I don’t have the itch to repurpose things like I used to. Not many years ago I’d get positively giddy over a neglected piece of furniture at a thrift store. Last weekend, I completed a job out of necessity, not for the thrill of it.
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A newish London news source called The London Beat talked to Derek about his career, and it bubbled over a bit into mine. …
It’s been too cold to drag a saw out of the shop and cut wood. Too cold to sand or stain or paint for that matter, even in shop #2 in our basement. But it’s not too cold for stencils. …
Months ago, we were given an old sewing machine and I knew immediately that I wanted it to be the base for a table. Meanwhile, we bought another couple of machines and earmarked them for the same fate. But we had to wait for just the right piece of wood. I wanted live-edge and beautiful but imperfect. …
Although Derek continues to make tables and other items out of wood, he seems to have found his niche in making one-of-a-kind lamps. He also loves the work. I tell him that they’re functional works of art and he says, aw, g’won. But they are. …
At Lisa’s Pieces, puns are free – this lamp, yes, it’s off the hook and it will stay that way as it lights up a life/desk/counter/table/what-have-you. …
Hubby scours Pinterest a lot more than I do. He’s an idea guy and a builder, after all. And when he sees something he wants to make, he calls me in. That’s how our dining room light fixture came to be. …
A DIY Gift for Book Lovers Dec 19/16
We are a nation of book-lovers. For many people, a couple of shelves full of beloved books provide comfort and make us feel at home. Even though we’ve embraced E-readers, there’s still nothing like cracking the spine of a brand new book. …
The January edition of the Byron Villager features an article on my hubby’s workshop pursuits. It’s drawn a lot of reaction, from people taking down old homes offering him a walk-through to salvage what he wants, to those ordering custom furnishings and lamps. Â …
…just open it again. That’s how doors work! …
If you’re on the Internet, you know clickbait. It’s often headlined with something that ends with, “You Won’t Believe What Happened!” or “He Never Imagined THIS!” And then you click through a series of slides and bring revenue to a company – possibly Diply here in London – whose owners get paid by the click. The more you click, the happier the ad placers are. …
It appears that I won’t be writing House Proud for Sun Media anymore. My column has been running across the country for about 9 years now, but the marketplace has changed and the newspapers sections are getting smaller. But my terrific friend Erin had a great idea.  …
Inspiration hit on our recent trip to New England. We stopped at flea markets, antique and so-called junk shops and any place else that beckoned one or both of us. We marvelled at items we hadn’t seen back home and resisted the urge to load the truck with flotsam. We also picked up some terrific ideas. …
Derek has becoming quite the crate-ive genius at working with reclaimed wood and I’m posting little stories about what goes on behind the scenes under SHOP on this website, where Lisa’s Pieces lives. This is the story of the crates we’re making right now. Derek does the salvaging, milling, sanding and building. Then the pieces come to me for a finish and handles. We love our little operation and here’s how it works. …