13 Days of a Woodworker Christmas

13 Bloggers. 13 Days. 13 Projects.

We have teamed up to bring you 13 days of awesome original build plans that you can make in time for Christmas. Sure, we could do 12 days of Christmas like the décor bloggers, but we are woodworkers! Not only do you get an extra project, but we are giving you a chance to get your own Christmas present as well through our giveaway!

When Does This Holiday Start?

Here’s the deal: For thirteen days, starting December 1st and ending December 13th, thirteen talented bloggers are going to share their woodcraft Christmas ideas with you. There will be a little something for everyone, with projects at different skill levels.

So mark your calendars for December 1st when the fun kicks off. Come back each day and unwrap the link to each blogger’s post.

Who Are These Talented Bloggers?

• My Love 2 Create – Open now!
• The Handyman’s Daughter – Open now!
• Craftsman Drive – Open now!
• Handmade with Ashley – Open now! 
• Hazel & Gold – Open now!
• The Painted Key – Open now!
• The Created Home – Open now!
• Her Tool Belt – Open now!
• Lazy Guy DIY – Do not open until December 9th 
• Uncookie Cutter – Do not open until December 10th
• Knock It Off Crafter – Do not open until December 11th
• The Jawn Shop – Do not open until December 12th  
• Keddie Woodshop – Do not open until December 13th

But What About My Present?

We did say giveaway didn’t we?  Have you been naughty or nice this year?  We’ve teamed up with @RyobiPowerTools and @PaintWIZ_ Paint Sprayers to bring you a prize pack valued at over $300!  Have you seen Ryobi’s new One+ 18v Brushless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit in stores yet?  I bet you haven’t because these haven’t even hit shelves yet.  How about Fuji Spray’s DIY turbine paint sprayer called the PaintWIZ?  We’ve got that too!  US and Canada residents only please.

But how do I enter?

To enter to win the giveaway, starting December 1st repost the 13 Days of Woodworker Christmas Image to your Instagram feed with the tag #13DaysofWoodworking.  Want additional entries?  Each day a different blogger “unwraps” their project they’ll post a teaser image on their Instagram feed.  Follow their account (and check out their project!) and repost their teaser image to your Instagram feed with the same tag #13DaysofWoodworking along with the unique tag that’s will be given out along with each project.  What?  We are giving you 14 different chances to win this awesome gift pack?  Darn right, it’s the season of giving isn’t it?  You have until 10:00pm PST on December 14th to enter.  All entries will be tallied and a winner will be announced Friday, December 16th.

~ Ashley

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Haven Conference 2015 Recap & Review

The Haven Conference 2015 has recently wrapped up!  Haven is a two day DIY Blogger conference. This year was Haven’s fourth year in existence and my first year in attendance. It has been an amazing experience. I had to the opportunity to meet bloggers I follow in real life (I was a little star struck). I got to try a few things I have never done before (like tiling with glitter grout). I met so many new people, and I received a huge information overload. (The new info is a bit overwhelming. I will need a little time to process it all and apply it effectively.) I wanted to take a moment to share with you all my Haven 2015 conference experience!

Photo booth and the Ryobi Nation booth

Thursday, July 16 – Registration and Meet & Greet

Instead of waking up Thursday morning excited that it was Haven day, I woke up wanting to stay in bed. Something I ate Tuesday did not settle well. I was really starting to get bummed that I wouldn’t be able to make the drive to Atlanta. Fortunately, I did gain the energy to make the trek!

Registration

The Haven sponsors were pretty awesome and attendees received some nice swag in our swag bags at registration.

Conference swag

Newbie Meet & Greet

Thirty minutes prior to the welcome reception, there was a newbie session. First time Haven attendees received beaded necklaces to signify we were there for the first time, and we were split into smaller groups for the chance to socialize with other new conference attendees.

After standing for a few minutes I felt ready to faint because I was unable to eat any solids, so I sat during the entire newbie event. It was a really wasted opportunity for me to meet new people, and I felt like I was being really rude by sitting. I am still kicking myself a little for that. (How could you Ashley?! HOW COULD YOU?!)

One of the first bloggers I met at the newbie event was Jennifer at Moore Approved. She is a really talented seamtress. She made the purse she was carrying at the event and it looked amazing.  I also ran into Tamara from the blog Alabahamians.  I recongized her blog name because she built a really amazing Dr. Seuss bookshelf!

Welcome Reception

During the welcome reception, I got to meet Jamison and Jamie from the Rogue Engineer.   My mobile lumber rack and factory cart coffee table were built using the Rogue Engineer plans’ so it was really neat to meet them in person.

Friday, July 17 – Haven Conference Day 1

Keynote

Opening keynote with Jon Acuff

“Care about what the people you care about care about”

Jon Acuff was the Haven keynote speaker and he delivered an awesome speech. I started the morning feeling pumped.

Do it Herself Home Depot Workshop with Ana White

Next up I attended Home Depot’s DIH workshop with Ana White.  I am huge Ana White fan.  I was so very excited to meet in her person.  She is so sweet and inspiring.

A picture with Ana

DIH Home Depot Workshop

In the workshop, attendees built a large wooden serving tray.  The hard work was already done for us, so we spent most of the workshop decorating our trays.  I pimped out my tray with some beautiful moasic tile.  This was my first project using tile.  I think I am ready to upgrade my kitchen backsplash.

My finished tray

Top Tips for Better Building.  10 Things you Need to Know

Jamie and Dave

After lunch, I attended Kreg sponsered session hosted by Jaime Costiglio from That’s My Letter and Dave Stone on building furniture and how to use the Kreg Jig.   I learned a few new tricks and I got to try out the Kreg Foreman.  It is totally on my wishlist now.

Kreg Foreman in action

Changes in Ad Revenue:  How to make the most money of your ads and mobile site

This session was hosted by Camille Beckstrand from the blog Six Sisters Stuff and Kyle Ivins from The Blogger Network.  It was a pretty informative session.  It provided a nice overview of ads and ad networks.

The Power & Profit of Moving from a Blog to a Brand

I loved this session and it is probably my favorite of conference.  I got so much out of it.  KariAnna from Thistlewood Farms, Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof, and Laura from Finding Home each shared tips on how to define your brand and style.  I really have a lot of homework to do!

Saturday, July 18 – Haven Conference Day 2

How to Translate Your Project to Video

I started off the morning attending Jen Stagg’s session on creating project videos.   She is really talented and has put together some really awesome project videos.  I wrote 5 pages worth of notes.  I look forward to my first attempt at making a project video.

From Project Idea to Published Project:  Surefire Strategies for Creating Compelling Content

After lunch, I attended this session on designing woodworking plans hosted by Mike Donavon from Building Something, Ana White, and Jen Woodhouse.  I learned so much during the the hour.  They also did a quick tutorial on how to create a plan using SketchUp.

Build Something

Advanced Building Skills – Part 2

Finally, I attended the part 2 session for building a farmhouse table for Habitat for Humanity.  This session was hosted by Jamison from the Rogue Engineer and Nicholas from Sawdust & Embryos and the Sawdust Maker.

Recently sanded Farmhouse Table

In session one, attendees built the table.  In session two, attendees sanded and then stained the tables.  It was a really fun session and I got to meet some new people!

Photobombed by the Rogue Engineer

Final Thoughts

Haven Conference was amazing.  I had a wonderful time, meet really awesome people and I am already excited about attending in 2016!

I attended Haven solo and I am a pretty shy person. It’s really not the greatest combo. I missed out on a lot of possibly awesome conversations. [insert sad face]  So next year, I will come prepared with business cards, and I will probably bring a friend!

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