Homemade Toddler Bed Ideas

The freedom of independence!!!

    The transition from an Infant to a Toddler has been an amazing experience in our household. Our little one is learning how to communicate with words, smiles, hugs, kisses, identifying flowers, trees and animals. Yes, it has been very special. To coincide with these wonderful things, I will tell you a short story.  

    Most recently, we visited some friends who have a child a little older than our own. While we were there, our daughter, Kestrel, was super excited about crawling in and out of the toddler bed. Poor Kestrel only had a crib at home, and this limited her freedom to gather her blankets, and lay down whenever she felt the need. It was fun to see her excitement and curiosity as she explored a different type of bed.

I don't know daddy?

      Later in the evening, Christine and I discussed the possibilities of getting Kestrel her own bed, and when would be the best time. Oddly enough, a few days later, Kestrel went to spend the afternoon at another friend’s house. YEAH! Mommy and Daddy were able to go on an actual date! We went to coffee, and then to see a movie. Those few hours were relaxing and wonderful. Afterwards, we met up with family for dinner.

    Upon dropping Kestrel off at her friend’s house for our date night, the first thing she did was climb right into her friend’s bed! I made a mental note. Later that evening, while families enjoyed some tasty pizza and a couple of beers, we chatted about the benefit of children having access to their own beds. The freedom of choice, personal playtime, and the ability to grab their favorite blanket at any time for their own comfort were some of the big topics. A child with this additional independence, in theory, will grow mentally independent as well. I decided it was time to start thinking about a unique bed for our little girl.

     I had a general idea of an inviting bed with a whimsical and colorful theme. So, like the rest of us, I did some research on the good ol’ internet to see what ideas I could come up with. There are some beautifully crafted toddler beds out there. I wanted a classic style bed with a headboard and a footboard. Since Kestrel is still so young, I also wanted a way for her not to roll out of bed. Naturally, I focused my attention on the beds that already fit my design ideas. There are so many beds for sale, choosing just one can truly be overwhelming. After hours of searching, there were only a couple of beds that remotely matched what I had in mind, so I decide my little girl will have her own style! 

Introduction to life size art!

            So in January of 2015 I set out to make a custom bed for my little girl. First came my general idea: 1) A fun whimsical bed theme with a unique and interesting headboard with matching footboard 2) Bed runners that will allow a small 14-15 month old child to crawl, or climb in and out of the bed 3) Supports from the side to prevent a sleepy and wiggly child from rolling out of bed and 4) A bed filled with color, children (and most adults) love color! Our family shares a love of nature, so a natural theme blossomed. With the added thoughts of an arching headboard and footboard, a tree and a mushroom design began to form. I set out to bring my imagination to reality and to drew out my plans.

Grandpa shows her the bed

    I first sketched out a bed that was quite nice. The second phase was to draw it to scale. I made some adjustment, and drew it at 1/30 scale.  This way, I could be certain all of my dimensions had the right function and aesthetic. The final stage in the planning was to increase the size for the actual construction size, or model size. This was a fun stage that even Kestrel was able to enjoy. She enjoyed coloring on the large cardboard cutouts and helping create a colorful creation while Daddy drew in his dimensions!  Lastly, my father and I constructed the bed together over the course of 3-4 days. Kestrel’s grandpa, is a fun character who absolutely adores his grandchild. During the construction, grandpa received his first kiss from his granddaughter. Naturally, he was elated! The end result . .  . . .  . an amazing bed that is functional, classical, and most importantly, well loved!

This bed can be purchased on my ‘for sale’ page or through my Yosemite Goat's Etsy Store,

                              Price: $485-painted       $415-unpainted.

      

Almost done!

Ready for a mattress!

 

Yeah, mommy can read with me too!

Watching Little Birds

     It has been a while since I have posted. Needless to say my life has been forever changed! On November 4th of 2013 Christine gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Her name is Kestrel Raey Cereghino. Kestrel is name after a small falcon that lives in North America and has another relative in Europe. It is the smallest bird of prey in North American and they are beautiful, just like my daughter. Ever since she came into my life, things are definitely not the same. Yes I sleep less, yes I do more laundry, yes I sleep in a 1/4 of the bed, yes I have acquired many new items in the house, but it is all worth the little smiles I get.

    Since I now have a beautiful young one in the house I have begun to fathom the idea of making toys. I have always been interested in a few small toys, esp if there are some intricacies. Now I have a renewed sense of motivation and will be making a few to keep me busy. Hopefully keeping the little one busy as well.
 
