablesaws, though. And even the circ saw freaks me out a little to use- I call DH for that (it's also sooooo messy- LOL). That is so cool that you have a woodworker next door who shares!

[jlandjl]

Our neighbor not only lets us use tools, but also gives me scraps of wood! Much of what I've made and what my dad has made is from his scraps. I think if we carve out a space for woodworking, it will be better and I will feel more confident. I would rather not go over and keep using his tools, as I hate taking up their time (he always helps if we use the tools). I forgot that I made our train table too.

Not trying to blog push...but if you scroll down here, you can see my attempts at woodworking.

bornambitous-bornimaginative.blogspot.com/p/creating-toys.html

My dad is amazing....you can see the toys he made here:

bornambitous-bornimaginative.blogspot.com/2012/09/spotlight-on-my-dad-dumptruck.html