My DIY Dad ~ Maker of Many Things

Since Sunday is Father’s Day, I thought I’d dedicate this post to my DIY Dad. I’ve had to visit Dad’s workshop a time or two to help out with my DIY’s, but he doesn’t need me to help keep him busy. He’s always telling people that I have more talent in my pinky finger than he has in his whole body. Let’s see what y’all think after you see some of his makes!

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Dad has been making things ever since I can remember. When I was a kid & my baby brother came along, we needed more play space in our small room. He built a loft bed, which looks like a bunk bed without a bed underneath. This allowed me to have more floor space to play & made room for my brother’s crib. He’s also remodeled almost every room in my parents house at least once & even built custom cabinets for their kitchen. Now that Dad’s retired, he has really upped his DIY game!

Benches

Dad & I love to go plunder in thrift stores & yard sales to find hidden treasures. Dad found several old head boards and foot boards & started making benches. He made all kinds of benches! Some had drawers underneath & some had lift up seats with compartments. These have all been sold or sent to a good home since these pictures were taken…

And yes, he recovered the seats too! I had an old, wooden coffee table hanging around that I didn’t need anymore, so I gave it to Dad. He combined it with wooden folding doors & made this entry bench…

This one is still hanging out in my parents den if anyone’s interested. There have been some that wanted it, but it’s just too big for their space usually. One of my favorite things that Dad made with a headboard is my mantel shelf!

I like to decorate it for different occasions! You can check out some of those posts below, just know that the mantel is usually at the end of the post. : )

• Valentine’s Day Mantel 2017
• Spring Mantel 2018
• Spring Mantel 2017
• Halloween Mantel
• Christmas Mantel

Tables

One reason I like to go over to Dad’s for DIY projects is because he has all the cool tools! Although Dad’s using the planer in this pic, I did get to try it out too. : )

This picture was taken when we were working on my DIY Utensil Rack.

Dad has made 3 tables since he’s been retired, but I can remember him making a table for our dining room when I was a kid. The first table he made after retiring was supposed to be for my mom. Someone came to buy a bench from him, saw that table, & wanted to buy it, so he sold it to the man!

Well, that man wound up ordering a second table that was 7′ long. Dad had to make Mom a new table first, which she liked even better than the first one! He also made a bench, refinished chairs, & upholstered them all to match the table. The rocking chair cushions, corner shelving, & the mantel above the fireplace where all made by him as well.

What about the tile & wall paint? Well, he had a hand in that too! That did require some extra special DIY helpers, however. ; p

This & That

Dad bought himself a heavy duty Singer sewing machine to help with all his upholstery work. He also used it to make himself a gnat hat for working outside.

The hat was something he had already, but he sewed black tulle around the edges. He says it works really well, so maybe he needs to make one for me too! Haha! : D

This & That

Nearly every time I go to visit Dad, he has made something new. You never know what he might be up to! One Christmas he made this little Christmas tree that looks like it came right out of a Dr. Suess book.

Since retiring, Dad has become an avid bird watcher. He has many bird houses & feeders all around his back deck, which is another DIY of his. This is funny to me because he used to try to scare the birds off because they were pooping on his deck! He made this birdhouse to look like a sewing machine…

I definitely know where I get the need to keep every little scrap! Dad likes to keep his scraps too & sometimes he makes little pieces of art with them.

Dad is also a great cook! People come from miles around when he’s cooking ribs & brisket. He makes some delicious chocolate cookies & biscuits as well. Maybe he’ll let me put his “biscuit cookie” recipe on the blog one day. That will give me a good excuse to make some “test” batches! : D

Well, I think Dad has more talent than he thinks. I’d say he has at least a whole hands worth of my talent! Haha! ; )