Woodworking

Now that spring has sprung, our pond has come alive! Reeds and lily pads, ducks and water lilies... not to mention our newest addition... frogs!

In my humble opinion, every household needs its fair share of frogs. Literature would back me up on this. Think of how many fairy tales, poems and songs have frogs as their main character. Heck, seems half the princes were a frog at one time or another! So, it only stands to reason, children need frogs amongst their playthings.

Our little frogs were cut out of ash. The pattern for The Wooden Frog can be found HERE or with our free patterns. Use the pattern and the photos for painting ideas.

For information on cutting out wood, painting and finishing, follow the general directions for our Wooden Apple Orchard.

Just a note: I couldn't decide whether I simply wanted to cut out my frogs and sand the edges or give them a more sculpted look. In the picture below, the frog on the left was simply cut out and sanded. I did more sanding and carving to the frog on the right. I used some of the dremel attachments to create a furrow between his eyes, to round the back a bit and to further sculpt his nose. I have since asked the children (and anyone else that would give me the time of day!) which they preferred. Results? Equal. So, it's a matter of choice. I think both ways look cute and have their own appeal.

BTW... I've had these frogs done for quite some time and they've already been played with... a lot! When I went to gather them up for the "photo shoot" I couldn't find them. So, I began looking in all the usual places like my pewter tea service, the piano's keyboard, and amongst the branch blocks. When I headed to the gnome house, this is where I discovered them... quite cozy I'd say :)

Here are the Felt and Wood Reeds that I used with the Wooden Ducklings to go along with the Book Nook - Have You Seen My Duckling? but they would be just as at home used with our Gnomes.  

I made 2 different sizes; one with 7 reeds and one with 8 reeds. The bases are an easy shape to cut out with a scroll saw, and I cut the dowels to different sizes to give a natural look. The directions are quite simple.

Materials
For Bases:
1" wood (popular, pine, maple, ash, etc.)
1/4" dowel rods
stains, paints, and finish (see note in text)
pattern

For Felt Reeds:
assorted green felt
embroidery floss
pattern

Wood Base and Rods:
Trace the patterns on to 1" thick lumber. I used popular for mine but pine, maple, and ash would also be good choices. Cut out the bases, sand, paint or stain, and finish. For general directions for cutting out and finishing wood, refer to the tutorial of our Wooden Apple Orchard.

Using the pattern as a guide, mark and drill holes in the base. The holes should be 1/4" wide and 1/2" deep.

Rods for small base cut 1/4" dowel as follows: 1 - 6 1/2", 1 - 5 1/2", 2 - 4 1/2", 2 - 3 1/2" and 1 - 2 1/2".

Rods for large base cut 1/4" dowel as follows: 2 - 6 1/2", 1 - 5 1/2", 2 - 4 1/2", 2 - 3 1/2" and 1 - 2 1/2".

Felt Reeds:
Make a copy of the pattern. For each rod, cut out 2 pieces of felt.

Blanket stitch the two pieces together using 3 strands of floss. Leave the bottom open.

Slide the felt reeds over the rods.

I did not glue the rods into the base. This gives you the flexibility to arrange the reeds in any manner you wish. Plus, I have some other ideas on how to use the rods and bases and I want to be able to move the rods around. Enjoy!

Here is our sweet little set of Wooden Ducklings to go along with our Book Nook - Have You Seen My Duckling? Just like the book, I made 1 Mama and 8 little ducklings. (Notice one curious duckling has gone off on his own!) I then made 2 clumps of reeds for a lovely backdrop or for mischievous ducklings to hide in. They are swimming through a wonderful sky blue silk that makes a lovely lake.

The ducks have very simple shapes and are cut from 1" ash. The reeds have ash bases, with 1/4" dowel rods cut to size, covered with felt blades. Today we are sharing the Patterns for Mama and Ducklings. Like all of my wood projects, after the shapes have been cut out and sanded, I paint them with natural milk paint, then finish them with a olive oil/bees wax finish. For information on cutting out wood, painting and finishing, follow the general directions of our Wooden Apple Orchard.

Here are a couple of notes that pertain specifically to the Wooden Ducklings. The necks have a rather small area that you need to cut and sand. When cutting out the ducks (which Tim did for me... it was too cold for me to be outside :), he didn't worry about follow the pattern line exactly. The necks aren't quite as deep as the pattern, but that's okay. Depending on the size of the blade and your skill, the shapes can be a little different... even desirable! Then use the pattern to lightly trace the wings, eyes and beak.

