I'm so tired of finding my kitchen towels on the floor! I have revolted!
Two kitchen towels purchased for the grand price of $2.50 at Big Lots and some fabric leftovers. I did raid the button box, but wound up purchasing 2 1" buttons at Joann's. The top portion I just "winged", but I'm pretty pleased with it. I know most towels like this, directions are to cut the towels in 1/2 and then each towel makes two hanging ones. These look a little long, but the Hubby is pleased that they are big enough to actually use.
I have actually been thinking of making some of these for awhile and I looked into buying my own toweling fabric. I found a couple of internet sites that had some nice selections of toweling. Harts Fabric had some nice colors and plaids. Also, look at Fabric Depot as well. Of course the Big Lot's price was pretty competitive if you can find a color or design that is to your liking.
The American Girl Doll Company makes a very nice wardrobe for their dolls. It's reportedly the size of a small nightstand, painted white and comes with some assembly required for a mere $349. Possibly a great deal if hubby didn't have a few cool tools and some spare oak.
This is our version, minus the doors of course. Hubby built it this past weekend and I just went out and stained this portion. He will be making the doors this weekend and I need to hurriedly get some appropriate doll hangers so we know what size of "closet rod" we can install. The side shelves were built based on some simple storage trays I purchased. I will be making the storage board for the inside of the big door and the little fabric pockets to hang on the inside of the small door this weekend.
Our plan is for her to use this now to help hold her doll and clothes. Maybe in 12 years, she will want to take it to college as an actual night stand. It's solid oak so it should be a classic piece that will last.
I Googled some possibilities, but finally sprung for the Green Pepper pattern for fleece socks. (Amazing... I actually bought a pattern at regular price, but with a 40% off store coupon!)
I pulled a piece of fleece from my stash... a lovely lavendar... probably originally purchased with the idea of jammies for my daughter....
I traced what I hoped would work for me, as the pattern is multi-sized. With only three pieces, the layout and cut-out went quick. Much to my dismay, I could not find my stash of footie fabric with the rubber grippers. I finally just sewed them up using my regular machine and a stretch stitch. A quick try-on and I was pleased. Now I'm contemplating making some for Christmas gifts but adding a little machine embroidery.
Future pairs will definitely get gripper fabric on the sole. One web site suggests using raised or puffy fabric paint in a zig-zag pattern on the sole. As I have already sewn my trial pair, I may pull out some fabric paint and see what happens. One other site said that it was lumpy/hard feeling and they didn't like it, but then I'm thinking of doing a double sole just for added warmth on cold floors. Another suggestion was to use clear silicone in a tube from the hardware store and painting/working it into the fabric.
Two nights ago I was being lazy or I can use the excuse I was recovering from a 4 day bout with flu. Anyway, I sat semi-watching a movie on Netflix and perusing Pinterest. I stumbled across a pin that led me to the blog of Megan Chaney. Her clay artwork, inspired by nature, put some ideas in my head.
Last night I came home, got the kids in bed and disappeared to my studio and "let my hair down". I made a stoneware tile. For once I didn't calculate the shrinkage and try to make a tile that was in standard 4" or 6" size. I used the slab roller for a nice uniform thickness and then I used an old plastic texture plate for faux wood grain. I textured the tile and then broke out the oak leaves. One I imbedded in the tile, the other I put a layer of clay on the back and randomly made it appear as if it was dropped on the tile. I free-formed an acorn and used thin pieces of irregular clay to make a patch of bark. One area I used raised clay to give a little flame pattern seen in oak lumber. I used a bit of iron oxide on the barkish area.
This evening I came home and refined some areas. It's a a bit of abstract tile. I'm anxious to add it to my kiln that is almost ready for a bisque firing. Right now I'm meditating on possible glaze/finishing techniques... I may have to look for more Pinterest inspirations!
Bone dry clay... ready for any last finish touches and a bisque firing....
No, I am not sane. I can't possibly be sane. Why? As my husband was kind enough to remind me, I never can do anything easy. Now if that isn't calling the pot black, but then, I digress.
We, hubby and I, plowed in and constructed my eight foot tri-loom Saturday night. Lapped the corners, marked, drilled and stained the maple. We only used 183 brads per side. Wow! This AM the loom was ready and so this afternoon I got started. This is where the insanity kicked in. So far, I have made ONE tri-loom shaw on my 5 1/2' loom built from scraps. For my first project on the 8 foot loom, which looks HUGE, I chose to use Paton's classic wool yarn. I also thought that this time I should show I can do more than over and under, so I chose to attempt a double diamond twill.
