Miss Handywoman 2006

Major life achievement # 54 - constructing furniture by myself!

On Sunday the weather was miserable, so I decided it was a good time to head to Argos (like Ikea but bigger and better). I picked up a bookcase and a bedside table for my room. Now the thing is, its pre packaged furniture that comes in a flat pack. You get the pieces cut to size, the nails, the dowel, the screws, the instructions... and then you're left to make it. I was considering calling my Dad to tell him I was making some furniture up, but I realised that I'd probably be drowned out at the other end with hysterical laughter. Yes, I am that bad. As in, I have trouble hammering a nail straight into a plank of wood.

When God was handing out the handyman gene I completely missed out, ironic seeing as Dad owns and runs a hardware store! I've never even taken a woodwork class in my life, banging together bits of wood was never my thing. I hate reading instructions and would much prefer to skip ahead or figure it out myself. Why I decided all of a sudden to make some furniture is beyond me?

I assumed making a 3 drawer bedside table and a bookcase would be a fairly simple exercise. After pulling all the contents from the boxes I began to get worried. There were things I didn't even know existed in there, plus some very complicated looking furniture manual. But I got stuck into it, without anyone's help or guidance.

A few days later and I have finally finished both pieces (with a few mistakes along the way, which have all been fixed). I have to say I'm pretty impressed with myself - who knew that the heel of your ballet flats could be used as a substitute for a hammer?! The bookcase is level, the nails are hammered in straight, the bedside drawers slide in perfectly and you can't actually tell that I put it together!

So here they are, made by me...