I painted the whole body first using a watered down milk paint. I like it when the grain shows through, plus you will be able to see your markings. Don't work if they are not all the same. If you goof... it just gives a duckling character. (Remember Nemo's small "lucky" fin :) 

Next time we will be sharing a tutorial for making the reeds. Of course, you don't need to make 9 ducks, actually, we made 18... 9 for our house and 9 to put away for Future Baby! And you don't need the book "Have You Seen My Duckling?" to enjoy these... but it is so fun to reenact books. There are many other duck stories out there that would well with these little ones. Two come to mind; "The Story of Ping" and "Make Way For Ducklings". Can you think of other duck stories to use with these ducklings?

Obviously, these would make perfect basket stuffers for Easter or spring. Enjoy!

Bug, Fairy and Pixie are learning about Ancient Egypt. When they needed a pyramid, and needed one fast, we got out the Big Bucket-O-Legos and started building. After about an hour, the five of us... Bug, Fairy, Pixie, Mommy and Gammy, constructed a pyramid we were all pretty darn proud of. When we were done, the children began playing. Before you knew it there was vegetation, the Nile, and some local animals. They were using pirates and spacemen to set to work on building a palace, but it wasn't long before Bug wandered over and said, "Gammy, we need a mummy and a pharaoh." He had already built a sarcophagus but was hoping for an authentic looking pharaoh and mummy.

Well... how hard can that be, right? We grabbed a couple of our 1 1/2" wooden people pegs, the crafting glue and a few strips of white fabric. Before you could say Tutankhamen, we fashioned a mummy and pharaoh. To make the mummy, simple cover a wooden peg with glue. Rip fabric into 1/2" strips and begin wrapping the mummy. If the glue dries as you are wrapping it, simply add more glue. Make sure you cover the top of the head and the bottom, and tut-tut, you have your very own mummy, ready to be placed in his sarcophagus.

To make the pharaoh, rub glue on the lower half of a peg. Wrap a piece of a 1/2" strip of white cloth around the lower part of his body 2 times. Cut the strip on a diagonal so the cut is on the front of the pharaoh. To make his head wrap, cut a piece of fabric 1" by the distance around his head plus 1/2". Put glue on the head following a natural hairline. Wrap the scarf around his head, overlapping in the back. At this point the fabric will be standing up straight. Place a little more glue on the back of the head and fold the scarf toward the back, making sure to leave 2 sharp points on either side of the scarf. Add an embellishment around the pharaoh's neck. We cut a necklace out of green felt, making sure we cut it so it fit around his neck, and glued it in place. When the pharaoh dries, use a fine tip permanent marker and add facial features. He is now ready to storm the castle... I mean the pyramid!
  

Every summer Britta and Axel, along with their children, leave the Thicket and head to the city to visit Britta's sister, Greta and her family. When they go, Britta makes sure to bring gifts from the Thicket including acorn jam, dried mushrooms and toys for the children whittled from wood. In turn, Greta and her family come to the Thicket to spend the Christmas holidays. They never come empty handed. There are many things Greta and her husband Eldar can find in the city that are not available to the Thicket gnomes. They bring buttons and small bolts of cloth. Cooking pots and books. But this year, they brough special gifts for Britta and the family. Something that she never even dreamed of owning... their very own city bed! No longer will they need to use their sleeping bags. Beds! Britta is so excited the first night in her new bed she can barely sleep! Britta decides here and now to make something extra special for her sister's family.

If you would like to craft your own Gnome City Bed like the one Eldar made or a mattress and pillow like Greta made, click HERE or the directions can be found with the FREE patterns. Enjoy! 

Help your little gnome friends get a good night's sleep with these Gnome City Beds. Very easy to make, and your gnomes will truly be appreciative!

Materials for bed:
wooden container
decorative wooden knobs
crafting glue
wood paint
Mod Podge or sealer

Materials for mattress and pillow:
felt pieces
stuffing (Polyfill, cotton, wool or felt scraps)
embroidery floss

Directions for bed:
1] Purchase a wooden box of suitable size. (NOTE: Mine was purchased from a local craft store. It is made out of balsa wood and measures 3" x 4 1/2" x 1 3/4". This was a great size. There was a bottom and a top hinged together. This will make 2 beds. The top was not as deep as the bottom but it doesn't matter.)

2] Remove all hardware. At this point you may choose to fill the holes but I did not. I wanted to maintain that repurposed look.

3] On the flat bottoms, mark the position of the placement for the knob feet centering the marks 1/2" in from the 2 corner sides. 

4] Place a dollop of glue on the 4 marks.

5] Position 4 knobs on the glue. Allow to dry completely. (I bought packages of wooden knobs. They are approximately 1/2" x 3/4". I found them in the same area where I found the boxes.)

6] Paint or stain the bed. You can leave it natural, too. I watered down a light brown paint and "white washed" the beds. It tinted the wood more than painted it.

