Odds and Ends

Last week, Matt and I worked on two projects that have been hanging over our heads for several weeks. You may remember our ridiculously large toy box that Matt made on MLK day that I posted in February. Well, it was time to do the impossible: create a lid. My fear was that a wooden lift/close lid on a hinge would be far too heavy and could potentionally harm little hands (or big hands!). Cross that idea off the list. How about a completely removable lid that is either on or off -- no hinge. Again, this is a 7' x 2' x 2' box. That would be one heavy lid. Cross that idea off the list. Basically, we went round and round on this idea. Why bother with a lid at all? This idea went through our heads as well, but I know that I'd prefer to be able to shut a lid and hide the clutter when I want to. Soooo... where does that leave us? I think I (we? no, this was definitely I) came up with the perfect solution. We created a sliding lid that consists of two pieces of wood. No worries about a lid slamming shut. No worries about a lid being too heavy. Perfect. We took a trip to Lowes to buy the most beautiful plywood you've ever seen in your life. Yes, I just used the word beautiful to describe plywood. I'm completely serious, too! We splurged and bought 2 panels of 3/4" thick birch plywood. It is gorgeous -- and strong -- which is the real reason we chose it. I wanted it to be sturdy enough for someone to sit on. This plywood was so beautiful, that I actually felt bad for painting it, but it had to match the rest of the box. Oh well. We also bought small wooden knobs to be painted and attached to the panels for easy sliding.
Matt was the brains behind making this idea come to fruition. He made two separate tracks for sliding the panels back and forth. Way to go, Matty!

And here is our final, final product. I couldn't be happier with it. Check that off the list.

The other project was just a fun home decor project that I found on Pinterest. Matt had mentioned several weeks ago after church that he wanted to make something for the house using a Bible verse from Joshua that had come in several sermons. I seconded (is that a word?) that idea and got busy looking for some ideas on Pinterest. Since Matt is big into carpentry these days, I figured that was the best route to go. This project literally cost us hardly anything at all. We used wood from our own lumber yard in the basement (I really need to take a photo for those of you who don't believe me), leftover paint from our dining, leftover stain found in the basement, and hanging wire that Matt found in the garage. We had to pay $9.99 for the stencils. Not bad if you ask me. Put all those things together, and here is our finished product. It's hanging in our living room and you see it when you walk in the front door.

So, that's the latest. Matt is itching to begin the built-in desk in the basement. I've been searching Pinterest for some inspiration, and I think I'm getting closer to knowing exactly what I want. Stay tuned. Oh, and here's that photo of our lumber yard I mentioned earlier. Most people store "stuff" in their basements, we store wood.