Home Articles posted by Ian

Wedding Gifts…….How To Make Them Special

Mr and Mrs

Wedding Gifts   ‘Wedding Gift Creators Struggle To Meet Huge Demand’ This quote must be music to the ears of craftspeople creating beautiful, personalised presents. My post introduces you to carefully selected gifts, made in wood, which I hope will inspire you. Towards the end of this post I review the ways you can personalise products using a variety of techniques. My Choice Of Gifts Charcuterie Boards Select from five styles and gift sets, finished in different colours. Personalised with a choice of ten options. Made in Florida and dispatched to the UK. Large Name Signs Made from Baltic plywood and…

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Wood Crafts – A World Of Exciting Hobbies And Opportunities

Lady banner

The World Of Wood Crafts             This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase an item through a link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to yourself. How My Passion For Wood Crafts Began Wood Crafts have always interested me. My first woodworking project was a letter rack, which I made in my woodworking class at school when I was about eight.       Throughout my teenage years I was always making something….ships in bottles, a puppet theatre, a multi storey car park, gliders, dollshouses….        …

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Furniture Restoration – Introducing A Fascinating Craft

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Furniture Restoration – Revive, Enhance and Capitalise This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase an item through a link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to yourself. Furniture suffers from the ravages of time….stains, scrapes, loose joints……but with a little tender loving care you can restore furniture to its former glory and enhance its value. In its simplest form furniture restoration is applying a stripper, scraping the old finish off, sanding and applying an attractive, modern finish. Of course the furniture may also have structural problems to repair like loose joints or broken legs….

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14 Garden Games To Make And Play

Dice

This post and photos may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Garden Games You Can Make And Enjoy With The Family Summer is here, so lets make the most of the great outdoors. Here are my ideas for garden games and activities for the young and the young at heart. I have shown links to the source of the photos and, wherever available, a link to detailed instructions on how to make the game. Lawn Dominoes dreamlittlebigger.com Size of dominoes   6″ x 1″   Number…

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Cable Reels……16 Great Ideas For Their Transformation

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Cable Reels Are Not Just Overgrown Cotton Bobbins There are so many ways of upcycling cable reels,,,,I hope this post will inspire you to create your own innovative designs. Here are a few pros and cons when it comes to cable reel furniture….. Pros…… The wood has been treated with preservative, which penetrates deep into the fibres, so the reel will not rot. Although reels  may have been treated with insect repellent and anti-fungal products, any harmful properties will have been washed away over time by the weather. Larger reels are very heavy, which is a major deterrent to burglars….

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How Mental Health Is Improved Thro’ Hobbies Like Wood Crafts

Copy of Copy of Girl Sawing medium

Using Wood Crafts To Help With Mental Health It is important in these difficult times to carry on with activities we enjoy.  Unfortunately we may not be able to take part in group sessions like keep fit classes, (UK June ’21) so we need to find an interest which keeps our minds active and that we can look forward to every day. Taking up a hobby could be the answer. Research shows that having a hobby lowers levels of depression……in fact it can eradicate feelings of depression completely. Drugs prescribed to alleviate depression are not always effective. Indeed they can…

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12 Best Selling Projects For New Woodworkers

Coat Hooks

Woodworkers Products…..Easy To Make….Which Sell Well Here are a few things to remember when you are beginning your business as a new woodworker….. Work within your capabilities to create a product you would be proud to have in your own home Don’t try to re-invent the wheel…..look at what other people are selling and adapt their ideas to create your own range Only use materials of the highest quality Just purchase tools  for the job in hand. You will soon build up a range of woodworking tools to deal with any eventuality. Scroll down to the bottom of this article…

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Wildlife Homes for 6 Endangered Animals and Birds

Ladybird

Wildlife Homes for Endangered Animals and Birds Many of our favourite animals and birds are under pressure through loss of their natural habitat or the depletion of the creatures they feed on. We can help their fight for survival by providing them with suitable homes. In this article I have outlined ways to build  wildlife homes for hedgehogs, tits, bugs, doves, barn owls and bats.   Hedgehog House Home for hedgehogs is under hedgerows (surprise, surprise!), fallen logs or in scrubland, particularly where you find brambles. Make sure you use untreated, unpainted, timber……..larch, Douglas fir or cedar are ideal…… for…

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8 Unusual Wood Crafts

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Wood Crafts with a Difference There are so many different avenues you can follow if you are interested in Wood Crafts. I hope this article inspires you to enjoy a wood craft which you may not have considered before. Many of the crafts mentioned below have books written about them. I can only scratch the surface and point you in the direction of useful resources, like books, videos and posts.     Kinetic Art Kinetic Art is ‘art which depends on motion for its effects‘, so all kinds of materials can be used for kinetic art not just wood. You…

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6 Popular Wood Crafts Reviewed

Toys plans Cherry tree rocker pony

Popular Wood Crafts My Review of Popular Wood Crafts I have already written about these wood crafts in previous articles, so I have dedicated this post to answering specific questions about each craft, such as……. Equipment required Working space Return on time and investment Woodturning The main outlay required to commence woodturning is the acquisition of a lathe. There is a world of difference between the cost of a lathe used by a part time woodturner to make individual items to supplement their income (£300) and a CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) lathe (£3,000 -£12,000) that can turn out hundreds of…

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