Cutting Time

 A couple of weeks ago I told you how I went to the GOBY Hardwood Mill in Portland. Well today I decided to tackle a project I have been wanting to do for a while now but have been scared to do.( Me scared? I know right... Actually I am a huge scaredy cat). With this particular project though I was scared to use my new Jig-Saw. So last night I had a little tutorial on how to use it and today I decided to tackle DIY cutting boards. A while back I was reading through Centsational Girls Blog and came across this awesome cutting board project here. I instantly knew that I too would need to make my own cutting boards. I mean she makes it look so easy. Also if I could tackle this, think of the christmas gift potential!
First things first... Get the wood... At GOBY these were the two pieces I picked out...

Pretty huh? It's Walnut!  It is a hardwood which is a must when making a cuttingboard. Walnut trees do grow in Oregon, so I lucked out. 

Then I took some large white paper to make a template for the shape of my cutting board. At first I wanted to do some awesome design with great detail. Then I reminded myself it was the first time to use the saw so the more organic, easier shape won. Not to mention this wood is pretty and I wanted to use as much of it as I could. I pretty much used the same shape she did.

 I cut it out...

 Nice and big.. Big enough for a long baguet.

 I cut out a heart in the handle and Cole nixed that idea...

 Check out that pretty piece of lumber.

So I set off to the garage where my Jigsaw and sander were to get to work. Thats me working in my running clothes because today I signed up for a half marathon and I figured I better start training if I actually plan on running it and not walking it. Please take note of the saftey goggles. It is hardwood we are dealing with and you never know when a piece of wood is gonna get you!

 The jigsaw was not as bad as I thought. It just rattles your hand a lot. All I had to do was stay on the line. And I did for the most part.....

 All cut and ready to be sanded.

 Switch out the power tools for the sander...

 All sanded up and ready to get a nice rub down of mineral oil. Do the whole board.

 Look how amazing the wood looks with a layer of oil... I love it.

 And TA DA.... There you have it!  A beautiful, new, homemade cutting board. (I would of put some cheese and crackers and made it all fancy for you but we already ate dinner so I grabbed the next best thing..Fruit from the fruit bowl.) Ok so this is a huge cutting board and I think I am going to hang it next to the chalkboard in our kitchen under the shelf Cole and I recently hung. What do you think?  I think you should make one because it was cheap and really easy. Again if I can do this so can you!

Fabulous Monday Freebie....

This weekend Lucy, Cole, the dogs and I loaded up our car and headed into Portland. We had a very eventful weekend (more of that to follow) which included scoring some awesome loot for you! One thing I learned this weekend was that Portland is the knife capital of the US. This is because there are more knife companies established per capita in Portland. So in celebration for the beautiful city of Portland and all it has to offer I thought I would pass along one of its treasures to you. (Directions on how to score one of the two knifes I scored follow below.)

 Saturday morning after Cole made a killer Eggs Benedict, my Daddy and Step Mom Marcia picked up Cole and I to embark on a mini journey through Portland. Several weeks ago I read this awesome tutorial on Centsational Girl's Blog on how to make your own cutting board. So since reading her post I have been looking for a hardwood mill to make my own. My Dad was in the sawmill industry for years so I obviously turned to him first. He directed me to Goby Hardwoods which produces a lot of beautiful Walnut lumber..... Here we are at the entrance about so go in and find my perfect piece of wood.

Check out the doors to this place... Pretty cool

 Once inside I had to make some very hard decisions because they had a lot to choose from. After some hunting I made the decision to buy two pieces that I got for about two bucks a pound. I can't wait to show you how they turn out.

My handsome Daddy leaving the mill. Look at all the huge pieces of walnut stacked behind him. Oh the possibilities.

Then we headed across the river to The Rebuilding Center. My Dad has worked with them in the past and knew that I would just love this place. I did of course. It was huge, awesome and overwhelming because there was so much in there. You really need to know what you are looking for and the dimensions on the materials needed. (I think I am going back for moulding to frame in my bathroom mirrors, but I needed my mirror dimensions.) Below on the left is the outside of the building made up of used windows from old homes and buildings they tore down and recycled. Very cool concept.

This is one of the many fireplace mantels that greets you when you enter. They had like seven and they were all very reasonably priced. A fresh coat of paint and hello new fireplace.  Below is another picture of the entrance. The building is an open air building so birds can fly in and fly out.

Another outside shot. Its over in the Mississippi district in Portland. I guess I am pretty sheltered when it comes to Portland. I really need to get out more cause this town has so much to offer.

The weekend only got crazier for us. You see we are planning on having Lucy's 1st birthday next weekend (YES I almost have a one year old... Crazy I know) and following that weekend I am hosting a baby shower. So the following pictures could include my mom and I tearing apart every craft store and Target in town but those would not be pretty pictures we were mad, crazy, driven shoppers. Use your imaginations. One detail I do need to share is the newest addition to our house ...Romper... One of our good friends is in transition right now so we are being foster parents for a while. So you might be seeing him in some upcoming posts.... Meet Romper....

  To say the least it was an eventful weekend.... Now for the part you really wanted to hear about... So in order to be considered for one of the made in Portland knives... Made by the amazing folks at Kershaw, tell me why you need the knife. Maybe you need a new knife to adorn your tackle box or maybe you need it for your many upcoming backpacking trips. Or maybe you need it because you don't have a sharp knife in your house and need it to cut apples and cheese.... Whatever the need just let me know and I will randomly choose 2 winners... That's right 2! Deadline is Wednesday by 7pm... Can't wait to hear from you...

 PS some people told me it was hard to sign up as a subscriber so just leave a comment as an anonymous person but include your name in your comment... Have a great week and good luck...