Make Your Own Landscape Lighting

...staircase accidents, and I run them only during the hours they are likely to be needed. We need to embrace the night not try to hold it back. That said, I’m happy with this DIY effort and plan on making some more lights with some of the metal cutting skills I’ve picked up doing inlay work on a bed project. More on that in a future post when I get that bed done....

Read…

Dovetails by Hand

...d, outdated hand skills just for the sake of those skills. You can make perfectly serviceable drawers entirely by machine but if you have the time and are making things for yourself not for work, I think doing it by hand is the way to go....

Read…

Haint Blue

...sting insects — and restless spirits (“haint” derives from “haunt”) — from making themselves at home in our living spaces. Haint blue is not a single shade of blue, but refers rather to a blue used for this purpose. The actual color could run from soft powder blue to true sky blue to bright teal. While the cool, airy white porch with a blue ceiling speaks to elegant Victoriana, I’ll note that the practice probably does originate in the traditions...

Read…

Saturday Linkages: Let Them Eat Cake

...Coronovirus plans: stay home and make a cat cake. Coronovirus – Things You Can Do Our Economic Model Is Making Us More Vulnerable to Coronavirus How to Make a Garden Fountain Out Of, Well, Anything You Want You Already Live in Quarantine The One Defense Against Weaponized Memes ‘The best thing about Wellington’: Mittens the cat has paws all over New Zealand capital Visit the Chocolate Shop...

Read…

Unflipping the Gentrifence

...n essential resource for anyone interested in historical preservation. I recycled all of the old gentrifence, but had to buy some more lumber to complete the project. To make the oddly shaped pickets, I used a combo of table saw cuts along with a jig for my jigsaw. Making jigs increases speed and safety. I’m not entirely happy with the metal handrail but, since I had it already, I didn’t want to let it go to waste. It’s functional and I don’t have...

Read…