Handmade Birthday Quilt
I’ve had the same old bedspread since my freshman year in college. It’s pretty faded and tattered to say the least. Since getting married, I’ve never been allowed to let guests know it exists, much less see it, kind of like Zelda from Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. So the wife took it upon herself to make me a new blanket for my birthday. I’m probably stepping on her virtual toes a little bit by blogging this, but I wanted to share it with everyone. She made me help choose fabric colors and was dismayed that I only wanted brown. So we picked out fabric that...
Read MoreThe Wife’s Etsy Shop
As you probably already know, I have an incredibly creative and talented wife. She’s into arts and crafts of all kinds, but mostly sewing and pottery. She even has her own website at ElizabethChandlerDesigns.com and a Project Blog where she posts pictures of her latest designs. Recently, she’s shifted gears from custom orders to pre-made items and has built up an inventory. She’s selling everything through an Etsy Shop. If you don’t know, Etsy.com is an online marketplace for artists, crafters, and DIYers. She’s even trying to get me to make some wine...
Read MoreClay Pottery Progress
I bought a pottery kiln six months ago for the wife and she’s been firing it about every month or so. We’re having some problems with warping in the glaze-firing process, so we’ve been experimenting with plate molds of varying wood breeds and thicknesses. It’s been frustrating, but I guess you have to start somewhere. She’s been blogging a bunch of arts and crafts projects lately: Elizabeth Chandler Designs • Project...
Read MoreFirst Kiln Firing
As I mentioned before, I bought the wife a pottery kiln for her birthday. We had a “kiln doctor” come out and inspect it last year, and we test-fired it empty about a month ago, but we just got around to actually firing ceramics in it this past week. This thing seems dangerous, but it’s actually a pretty simple set-up. It’s basically a brick oven with a coil element no too dissimilar than an electric oven. The precise adjustments are made with a “kiln sitter,” which is just a fancy word for an electric timer. You buy a ceramic rod/cone that weakens and...
Read MoreDIY Book Safe
As I’ve mentioned before, my family makes gifts for one another each Christmas. This year, I decided to make book safes for the guys. This is a pretty simple project. The steps take some time, but there’s nothing particularly difficult to do. Buy a hard-cover book for a buck at the thrift store. I bought six with the intent to make five safes. Lay the pages on any wax paper-lined surface with an edge. Pin the first few pages of the book to the front and rear covers and weigh the rest of the pages down so they don’t move. Mix some glue and water together. I used...
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As an experienced marketer and an avid social media user, I keep a hobby blog. It mostly exists as a public scrapbook for my out-of-state family. Feel free to take a look around and see what you like.
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