    I have been making a few rattles, a changing table, a shelf, and put on paper a few toy ideas. I actually made a series of proto types for my great toy idea that I have been carrying around the last few years. The goals is to figure out all the small items and bring them to market in the following weeks or months. My goals is to sell them both here on the web page, at the local stores, the Farmer's Market and in Yosemite National Park. If all goes according to plan, I may have a full scale game the following year. We shall see. . .  The best part: the game is great for ages three to adults, and even two year old's can play with the pieces!. I will be posting my new toy idea as soon as I have the final steps figured out. I will say though, they are fun, cool, and natural!!

     Lastly, I am sure many of you know, the Sierra Nevada has received barely any precipitation for this winter. The annual snow pack is horribly low and the ski resort are all suffering. Our local ski resort where I manage the Children's Ski School Program has yet to open. Needless to say I have been relying on my woodworking to get through these lean times. Hopefully in the coming weeks the snow will fly and our entire staff can return to our normal lives!

Benton, Babies and a Wedding

I like the 1/2!!

      Recently Christine and I headed over the great Sierra Nevada Mountains and headed to Benton Hot Springs. Over the years we have driven past Benton Hot Springs without much thought as to what was there and why hot springs would flow in that exact location. This time, Benton Hot Springs was our destination. We went to meet our wonderful friends and celebrate the mother of the house and her 34th glorious trip around the sun. It was a wonderful time to go back and explore geology for a few days!
        My formal education in geology and working in the geologic field for a number of years gave me a good idea as to why the water was warm. Magma is close to the surface based upon the proximity of Mammoth and the Long Valley Caldera. But the more precise question was, why there? I knew there was a notch in the granite above the hot spring and a fair amount of ground water must percolate through there based upon the surrounding water bodies and the rock types. But why the heat? From the  looks of the surrounding landscape and rock types, the granite has been very stable for being located adjacent to the massive Long Valley Caldera. Secondly all along the contact of the granite heading north was a deposition of hot spring materials. The material was not quite as solid as your typical travertine, but definitely a solid and solidified deposition. Furthermore, there was none of the deposition to the south. It was obvious that these hot springs have flowed in this proximity for many many years. With the adjoining granite along the contact between the two it made completely sense. Plus the hardened deposition has continued to push the springs further and further to the south. These are at least my theories, regardless of how and why the springs are there, the nice wooden baths for soaking were awesome!

      I par took each day and enjoyed the relaxing spring (which were not sulfery in the slightest). Christine only let the water come up to her thighs because she was worried about cooking our little unknown inside her. As you can see by the photos, and by the commentary, we are quite pregnant!! In fact, tonight is Nov 2nd, and tomorrow is our due date. We still do not know if we are having a boy or a girl. We wanted to have "life's" greatest surprise, surprise us!!
 

Christine and I at her Mother's Wedding

    Life has been filled to the max with prepping for the arrival. But in the interim, we had to head South for a wedding. It was a grand trip to Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach and San Diego for Terry and Carl's wedding. Terry is Christine's mother and Terry and Carl have been together for 26 years. They sure took their time getting married. I guess I can get away with waiting a little longer. Christine and I had a blast. Here she is 36weeks, at a wedding, 9 hours from home.........well... 13 hours since bathrooms breaks were often!! Plus we broke up the trip and stayed with friends and family on the way down and back. Still, very close to the due date. Although, being on the eve of the due date tonight, we are on the very brink of heading to the hospital!

         When we go on these wonderful trips, I go to the antique stores, art galleries, children's stores and anywhere else I might be able to find designs and ideas. You never know what you will come across, or even find. Many times I compare if I could build them or replicate them. Do I like the style? What the asking price is? Often I make a rough estimate on the time it would take me to make the item. Would I make it from scratch? All good questions for days out and about. I love my hobby!
             On these trips I love collecting wood. Down in San Diego there are interesting trees that I wish we had closer to home. The dry desert and the moist coastal climate produces some wonderfully stunted gnarly trees, many of which  have amazing burls! Although I love seeing and drooling over these semi exotic woods, I still love my mountain trees and the items they offer. 

        One of our favorite woods is Black Oak. The black oak changing table in the photos I made a couple months ago. The tree fell near my fathers home during a big storm a few years ago. We actually milled the tree where it fell with the alaskan mill. Afterward we let the wood cure for about two years. We planned and cut the wood down to size. I (my father thought this could be my personal enjoyment into fatherhood) shaped, carved, sanded and put the pieces together. It was a super fun project and hopefully be rewarded with a nice healthy baby to change those little diapers! I was so excited to complete the project I found myself bummed waiting for the glue to dry.  Now obviously two years ago when I milled the wood I had no idea that we would be pregnant. To be  honest, I originally planned to make a rustic kitchen table. I find it funny that I am happier with it as a it is. We know how plans change when you get pregnant!!