This is the pattern out of Patricia Herman's Triangle Loom Weaving Twills 'n More
Within three or four rows, I knew my yarn needed to be doubled. Off came the yarn and I restarted with a double strand. (This of course means I must be running back to the store ASAP as I will be short of yarn!) I am carefully keeping the strands from twisting and all that. That in itself is a challenge, but as I am not a master weaver, maybe, just maybe, I should not have made my second tri-loom project a double diamond twill. I have removed probably as much yarn as I have put on by now. However, I think I have finally made a break through. My brain has started to grasp the repetition of the pattern and I hope the "do-overs" will now be minimized!
Paton's Classic Wool in Rosewood - Double Diamond Twill Pattern
I marked the repeat, 8 rows on a piece of painters tape and I stick one of my picks over the number of the last row I just completed. So far, that has helped with the errors.
The finished product should be interesting. The yarn is wool and I don't want to felt it heavily, but I think I will felt it just enough to give a nice warm shawl. With work, kids and a blouse I have in process, I dare say it will be a week or two before I get it completed. At least I've done enough so far I can start to see the pattern and I think I will like it.
On one of the routes we frequently travel, there is the Moyer Gould Woods. It is managed/owned by the Niches Land Trust and is approximately 70 some acres. As it was a beautiful Saturday... sunny, upper 60's and breezy, I pulled in and we went for a hike.
Probably one of the most outstanding trees is a huge white oak. This picture does not do it justice. The next trip will involve a real camera and not a cell phone camera!
We saw evidence of the old house. An old sidewalk... Old concrete porch with the stubs of a long gone yew. Some vinca groundcover was still apparent and I am curious as to whether any old perennials... bleeding hearts, etc. may appear next May.
The old carriage trail turns into a nice little trail down the side of a hill/bluff overlooking the Tippecanoe river. Initially it looks as if it's old pasture that is returning to woods, but once you get past the old fence line you see some nice shagbark hickory, oak and I saw a couple of beech. The path run along the river and then cuts back and forth up the side of the side of the hill with some moss covered conglomerate bedrock outcroppings. At the top is a nice bench that the kids enjoyed.
I believe next spring we will have to make a point of revisiting it. The leaves were thick, but I could see evidence of wild ginger and hepaticas as well. The site is also reported to have dutchmans breeches, blue phlox, jack in the pulpit, red trillium, hepatica, mayapples, and fire pink.
A few weeks back... actually August, we were on vacation. On the way out to Missouri we stopped at Rockhome Gardens. There was a vender inside that had a triangle loom in action and she had some completed projects as well. Being a crafty person, I was intrigued. I started some research and my engineering husband started calculating.
After we got home, progress lagged or really never even started. That's when I take matters into my own hands!!! Hubby was gone on business so I headed out to the garage to see what I could see. Hubby has been building some cabinets, so there was some nice "scraps". OK...maybe 2 eight foot pieces of red oak 3/4" by 2" is a bit more than a scrap, but after I grabbed and cut, well...
I took one of the 8' pieces and cut it in half. I then cut a lap joint - by hand - so the 90 degree joint would be stable. I clamped those and then laid the other 8' piece across the top to make my hypotenuse. I marked the overlaps with pencil and again made lap joints by hand. Now if you check out the web, standard sizes seem to be 6' and 8'. Mine is not exactly standard, but I wanted to build the biggest I could with what I had!
I started marking the nails and then messed up and the kids demanded food, so I had to stop. Once the hubby returned the next day, progress resumed. I erased my bad markings and started all over. This time I got it right. I spaced the pins on the hypotenuse 1/2" apart. I used a square to mark the pins along the side. If you do a bunch of web searches, it's a little confusing, but the pins/nails along the side are closer together than on the hypotenuse. When you're done, you should have the same number of pins on all three sides.
Then hubby helped set up the drill press and I drilled holes. A LOT off holes I must add!
After nice neat uniform depth holes, hubby put a socket extension in the drill press upside down. It then worked to uniformly press each nail in to the exact same depth.
I will admit hubby assisted but anyone, with a little persistence, may commandeer the work shop and build their own as well!
After the loom was glued, screwed and dried I rummaged in my stash and found a couple of homespuns. Talk about dumb luck, I was just barely able to finish. No fringe, but I have ideas...
