Charleston Tea Plantation
A few weeks ago, my wife and I made a trek down to Charleston, SC. On the way, we stopped at the only working tea plantation in the country: We took the trolley tour and learned all about how tea goes from bush to beverage.
Front Porch Table & Footrest
My wife and I bought an Adirondack-style rocker for our front porch a couple of months ago and we thought we’d make a side table and footrest to go with it. I made rocking chair footrests for the in-laws last Christmas, so this was a chance to improve upon myRead more
A Bike Reborn
Ever since our bikes were stolen in DC, we’ve talked about getting new ones. I recently bought a used one with the understanding that I’ll justify sinking hundreds into a nice bike once I’ve worn this old one out. I wanted to buy my wife a new bike so weRead more
Economic Survivalism?
USA Today ran an article about an emerging trend they call Economic Survivalism: When the economy started to squeeze the Wojtowicz family, they gave up vacation cruises, restaurant meals, new clothes and high-tech toys to become 21st-century homesteaders. Now Patrick Wojtowicz, 36, his wife Melissa, 37, and daughter Gabrielle, 15,Read more
Guest Bedroom Furniture
My wife and I have lived in tiny one-bedroom apartments since college, and we were at a loss when we bought a house and it came time to decorate a spare bedroom. We decided that we need storage as much as we needed furniture, and we just couldn’t find furnitureRead more
My Bike
I’ve been wanting to start riding again. My mountain bike was stolen in DC a few years ago. The idea was to spend as little as possible on the best bike possible. That way, if I really take to riding again, it’ll be easy to justify buying a better bikeRead more
Corner Cabinet
After the wedding, I felt bad because there was nowhere in our cramped DC apartment for my wife to display her gifts. As a matter of fact, it would be over a year before we even took most of them off her parents’ hands. There was one tiny corner inRead more
Grandfather Clock
I always wanted to build a grandfather clock. Maybe it’s just not my style, but I’m not a big fan of furniture that drips with ornamentation. I prefer the simplicity of the colonial and mission styles. With that in mind, I put together a clock a few years ago whenRead more
Computer Desk
I’ve always toyed around with building and carpentry, but most of my projects were small in scope or fairly simple in design. The first project that I would consider a real piece of furniture was a computer desk I made a few years ago. When my wife and I movedRead more
My Bar
I got the idea to build a bar for our little backyard patio in DC from a magazine article where a cheap potting bench was transformed into a serving station. I liked the idea, but thought I could do a little better than a converted work station. This was myRead more
