Every girl (or guy) deserves a nice place of work. Even if their work is among the saw dust and shavings of wood working. For years, I had been saying that I needed another building. One for more storage, a better way to organize my tools and a place where things could be done. The little red shed that came with my home when I purchased is, is a 14 x 14 red barn. And its adorable! However, it fits my Christmas decorations and lawn equipment, AND THAT’S IT! So the idea for the She Shop was born….
A She Shop is not a She Shed (sorry Cheryl). Its not a place for lounging on a day bed and dreaming. Although a lot of dreaming certainly does happen there, its a workplace. Its a beautiful, organized workplace. I can sit at the table and draw up plans or make lists, or I can be at the work bench piecing together something I’ve just created. Since this is where I spend most of my says, it had to be pretty. And or course there had to be ample light. So a chandelier was brought in and several barn lights were hung. Shiplap paneling was put up to cover the studs. Finally, an easy to sweep vinyl plan floor was put down.
While the chandelier does get dusty, and the floor gets drops of glue and stain on it, its still a warm welcoming place to walk out to in the morning with a cup cup of coffee and start the next idea!
The large barn doors got some diagonal shiplap, painted white, and large chalk boards. They open nice and wide and allow the breeze and the sunlight in, while also making it MUCH easier to move finished pieces out.
And of course, what about the tools…. Yes, they needed someplace nice to live as well. I bought this armoir at the thrift store and turned it into my power tool storage. I built some shelves for inside . And the best part, is that since it was an entertainment center in its previous life, it had electrical outlets! So voila, my battery chargers have a nice place to be.
So, next time your in town, come sit on the porch and let’s think of what to build next…
Always dreaming,
So I wanted a farm table for the patio…..
And of course I thought, I can make one! So I figured what’s the worse that can happen? I mess up and then have to cut up the pieces and burn them? I mean, I’ve never made furniture before? But how hard could it be?
A few things you need to know about me before we start on this project together:
- I am for sure, undiagnosed with A.D.D.. I literally find myself spinning in circles sometimes because I’ve started so many things at the same time, I have no idea what to do first.
- I am extremely impatient. No explanation needed.
- I don’t really know how to use a tape measure without counting the little lines EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!
- I don’t write things down. I figure I am going to remember them, but can’t. Which explains why there are MUTIPLE trips to the grocery store every week, and I’m still come home without the one item I went there for.
So, when I decided to take on the project, there really was no telling how it would turn out! BUT, that being said, the table is amazing, and I’m since used the same idea to create a beautiful table for the dining room, as well as a really cool outdoor kitchen area for when I grill!
The great thing about a project like this, is that you can totally customize what you want, with the size and the finishes, and it costs a FRACTION of what furniture would cost you in the store. There is also a huge amount of satisfaction that comes from telling people that you made that!
This is a simple project, but will require some help at times. I mean, lets face it, most furniture is NOT made from solid wood, and these tables are!
The patio got a beautiful 9 foot table and two benches and then the kitchen area.
For the dining room, I needed a particular sized table, but didn’t want round, so I was able to customize a wide rectangular table, and put a pretty aged glaze finish on it.
As long as you have the right tools, and are using your head, you can do this too!
I’ll outline the specifics of how to construct a table in a later post, but in the meantime, who’s coming over for dinner?