I have since invested in one of the few triangle loom manuals out there and found a few things I did wrong. We also purchased some nice maple to make a full 8' triangle loom. As I've had the maple for at least a week or two, I guess I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands again!
I would suggest a book available on Lulu.com by Barbara Herdman called Tri Loom Weaving. It shows the basics of weaving and has a real nice chart on how much yarn to plan on for the size of the loom.
I vowed that I would contribute, but the summer has come and went.... I have seen many fun things at our lake cottage... but I have not posted.... NOW I must!!!
Today, as we left the cottage, I looked over into the woods of the Boy Scout camp and about had heart failure! There on the forest floor, just kind of hanging out, was a HUGE EAGLE! It was only 15-20 feet off the side of the gravel lane and fiercely watched us as we gawked out our windows. I even rolled down my window and it didn't seem to bother it one bit. It finally walked/strutted and kind of hopped a short way, almost disdainfully, but didn't fly. We watched and watched and then we began to wonder if something was wrong. Maybe it couldn't fly! I cautiously and slowly got out of the truck and casually and slowly walked toward him.
Obviously, if he couldn't fly, we would have been calling the DNR. I know better and would never consider attempting to help a hurt and endangered animal. However, never fear, fly it did! It was magnificent to see such a huge bird lift into the air. It flew a short ways in the woods and then back up the road to land in a huge oak on the corner of our property.
Our neighbor was out with his mower and leaf vac and when that eagle flew right in front of him, it definitely got his attention. We walked back up the road and watched it in the tree. After awhile, it must have been tired of being stared and gaped at, he flew off above the trees and over the river.
We chatted a few minutes with the neighbor and as we were heading back to our truck, two bald eagles flew over. I don't know if one was the eagle we had been watching, but I'm guessing it was and this was it's mate. It made for quite the afternoon. I have never seen an eagle, out of captivity, that close. WOW!
Now for the irony. My cheap carry everywhere digital, at home. My expensive digital Canon, at home. My take everywhere smartphone, at home. No pictures! Can you believe it????
My kids go to a local Christian school. This year they changed the dress code so that dresses must be below the knee. WOW! Now that is a challenge. We've shopped and shopped and the options are limited. Now she only has to wear a dress on chapel days, but as she is only 5, she loves pretty dresses.
This fall I purchased some Gymboree items from their "Smart but Sweet" collection. As usual, the skirts are all too short. They had a fun navy pleated skirt with embroidered daisies, so I revolted and made my own.
I used Butterick 4593 and cut the yoke 1 " longer. I cut a size 7, but used the size 8 for length plus added 2 inches. Out came the embroidery machine and I matched the daisies on the leggings and made a nice yoke for the dress.
Then I needed the "bling"! A web search pulled up the following tutorial:
Click on the picture for the tutorial
I made my own pattern, although you can do it freehand. I covered the back with a circle of felt that helped secure a pin on the flower. This way I can take it off for laundry or replace with a new one if there is a mishap in art or on the playground.
Here is a couple of pictures of the dress and the accent flower.
The flower was super easy and could be addictive! I saw several others online that would be fun to try as well. Meanwhile, although it may not be The Gymboree skirt, my daughter loves it and the flower! Pattern:
Nothing is better than expanding your thoughts. A rock cairn.
Hikers use these to mark trails. They are used as memorials, landmarks or places of meditation. Probably the meditation in some cases is, "How did they do THAT?".
Wikipedia goes into great detail regarding cairns and their backgrounds in a variety of countries.
Professional Rock Stacking and Balancing by Team Sandtastic
According to their website, they only use rocks to complete their sculptures. No glues, epoxy, etc. Their work is truly awesome, but I still think for safety's sake and my sanity, anything I build will have to have some sort of fixative.
Now if you are the ornery type and like to amaze some and frustrate others, check out this blog: http://rocksculptures.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-make-rock-sculptures.html
Personally, I love the idea of building rock cairns in public areas, just for fun! If it annoys some, then I suppose we can at least grin at the idea that we "rocked" their world!
While thinking of these rock cairns, I remembered driving through Illinois in December and seeing signs for Rockhome Gardens. As we were driving, I remembered pulling information up on my smartphone with several interesting pictures of rock sculptures. If your are interested in more ornate rock sculptures, you might like to visit their gardens, complete with an Amish restaurant. (The restaurant might help appease the spouse and family if you must bring them in tow!)
