August Giveaway!---We Have A Winner!

The winner of my Heart Birdhouse is Carol Anderson of Firecrackerkids Primitives! Here's her shop-- Go by and check out all her great Primitives--http://www.etsy.com/shop/firecrackerkid

Thanks to everyone who entered and shared on their blogs and facebook, etc. And thank you all, so much, for all your lovely comments and support! Blessings! Jennifer

Where Country Folk Create Blog Party- Primitive Peddler Cafe Members

  This morning before I got into this post I decided to peek at a few other members blogs to look at their creative work spaces. Wow! Some of them are quite fancy! I'm just happy to have a freed up bedroom to put all my uh...40-some years of art stuff into! And my garage workshop....well you'll see. I've been trying to get organized and it is better than it was...anyway here goes...I'm having a hard time with blogger this morning. I could not get it to let me write under my pictures. I made the little shelves and paint holders behind my chair. My cork board is full of templates and stencils I've made. I painted the great white heron to the left of the window and two things above that are artworks my two daughters did in elementary school. I built all my work tables and shelves in my garage. I use all the power tools myself--table saw, scroll saw, bandsaw, drillpress, router, nailgun, belt sander, and sometimes a Dremel tool for carving. I let my husband use my tools for his own projects sometimes. I'm not a feminist, but I really love working with wood - it's lots of fun, but hard work too. hey...do you think I should put a curtain on that window? Now I gotta get out to the garage and make some more birdhouses!

 

August Giveaway!

                                                            My Heart Birdhouse!

                        I'm doing my first Give Away for the remainder of August. 
                                   Only one more week to enter the drawing!
  The Give Away is a drawing for the Heart Birdhouse on August 31,2010 at noon central time. To be in the drawing just do any or all of the following and comment here what way or ways you promote my give away you will get an entry for each :

•  Your comment on this blog = 1 entry + ...

•  Blog about the give away, or add a picture and link to my shop.

• Mention the give away and link on facebook.

• Twitter about the give away with link to this blog.                                                                          Blessings to all!
• P.S. While you're here you might enjoy reading my previous post--A Labor of Love--A work in Progress ! If you like it, comment on it and I'll give you another entry! Thanks! 

A Labor of Love - A Work in Progress

   For several years I have wanted to make a large Noah's Ark. I wanted it to be somewhat patterned after the Noah's Ark toys that were made in the 1800's that people made or purchased for their children to play with on Sundays. Their children were not allowed to play on Sundays, in what they thought were foolish ways, as they might play on other days, but must play more quietly and reverently on the Lord's day. You can see some examples of these antique Arks here...http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/noah%27s_arks.htm
   This summer has been the perfect time for me to get at projects I've wanted to do, because I'm on lay off from my "regular job". But the more important reason to make my Noah's Ark now is my grandson Isaac. He's going to be 4 in October, and he's at just the age to really enjoy playing with it. And since he moved far away from Grammy last year I wanted to make him something really special. So I thought he also might like to look at some pictures of how grammy made his Noah's Ark, and maybe some of you would too. While I was at it I also made one to put in my Etsy shop. My Noah's Ark bank is 1 foot long so I decided I wanted this ark 2 feet long and basically doubled all the measurements on the small ark.

I cut the 24" board and made the end pattern and the cut the base on the band saw...

Then I cut the "house" ends and sides, cut the door, and assembled them...

 Then I started drawing and making patterns for the animals and Mr and Mrs. Noah...

I  made thin plywood templates to mark my animals and cut them on the scroll saw.




I filed and sanded all the edges ...

I base coated the ark and all the animals, and detail painted the animals.

                                                                                                              

I detail painted the rest of the ark, went back out to the garage and attached it to the base, and put on the roof. I painted the roof, then sanded the animals and ark to give them the "time worn "look.Then I added the dove to the top and gave it all a hand rubbed wax stain.

The finished Noah's Ark! I hope you like it Isaac!,

                 And I hope someone will want the other Ark I made to sell in my Etsy shop too!
                                                              My ark collection...