A Welcoming Project

Well, we are back after a whirlwind vacation to MI to visit with family and friends.  It seems like there is never quite enough time to see everyone and do everything that we want when we visit.

Now that we are home, we have less than two weeks to prepare for our big party.  We are celebrating our daughter's 16th birthday, our oldest son's graduation and finally having a housewarming party all rolled into one giant barbecue!  When we moved into our house a year ago, the yard was suffering from severe neglect and we are trying to reclaim part of it from the overgrown wilderness--what a job!

One of the things I have been trying to do is spruce up the entry to the house to make it feel a little more welcoming.  If candlelight can add a welcoming glow to the inside of the house, why not the outside!

This was a quick and fairly easy project and I love the way it looks!

To make your own welcome sconce, you will need:

2 Corbels (the angled brackets)--found in the lumber section
1"x8" board (cut to the size of opening)(mine was 10 7/8")
1".x2" board (3 or 4 pieces cut at 6 1/2") (or size to hold a glass hurricane)

Nail or screw together the 1x2 pieces to form a U shape or a box (if you have 4 pieces).  I was short on wood so I only used 3 pieces.

Attach the U shaped piece to the 1x8, centering it on the board and making it flush with the back side.  Nail or screw from the bottom side to hold in place.

Attach the corbels to the outside edges of the board using nails or screws.

Give the project a quick sanding and a coat or two of paint.  Use a glass hurricane or candle holder inside  the 1x2 box.  Add a decorative candle ring for extra color.

*If you use screws, be sure to pre-drill your holes to avoid splitting the wood.

*I assembled mine using 1 1/4 finish nails in an air nailer and it is sturdy.

I am already thinking of making another one for the other side of the doorway.  I can't wait to decorate them for the party!

 6/5/2011---I ended up making four of these to hang on our shutters on the back deck--I have already gotten tons of compliments!

A Little Blue Hutch

Spring has finally sprung around here and with the warmer temperatures comes the need for lots of ice in my family.  The ice maker on our refrigerator is exceptionally slow and has a hard time keeping up with the ice demands.  We decided it was time to dig out our portable ice maker and get it ready for the season, especially because we will be hosting a big cookout in a few weeks. 

Well, digging out the ice maker then required finding a spot to put the ice maker.  Last year we never really found a place that we really liked, it seemed like it was in the way or too awkward to fill and empty. So what to do, what to do??? 

I decided to build a shelf to hold it! I wanted to be able to put it someplace out of the way (note: OFF the counter) and yet someplace where I could easily fill and empty it.  While I was at it, I decided that having a place to keep all my teas and coffees together would be nice.  So, the little blue hutch was born.

The little blue hutch

All my teas and coffees are together and easy to find, plus I had room for some of my spice jars on the top two shelves which is great because I needed some more large jars on my pantry shelves.

On the bottom I can fit my ice maker, grain grinder and my favorite bread tin which actually holds all my cookie cutters. 

I have a couple of other projects that are almost finished and will share as soon as they are done.  One of them is a long promised Christmas gift that is finally finished.  I want the new owner to see it before I share pictures. 

"Unless the LORD builds the house,
   the builders labor in vain."
Psalm 127:1