A Little Personal Touch

I never did post this project.  I do not know why but I just never took pictures of it, probably because it is so simple.  A few months back I made a "giant" Jenga set.  It can be called several different things but it is a bunch of blocks that are stacked on top of each other.  This set currently sit in my office and every once in a while blocks mysteriously move.  My set is made out of 6/4 lumber (1 1/4" thick).  It stands a little less than 2 feet tall.  The set is slightly shorter than the 2X4 versions that are popping up on the web.  These literally are 2X4's cut and sanded with all the imperfections included.  I made mine out of poplar.  This really isn't the purpose of this post but it is useless information about a very simple game to duplicate.
I am learning that there is a draw to the hand crafted or antique piece.  It may not be the aesthetic or quality of the piece.  The main draw for me is the story behind the piece.  That is becoming more and more interesting to me.  So back to the Jenga set in my office.  A coworker wanted to have me make one for their son in college.  Not a problem.  The blocks were easy to make.  It took a little bit to finish them because I sealed and oiled them.  I wanted to do something thing more than just had over a box of blocks so I made a box, a cardboard box.  It wasn't much but it was a little bit about the presentation and a little more about making something a little more special.  Most of my things have a story behind them.  There might be a skill I learned or a a change in a common design.  I am beginning to understand why it is important to write the story. 
This coworker was the person who introduced me to the sand paper vendor that I currently use.  It is a poor correlation but I obviously used this sandpaper on this project.  Honestly, this sandpaper (Uneeda) is far superior to the other stuff that I have used.

The Ornament Nativity

So this year I made ornaments that had the same design as the boxes I did last year.  This was still a pattern with a lot of detail.  I was kind of rushed to do them because I put it off till the last minute.  They turned out nice, I am not so sure I like the ribbon on them.

There is one great lesson I learned from this project.  To preface, last year I learned that painter's tape between the wood and  the pattern makes the pattern come of cleaner and easier.  This year, I learned that if I put packing tape over the pattern, the pattern does not peel away from the wood when it is being cut.  Supposedly it prevents the wood from burning, but it kept the pattern from vibrating while being cut. 

Not sure what to do next year.  I do not think that I will be able to out do the past couple of years.