Swinging into Christmas

As I like to say all year long, its never too soon to start in on Christmas gifts. Youll be sitting back and chuckling as the rest of us are scrambling to build gifts in December!
Jarrid OBryan did just this, in a way. He made a set of Christmas ornaments as a unique wedding gift for a couple whose last name is Ramsey. No relation, but naturally, I had to show this off!
The ornaments are turned from cherry, the box is maple ambrosia with a hand turned, walnut and oak knob and a features a simple sliding top. Jarrid burned the lettering by hand and finished with poly.
I think Christmas ornaments make for a perfect wedding gift. Every December when its cold and gray, the couple will be reminded of their wedding and your handiwork.

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Then, after the newlyweds are together for a while, you can start in on a project like this. Alan Ward made this beautiful dolls crib for a friends granddaughter. Its built with mahogany, oak, and ash. Alans wife made the bedding. This will become an heirloom piece for the family, Im sure. I like gifts that keep on giving.

But wait! In the upper left corner observant viewers might notice a version of my flower-pot swing from 2010. Thanks Alan!

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I havent heard from very many people who have made that swing but oddly, the very next day Justin Stiltner sent over a picture of his BIG version. Five feet high and three feet wide! Made from old pallets.

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Mere Minutes

As an update for those of you who have been following along with my vegetable garden this summer, I decided to shoot a quick video showing a couple of salsas I made with my tomatillos and tomatoes. This hasnt been the most productive summer for vegetables, but what I have are really tasty!

Speaking of cooking, Hilah Johnson, my absolute favorite cooking diva is going to be making tostones using the tosonera I made a while back. A couple months ago I sent it to her to see what magic she can create. Ill let you know when her video is out. 

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