Our Mantle and Christmas 2012

This is our mantle before christmas, I think I made this mantle sometime after we had lived in our house. It was one of the first wood projects I did.

This is the same mantle dressed up for christmas, below the mantle are some canvases Michelle painted, and the center one has lights I added from the back.

This tree is like one Michelle found on Pinterest. It is made from old fence wood I had.

The picture holder shutter I made as a Christmas surprise for Michelle. I ended up buying some pine craft boards, as they were fairly cheep and very straight/finished. The color is a teal green latex, that I rubbed with some black mixed with stain to get the aged patina look.

House warming gift

I made this chalk board/ Frame/ candle holder with some scrap wood I picked up from a local cabinet maker, and some repurposed candle holders we were about to give away to goodwill.

I made this as a house warming gift for my sister and brother-in-law who just built a new house in Tulsa, OK.

I find it is much more meaningful to make a gift, especially with the thought that goes into it and the time to make something. Plus for me it is fun.

Miscellaneous Projects from 2012

Some box frames I made for Maggie's room. Used wood scrap from a local cabinet maker.

Wood panel made from fence wood. Painted by Michelle.

Fence wood benches.

Fence wood frame and picture of man Michelle met in Haiti, such great colors.

Fence wood panel, painted by Michelle.

Maggie's wall with wood boards pained by Michelle.

Old music room shelf.

Baby is sleeping! door bell cover.

Wood column I made for seasonal signs and wreaths.

Fence wood panel, pictures Michelle took of a magnolia tree for our Magnolia Love.

Fun wagon overhaul, was red and super rusty. Now it is vintage and super awesome.

Cedar blocks I cute out for Michelle to paint.

I can't tell you the hours she spent on these, but they turned out so good.

Adam's Room

This one is dedicated to my awesome and amazing son, world changer, and forerunner of a generation Adam Henry Leach.

This first item is a simple book shelf I made from some MDF board I had from a previous project, this was painted tan when this room was our music room, but as things change (having more kids) and rooms change too. This is painted a dark blue to go with the blue/green/grey color scheme of Adam's room.

The toy chest you see here I built from some 1x3 fur strips. This was originally in miss Maggie's room, but with limited space was put under a table and mostly forgotten about. Now it is on display and painted teal green to match Adam's room.

The red wagon was found at a local flee market and my wife Michelle and I thought it would make a great addition to the room.

This was the original frame I made for this picture taken by my beautiful and talented wife Michelle leachlove.blogspot.com. But after a week long trip we returned to find that the branches attached had some type of wood beetle that had made a mess of sawdust when we returned.

So, I took the old frame down and replaced it with this simpler one made from some MDF board.
















These are some simple 1x6 boards I cut for Michelle to do here hand printing specialty.

The top one I am especially proud of as it is made from some solid hardwood, and has a image of a tree I hand chiseled in and painted, then I used a weathered stain, and finally a polly coat to protect it.





I made this hat rack based on a Pottery Barn one.

Maggie's Kitchen

 I made this play kitchen for my daughter miss Maggie Love. It is a combination of a couple of old manufactured pieces of furniture including an old bookshelf, and a cabinet. The rest was made from some plywood and scrap pieces of wood I had around.

I used plans from ana-white.com for the design, then added my own touches on the facet, sink, and hardware. Most everything I found inexpensively at Lowes, or had old hardware from the repurposed cabinet.

This project was a lot of fun not only because it was for my daughter, but also because I had to be     creative to come up with ideas for the facet (cast-iron pipe), and the sink (old dog bowl). My daughter has since loved playing with the kitchen and I am sure will be a loved piece for many years.

Pottery Barn Inspired Table & Bench

This Pottery Barn inspired table is based on the Benchwright Farmhouse table. I used plans found on ana-white.com for both the table and bench.

All the wood used on this project was white wood . The stain is a natural pine color.

Scarf Hanger

This was a fun little project I did for my wife Michelle. It is a scarf rack I made from old fence wood, and some inexpensive knobs and hooks from Lowes.