Sunday, July 14, 2013

How to Make Valentine Boxes in no Time

This is a fun and easy craft that you can do by yourself or even with your kids.  All it takes is a little bit of time, some scissors, a small box, some colorful paper, glue, markers, and some other items to use for decorations.  You can use things like crepe paper, stickers, lace, foil, paper doilies or whatever else you can think of.
When you have all of your supplies together you are ready to begin.  Now that you know what you are working with, take a minute to picture in your mind what you would like the finished product to look like.

Getting Started

Now most Valentine’s boxes are totally covered in something before the real fun starts.  SO that is what you will do

Friday, July 12, 2013

How to Make Decorative Shadow Boxes

There are all different types of shadow boxes.  These are a great way to decorate and do it with a personal touch.  You can put nearly anything that you want to put into them.  You can do them as a way to frame memories or to highlight things that you would like to do. 

For the purpose of this article, I will tell you how to make a basic shadow box and then you put whatever you want to into it when you finish making the box.

Step 1
The first thing that you will need to do is to gather the materials that you will need.  For this project you will need a wood slat (length will vary according to how big or small you want the box to be), a small piece of smooth plywood to use as the back of the box, a saw, a sander, wood glue, 3 small hinges, a pane of glass and some paint or varnish.

Step 2
Now that you have everything you need

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

How to Make Puzzle Boxes

Before we get started with what you will need to do, this should only be undertaken by someone who not only has all of the right woodworking tools, but also has a complete knowledge of how to use them. 

While there are all different types of these boxes, today we will discuss how to make a very simple one.  Once you have mastered that, you can go on to the more complicated ones.

What you Need

For this particular box you won’t need too much.  Simply get a wooden dowel that is square, a vice, a saw, wood glue and a sander.

Step 1

The first step in any project is to gather your materials together and lay them out in such an order that will make it easy for you to lay your hands on what you need when you need it. 

Step 2

When you have all of your materials ready take the

Monday, July 8, 2013

Tips to Building Window Boxes

When you want to have a window box you have a few choices in how to get them.  The first way is to go out and purchase one.  That is easy.  The other option is for you to build one yourself.  Believe it or not, this is actually pretty easy too.  During the course of this short article I will tell you what you will need and the steps to take to get the window box that you have always wanted.

What do you want?

The first thing that you need to do is to figure out exactly what you want.  You need to know where it will go and the specific dimensions that it needs to conform to.  In this process you will take a tape measure and get those dimensions.  You need to know how long it should be, how wide it should be and how tall it should be.

What do you need?

Here is where the measurements come into play.  Whatever your measurements are, you will need wood of the same measurements.  I recommend using ¾’’ thick planks at whatever the necessary lengths.  You should get 5 pieces of wood for each
box that you want: 2 for the ends, 2 for the front and back and 1 for the bottom.  You will also need wood glue, nails and a hammer. 

What do you do now?

Now you go home with your supplies and find an area where you have enough space to put your box together.  Lay out the wood so that you can see everything and then get the piece out for the bottom.  Once you have that piece, find the one of the end pieces and put it upright against the end of the bottom piece.  Glue it in place with the wood glue and then nail it to the bottom piece.  Repeat with the other end.  Take the front piece and repeat the process with the added steps of gluing and nailing it to the end pieces too.  Repeat the process with the back piece. 
You now have a window box. 

What next?

Now that you have a window box, it will need some color.  This is easily done by painting it.  Now you will need to place it on your ledge and fill it.  If you do not have a ledge you can use shelf brackets to install it.  Make sure that they are the heavy duty type and strong enough to hold the weight of whatever flora you will be filling it with.


Thursday, July 4, 2013

How to Make Camping Boxes

Why don’t we start this article out by examining what a camping box is for those who may not be aware of such a critter?  A camping box is generally a box that is utilized in the storage of one’s camping gear when it is not in use.  It can even be constructed in such a way that it will be portable and when you want to go camping, you just have to grab your box and take off.

Every camping box will vary in size depending on your needs.  The first step is to come up with a list of all the items you’ll need for a typical camping trip, this will help you decide on the size of your box.  You will find here the directions to make a basic camping box, but you can personalize it and add compartments where and as you see fit. This is a customizable box.

Materials
The first part of any project is to gather

How easy it is to Build Planter Boxes!

If you are not accustomed to building or making things with your hands, do not let a planter box project discourage you.  This is quite an easy undertaking and can be done relatively quickly too.  When you get finished, you will be able to showcase your plants and flowers in a beautiful planter box that you can display with pride in the knowledge that you did it all by yourself!

Getting Started

The first thing that you will need to do in this process is to decide where you will put your box.  This will of course determine the size of the box that you will be building.  Once you have decided on the location you should get a tape measure and measure the area. 

Get the Materials

Once you have your measurements you will need to get the materials together that you will need to complete the project.  Whatever your measurements are you will need wood cut to fit those dimensions.  I would use ¾’’ cedar but you can use whatever wood and width that you would like.  You will also need wood glue, soil, plants or seeds and fertilizer.