Late winter. Too early to really plant or transplant. Good time for some pruning, as long as it's not spring blooming. So what in the world do you do?
Well last fall I cleaned out a bed beside my pond. I transplanted everything and so it was just barren dirt with a steep slope. Today I went to the big rock pile, courtesy of a local farmer, and hauled boulders and hernia rocks over to the flower bed to terrace the slope. The ground was relatively easy to work other than a little crust on the top. It is now ready for spring planting. I'm envisioning a small evergreen in one area, but I want it to stay small. It can have some height, but I don't want it much more than 3-4 feet tall and 18-24 wide. Probably a dwarf Chamaecyparis will work the best, but I'll have to see what I can scare up next spring.
The squirrels and birds came to the feeders today, but there was definitely a decrease in the activity. It's amazing what a little warm weather (40+ degrees today) does to the feeding activity.
I'll be watching my seeds too. Planted some paw-paws (Asimina triloba) that we collected last fall and kept in moist peat in a ziploc in the fridge. We'll see if we get some germination.
Stone Cairn
NEW PROJECT IDEA: I just did a Google search for rock pile. Found several photos of "rock piles". Not exactly what I was thinking about. However, some great ideas to add to a small area of the garden that I'm wanting to turn into a Japanese style area. Now.... How do they do that? Some masonry glue? Epoxy? If I just stack, I can guarantee my two kids or the surrounding neighbor kids will feel the necessity to unstack!
Yes, I finally fired the kiln! Prior to child number 2, I fired the kiln at least 2-3 times a month or more. After child number 2, I think I've only fired it a handful of times. Anyway, I did a glaze firing with some interesting results. I tried a new glaze or two and used a bunch of Mayco's reptilian green on some bisque frogs I had. The reptilian green turned out very cool.
If I hadn't played so hard out in the garden today, I would be toting a 50# bag of fresh clay down in the basement. I haven't had fresh clay to play with for a while, so throwing hasn't been possible. Now, that I'm really thinking about it, I may just throw tired aches aside and go throw a chunk of clay. I wonder if I can even remember how?!
So last week in clinic, one of our regular patients asks me if I've ever seen a Jelly Roll race. Blame it on the fact I've been dieting, but I envision a plate full of nice sweet jelly rolls with a bunch people having some sort of contest shoving them into their mouths. Anyway, after my brief delusion, I said, "Oh yeah, a jelly roll... gotcha." Now maybe my brain was still on the edible jelly roll, but I didn't quite get the full concept, so I Googled "jelly roll quilt race". Boy was I in the dark! Very cool, fun and hey, why not?
Joan's didn't have a full jelly roll and what they had was not to my taste. Our local quilt shop here in Monticello did not have any jelly rolls, so I decided I would "design my own". I chose 11 different cathedral batiks in a variety of colors. The quilt shop lady inspired/insisted I throw in some brighter colors with the more muted colors I was choosing. Anyway, after some trial and error, I chose 11 colors from the cathedral batiks. The cathedral batiks are very cool in that they go from dark at one selvage to a lighter shade at the other selvage. They actually look like they were gradient dyed.
Anyway, after purchasing too much (1/2 yd each), I went home and cut my 2 1/2" strips and started sewing them end to end. After a couple of "oops" sewing the strips together, I was ready to start the strip sewing. Before I started sewing the strip together, I ironed the seams that joined them. As I worked my way down, I kept folding the strips back and forth on top of each other. When I was done ironing I had a neat fan folded pile of the strips. I was able to take both ends, one at the bottom of the pile and the other at the top, line them up and take the whole mess to the sewing machine. Unceremoniously I dropped the fan folded pile into a box to the left of my chair. My eight year old son volunteered to sit beside me and kind of line up the strips. In some ways, that just slowed me down, but for the most part I did sew pretty fast. I did goof and run out of bobbin thread and that slowed me up to. However, HOW that lady in the video did it in 25 minutes, I have NO clue! I wasn't really "racing", but it took me about an hour and 15 minutes. Even if I hadn't stopped to wind a bobbin or had to resew the area that I did with an empty bobbin, I don't think I would have been in contention.
The overall design came out fairly pleasing. The kids are calling the Joseph quilt based on Joseph and the coat of many colors. It also challenged me to work outside of my comfort zone. The process is totally random and even if you try to "plan" your randomness, it is just not possible. If you're like me and want everything planned and plotted, this will challenge you.
