A year ago, I became a Nana for the first time and have thoroughly enjoyed crafting personalized items for my grandson’s nursery. When my daughter sought a shelf to complement the Australian native animal theme of the room, she struggled to find one that suited her needs. In response, I decided to create a custom shelf myself. To keep costs low, I repurposed an old toddler play table I had on hand. This approach proved ideal, as the table’s white-painted surface, already suitable for children, eliminated the need for additional sanding or painting. This was the Koala Nursery shelf and how I made it.
I am a huge steampunk fan and never miss an opportunity to create something new with a steampunk theme. With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to create a wooden steampunk Christmas tree using recycled items from my workshop and craft room. The steampunk genre is not one you would usually associate with Christmas because it has a more industrial theme and metallic colours. But with my love of woodwork combined with my love of mixed media art, I will share how to create a stunning wooden steampunk Christmas tree.
Have you ever had buyer’s remorse? This project is the result of one of mine. I made my Son an outdoor bar table from some recycled decking planks and fencing posts a few months ago. But unfortunately, I did not have enough wood left over to make some bar stools to go with the table. I went online and spent $400 on these bar stools and instantly hated them once they were built. They looked so rubbish next to the table. I could not send them back because the postage costs were so high so had no choice but to keep them. So I did the next best thing and gave the bar stools a makeover to match the table.
I am always trying to find new ways to recycle the waste we generate at home to save it from going to recycling centres or landfills. In this project, I am sharing how I upcycled some aluminium drink cans into Shimmering Aluminum Can Art. My idea was to create an image of a star and then cover it with small circles cut from aluminium drink cans.
I have been wanting to do this project for a long time now, but I have been struggling to find a piece of wood large enough. In my head, I imagined a large wooden gecko looking like it was climbing up the wall of my house. If you follow my blog you will also know I am mad about Shou Sugi Ban. And yes, you got it, the finish was going to be Shou sugi ban.
This project was a request from my Son. He asked if I would be able to make him an outdoor bar table for his entertainment area at home. He is 6″4 and finds sitting at regular outdoor picnic benches very uncomfortable. My son is also one of those people who like to stand and lean on a table when chatting rather than sitting on a stool. So he wanted the table to be higher so it would be more comfortable for him.
If you do any sort of artwork and have a large collection of paint brushes you will know this struggle. You are in the middle of a painting and need a specific brush but it is nowhere to be found. You then have to stop what you are doing and dig through your drawers to find it. And if your drawers are anything like mine that could mean emptying them out. For this project, I wanted to make a wooden paint brush holder so I would have easy access to my paint brushes.
This week’s post is our next challenge for our international blogger group. This month’s challenge was “Hang her up” which is down to interpretation, so I made 3D wooden wall art using a 4×4 fencing post. This was a fairly straightforward project, but the results are mind-blowing “literally”. I sit and look at it at times and the design messes with your eyes. More about IBC is at the bottom of this post.
A new year and lots of new exciting challenges for our international blogger’s group. Our first challenge this year is the “Pallet parade”. The challenge is to create something using pallets. More about IBC is at the bottom of this post. With Valentine’s day just around the corner, I wanted to create a pallet wood heart and I used the scraps to make some wooden robots to make a cute wall hanging.
A few months ago I posted some wooden wall art panels with a unique abalone effect that I discovered by mistake. This post has become one of my most popular posts because it was so unique. I had so many compliments on this wall art but I also got a few comments saying that it looks too hard. While I personally found them easy to make the process is very time-consuming. Today I will share how I cut my work time in half by using a gouge ball to create this Shou sugi ban wall art.
This project was one of those pleasant surprises you get when you cut corners and it pays off. I had this idea in my head that I wanted to learn how to carve into wood. I am always trying to learn new skills and this one was next on my list. The idea I had was to keep it simple at first and just carve wavy grooves into my wood. It was my laziness that resulted in this snakeskin-effect Shou sugi ban.