Christine and my little sis

 

An Excursion brings a Bargain!

         My influences that come from the mountains are endless. Excursions in the woods and seeing mother natures creations are infinite. Mother nature is filled with influential sights, even insights and ideas!! My recent excursion has given me the idea of a Bargain Day. My lady and I hiked into Powell Lake just inside the Emigrant Wilderness border this past weekend. We did a simple overnight for her annual birthday backpacking trip and enjoyed some mountain sun. We relaxed along the waters edge and had some wonderfully inspiring views. Often these trips are filled with our many friends and family, but it was nice to spend a short trip with just my preggo sweetheart, myself, kakao the dog and the wonderful world in which we live. The time spent around the water edge gave way to a great business idea. How wonderful would it be to have a special bargain for my woodwork. A bargain day for item that have not sold over the last year, and let folks pick something up at a discounted price!!

     I was contemplating this idea yesterday at the Farmer's Market in Sonora. There were many, many wonderful folks around town yesterday, all of whom I enjoy spending time with. As a result I have decided the weekend after Strawberry Music Festival would be perfect. Many of my customers attend the Farmer's Market almost every weekend and they would truly appreciate that opportunity. So....I will have a Bargain Day discount on  September 7th, the weekend following Labor Day. The bargain will likely be just one table, with a discount of 25% or 50% off the tagged price ( I do have some red stickers, how funny would that be!).  The table will may include: items that are odd; time invested does not match our expected price; great ideas that we did not fully sell or advertise correctly; items that need new homes, other than inside of my boxes; and just to be nice and give someone a great deal!!!

         The actual goal of this sale will not necessarily be to make money (although it is a perk), but to show us which items are actually good ideas and have potential. If a product does not sell at a discounted price, then the product is poorly designed, not actually as great as we thought or completely priced wrong. For example- the photo above shows 9 bottle stoppers with a corkscrew within each one. I have sold a few, but are all the designs good enough. The ones that sell are obviously the most liked and have a nice form. Next, the ones that only sell at a discount are obviously nice but, but do not have great form. Now if none of them were to sell, then the product itself is a poor idea and I should concentrate my efforts elsewhere. I have already sold four, so I know they are enjoyed!

   

        

Summer time is for flowers!

        Summer time is for flowers! For us at Yosemite Goat's Woodworking we love flowers too! As a result, one of our favorite items to make (and sell) are vases. When we first started out with a simple lathe, we made many, many simple dry flower vases. They were all fun to make and we were learning out to use the lathe. While at Humboldt State University, I purchased some large test tubes for a piece of driftwood I found. The result was a cool vase. Today we continue to dabbled with larger vases with glass tubes. For some reason our early designs were not up to par and they were not a hit. Plus they are hard to make while drilling a long straight hole. So we went back to making cool vases similar to the few I made at college.

      Today we continue to make free standing vases from local woods, primarily manzanita. The intricate colors and designs in the manzanita wood compliments both glass and flowers! After three years of making vases, these are truly the best we make. We are always making more, so check in or ask if you are interested in one!

This great manzanitia vase is featured on Etsy.

Adjusting Antique Style Pepper Mills

After having a few questions about how to adjust my Antique Style Pepper Mills I thought a good idea would be a quick explanation on how they work. We use ours often and typically keep the size on a finer setting for the dinner table. On occasion we will loosen the bottom bracket when adding straight into a pasta sauce or curry. 

 Classic Mills are adjusted on top, as are these. 

The difference, these have two dials, the bottom adjusts coarse to fine. 

The top keeps tension on the bottom dial so you do not have to adjust as often.  

    

 

 

Classic Mills often self adjust when they are turned unless there is an internal spring

that keep the tension on the grinding mechanism at the base of the mill.

 

Summer and Spring of 2013

          This Spring and Summer will be a busy time for me. I have decided to forgo another summer field season in Yosemite National Park. Over the past three summers I have worked as a Hydrologist in the Park. During my time in Yosemite I have met many wonderful people, traveled many amazing trails and made many memories. This summer season though, I plan to spend more time at home with my wonderful lady and concentrate on Yosemite Goat's Woodworking.



       This past winter I have concentrated my efforts on my position at Dodge Ridge running the Children's Ski School Program. It was a wonderful position with a specific role. During the winter I met many wonderful people at the resort and look forward to another successful season in the winter to come.

