Crafts!!

     Those of you that know me know that I am super crafty. In fact, you're often offering to buy things from me at reasonable prices that I just sort of throw together. Well, now's your chance to fulfill that dream!! I figure I am home so much, supporting my family from the couch, that I might as well put my talents to work.

     I'd like to introduce you to Kute Krafts!! I wrote those words with K's because K's are so crazy krazy and unexpected!!

     The first craft is one very near and dear to my heart. When my siblings and I were born, we had Christmas ornaments made that were sleds. They had our name and the year written on them too. It was our favorite ornament to put on the tree every year. I thought I should make my son one as well.

     As with all manly, woodworking projects, it's best to start with a detailed plan, and to stay focused:

The original plan

      Then it's time to head to the hardware store and grab the necessary, manly materials.

Remember, power tools aren't toys, and should be taken seriously.

     including:
Popsicle sticks
scissors
glue
table saw
ruler
colored pencils/markers
gas mask
hammer
box cutter
compass
chainsaw (not pictured)

     I begin to assemble the top of the sled.

Calculus book and mouse are not required

And I make the rails of the sled, which is super hard. Let the glue set, make sure it looks good, and now for the stressful part. Painting. I find paint terrifying. You make one mistake, let one drop fall, and something is a different color forever. So here's my trick (and I don't know why more people don't do this): just dip the whole thing in the paint! It saves on cleaning brushes, makes sure you get every little edge and corner, and is kind of fun!

You'll notice the baby is being well observed and cared for in the mean time.

Aaaaand now I see why people don't do that. It's a mess to clean, and to get to dry in the right way, the whole thing is think and feels like a big glob of paint, and you can see my thumbprint on the bottom of it (I'll pretend like that was my signature years later). Ugh.

Not a missed edge - all painted in under four seconds!

Finally, I need to write the inscription on the top. Something like "Wyatt 2011" and "Baby's 1st Christmas" or "Wy loves daddy more than mommy." What do people use to write these things? I seriously have no idea. Glitter? Frosting? I figured I'd use glue and just let it harden. I also wanted to put little dots at all the corners of the letters like people always do.

Attempting to write with glue

All finished! What a cute little sled. If you are wondering why I chose the color I did, that blue is the same color as the baby's nursery. Isn't that adorable! I am so clever and cute!

Of course, when the wife comes home from work all she notices is that the baby is crying by himself, he's hungry, the house is a mess and I am still in my underwear, but come on! I spent 11 hours making a beautiful piece of art that will one day support our family financially. Back off!

If you'd like your own Christmas sled, just send me a note to let me know. They are $95 plus parts, and shipping isn't included. Make your checks out to Kute Krafts!!!

Wyatt's Mood: calm
My Mood: cabin fever!!
Listening to: James Taylor