Creative Woodworks & crafts-111-2005-Holiday, страница 12

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SUPPLIES

Wood: walnut or wood of choice—one piece 3/4" x 17" x 10" (for plaque); maple. Baltic birch plywood, or wood of choice—one piece 1/8" x 8" x 15" (for overlays) Tools: scroll saw with No. 2R and No. 5R blades; drill press wilh assorted bils, including 1/16" bit (for drilling entry holes in the overlays) and a 1 /4" Forstner bit (for drilling pilot hole in keyhole hanger); router or laminate trimmer with round over bit and keyhole bit; orbital sander with assorted grits (120-600) sandpaper; planer; vacuum with soft brush attachment Temporary-bond spray adhesive Clear-drying glue Clear packaging tape Delta interior/exterior brush-on varnish

in satin finish or varnish of your choice Spray varnish in satin finish or finish of choice

12 •-Creative Woodworks £ tefts-Hstotey 2065

Introduction

I have so many wonderful memories of Christmases past and special traditions shared with my family. My son's birthday is on December 1st and that was the day we would get our Christmas tree We always selected a real one, and it became part of his birthday celebration to let him pick out the tree. His birthday weekends were spent decorating the tree and transforming our house into our own little winter wonderland. Another sure sign that the holiday season was approaching was the "Holiday Magic" event held at our local zoo in Chicago. On weekends in December, the zoo remained open in the evening and was lit up by literally millions of lights. There would be carolers wandering around singing and ice sculptors creating statues, and the familiar surroundings of the zoo took on a whole new look under the moon and stars. Although it was usually quite cold, it was absolutely beautiful and will always be remembered by me as a wonderful time with my children.

One other holiday tradition I remember fondly is reading "The Night Before Christmas" to my son every Christmas Eve before he went to bed. We read to him a lot in those days, and even though he is now all grown up, it is still one of my fondest memories. When I was asked to create a more "traditional" welcome plaque for this holiday issue, it didn't take me long to think of this design which was inspired by the final stanzas of that wonderful Christmas poem. I hope you enjoy this project and that it brings some wonderful memories back to you—or helps you create new ones! In closing, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"