As you can see here, my husband has always had a fondness for wood. This picture was taken several years ago (when we were still living in San Antonio), but his love of trees started long before. I remember posting on my Facebook (no longer have one of those) about the perfect boyfriend, and it said something about "will build you a bookshelf." I can't remember exactly how it was phrased, but Jacob took the comment seriously when we were dating. I came home one day, and he said we needed to run to his place for a surprise! Now, I am the worst when it comes to surprises, but I managed to only ask several hundred questions before we got there.
My surprise was (as you've probably guessed by now) A BOOKSHELF! He crafted a beautiful bookshelf that was covered in quotes about reading and books. The top of the shelf says "Our Library" in Mandarin. My husband took several years of the language in college, and he would often say things to me without explaining what they were. I had to guess for several weeks before he finally caved and told me what he'd written. Originally, it was supposed to be a bookshelf we shared (Our Library), but he underestimated how many books I owned.
When we were driving it from his house to my apartment, it fell out of the back of his truck and lost part of a corner. He was very upset initially, but I told him it gave the bookshelf character, and it made the experience more memorable. If you've also noticed the discoloration at the bottom, that can be blamed on the teething puppies we've had over the years. The picture on the left was before our last move, which is why there are empty spaces. The picture on the right is where it's currently located in our new home.
This bookshelf has lasted nearly ten years, and will hopefully last many more! After this initial project, it was several years before Jacob made anything else. We got married, he joined the Army, we had kids, and life happened. It wasn't until the girls were old enough for toddler beds that he really decided to get back into it. We went around town and the neighborhood collecting pallet wood for simple projects, and then he started crafting beds for the girls to transition into.
The girls' beds are made entirely out of pallet wood, which I find fascinating! It still amazes me that his brain simply can simply come up with an idea, and his hands can make it happen (and on such a large scale). I would get lost in the measurements (which is why my attempts with the sewing machine have been very disappointing), and there's no way I could ever hope to have an end result like this.
Our son would spend a lot of time in the garage "helping," but the girls and I didn't help until the very end when only paintbrushes were required. Seriously, the garage is a mess in these photos, but I promise it looks better now. Jacob built himself a workspace for the new house! I'll have to include pictures of it next time.
Tada! The finished project! One bed down, and one to go. ;)
When we found out my husband was going to deploy, we moved back home for the duration of his deployment. We thought it would be a good idea for them to be around family while he was gone, and I would have extra hands if I needed them. This was their setup at that house!
This is what their room looks like now. It's smaller (which I love) and cozier. Personally, I like that it's less to clean, but I also like that it keeps us from accumulating too much stuff.
I believe this is his favorite of the two headboards.
Their beds have survived several moves (one we did on our own without the help of movers), and they still look amazing! Lovely and solid. <3
Now that I think about it, my son's shelf may have come before the girls' beds, but I'm not 100% sure. Jacob asked him what he wanted, and our son said he wanted something for his medals and Hot Wheels. Jacob built it, and then I attempted to make it looked like a volcano with lava on the sides (per our son's request). I'm not sure if I personally succeeded, but our son was thrilled when it was finished! Jacob used PVC pipes for the toy car storage, which I thought was a brilliant idea.
It doesn't hold all of his cars, so he just uses it to store his favorites (or whatever is in the floor at the end of the day)! I remember Jacob letting him help with the placement of the PVC, and our son excitedly sticking them on there.
This is one of my favorite pieces! Jacob wanted to make a bench for the front porch (back in San Antonio), and I love how he stacked all of them together to create a solid top. It's not perfectly smooth or even, which I think makes it look even better! When we moved and he deployed, I took it inside to use in the kid's bathroom. The counter and sink were impossibly high, and this allowed them to all brush their teeth at the same time, haha. He was surprised to see it inside when he got back!
It's on the back patio now, and usually has shoes stored underneath it! I bought several plants the other day, and had to move them before snapping these photos. It's supposed to be for sitting (or so I've been told), but has proven to be useful in other ways over the years.
The last thing my husband made before he deployed, was another bookshelf for me! I'm not crying, you are! Either he was tired of me asking for another one, or he disliked stepping on or around the various stacks that were accumulating around the house. ;)
I think I've posted about this piece in the past, but it's definitely worth sharing again! I really love the color and how he emphasized the wood's natural flaws. He didn't smooth them away, but made them stand out against the shelf itself.
❤❤❤
This is what it looked like once it was finished, and before I attacked it with my books. The top shelf was initially made shorter to hold movies, but it has since been converted into a shelf for my smaller books. ;) A bookshelf is for books, right? Even though I was the one that requested a space for the movies, since they were being stored on the computer desk, which was obnoxious. The new house has shelf storage built into the walls upstairs, so that's where the movies are now.
This is what it looks like now! My Precious.
The coffee table came next, and it matches my bookshelf! This was the first piece he made after his deployment, and it was obvious he missed spending time in the garage making stuff. It sounds weird, but I missed the sound of him making stuff. Even with the kids making a ton of noise all the time, there was just something missing. I'm happy he's back to banging around in the garage!
We didn't have a chance to use the table before our move, but I absolutely love it! We have a lot of "coffee table" books on the bottom, and the container in the middle holds all of our chargers! Easily accessed and conveniently stored. It's one of my thrift store finds, and I think it really compliments the table itself. I can't bring myself to leave anything on top of the table, because I want to be able to see all of it!
Jacob is hovering over my shoulder and asking me why I didn't straighten the books up beforehand. I think he's a little nervous about me posting about all of his projects. But I'm proud of him! I think he's amazing and what to celebrate what he's capable of crafting with his two hands.
My husband and son love working on LEGO sets together, and sometimes just build whatever they feel like building, so Jacob wanted to make him something special to hang above the door to his room.
He asked me whether the LEGO should be colorful or a blend of browns, and I'm happy he didn't listen to me. I thought the brown coloring complimented the wood, but the colorful colors really represent our son and his personality.
Jacob made this to help our son learn how to tie his shoes, and it has worked wonders! For some reason, it's been easier for him to practice on this than an actual shoe. He keeps it under his pillow and practices before bed, haha. I think he uses it as an excuse to stay up later, but at least he's being productive.
Lastly, the card holders. Kids have really small hands and fingers (obvs), so it's hard for them to hold a lot of cards at once (especially when they're giant-sized). Jacob remedied this by making something for the kids that would hold their cards for them, and still allow them to see everything they had.
This is a really weird version of Old Maid.
The depths of the cuts are different, so the cards in the back can be seen over those in the front. I saw something similar online, and Jacob was like, "I can make that." Folks, he definitely did. Now when we play card games, we're not trying to hold theirs in addition to our own, or trying to keep them from showing their cards to everyone else.
I believe that's all for now! He's currently working on a table for my plants upstairs (catnip for the kitties), and a bird feeder that the children are assisting him with. We'd started on a project together before the move, but it didn't travel well. I'm sure we'll get back to it eventually. :)
You guys, it's so great having a crafty husband. It might be easier to go online and order a desk, but I would much rather wait and see what Jacob comes up with. I know it will be a million times better than anything I could find in a store, and it comes from the person I love most in this world.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about all of his creations as much as I've enjoyed having them in our home! I can't wait to see what he makes next, and I'll be sure to share them with you. Knotty Roots Woodworks has a certain ring to it, don't you think? I made the graphic earlier, so I hope he likes it!
*Originally posted on April 26, 2020! Link
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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless