The Anchor Clock - The Conclusion.

Whew! It is complete!

I didn't want to list the finished clock as it was a gift for someone and I didn't want to spoil the surprise. But, now that it has been given, here it is:

I love how it turned out and am going to make the last two remaining anchors I have and put them on Etsy. I bought three, just in case I messed up the first one and then the second. But, luckily, I didn't mess them up and have two left over.

If you would like to see the listing for this, it is
www.etsy.com/shop/DeerwoodCreekGifts

Making My First Clock - First of Many!

Having never made a clock before,  I never realized how much work actually goes into making them. I thought I could buy the anchor, buy the clock, insert the clock and whaaa-laaaa! instant clock. Nope.

The anchor turned out to be too thick for the clock to fit through, it did not come with a hole drilled in it nor did it have the back cut out for a place to put the clock mechanism. Off to the garage I went. 

First, I measured how much I needed to cut out from the back of the anchor so I could insert the clock mechanism. Then I drilled a hole all the way through.

After I measured what I wanted to cut out to fit the clock mechanism, I figured I would drill out as much as I could and then use the dremel to sand away the extra wood. (I don't have a router, so my options were pretty limited.)

I was going along just fine with the drill when I heard a sound I didn't want to hear. Snap! Part of the anchor broke off. But, as Bob Ross used to say, "There are no mistakes, only happy accidents." Bob was right. Having that part broken off actually made it a lot easier to cut out around the circle where I drilled.

At I first tried to cut out the extra wood with the jigsaw, but it was too powerful and almost broke the wood even more. I then took the dremel and sanded it. It got to the point where the wood was smoking from the heat from the dremel, so I put that aside to let it cool down.

I then took off the other side of the anchor, as it was much easier to sand that way.

I didn't have a way to cut the ends off the anchor as the dremel was too hot and the jigsaw was too powerful,  so I went and got a good old steak knife from the kitchen. It worked like a charm!

Thank you steak knife! I then cleaned up the wood, brought it inside and glued it. It is now sitting in my kitchen awaiting me to finish it. Going to paint it, add some customized words and some rope. Should be really cute when it is done. :)

I love making things when I have no idea what I am doing. It is fun to figure out. Makes me appreciate clocks a lot more, that's for sure.

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Preparation for Skiing - This is to remind skiers how to prepare for the ski season and to remind non-skiers why they do not ski.

***I did not write this, but as a skier who misses the snow and skiing like crazy, I am posting this as a reminder. It is supposed to be 104 degrees here on Saturday, so this might come in handy. (I miss Winter. Sigh.) And yes, that is me skiing in shorts and a cowboy hat. They opened the hill for one day in July and I was there. Life was good that day!

Preparation for Skiing - This is to remind skiers how to prepare for the ski season and to remind non-skiers why they do not ski.

-10. Visit your local butcher and pay $30 to sit in the walk-in freezer for half an hour. Afterwards, burn two $50 dollar bills to warm up.

-9. Go to the nearest hockey rink and walk across the ice 20 times in your ski boots carrying two pairs of skis, accessory bag and poles. Pretend you are looking for your car. (Awww, look at my babies, er skis, with snow on them. Happy day!) ----------------------->

-8. For ski boot simulation at home, put a pebble in your street shoes and tighten a C-clamp around your toes.

-7. Buy a pair of gloves and immediately throw one away.

-6. Go to McDonald's and insist on paying $6. 50 for a hamburger. Be sure to wait in the longest line.

-5. Clip a lift ticket to the zipper of your jacket and ride a motorcycle fast enough to make the ticket lacerate your face.

-4. Drive slowly for five hours - anywhere - as long as it's in a snowstorm and you're following an 18 wheeler.

-3. Fill a blender with ice, hit the pulse button and let the spray blast your face. You'd almost believe you're skiing in front of a snowmaker!

-2. Dress up in as many clothes as you can and then proceed to take them off because you have to go to the bathroom.

-11. Repeat all of the above every Saturday and Sunday.

www.etsy.com/shop/DeerwoodCreekGifts

A Concrete Idea

My son and I were at the hardware store and he asked if he could get a bag of concrete mix. Concrete mix??? I asked him why he wanted concrete mix and he said he "wanted to make stuff" with it.

Good enough reason for me. I am always up for trying to make new things, so we bought a 60 pound bag of concrete mix and we took it home.

Now, neither of us had any idea what to do with that 60 pound bag of concrete.

Did I mention the bag was 60 pounds? Sixty pounds is VERY HEAVY. 

We lugged it into the garage and since I did not want to move it from where we had lugged it, I wanted to make something so we could use up the concrete and not have to move that heavy bag again.

We went to the dollar store and bought some bowls, cups and some other shapes for molds.  We bought some gloves and went to work.

 We ended up making several tealight candle holders, flower pots, and bowls. It was so much fun! I think I am now addicted - just as I am with the logs - I love this stuff!

The concrete project I am currently working on is a concrete fire bowl. It is a concrete bowl with small rocks on the top around the edge, and then  a cannister of gel fuel is added to the center. They look really pretty at night, so I can't wait to see how mine turns out.

www.etsy.com/shop/DeerwoodCreekGifts