Five On Friday

It's been pretty grim looking outside this week. Although not raining torrents, it has been raining. The wind and cold 0'C temperatures have not enticed me outdoors beyond an obligatory morning walk.

I'm going to show you some things my talented husband has made in woodworking. He's been making furniture and other decorating features since I met him almost 30 years ago. In fact some of our first dates were spent in his parents' garage working on a stereo cabinet. He began woodworking when he was in high school, and I'm really proud of the things he has made. Often the only two things holding him back are the expense of the lumber, and a place to put the finished pieces in our home. I've shown you the beautiful low bookshelf he made a while ago, and also a cabinet to hold our fish tank, so today I'll share a few more things he has made.

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My husband and I love to go canoeing ... not in white water, but quiet paddles around the lakes and rivers we visit while camping. This spring my husband created this beautiful paddle rack for our modest collection of paddles.  He had seen this idea on a woodworking show. The wood pieces are vertical slices off a tree trunk with the bark "live" on the edges. His biggest challenge was finding someone who sold these slices which took some time. He finally found a guy a couple of hours north of us that supplies logs for log home builders, and he happily sold them to my husband for a mere $20 a piece. People here in southern Ontario were trying to sell them for close to $100! He was really pleased with the pieces he picked up, and left them to thoroughly dry in our basement over the winter. I think he did a magnificent job with the paddle rack, and it now hangs proudly in our front hallway for a really stunning impact when you come in the front door. 

The two paddles on the right are mine ...
both given to me by my husband :)

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In the fall of 2013, my husband surprised me with this beautiful cherry bookcase for my birthday. It is patterned after a bookcase that was once in my parents home that I really liked. I have this one in my bedroom with all my novels. It was difficult to decorate it exactly how I wanted it with a few bits of artwork etc. because the books filled it all up very quickly!  It's quite narrow, which is perfect because of limited space in my bedroom.

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We refinished our family room quite a few years ago, and my husband made these sturdy mission style end tables for the room out of cherry. They're a really nice set of tables that are a perfect size. We both love mission style furniture, and he has lately made more furnishings in this style with great success.

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He has also made these handy oak shelves for our two kids. My son loves little bits of memorabilia, and has put his shelf to good use. He has everything from his great-grandfather's bowler hat to railway spikes found on a camping trip. The centre panel is corkboard, and the shelves are all adjustable.

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I've shown this next piece before, but didn't tell you about it. Also made by my husband when he was in high school, is this handy little pine dry sink in our kitchen. I find it very useful for large awkward pots and also for my vases and candle holders. He gave it to his mother when he finished it, but when they moved house about 18 years ago they gave it back to him. I'm really glad they did because I love it!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Wendy

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