There’s something deeply satisfying about building something with your hands and then watching it spring to life through play. My four-year-old is deep in a “build it” phase. Dens, caravans, planes, boats, if you ask him if he wants to make something, the answer is always yes. Outdoors? Even better. His two-year-old sister is rightContinue reading “Building, Crafting, and Imagining: Summer Adventures with My Little Engineers”
Tag Archives: wood
A Labour of Love: Our Dining Room Floor
Our dining room floor was truly a labour of love. It was a bit of an odd project. Technically part of the same space as the kitchen, yet completely different in character. The kitchen had a beautifully polished, hundred-year-old wooden floor, while the dining area featured raw, untreated, and stained boards that were loose andContinue reading “A Labour of Love: Our Dining Room Floor”
Oak Child’s chair
When my son was born, I crafted an oak chair for him—a solid piece of furniture to last a lifetime. However, he was a robust and energetic boy, and the chair bore the marks of his enthusiasm. For my daughter’s first birthday, I decided to make another chair, this time from the same piece ofContinue reading “Oak Child’s chair”
Wood Christmas tree
I love making things with old wood. I drilled a hole through so small twigs and branches found on beaches (driftwood) with my toddler and ran a wire coat-hanger down the centre. With some even smaller twigs and yarn I bound together in the shape of a star. Super simple.
Boiler cupboard
Not all projects are exciting. Our utility room had a boiler and no cupboard. This really upset me. With some wood lying around, unused hinges and bought Louvre doors a made this cupboard to hide it. I still hate hinges, I can never get them to work first time…
Fort and club house – reclaimed and up-cycled!
This was an inspired build! I’ve always wanted to make a tree house or fort. My packing crate I used for storing cushions in, a bit more up-cycling and some of the wood from a spare garden table made for a rather simple and affective fort. The sides are left over wood from my shedContinue reading “Fort and club house – reclaimed and up-cycled!”
Scaffolding plank garden table
Look familiar? Almost… when I left our last house we had two rectangular garden tables made out of scaffolding planks. The downside was the weight. I dismantled for moving and used the parts from one to make some planters and a fort and clubhouse for my children. It’s really very simple. Four scaffolding planks, IContinue reading “Scaffolding plank garden table”
Tree coat rack
When we bought this house it had some of the most ugly coat racks on the backs of doors. Gradually as we’ve decorated they’ve been removed. For our bedroom door I’ve chosen to use some left over oak rods and a hardwood slat from a wood reclamation yard to make a tree shaped coat rail.Continue reading “Tree coat rack”
Garden steps
Pretty dull but practical garden steps. My toddler has to climb and while he’s pretty good, I fear disaster. Sadly these steps are doubly reclaimed. They were my garden table in our last house. Made from fence posts and scaffolding planks.
Reclaimed parquet bathroom cupboard
Our bathroom has a collection of eccentric reclaimed and drift wood furniture and mirrors. It makes it hard to find things to fit- oddly because nothing matches. You have to be careful not to go overboard. We didn’t want to change the bathroom but the vanity unity was tiny- and a bit rubbish. To counterContinue reading “Reclaimed parquet bathroom cupboard”
Cool Upcycled 