        Now that the ski season has come to a close, I am ready to come full swing into summer. This summer I plan to attend a good many of craft fairs and local farmers markets. To attend so many shows I will need a great number of products. I am excited to say that I have purchased a last key component to the wood shop which will aid in my product production,  a dust collector. We (Yosemite Goat's Woodworking Team) purchased a 2hp cyclone dust collector. This dust collector's main purpose is to suck the dust from the many tools we use. Mainly to keep the shop cleaner and prevent any types of respiratory issues.

   I have truly enjoyed making many of the unique items found at Yosemite Goat's Woodworking, as well as expanding into new ideas in which folks bring to me.  Currently we are building our stocks of product and preparing for a wonderful and successful summer. This summer my goal is to focus on the items we currently sell and maintain those as our main source of products.
   
    The first event we attended of the spring was the Sonora Celtic Faire. This was a fun event that brought many smiles to us. Many folks truly enjoy our items and love to hear the stories of where the woods come from and how I, or my father, make the many items. Yosemite Goat's Woodworking will be at many local events, a few local galleries, and if requested, perhaps a short to your community event would be a fun trip! My next post will be a basic post outlining my summer season. Keep in touch!

Wood items at Yosemite Craft Bazaar

        I look forward to attending the 2012 Yosemite Craft Bazaar. This is the only Christmas Craft show I will be attending based upon my commitment to Dodge Ridge Ski Resort. I have been hired as the Children's Program Manager and not knowing what the weather would be like, I did not schedule any other events for the Christmas Holidays. Dodge Ridge had me busy for many days during the hiring process and I did not have the time for constructing items pre-holiday season.
        I do have a fair number of items for a wonderful hobby that my father and I truly enjoy partaking. Wood working is still a good excuse to wander the woods looking for unique items in nature and bring them to a wonderful home. Not to mention we at Yosemite Goat's Woodworking are able to craft our quirky creativity into action!

       This year the bowls made from Yosemite Goat's woodworking has taken off in comparison to last holiday season. Last year I believe I had 3 or 4. This past year we have sold close to 75 bowls!! We have also expanded into the pepper mills and lamps. During the Yosemite Christmas Craft Bazaar I am happy to say I have a number of very cool items that will not last long, so be sure to stop by and pick up what you are looking for early. At this time I will have 6 lamps, 8 cribbage boards, a number of candle holders and about 20 bowls. My pepper mills are being ordered daily, I hope to have a few more soon! My ultimate goal is to see smiles on everyone's face that comes by to say hello. Perhaps even walk away with an item or two in their bag!







    If you happen to read this before arriving at the craft show, let me know what you think of my blog and my work. I am always looking for feedback and ideas to "make" thing even better!

Thanks for stopping by- Scotty

The oak has lost it's leaves

Well..................... This morning the large oak leaning against our back porch was raining it leaves with each small breeze. By this evening the leaves were gone and so is the tree. The  tree crew came with a crane in tow and removed the big shade oak along the back porch. It is a bummer the tree is gone. The tree was leaning quite readily over the house and appeared to have moved over the summer months. The bulk of the tree and the center of mass was centered in our kitchen with a large branch that would have gone through our roomates bed (in the unfortunate event the tree came down). Secondarily the entire deck would have been destroyed.  Yes it is a bummer the tree is gone, but if the tree was to fall (in a likely snow storm) the consequences would have been dire.

          Fortunately this home is a rental and we did not have to pay the fees for the removal. But our landlord, bless his wonderful heart, evaluated the tree quickly, had numerous teams look at the tree and made the decision to remove it completely. Thank You for your time and forethought!

          Now, I am a woodworker. I like to make bargains. Now I have wood!! Large rounds of oak for bowls and more! Large oak bowls will be ready for market! Well........once the wood has had time to cure 6-9 months for curing!!

Free items from Yosemite Goat Woodworking

       As a way to say thank you to everyone that has stopped by my online portfolio I am going to give everyone a chance to have a piece of my Functional Organic Art. All you need to do is post a comment Anywhere in my blog! Comment arrive to me in order and I will know which is which!

     I have never done anything like this before so I am going to keep my ideas very open. Basically I am not sure how long it will take for you (the population of visitors) to make comments on the blog. My guess is that it should take a few weeks to go through all the comments, maybe more. I will advertise it on Facebook just to increase the time frame if necessary. 

     In the event you have not scrolled all the way through the page yet, maybe scroll down quickly now! I am going to give away items similar to those in the photos!!! The items are a candle holder, a bowls and cribbage board. My idea is to promote the blog a little and have others pass along my blog page.  Heck, post any photo on Pintrest and show off something you like!

