Make It Monday

My husband (a.k.a.- M.O.T.H: Man of the House if you're new to this blog) is so crafty. Just look at his most recent creation:

I am jealous! He's tried to teach me how to make stuff, but it usually ends with me getting frustrated and giving up to go inside and play Plants vs. Zombies on the iPad. Not good. I know.

Recently, however, he purchased a wood lathe and taught himself how to make bowls, pens, honey dippers and anything else he can spin at 2000 RPMs. When I asked him if it's easy to use, he assured me it was. I always wanted to make pottery and since we have a wood shop and not a pottery shop, I figured this is about as close as I'm gonna get. I like to think of it as 'wood pottery.'

Anyway, after asking me a few times to try my hand at it, I finally decided to give it a try and look what I made this afternoon!

I know it doesn't look like much now, but when this little puppy dries out and I get to put a nice finish on it, it will be the heck's yeah, or in this case, the "vee's knees"!

Here's a bit about how the process works.
You start out with a blank like this:

This is Red Elm, I used rainbow poplar...

and carve away...

If you are using green wood, like I did, you'll need to wrap the bowl up in a brown paper bag after you've carved it and let it dry out for a few months. Yes, I said months- no instant gratification here. But what was that mama always said? "Good things come to those who wait!"

Oh well, tick tock, tick tock.

I'll post an updated pic when it dries and is finished.

It really is therapeutic and helped me to shed a whole Monday's worth of stress!

What do YOU do to relieve stress and get creative?