The lady at the quilt shop here in Monticello had not heard of the jelly roll quilt race until I told her and so she was anxious to see what it looked like. I took the top in today and she said she liked the way the colors came out. We were talking, and as it is smaller than a twin quilt and my son seems to like it, I think I'm going to do some "piano keys" with the remaining fabric and then get some black to set of all the colors. Working.....
We went out to the cottage today. It was a "balmy" 41 degrees but wet and a little breezy. Many of my bulbs in my yard at home have been peeking for more than a month now, so I was shopping for signs of bulbs at the cottage. The few daffodils I planted are showing here and there about 1/2", but I saw no signs of daffodils elsewhere.
Imagine my surprise when I found two separate little clumps of Galanthus in the front yard. One clump was by the front drive, so you could assume maybe someone had a flower bed there at one time. The other little clump was in the middle of the yard. I probably should have done an unethical transplant right then as now I will probably not be able to find it again!
There are certain spring bulbs that I really enjoy simply because they poke their heads out and defy nature's cold. Galanthus, or snowdrops is one of them. When I was out at the cottage yesterday, I either simply didn't notice the mentioned clumps, or they blended in with the scattered bits of snow that was still hanging around. The foliage is a distinctive spring green that looks fresh in comparison to the grass that still looks tired and winter worn. And then there is the obvious.... If the Galanthus can dare to grow and bloom, then others.... the crocus, daffodils and grape hyacinths will surely follow!
Now if you are thoroughly excited about snowdrops, you may check out Snowdrops: A Monograph Of Cultivated Galanthus(byAaron Davis, M. Bishop, John Grimshaw).Personally, I am happy knowing that to enjoy they need to be planted in the fall with other spring blooming bulbs. They do great naturalized as well as many of the other small spring blooming bulbs, such as glory of the snow (chionodoxa) or grape hyacinth (muscari). However, after looking up the hillside to the cottage today, I think that naturalizing some snowdrops in the woods would definitely be a great idea. I will definitely be doing some online shopping next year for an affordable source of bulbs. And just so you know, if you want these, you will probably have to mail order or hope that your local garden shop will stock them.
One would think winter blues are pretty blah. However, winter greys are worse! Earlier this week we got the 50 degree teaser weather. Today was rainy and drizzly off and on. It did stop raining long enough that I could go outside and clean the chicken coop and chicken run, but the sun refused to fight it's way through the clouds.
I took a couple of pictures of a red squirrel, but even a red squirrel looked grey today!
Drove out to the cottage, desperately hoping to find some sort of relief from the grey, but the drizzle came back and even though it was 38, the wet cold permeated your clothes. I didn't see any deer, any turkey or even a squirrel. I think they were smart enough to seek warmth and shelter. I even looked to see if any of the daffodils I planted were peeking, but I didn't see a one. Here at home there are bulbs peeking, but I guess I'm just overly anxious to start planting.
I did find some bladdernut pods with their seeds in them. Laying out in the cold like that, I'm assuming they will germinate easily. Anyone need a bladdernut?
In a few weeks my kids have a week off from school for winter break. I have taken that week off and although there is work around home to be done, I hope to go clean up some branches out at the cottage and cut up a couple of downed trees.
I will probably go set up my seed starting stuff tomorrow. I have plans.... Maybe some little green seedlings will chase away the winter blues/greys!
January 31st. Wow. My greenhouse is still sitting outside... unheated. I'm trying to be frugal and hold off heating it, so I think I'll get the seed mat out this weekend and start some seedlings downstairs in the basement.
I have a pile of seed packets from the local farm supply store. Some annuals, some perennials, some vegies. I also have an awesome order of native plant seeds that I recently ordered from Prairie Moon Nursery out of Minnesota.
I ordered some anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) which is a great plant for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. I've grown it before and it makes a great perennial for mid to back of the border. I like it paired up with daisies and the butterflies definitely don't mind! It's also commonly referenced as an herb as the leaves can be used for teas and have a licorice like scent when crushed.
For our wet, marshy area at the cottage, I'm going to try Alisma triviale (water plantain) and Calla palustris (water arum). According to Prairie Moon, the water plantain has oval basal leaves about 12" tall and form a rosette. A whorled panicle of small white flowers blooms during summer. It prefers full or partial sun and mucky soil or shallow, slow-moving, even stagnant water. It withstands drought better than most aquatic plants. I'm thinking this will be perfect for the area I have in mind. The seed does require cold moist stratification, so they are in the fridge! The water arum also requires cold stratification and has dark green leaves with a white spathe style bloom. I'll get back to you on the germination and growth for both of these. I think my biggest concern will be if they dry out too much in the greenhouse once the bright spring sun start warming the greenhouse.
