A few side projects...

I had a little down time between projects over the past week or so and thought I might as well share with you a couple of the things that I tackled.

Recently, I took a short trip to Ithaca to visit my grandmother and a few other relatives. As is customary anytime someone visits my 98 year old grandmother, we rifled through her belongings to see if anything would catch my eye. I usually leave with one or two interesting finds. This time, besides the standard care package of food, I left with a wooden mail holder and this amazing pop-up valentine from the 1920's. Knowing I had the perfect piece of acrylic tube to house the 90 year old gem of a card, I brought it home and promised to keep it safe. Now this valentine, and the box I made to keep it safe, sits on our mantel for everyone to appreciate. 

Compare this to the 'angry birds' valentines kids pass around today. I think it's safe to say... "they just don't make 'em like they used to."

I was also finally able to make use of the 55 gallon drum that's been sitting in our yard for the last couple of years. Now we're ready for some summer evening fires with this tulip inspired fire pit.

Lastly, I made fender 2.0 for those thunderstorm bike rides. The new version is stained black to match my black stallion trek and features a steel hook to prevent the fender from loosening over time.