Out of the Box......

I shouldn't have cleaned up the workroom....I keep finding things and playing with them.....

This morning it was some nice 1/16" walnut. I love the color of walnut. You don't have to stain it. Just smooth it and put a nice satin finish on it. When I make furniture with it, it gets sanded a number of times and varnished between the sanding.

This time I didn't bother. The little box is one that Tessie is going to be using and will get lots of wear and tear.

While I was going through my drawers, I found several items that I used to put in little boxes. Tessie saw them and I was immediately ordered to make her one of the boxes in question.

I gave you a diagram of the box I made with measurements of the pieces. Please don't try to use the diagram as a pattern....It's not all that accurate.

Anybody can build a box. Determine the size that you want the bottom. Cut two side pieces the same width as the bottom and the height that you want the box. Next cut a front and back the same height, the length will be determined by how thick the wood is. It will be the length of the box + two of the thicknesses of the wood.

You assemble them in that order. Bottom. Sides glued to the bottom edge. Front and back glued to bottom edge and to the ends of the sides. It helps to have a gluing jig. That makes it a lot faster.

The top of the box is determined by how much overhang you want on the edges. I did mine 1/16" on the sides and front.

For the lid, I cheated and put a silk ribbon hinge on the back of the box and the lid.

I decorated the top of the box with a jewelry finding that I found, after tipping the whole box of findings upside down on the rug. I had to sweep most of them up into the dust pan and the rest I had to pick out of the rug, one by one.....It was not a good morning....

By now you are probably asking what's in the box or you have wandered away and found something more interesting to do.

Here's Tessie with said box. She has been singing "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story at the top of her lungs since I handed it to her.

The box has a set of eight pink rollers, a hair dryer, a can of hairspray and a small brush inside.

I forgot to mention that I put a divider in the middle of the box by using a strip of the walnut that was 1/16" shorter than the height of the outside of the box. Thus it turned out even with the box height.

You can't really see it in the photo, but the hairdryer has a cord attached. I made it form a length of perle cotton.

Have you ever seen a red headed witch with pink rollers in her hair? Well, you probably won't. She is already complaining that red heads don't look good in pink....

"I wanted puce!"

I guess I should humor her. It will only take a couple of minutes to slap on a coat of puce........OK.....Have you ever seen a red headed witch with puce curlers in her hair? You may shortly.....

See you tomorrow.