A selection of items I've created over the years
I've always enjoyed working with my hands. I grew up with a wood-working grandfather who had a workshop in his basement. We spent countless hours down there building toys, school projects, and a variety of items to store and display my treasures. In school, I loved projects that required handiwork and meticulous attention to detail. Things like bookbinding and custom stamp-making were a treat for me.
While I don't have the need to hand-build journals very often, I still exercise my passion for hands-on creating through writing and playing music, creating a card for my wife each anniversary, building Christmas gifts, and producing exercise equipment I'd rather not spend the cash on (though I sometimes spend as much or more on materials and time). These are a few of the items I've built over the years.
10 year tin gift
The 10-year anniversary gift is something tin or aluminum. I hand-punched this oatmeal tin for my wife.
Cornhole boards
My wife bought me blank cornhole boards for my birthday, knowing I would prefer to create my own design on them.
Barn wood desk
I built a desk out of black pipe and wood reclaimed from an old North Carolina barn.
Concrete weights
When gyms closed and weight plate prices rose during the pandemic, I made my own out of concrete.
Workbench
I found these workbench plans online for a bombproof workbench. It's still solid after 10+ years of use.
Anniversary card
I make a card for my wife each anniversary. They usually involve some sort of origami and hand-drawn elements.
Plyo box
Another DIY gym item I made during the pandemic. This thing could hold a car.
Wall art
My wife saw this statement somewhere and loved it, so I made this for her with hand-cut linoleum blocks.