My DIY Journey

I created this cute & messy little sand box in our yard in 2013. It was one of my first brave moves on a big project. My husband thought I was crazy, but I had to make something for our new little 1-year old, bundle of joy, Samiah, could get messy with!

MOTIVATION: THE BEGINNING OF THE "BUILD ITCH"

Many of my projects are motivated by my family, our needs, my interest, and just my plain old....."I can make that" mantra. My husband cringes at those words, and many times shakes his head at what I think I can build. Even my kids find it hilarious that I always want to make something that they would all rather choose to buy.

My idea is that if there are tools, materials, and time why not try and make it! The whole idea of making things that I desire may stem from my grandfather. He was a master of making things from concrete stairs, doors, a dog pen for his hunting dogs, to even he and my grandmother's first home!

As a kid, I enjoyed watching him build and fix things. The excitement, mystery, and imagination involved in building something that you haven't seen, yet, is what I think attracted me to it. As I recall, we even watched "This Old House" together, and I enjoyed it! May have been strange, but I watched it by myself many, many times that I can recall as a pre-teen.

I spent most of my life in sports, and the part I most enjoyed was the creation on the basketball court. In adulthood, I moved on to coaching sports, and still it was there. Creating great plays, creating great athletes, the drive and push to do things as strategically as possible in order to win.

THE ITCH MANIFESTS

After buying and building our first home, which was completed in 2010, I began like most buying what things to make it into a warm, cozy place. Already an avid fan of Better Homes and Garden magazine and the HGTV network, I was trying to think of ways to improve the look of our home, however, it was so expensive when you added it all up. I had to figure out something.

My tool box consisted of the usual pliers, hammer, a few loose nails or screws that had been collected, and screwdrivers. I had seen many people use the big, scary tools that plug-in, and I had no idea how to use them. I was even a little fearful of drills!

After watching, reading, and searching the internet, I found that there were other women with my passion, but they were doing it. Why was I so afraid? I can do it, too. So I got my first drill. And my first project to build was the sandbox. I wanted our third child to have the sensory garden that you can find many images of on the internet. I was going to start with the sandbox.

As you can see in the picture above, it turned out great! She loved it, and so did our older daughter, Jalen. Heck, I loved playing in the sand, too. Feeling the warm sand under our feet. (Pause for the relaxing image of the beach)

Learned Lessons

Unfortunately, the sand box did not stay beautiful, warm and relaxing. It has, now, turned into a grassy, ant-infested, mushroom growing hot mess. I laugh every time I look at it because there

were so many things I should and shouldn't have done. I guess it may not be too bad.....just trying to find the sunshine. LOL

One of the things I learned about is sheeting. This precious plastic on a roll is used by many landscapers to keep the weeds and crawling grass of Texas from destroying their creations. Another thing I learned was the use of nitrogen fertilizer to deter mushrooms from growing in organic matter, or even washing the logs with soap and water occasionally to prevent them from growing.

Another task I could have done was a better job of digging the trenches for the logs that were on the border of the sandbox. So many other things that I have come to know!

I have had other projects big and small that I have learned so much from my "mistakes." Some are not visible to the naked eye, while others are obvious.

On the Come-Up

In 2016, my tool supply consists of quite a few plug-in contraptions: miter saw, sander, hand saw, band saw, and TWO drills! I even have begun to organize my garage to actually be a workshop (see my other posts on workshop table and pegboard organization.

Recently, I bought a Ryobi Drill/Driver and hand saw, along with a craftsman shop vac. I have so many projects that I I have done and plan on doing, using my new tools. It is one of the excitements that I have in my life, and I am so ready to build!

More recently, I have gong to watching more YouTube, DIY Network, and HGTV videos on how to build or design some of my creations. There many other web sites that I refer to, such as, Anna White and Pintrest. This has opened my door to creation in my mind to so many other things to do. My goal of this blog is to record my building itches and adventures.......the good, the great,.....and the bad.

Alright, READY, PLAN, BUILD!

#photo