Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Last December, Ariel Lautman, a full-time mom in the DC area, resolved to stop buying prefab furniture for her family and instead, build some herself.Ariel planned to start small with bookshelves for her one-year-old’s bedroom before working up to bigger projects for her home’s common areas.

May Update:

The weather has definitely made it easier to get outside and work. I have two projects in the planning phase at the moment right now — screening in our back porch and a secret gift for my husband. I am finding that it is hard to keep up with the actual doingof my resolution with everything else going on, but I’m hoping that the extended planning phase for the porch project means that I’ll be able to knock it out a bit faster.

My first project (bookshelves for my son) was pretty much done, until I went to hang them in Ezra’s room. I decided I didn’t like the way I had finished the shelves, so I sanded them down and refinished them. I’m thrilled with the final result, but like giving a mouse a cookie, I now want to refinish the toy storage shelf in his room (which will probably then lead to refinishing the dresser…etc. etc.).