Diy Wood Display Easel

So I am back at markets in the Twin Cities area, but need, desperately, a display-stand-something-ruther to post my products and prices. Instead of winging it, like I normally do, I am going to follow the directions. Yay for directions! Love the style, compliments of Gail, Craft Show Display Easel. Ready to see how I did?

Supplies:
4    1x2x4's;
3    1/4 wing nuts;
3     2 1/2 in X 1/4 in bolts

                                                              

Tools
Safety Glasses
Clamps
Pencil
Tape measure
Cutting tool (I used a Circular Saw)
Drill
Ruler
Sand Paper
Sanding Block
Optional: A husband with experience in wood crafting 
Required: Patience (both you and your husband need this)

Step 1) My poster is 11 1/2 (width) x 17 1/2 (height) and I want the easel to hold it and have some leg room of about 4 inches. Measure and mark your board to desired length. I picked 21 inches long, using a ruler I made a straight line - for cutting them.

Step 2) Cut with safety!



Finished with the first cut! Only three more to go... still got 10 fingers (and a patient husband).




Step 3 ) Using a ruler line up your boards to the angle you want for you easel legs. You are going to cut the outside boards to create your angles

Placing your rule on the center board you can draw a line like this on the outer board to create your angle. Then off to the saw and make your cuts.

Remember: measure twice, cut once! Or in my case, measure, measure, measure, measure.... cut.


    





Step 4 ) Place your pieces together to mark where your bolt will be. Flip the pieces onto the sides where you will be drilling. Continue the pencil lines around to mark where your center is on each board. Using clamps to hold your boards steady, drill your holes straight through the center piece. Drill at an angle on both side boards.



TIP: If you aren't engineer-minded, like me, as for help! If you live in a neighborhood like mine there are always garage doors open, and friendly neighbors working on their own projects. Since this one is quick and fairly easy anyone who owns a saw should be able to help you turn your vision into a real wooden piece of art.

    

Step 5) Using your bolt and wing nut put your easel together. Then mark and cut off ends that are too long to make all of the edges fit together nicely and so the legs sit flat on the table.

Step 6 ) Sand all of you pieces to get them smooth. Its always best to sand with the grain of the wood (as opposed to against the grain).

 


Step 7) For this last part you'll want to wear gloves, staining!

Step 8) Let all pieces dry well, then assemble your easel!

Finished and ready for the next Craft Show! Note there aren't any prices. I will be laminating my board so I can write in marker the prices - ooh ahh. I know. Versatility. Check out my Etsy store for prices and products right now.
Hoping your hot summer day is full of comfort!

                                                   

So many Blogs so little time.

This is a blog, about blogs.

My blog is about ThreeComforts and my products for beauty, body and home

Currently I am following so many blogs, I love them! What an obsession it's become.  All these how to's for living, cleaning, making anything & everything; craft ideas, and helpful hints on being healthy, exercise, romance, fashion, finance; fixing any and everything, running your own business and it's all such great advice.

And now I have more emails than I can possible read in a day.  I don't want reading blogs to become a chore. Don't get me wrong I love reading every one of them, in fact I could spend a life time or two learning from all of the wonderful advice givers and crafters out there. But I, like everyone else, have a life to live, and a business to run.

Not to despair! There's an app for that. There are great tools to organize all of the blogs you follow and to cut down on the amount of emails you are receiving.  It's like Pinterest for blogs, with a reminder of new posts in one succinct email. So, I am still following lots (and lots) of blogs but I'm only getting 1 email about them all. And you can edit the settings to either receive emails daily or just when the blogs your following update new posts.

So check out these apps for following blog-sanity:

Bloglovin       Follow your favorite blogs with Bloglovin'. Discover what's trending in Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle & more. Sign up or log in today & never miss a single post!

Blogkeen      Blogkeen helps you keep track of your favorite blogs - there on Facebook, and on your mobile phone.

Blogganize    Love reading blogs but have trouble keeping track of them all? This is an app that allows you to organize and categorize the blogs you love to follow in one easy and convenient place. Available for iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini and iPod Touch.

Don't like any of those? Check out this site: APPCRAWLR

I've counted them and I'm not ashamed to admit that I am following over 50 blogs. Here's a list of some of my faves:

Mind Body Green

Healthy Holistic Living

The Fresh Exchange

Kabila Gornia

Healthy Women

Living Well Spending Less

Handmadeology

Marketing Creativity

Simple Pure Beauty

Spareness & Simplicity

Let me know if you use Bloglovin, and your thoughts about it. Or if there is something else on your mind...

May you find comfort in sharing whatever you have to say, in the comment section below!

Posting Of the Past II

I remember getting hand written recipe's on scraps of paper or note cards from my grandmothers. I love looking at their hand writing and loved being in their kitchens. Today, to still have those memories and the recipe's that were made in their kitchens, well, it's priceless.

Card of the Month!

Recipe cards and storing recipes has greatly evolved over the years. My daughter only has 3 cookbooks! Tsk tsk.

I remember getting recipes from card of the month clubs, writing them down at get togethers and clipping them out of magazines.

But nowadays your girl friends can just email you that recipe you were looking for. Or you can do a search and find it online. Who knew that my Great Aunt Vi's family recipe for Coke-a-Cola Cake was enjoyed by many other families?

Now there are numerous online recipe banks that exist today, yippee for us bakers and cooks and recipe hoarders alike. My favorites are: Betty Crocker, Food Network, and All Recipes.

Probably most of you use those same sites as a 'go-to' when your looking for something new, or something old. Here is a recipe from Women's Household the "Readers Recipes" section of the January 1966 issue page 28

This recipe is from  Mrs. Earl Wells, Littleton, NH:

Apple Sauce Fritters

1 cup flour 

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 Tbsp salt

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp melted shortening

1 egg

1 cup apple sauce 

Shift dry ingredients. Combine egg, milk and melted shortening with apple sauce. 

Stir into dry ingredients. Drop spoonfuls into deep fryer (365 degrees). 

Fry till golden brown about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towel. 

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Good served with crisp bacon or a slice of ham.

Please let me know if you try this recipe, especially is you already have a version of it that doesn't require a deep fryer! I'd love to hear it! And of course, please (my husband begs you) heed the advice at the end - good served with crisp bacon or a slice of ham!

P.S. In writing this post I found a recipe for Zucchini Relish. Here in Minnesota our zucchinis are growing like crazy, I'll definitely be coming at you with some zucchini recipes!

May you find comfort in your life.

Quilted Table Cloth Part I

A two part series on my newest project: Quilted Table Cloth.

Quilting is one of those skills that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. I love seeing everyone's work, especially since I know how much effort goes into it. I have a collection of quilt projects that I have started, some I've inherited from grandmas and others that I've started myself but failed to finish. Enough is enough, it's time to see one project to the end.

  As a housewarming gift I received some fabric from fellow quilters (thanks Debbie and Ruth!) and since I am like any other average crafter it didn't take much effort to find matching fabrics in my personal stockpile. In case you're curious the oranges print was the gift; the others I've collected over the years - I generally buy them when they're on sale with the idea that I can find something to use them for. Of course that theory has proved wrong time and time again, hence the started but not finished projects overflowing my craft baskets.

Most of the time I don't follow a pattern, I just start putting shapes together until they look right to me - which usually looks right to other people!

Stay tuned for part II!

May you find comfort in your life (and perhaps patience if you're really excited to see the end product!)

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