What Kept You Busy During Covid-19 Lockdown?
Like a lot of people, lockdown left me without work. I went through the usual phases of "It will be over quick," and "ARGH!" but eventually I just had to find some projects to help stay sane.
The first project I took on was an online magic show on Facebook, which was a huge success. The first was seen by over 40,000 kids across various platforms. Then there were some follow up shows, and these took way more work than I'd have ever anticipated.
When this was done, I decided to find some fun hobbies to take on, outside of magic.
Why not some woodworking?
I'm new at this woodworking business, and suffer from a few patience related problems. Mostly it's that I enjoy some phases of each project, but not others, and so I don't put the necessary effort into each step. I'm getting better, I promise.
One of my first projects was a high chair for my daughter's dolls. I mean, a doll's gotta eat! I found the plans online, but unfortunately can't find the site I'd found the plans on.
Doggy Chair
I found these plans on Woodworking For Mere Mortals. If you're interested in some fun projects, this is the place to go. His videos are easy to follow, he's fun to watch, and the projects are simple enough for newbies like me to attempt with at least a little confidence.
The animal chair looked like such a fun thing to have, and I really wanted to be able to make one for my daughter. I knew she'd love it, but I also wanted to have that pride in knowing that I did that. The thing is, I really didn't think I had it in me to cut out the traced animal shape well enough to get away with it.
But look! It worked! Because the host of Mere Mortals insists we shouldn't point out the flaws in our own work, I won't. Either way though, this is a sturdy chair and I can't imagine not keeping it forever. When people are allowed to visit me again in the future, they'll all be greeted by this chair at the door, and they'll get to hear me say "I made that!!!"
And then a real challenge
My daughter was ready for her first bed. The plan was to get something cheap and simple. Why not? She doesn't need anything fancy. Especially right now. Then I thought, I'll make a simple bed. Inexpensive, and still fun. The Mere Mortals website, above, had some simple plans that I almost used.
Then I came across the cabin bed. I wasn't seeking it out, but once I saw it I couldn't stop thinking about it. And sure, the materials would end up costing 3 or 4 times as much as just buying a cheap bed from the store, but, look at it! So, I spent a few weeks doing my absolute best. Trying really hard. Even -- gasp -- taking my time. And watching it come together was such a pleasure.
When my daughter saw it in her room, she couldn't wait to get on it. First, we put the mattress in place and by some miracle of miracles, it actually fit like it was supposed to. Then she jumped on the bed. Then we coaxed her off the bed, so we could get the sheets on. Then she got right back onto the bed. In fact, she still cant' get enough of it. She wants to be in bed all the time. But that's just crazy, of course, because, I need a turn, too!
Plans for the cabin bed can be found here. If you think it's somethig you want to tackle, read through the comments on that page, and you'll be able to learn from where other people had trouble.
And yes, I probably should have made the bed and made it look all neat before posting it here. Hopefully my wife doesn't read this far down.