The "I Can Make That! Part 1" Story

It was an ordinary day. Our guests for the weekend had just left and I was cleaning the guest bedroom. I noticed that when I flipped the one switch by the door that the floor light did not go on. I figured it needed a new light bulb. Then, as I was attempting to remove it, Irealized that I had made it in such a manner that it was REALLY HARD to remove the bulb. When I made it I thought that it would be a novelty floor lamp and not used that much. My wife had seen a photo in a catalogue of a "Lifeguard Stand Lamp" and asked if we should buy it. "Goes with the decor of the house," she said. "Nah, I can make that!" I told her. And I did. Stands about five feet tall and really looks like a lifeguard stand. Looks great in the bedroom. I seem to tell her "I can make that!" many times. When we first moved into the house we now occupy about 15 years ago I made a set of tables for the living room. Something I had seen in a furniture store and decided I can make that myself. And I did. Coffee table has two drawers that can be opened and used to display items. Used to have my antique camera and photo collection in it, but decided seashells would be more appropriate for the house. Looks great in the middle of the room. I also made a table to stand at the back of the sofa. This also has a drawer for displaying ....... seashells. When I was thinking of retirement I took a course in stained glass and enjoyed it so much I have made it not only a hobby, but a part-time job. Carol thought that the window we have next to ourfront door would be a perfect spot for some stained glass. She said "How about a blue heron by the beach in the window?" "I can make that!" I told her. And I did. In late afternoon, when the sun is going down, it casts really neat colors all through our entrance way. I also have two other tables that I made that are very unusual. We had a small round table in our kitchen that we use for breakfast that Carol thought ought to be updated to match the rest of the house. "Gotta idea for the table," I told her. Took my router and cut out about 1/4" of the top. I left a border around the opening to help with my idea. I drew atiki hut and palm tree along a beach with the sun in the sky. Used pieces of stained glass and broke them into smaller pieces with my hammer. Placed them on the table top inside my drawing. When I was satisfied with how they looked, I use silicon caulking and attached them to the table top. Finished the job with grout and a 1/4" piece of glass to keep you from cutting yourself on the stained glass. Pretty neat, and I did it. We also saw a coffee table at one of the beach houses we rented while on vacation. It was shaped like a seashell. Carol said, "You should make a table for us something like that." And I did. I glued a series of 1 1/2" thick pieces of mahogany together and drew a big, long fish on it. Used a band saw to cut it out and then a lot of sanding. Added an eye and a base for the table and it now displays some of our many conch shells we have accumulated. I have made many other items, but are too numerous for just one story, so I will tell you about my latest and save the rest for "Part 2." Last year Carol and I were watching an episode of HGTV's House Hunters. They showed the entrance to a really neat modern home and on the wall was this mirror that had flattened soft drink cans around it. I said to Carol, "That's really neat. We ought to have one of those for our deck. I can make one!" And I did. Shortly after we saw the show we traveled to St. Martin for vacation and I took a good scissors along with me. Every time we purchased a soda, I asked for the can. Some of the sodas can be found in the USA, but most are local ones. One can was a coconut soda, anotherlicorice (way too strong a taste), a watermellon soda, a peach tea, a ginger beer, a tropical fruit, a pina (pinapple) soda, Coke and Pepsi in cans printed in French and one of our favorites, Ting which is a Jamaican Grapefruit soda. I would take the cans back to our villa and wash them out. When dry, I would cut the top and bottom off, then cut them down the middle. When we got home I laid out 44 can panels that I had cut 3 x 3" on a shears. In the center was a 9 x 12" mirror. Attached with the smallest carpet tacks I could find and put a frame around it. Looks great next to the Tiki Bar on the deck. Also, gets lots of comments! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs are from the top: Lifeguard floor lamp, coffee table made for displaying our seashell collection, stained glass window panel by our entrance, kitchen table with glass design, living room table which we use to display conch shells and soda can mirror.