Coat Rack

We've been trying to figure out for awhile now...as in since we've moved into our house 6 years ago, what to do with our coats when we come in wet, snowy, etc. I saw a few ideas on etsy and pinterest and put Brian to work again with a vision in mind. We had a fun time hunting down these knobs between flea markets, our garage and the Habitat for Humanity Reuse Store. 

As you can see we have a lot of carhart in our house and these knobs are rough enough to handle all the manliness:).

I love the knobs, and it's a perfect fit in our little "mud corner" in our sunroom.

Advent Calendar with Print out

 So, the advent season is quickly closing in on us and our house is fully decorated! Yeah! We scaled back a little this year, but the lights are on outside, the tree is up and the stockings are hung. 

With Elise now here some of our traditions are changing to be more baby friendly and there have been a few added. This year, after begging Brian he made me an advent calendar. There was a debate on whether it should be quilted or made of wood. Each wanting the other to make it....guess I won. :).

 

The concept is very simple, each day we flip over a block and it reveals another word to our Christmas verse. Luke 2:11. After turning the block we have a coordinating verse to read out of the bible, thus preparing our hearts for the season. 

Brian made it so it can either hang on the wall or sit on a table. This year, we just took off a picture from the wall and replaced it, so no extra whole in the wall. 

 

After Brian made the shelf and blocks....i.e a lot of sanding, I introduced him to the world of mod podge. Love that stuff. So we created the labels and mod podged them on.

 If you have your own advent calendar already or were hoping to make one, you still have a little time. Here's our daily reading we'll be using. You can also do this with candles or just getting together as a family for a short time each night before bed just to read works just as well.

I think it's important to take a little time to slow down during this busy season and just refocus on what's really important.

Are you adding any new traditions this year?

Black Walnut Pendant

We are finishing up a few gifts for our early Christmas this weekend with Brian's family.

I am so excited about these little gifts. They are made from reclaimed wood from the family farm. Some of the wood is spalted and just adds to the uniqueness to the piece. 

 

These two pieces above are spalted...see that cool black line running through it. That's the spalting from what I've learned. It's a fungus or something that the wood gets and you can't tell until you've cut the tree down or it dies and the tree falls. I think it's pretty cool and adds depth to the natural wood grain. 

Brian even made a few extra. I might have one fall into my stocking in a few weeks.....wink wink. 

 

See it already looks good hanging in my jewelry case.

Baby Redwood

This is one of my favorite projects that was made over the summer. We found a huge lot of redwood furniture on Craigslist early summer and Brian spent a good portion of his free time sanding, re-staining, fixing and then hunting for cushions so we could have a complete set on our patio. We had a gorgeous Sunday afternoon spent it with friends and it was pulled out once more before the nasty winter finally sets in..

Before:

After:

Brian took one of the ricketiest adult chairs and salvaged all the good pieces and turned it into a"baby" chair. More like a toddler chair but next to the full size chairs it's a baby. I made fun little cushions. We have one more chair to turn into one this size. So we'll have a set of two....for Elise and a little friend or a doll:).

Here is the chair naked.....we (he) kept the original design and look even down to the metal support for the bottom.

I think I'm already daydreaming of next summer.......and it's only November.......I'm doomed this winter.


I'm linking up here and here today! Check them up....lots of great ideas!

Wooden Teether Toys

We've been busy in the woodworking shop. Teethers are made out of a piece of gorgeous Black Walnut and sized perfectly for little baby hands to hold and shake. So happy. I'd love to hear what shapes you'd like to see. So far we have the elephant, snail and a butterfly.

 

I love the simplicity of wooden toys.......I think she does too.

I think one of these would make a great giveaway!What do you think?