Tiny House 1

I had to build this. I knew the kids would love it and I knew that I would enjoy making it. Elise calls it "The Tiny House". I can fit in there with the two kids, no problem. The inside dimensions are 48" x 48" x 48" which is just enough for the chislers and me.

The whole thing is built from materials found on the streets/in dumpsters/etc.

I recently spent a rainy afternoon in The Tiny House with a cup of tea and the kids. Nice memory. Elise likes to draw all over the walls with her markers. I don't let her draw on the outside or on the window and she is pretty good at following the rules. Homeowners pride I guess.

The back door is actually a basement window that I found in our neighborhood last winter on a snowy evening. I attached it to the frame of the house with self-closing hinges which means we don't have to worry about squirrels getting in and taking over if the door accidently gets left open. Clara refers to squirrels and birds and rabbits as dogs.

Tiny House 2 will hopefully get built this winter. That will be an adult version where me and Martha can hang out. My vision is that I could be in it reading a book, drinking tea (but more likely beer) and watching the snow fall. I need to figure out some kind of non lethal heating system. I have a woodstove that I can use. Maybe I can hook up a radiator to it.

Storage solutions

Here's a snapshot of some ideas bubbling around in my head (LINK) for the next big project, after I get the kitchen cabinet job (LINK) completed. Better get the finger out, winter is around the corner.

While on a recent family excursion to the Bell Museum of Natural History on the U of M campus (LINK) both Martha and I took a shine to some old display cases that housed bones and rocks and the like. The proportions were perfect. I'd like to build something like this for our dining room. The function would be slightly different. Instead of displaying artifacts we would have books mixed in with art objects. My take on what I saw at the museum would be to have three to five individual storage units, each the exact same size but with variations in the materials used and construction method of each.

Stacking Boxes

Not sure where this idea is going or if the concept is even worthy of turning into reality. What you have is a set of different sized boxes all mounted on a pole. Each box can swivel 360°. The pole is secured in a concrete cube for stability.

Back to the drawing board. Comments or suggestions welcome.

Short back and sides

I got a flyer today for a free hair cut at SportsClips (LINK). Odd concept but seems to make solid marketing sense. Only in America...

Craft in Ireland

A very inspiring article in American Craft Magazine (LINK) provided me with some must see things for when we are in Ireland next summer.

Check out the breathtaking woodturning of Liam Flynn (LINK).

Make

Here's (LINK) a story about some furniture I am making for the kitchen. The weather is getting perfect for working up a thirst in the shed.

So many plans so little time! Wait, I have a good 50 or so years in me so there is no reason I can't someday become the full time furniture maker I dream of being.

Yes We Can

It's September 5th 2008. It's 9:15PM, Central Time. It's St. Paul, Minnesota, my beloved new home town. It's the last night of the Republican National Convention. My wife and mother in law went on their bikes to downtown St. Paul to peacefully (hopefully) protest the RNC. A really old man is giving a speech. His name is John McCain. He is a hero for all the wrong reasons. He dropped bombs on villages in Vietnam from the safety of 20,000 feet above the earth and then was stupid enough to get shot down. Martha often preaches the creed of karma. She is never wrong. Nearly everything I have learned in life I have learned from her. I am more serious than a dream-job-ironed-the-night-before-interview-shirt.

Supposedly this speech marks a historical moment. This Irish-American is displaying his indifference to history by turning off the radio, having a fire in the backyard, downing a six pack of beer and crushing beer cans in the vise to see if a perfect collapse of the cylindrical form can be achieved without buckling. I am also listening to old Christy Moore songs (In Zurich, The Lakes of Pontchartrain, Little Musgrave) on my iPod while I stumble in and out of the shed. My beautiful children sleep in their beds without care for the waste of energy taking place in downtown St. Paul. Bless the little clowns!