David Carroll
07-30-2023, 10:19 AM
I enjoy both the build-alongs, Derek's, Steve's, and Mike's, as well as the tool discussions. I most often post in the tool discussions. I would love to do a build-along of one of my projects, but these days, my building is all related to home renovation (I bought an old home in the early days of the pandemic and to call it a fixer-upper would be an inexcusable aggrandizement). But I do take time each Christmas to make my Grandchildren toys for their presents.
It's fun to watch the kids play with real toys that aren't merchandized, marketed, battery-operated plastic objects that will be played with for a day then broken and thrown away before the next Christmas comes around.
I'm still a couple of years away from retirement, but assuming I make it to retirement, I hope to have more time for building furniture and other things.
So here in the heat of summer my mind is going to what I might build for the grandchildren this year. They are 5, 4, and 1 years old. The baby will get his name carved into these "Building Blocks" that I have made for every baby in the family since I came up with the idea 30 years ago. Here are some old ones.
505236
I made these as prototypes and sold them at craft fairs back before my oldest boy was born. I never made much money at it, making them all by hand, but people did like them, they sold well, considering the time spent making them I lost money on each and couldn't make it up in volume.
Last year I made the kids Hobby-horses, except their favorite animals were elephants and giraffes, so..
505239505240
The year before that I made a "Jumping Jack" I've made several versions of those over the years. My grand-daughter wanted one that was an owl, so she got it!
505241
So here's a few things that I've made over the years. I also make a dozen or more Christmas ornaments, original designs, every year. I used to carve them all, but that became too much work, now I carve one, then make a silicone mold and cast them in polymer, then paint and finish as usual.
505243
Here's last year's and some from the year before that I gave to folks who were recently added to the list.
Does anybody know why these pictures post upside down or sideways? They seem to open correctly. I must say that adding pictures to this site is very cumbersome and more than once I've just given up.
So, what do you all do for Christmas presents?
DC
It's fun to watch the kids play with real toys that aren't merchandized, marketed, battery-operated plastic objects that will be played with for a day then broken and thrown away before the next Christmas comes around.
I'm still a couple of years away from retirement, but assuming I make it to retirement, I hope to have more time for building furniture and other things.
So here in the heat of summer my mind is going to what I might build for the grandchildren this year. They are 5, 4, and 1 years old. The baby will get his name carved into these "Building Blocks" that I have made for every baby in the family since I came up with the idea 30 years ago. Here are some old ones.
505236
I made these as prototypes and sold them at craft fairs back before my oldest boy was born. I never made much money at it, making them all by hand, but people did like them, they sold well, considering the time spent making them I lost money on each and couldn't make it up in volume.
Last year I made the kids Hobby-horses, except their favorite animals were elephants and giraffes, so..
505239505240
The year before that I made a "Jumping Jack" I've made several versions of those over the years. My grand-daughter wanted one that was an owl, so she got it!
505241
So here's a few things that I've made over the years. I also make a dozen or more Christmas ornaments, original designs, every year. I used to carve them all, but that became too much work, now I carve one, then make a silicone mold and cast them in polymer, then paint and finish as usual.
505243
Here's last year's and some from the year before that I gave to folks who were recently added to the list.
Does anybody know why these pictures post upside down or sideways? They seem to open correctly. I must say that adding pictures to this site is very cumbersome and more than once I've just given up.
So, what do you all do for Christmas presents?
DC