When my eldest discovered she had hands and the beginning ability to control those wiggly digits, I made her a set of blocks from my wood pile. I made them from different woods, and in different sizes, because it gave them different weights and feel. I was all about the “different texture experiences” practice of parenthood. I rounded the edges and finished with a matte clear coat, to help with grip.
I have to admit, I rather liked arranging them on the table as a center piece.
I went all out on this custom cribbage board back in December of 2004. I designed the Celtic knot triple path, shaped the oak board, carved storage recesses, installed hinges and a custom leather clasp, and even handmade the pins from twisted wire capped with blown glass.
Decembers before kids are a treasure trove of throwbacks. This board is pretty, but it hard to actually use, especially when there is alcohol involved. Those loops and whorls make counting a dizzy prospect.
I made this book stand in December of 2004 and graffitied it with pen, paint, and pyrography as an homage to Terry Prachett’s Disc World book series, specifically the wizard’s university library.
I finished the wood with a clear coat of urethane.
The pyrography pen is out, all things must be adorned.
Here is a throwback to August of 2004, when I was getting ambitious with my wood carving. I had made a polymer clay model, then used that as a reference to carve the wood. I don’t remember which wood I used, but it looks like it might be walnut. That would be the time that I realized I was not only allergic to walnuts, but to walnut wood and oils as well (makes sense now, was quite devastating then). I like clear coats, and have steered away from wood stain for many years, so the dark surface of the wood is likely not stained. The darkened eye and frog skin markings were pyrography done with an old soldering iron.
Critters and Craft 