Back on line

Well, we survived Irene pretty well, but power was out until late this afternoon. That meant no scrolling or posting, reading by flashlight, and having some pretty strange meals.

Hope you all out there had little damage to contend with, and are getting back to normal.

The end is in sight!

I was given a week to go over the page proofs, before the book ships to China. Amazing how many mistakes there are, even after many sets of eyes have looked it over.

So, instead of making sawdust, I'm measuring patterns and trying to make things just as clear as I possibly can. I was able to get in a two-part difficulty rating system for each project, from one to three little saw blades for cutting difficulty, and one to three little sanding discs for sanding difficulty.

The first chapter is laid out as a Q&A, and looks really good. I think this approach will make it easier to get to the heart of what you need to know. And repetitive stuff, like making loops and tails, flocking interiors, and inserting barrel hinges, are put into sidebars for cross-reference.

And just to give you some idea of the variety of projects, here's one of my favorites, a double-sized ring box, made using tiny barrel hinges, and complete with velvet-covered insert. So it's not just stacked rings anymore . . .

The last project to make it into the book

This project was not among the original group of boxes for the book. However, since there was such a time lag between the submission of the materials and the beginning of the editing process, I had time to work on some new projects.

The chapter on boxes that look like miniature furniture capitalizes on the band saw box method of construction. I took one of the projects (a cute little chest of drawers) to a logical next stage, and added a hutch on top. The hutch needed some decoration, so I added some photos and little objects. The result was so cute I just had to include it in the book. What I like best about this type of project is that it can easily be personalized with scans of meaningful pictures, book covers, invitations, etc., just like I used to do with my cakes. I used pictures of my parents' wedding, and of my sons, as well as scans of some scroll saw magazine covers. The possibilities are endless.

The book contains patterns and instructions for making the little objects, as well as for the china cabinet itself. I flocked the drawer interiors since they are difficult to sand well, and purchased small brass knobs that screw directly into the drawers. The project requires some care and attention to detail, but is not at all difficult, and should make a great commission piece or very special gift.

Finally, the secret is revealed

About a year ago, August 2nd to be exact, I posted a picture of a round yellow object with a red center, and challenged everyone to guess what it was. Well, now that the book cover has gone public and I've been cleared to reveal contents (but not methods or patterns), I can reveal what that mysterious object was: a pineapple slice, with cherry, for my pineapple upside-down cake box. That project is one of many in my "fun with food" chapter, along with cupcakes and my cinnamon-topped apple tart, using slices of real cinnamon. You can see them all in my new "author's photo" which will appear at the beginning of the book. Sort of fitting for a cake-decorator-turned-woodworker, wouldn't you think?

The Box Book has reached Amazon

It still won't be available until about February 2012, but at least it's officially on the board. I just found out that the book is now listed on Amazon, so I can finally show the cover, and even some projects.

The book is still in the final stages of editing, where you try to catch errors and make sure that everything is as good as you can make it. No matter how many people look at the manuscript, and no matter how many times you go over it, you never catch everything. However, all I can give it is my best shot, and I think this will be a book you can have a lot of fun with.

I mean, with a box that looks like a cupcake with sprinkles, how can you go wrong?