7] To paint flowers, I simply dipped the end of a larger paintbrush in my petal color, and dabbed it on the wood. I made 5 dabs in a small circle. I used a goodly amount of paint to give the petals a raised look.

8] Change paint colors and using the same technique, dab a center to each flower. Allow to dry completely.

9] Using a small, flat brush, put green paint on the end. To make leaves, make one dab for each leaf. Position and paint 2 leaves per flower.

10] After the paint has dried, seal the wood with Mod Podge or the Natural Olive Oil and Beeswax Finish. I chose to use Pod Podge because the balsa wood was rather rough, and I wanted a layer of Mod Podge to smooth out the wood. 

Mattress and Pillow:
1] Measure the inside of the bed. Cut out 2 pieces of felt to this measurement.

2] Using 6 strands of floss and a blanket stitch, sew together 3 sides of the mattress.

3] Lightly stuff the mattress, then continue sewing the rest of the mattress closed.

4] To make the pillow cut 2 pieces of felt 1 1/4" x 1/2" less than the width of the mattress. Sew and stuff following the directions for the mattress. 

I was hoping to get more "words" done today, but alas, I didn't. Tim cut out and sanded a stack of blocks for me... enough to write a novel if I'm so inclined :) I did get a chance to write up the instructions. They are very easy to make and this is a craft you can definitely do with the kids. When thinking of gift giving, you don't need to be limited to the Holidays. Think of doing children's names for their rooms, or a word of encouragement for a co-worker's desk. OR perhaps the season names for your nature table. Whatever you decide, this was a fun and fast craft. The instructions for the Wooden Christmas Blocks can be found HERE or with our FREE patterns. Enjoy!

If you can cut a piece of 2x4, you can make this project. BTW... even if YOU can't cut a 2x4, many lumber yards are willing to do it for you for a nominal fee. Use your imagination to share greetings and messages by simply stenciling letters to blocks you have painted. This is a craft that most children can help you with. A very affordable Christmas craft to keep or give as gifts.

Materials:
2x4 lumber - You need 1 block per letter (Figure approximately 3 blocks per linear foot)
saw for cutting wood
sandpaper for sanding wood
*paint - milk paint for block, acrylic paint for stenciling
2" alphabet stencils (I purchased mine at Michael's. They were inexpensive paper stencils. You could also find a font you like and cut out stencils.)
stencil brush
Olive Oil and Beeswax finish (recipe available HERE)

NOTE CONCERNING PAINT: I used milk paint to paint the blocks. 1 teaspoon of powder to 1 tablespoon of water covered 4 blocks. I used black milk paint to stencil the letters. I had trouble with the black paint bleeding when I applied the finish. Milk paint "stains" the surface of porous surfaces. I think the original coat of milk paint I applied acted like a sealer and the black paint did not set well. (See pic below.) For the next set of blocks I make, I plan to use black acrylic paint for the stenciling.

Directions:
1] Cut a pine 2x4 to create squares. (Each block will be approximately 3 3/8" x 3 3/8".)

2] Lightly sand the edges to remove sharp edges. NOTE: Since these are made for display and not to be played with, and they are suppose to have a primitive look to them, you do not have to do a fantastic sanding job. Just good enough to prevent splinters while you are working with them. If you do intend to use them as a toy, make sure to thorough sanding job, making the blocks smooth, to prevent any splintering.

3] If using milk paint, mix according to instruction.  By mixing 1 teaspoon of powder to 1 tablespoon of water, I was able to paint 4 blocks. Allow to dry completely. 

4] Before stenciling blocks, arrange the blocks in the manner you plan to display them. It is not always easy to get a random look :) 

5] Center a letter stencil on a block, and using a very small amount of paint that has been blotted on a paper towel, stencil your letter on a block. 

6] Allow paint to dry completely. Finally, seal the wood with a beeswax and olive oil finish. The recipe for mine can be found HERE. NOTE: For this project, I melted the olive oil and beeswax together. I let it cool in a container, took it out, and used it in bar form.

Note about patterns: We are sharing patterns we have designed and made for our own children, families and friends. Every effort is made to share information in a clear and accurate manner. We offer preemptive apologies for any mistakes that may be made. Please let us know via comments or emails if you stumble upon a mistake or if you encounter directions that leave you scratching your head! We will rectify the situation as soon as humanly possible!

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2009. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights.

I have got about 3 minutes before my house is invaded by the grandbabies for our weekly bagels and corned beef. BUT, I just finished these blocks and I LOVE them. I plan to fill my house with "words" this Christmas. Besides the normal MERRY CHRISTMAS, PEACE and JOY, I plan to make all the Golden Ticket words from Polar Express, which I love. Okay, all the time I have. Instructions will be up later this evening or tomorrow. Enjoy your Sunday!