Anyone else remember when we were kids and time seemed to take forever to pass? These days, the only ways I’ve found to slow down time is to wait for an upcoming vacation or the end of the work day. March has flown by and I once again feel like I didn’t get anything accomplished so let’s look back to see what I actually did get done.
In order to remember what I’ve done, I have to look through the pictures on my phone. I’m fairly certain there isn’t a day that goes by in which I don’t take at least one picture (screenshots count as pictures in this instance). As I look through my phone for March, I see a LOT of food pictures. I did a whole lot of cooking to prepare for the launch of Just Bring Ice. I documented everything from food prep, pastas, and other main courses to desserts and dips. One of my favorite meals was for St. Patrick’s Day. For the first time ever, I made corned beef, colcannon, and Irish soda bread. It was sooo good! I’ll definitely be working it in more often.
This month I got to work in a shop that was not my own. A friend decided he was going to jump into woodworking and he jumped in head first! Before buying most of the basic woodworking tools one would need, he bought a table saw. He asked for my help in getting some cabinets set up in his shop. I knew we were going to need some extra tools that he didn’t have (and he was going to need them in the future) so I threw together a “Welcome to Woodworking” bucket. With the suggestions of friends in the woodworking community and a quick shopping trip, I was able to put together a bucket that just about any new woodworker would love to have. I also threw in a couple things I had and didn’t need as well as some handmade goodies.
Like it or not, a pocket hole jig is like the magic key to beginning woodworking. I had a spare jig, and we were going to need one for the project, so I gifted it to him. I picked up some basics like a speed square, tape measure, safety glasses, and clamps. You’re going to need a surface to work on so I added some brackets to make sawhorses I had laying around. And can you really have a shop without a shop sign? Of course not! I took the name of his graphic design company, Relentless Monkey, and turned it into his woodworking name on a sign.
As for the cabinets, he purchased and installed some pre-fab kitchen cabinets into his garage. Here’s what it looked like when I arrived.
In the space where the sink would normally go, we built a drawer. Amazingly, we got it right the first time!
I also cut down a sheet of plywood to make a counter top and he got to learn how to apply edge banding (he really loved my sneaky pictures…).
The last thing I did was show him how to stain and poly it. Can I tell you how weird it was to be the “expert” in the room?? Short answer – very. At his request, I branded the drawer we made with my logo that he designed. It was pretty cool.
The work isn’t done yet (because real life and jobs) but we’ve laid down some good plans and I can’t wait to see it come to life. Here are some update pictures he sent me.
I also took some time to work on a project for myself. My entryway has been in need of an upgrade for a while and I finally tackled it. I lightened up the space with new paint and a board and batten treatment. As I was getting out the paint cans for this, I saw that I bought them in November with plans to get started right away. I’m a great planner, not so much a great get-er-done-er. I love how it turned out! I just shared all of the details with you last week so I won’t rehash it here. If you missed the post, be sure to check it out!
In addition to sharing the entryway update with you on the blog, I also shared another installment of the Shop Upgrade Series. A friend shared plans for making a push block for the table saw at about the same time I decided I really needed one in a similar style to make some of my cuts safer. With his permission, I shared it here. It’s super simple and takes no time at all. I actually made two! One for me and one for my friend’s “Welcome to Woodworking” bucket.
And with all that, I still managed to squeeze in an order and a little bonus project for myself. I got to break out my scroll saw and make an Oklahoma/Texas cut out. This was my first scroll project this size and it was more fun than you might think (I know…nerd alert).
The bonus project for myself is a bit of a crossover piece with Just Bring Ice. I knew I wanted to make some tacos for the blog but I wanted a unique way to display them because we all know pictures are everything. So, I made some wood (and steel) taco holders. They need a couple tweaks for future versions but I’m very happy with how they turned out.
That seems to be all the big stuff from this month. I’m not really sure what’s coming up for me in April but I’ll be sure to fill you in! I’ve been working on a lot of plans for new projects so here’s hoping I have time to make them come to life.