Happy New Year {from the Woodworker’s Wife}!

“The One that Got Away,” out of birch plywood. We rounded all the edges to give it a finished look. 

 

The star is walnut, and the base is birch plywood. This was a gift for my Grandpa, a Korean War Veteran.

Happy New Year from me, the Woodworker’s Wife. To ring in the new year, here is a review of a few things that we made for Christmas this year. My brother and my Man worked hard on these, and Grandpa loved them. There’s nothing like giving a gift that’s hand-made. 🙂

As I look forward to the new year, I can see all the beautiful possibilities… we have a huge pile of barn wood in the garage, and I can’t wait to get cracking! I’ll be sharing some of my inspiration with you later this week … 

~ The Woodworker’s Wife

Mod Podge and Glitter Paint!

What began as a simple cottonwood shape is now a pretty, sparkly thing to add to the tree!

Jingle bells, jingle bells… these are a wonderful way to showcase pretty scrapbook paper!

 

Just a quick update on what I’m finishing before Christmas arrives! As a last minute perk-up for the tree, I finished these with some pretty paper and glitter glue. There’s really no limit to what you can do with simple wood-shape ornaments! 🙂 I love the vintage look of them… and they are the perfect addition to our mostly-handmade tree.

I confess, I rarely use scrapbook paper for scrap-booking. There are so many other things you can do with it! It’s also a beautiful backdrop for a Christmas scene … but I’m saving that for tomorrow. 🙂 Stay tuned!

~ The Woodworker’s Wife

 

Oh Deer… the Wife tries her hand at the scroll saw

Walnut deer in front of a barn wood (cottonwood) tree. This is my first major scroll saw project!

Here it is, friends! My first real project on the scroll saw. I couldn’t resist these cute little deer – in front of a Christmas tree. What could be better? I found the pattern as a free download. Yes, you can find it here: http://www.stevedgood.com/deerandtree.pdf

Mr. Good has hundreds of free patterns that you can download and take right to the scroll saw. He has everything from Military plaques to Valentine’s Day gifts and key chain designs. He also has plenty in the way of Christmas ornaments if you’re looking for something quick and easy – and handmade for Christmas.

After cutting out all these different pieces, they got a light sand and three coats of quick-dry poly. Depending on what you’re looking for, a tung oil finish would be just as pretty when you’re leaving the wood natural. Walnut needs no help – it’s naturally stunning. I’m painting the little (cottonwood) tree to look festive for the season. You’ll be seeing the finished product very soon … 🙂

Now that I’ve tried my hand at the saw I feel like there are endless possibilities. The only thing we need now are some leather aprons to keep the sawdust from piling up in our laps while we work…

~ The Woodworker’s Wife