You might remember last fall when Buttercup was busy making wooden games -- including Build Me Blocks and Build Me Battle -- with the very talented woodworker Pat McFadden. Since then, Pat has been putting her considerable carpentry skills to work on a gorgeous hexagonal garden bench, to protect the base of a tree from … Continue reading Garden Variety Carpentry
Tennesseans, especially those prone to woodworking, are fortunate to live in a state with well-drawn boundaries. Here in the Volunteer State, we live inside a convenient parallelogram with two almost perfectly straight edges, connected by two shorter and cheerfully imprecise squiggles. If you are a Tennessee woodworker endeavoring to craft something in the shape of your … Continue reading Tennessee: The Shape of State Pride
Middle Tennessee grows a Christmas tree like no other geography or microclimate. Maybe it's the cocktail of pollen-bowl allergens and fossil-rich limestone, but whatever it is, it breeds a cedar tree with a scraggly face that only a mother could love. I love a cedar tree. From as early in childhood as I can remember, … Continue reading Holiday Memories in the Making
A few months ago, my talented cabinetmaker classmate left the Building Construction Technology classroom at Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville for a work-study program at 1220 Exhibits. Now, instead of coming to class, he gets school credit while getting paid to learn on the job. I recently visited my classmate at work in the … Continue reading Skills On Display: A Visit to 1220 Exhibits
We recently got some new (old) equipment in the Building Construction Technology workshop at Tennessee College of Applied Technology, and suddenly I am reminded of the children's book If You Give a Mouse Cookie. If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask you for a glass of milk. Today, someone showed me … Continue reading If You Give a Fox a Sander
Julie Brown can’t imagine her life without designing and sewing. "Thanks to my mother, I have been drawing, painting, cross-stitching and creating since I could hold a crayon," says the founder of 1220 Bloom Street, who describes herself as administrative assistant by day, seamstress by night, and artist all day long. Since discovering her passion … Continue reading Popclectic Spotlight: 1220 Bloom Street
The Internet calls the traditional wooden game Kubb, a.k.a. Viking Chess or Sticky Sticks, "the best lawn game ever." After watching my kids play BuildUpBattle, our handmade version of the game, I'm inclined to agree. This family-friendly backyard competition is a hoot. Described as a combination of horseshoes and bowling, Kubb (pronounced like tube) also … Continue reading Let’s Get Ready to BuildUpBattle!
"I enjoy exploring whimsical, idealized worlds where positive themes such as friendship, love and innocence prevail," says Marisa Ray, who will bring original paintings, fine art prints and paper goods to Popclectic artisan market on Saturday of Artclectic at University School of Nashville. A self-taught artist inspired by her artist grandfather, Marisa says she paints … Continue reading Popclectic Spotlight: Marisa Ray
What’s in a name? If you're Anita Schmid, your name contains an Alligator, Newt, Ibis, Tiger and Anteater. It's a code that's easy to crack but not easy to copy, as Anita's Animal Alphabet is hand-drawn and -colored—and developed over decades. Anita began designing her zoological letters and working them into into baby presents, birthday gifts and … Continue reading Popclectic Spotlight: Anita’s Animal Alphabet
Today, as I walked through the workshop at Tennessee College of Applied Technology, I saw evidence of a swarm of carpenter bees drilling holes in our lumber. Though they may be a nuisance, carpenter bees are dazzling in their precision. It looked like they had drilled a cribbage board in a 2x4. But then I discovered … Continue reading New Guy Joining in Construction Class
Building Up Buttercup 