I'm also trying out some native shrubs. Buttonbush, or cephalanthus occidentalis will be a great woodland shrub for some of the moist areas. It will grow in full sun to partial shade and has interesting white flowers, again attractive to bees and butterflies. It will even tolerate some flooding, which is a must for the edges of our wet area. It gets 5-12 foot tall and 4-8 foot wide, so I have some ideas where to use it for a great screening plant. The seed doesn't require any special pretreatment, so I'm hoping for quite a bit of success. Who knows.... If I have too many (too many? is there such a thing?)... I can always donate some to the neighboring boy scout camp for some of their wetland areas.
The other shrub I'm going to try is Ilex verticillata or winterberry. It is a deciduous holly that has lot of great red berries up and down the stems in the winter. It's probably the hardest one to get germinated. Per Prairie Moon it requires two periods of cold moist stratification. I'll be pulling out my old college textbook on propagation on this one. Anyway, the berries are great for the birds. I'm hoping to be able to make a few naturalized groupings to create a little more natural screen between our property and some distant neighbors. The other big hurdle I will be facing though is the deer. I have read this is a preferred browse species, and we definitely have deer at the cottage!
Yes this is a red bellied woodpecker. One might want to say a red headed woodpecker, but that's a different little guy. The log suet feeder is a favorite with my woodpecker crowd. I usually buy plain suet, already processed in plain blocks. I melt/soften about 3 of the blocks, throw in a scoop or two of peanut butter and a cup or so of corn meal. Then for the goodies. Rural King was selling shelled peanuts by the pound for birds earlier this fall, so my first batch had a cup or two of that. Then I usually throw in a a few scoops of high quality -- you know, the expensive kind -- of wild bird seed. I go more for sunflower and peanuts than millet and milo. Sometimes I throw in some raisins or other dried fruit as well. Buying the plain suet is cheaper than other suet blocks and when you throw in your own ingredients you get a great mix the birds love. Beware of the bargain buys on suet blocks. Usually it's just suet loaded with millet and some cracked corn. They'll eat it, but not if my suet is available!
As I speak, the husband has a 6" log he split open and is working on hollowing out. Another bird house!
This is probably because in the blowing wind with little hard snow flurries blowing this AM, he hung the sapsucker house high in a tree. Within about 20 minutes, a little nuthatch came and poke his head in the opening as if he was doing a little real estate shopping. Not up to his and the Mrs. standards, he shortly flew off. However, I think this helped inspire the husband to build more. As we haven't bought more cedar yet, the woodpile was the next source of materials.
And wow! I'm scared! My son just came to get me for an inspection in the building process. My husband is using some sort of "blade" on a grinder that has chain saw teeth at the way around it. It's doing an awesome job but it looks like some sort of wicked medieval throwback! Hmm... maybe the husband can't take up chainsaw carving....
I recently have been doing some research. More specifically, I've been researching owls in Indiana.
I have been told there is a great horned owl in the woods out by the lake cottage. I saw him swoop from the forest edge and across the front of the car one evening, but I only saw this huge bird that I assume was The great horned owl. I have also heard the owl, but as I'm not an expert, I can't vouch it's a great horned.
I am kind of bummed that the great horned will kill other owls. I have the husband on board about encouraging more owls, so we've done some research on owl houses. A site filled with bird house plans for a variety of birds is: http://www.50birds.com/D50BH.htm We have plans to build an owl house or two and I have told my husband we will have to get busy if we are going to have them up before nesting season, but we're going to have to get some more boards!
The following picture is a nest box for a sapsucker as designed on the site above. We had to make a few modifications as the plans call for 3/4" wood and rough sawn cypress is about 7/8" thick.
It is 12" floor to ceiling with 5x5" floor and an 1 1/2" hole 10 inches above the floor. Now we just need to get it hung either here in our back yard along the wood line or out at the lake cottage. My husband also had some used cedar on hand and made a bird house to the specifications for a downy woodpecker. Again, we can use it here at home or at the lake cottage.
One of the next projects, besides the owl boxes, my husband wants to make a next box for a pileated woodpecker. We have one that has been visiting our suet feeders regularly. Actually, it may be two, as I saw what looked like one flying through the neighbors yard while the one below was perched around our feeder.