       To being with I will chose a very wonderful candle holder that  has three candles. Perfect for any and all homes and occasions. Next I chose chose a bowl of medium size and height. Functional in many different aspects, good for keys, popcorn, chips, pure decoration and why not a few pieces of fruit. Lastly, I have a few cribbage boards in stock The ones below happen to be the last of my Maple collection. The final comment will be a wonderful cribbage board guaranteed. 


         Here in the blogosphere, each comment made is categorized upon the time it is delivered. The comments posted  from all section of my website/blog arrive in my inbox and categorized in the order they arrive. So you can make comments throughout the website/blog.  All the comments arrive with a corresponding email so I can contact those who have won and get your shipping info. I will also make a post when someone has won. That way everyone knows where the comments stand. Lastly, only qualifying comments will count, see below, and my comments will not be added to the total numbers.   =)


     Rule 1: Each Comment must be a full sentence, that means noun, verb, etc. and should be 7 words or more!
   
     Rule 2: No duplicate messages from the same person. I know how easy it is to copy and paste. Although multiple comments in different areas are encouraged!  I really want to know what you think of my work!!
     
      Rule 3: Solicitations will be deleted and not counted, unless............They write a full sentence about something in this blog alone.

      
      Rule 4: This is supposed to be a fun exercise, please be courteous to all.

      Rule 5: Have fun!!



       I hope this will be a wonderful experience. If this works out I will be inclined to make more opportunities for visitors to gain a wonderful piece of art. The current comment number is 14, good luck and enjoy the website!

             

The opening of farmers markets

me

I attended the first Farmers Market in Sonora with high hopes of making a number of sales. I created a whole series specifically for the farmers market. The results were not quite what I expected. I did however chat with a number of folks who were very interested in our work and would like to gain some more knowledge in the wood working realm. But the most important thing, I scored 5 pounds of honey with more to come!!

Ziploc Bag Dryers ............ My grand idea and proposed big seller at the farmers market. The bag dryers were made from an artistic piece of wood with short lengths of bamboo sticking out. The hanging bag can then be placed wherever necessary for drying the ziplocs for reuse. I made 12 of them and drop the price to ensure selling a large number of them. I sold one! And it was to a friend!

Over the course of this summer I will figure out what folks will be interested in. My biggest goal at these events is funding an understanding as to what people are interested in. I try to accommodate as much as I can but you can only display what you have, maybe I should get a bigger booth!

Lastly, I am going to Murphy's on Wednesday to chat with a friend who has part ownership at The Treasure Chest. We are hoping to add some small variety to the Treasure Chest and provide another outlet for my wonderful wooden treasures!


My next Farmers Market in Sonora will be June 2nd.

Craft Items at Sonora Farmers Market

Good Day-
  I will be at the Sonora Farmers Market on May 19th, tomorrow. I have an increased inventory and will be selling my newest item. You will have to come down to see what it is! The manzanita in the photo at right are the base of the items.......

    I have also been busy finishing up many of the bowls I roughed in over the winter months. Many of the wood bowls need to sit and cure for 6 months or more. In theory I should be taking moisture meter measurements to insure they have dried completely. But, after splitting who knows how many cords of woods, when you pick up a piece of wood, you know if the density is right or not. Needless to say sometimes the wood goes back into the pile. There are probably 40 more bowls waiting to be cured. Patience is a turners greatest ability!

        Here are many of the bowls we have ready for this weekend. They have all been oiled and ready for the names written on the base. After that they will be heading to Sonora and hopefully someone's home. I have four fruit bowls to add to the stock and a number of candy dishes and a couple of small cute little bowls, coin trays. I have also made a number of my classic little pine cone vases. I think there are 6 of them. At 5 dollars each I would be very happy to sell all of them. Heck, for $20 the person would get them all!

The mirror to the left is a great story. While I was in Alaska, a friend of mine took this photo of a Caribou. I asked her if I could use the image for a cutout. The cut out was amazing. A great amount of time went into it and it showed. This caribou mirror was a favorite. I etched in Denali behind the Caribou, and used and rough cut frame to finish off the details.
    Christine and I had just moved into a new place and we hung it on the wall. Unfortunately it fell from the hanger and broke. I had carried the broken piece the last year or so and decided the artwork needed to be re-mended. I cut down the original and re-broke the original mirror to fit into the new space. I am happy with the result since the mirror has returned to it's original purpose again. If you are interested in this, please let me know. It is a great piece that has undergone change, like so many great piece of art.