Rather than ramble on about things, which I am not that great at doing anyway, I am going to jump into my first DIY project! I've been working on a lot of things around here recently, but instead of sharing all of them at once I will start with my very first project. A "little helper" stool (also known as a learning tower) for my son. Although it is my very first project, and I have learned a lot since completing it, I think it is still the best thing I have ever made! We use it every single day and the cost to make it was under $25. Aside from the cost, the opportunities that it has provided for my son to learn and help in the kitchen is priceless to me. I love that he is able to look while I am cooking on the stove or that he can "help" me make muffins. Also, since he is getting so big it is a great help for washing his hands in the kitchen sink (he is just too short for using a regular stool and too heavy to lift up to the sink!).
I had my eye on this "little helper" stool for a while and really wanted to try and make it myself. I was a little bit nervous because it involved using power tools...but I went for it and it paid off! I LOVE this stool! My son LOVES this stool also! To be honest...it probably took me 5 times as long as it should take someone to make it and multiple consultations over the phone with my Dad, but once I finished it, I was so proud!
The stool is fairly easy to make as it begins as an IKEA stool and you simply add onto it. I found the detailed instructions on a "IKEA hackers" website. I followed the instructions exactly, and only needed to do a few slight modifications to the lengths of some of the pieces of wood along the way. One tip - if you are a complete novice at using power tools, like I am...if you've never used a drill bit that creates 5/8" holes before - it is very important that the hole is straight! Otherwise the dowel won't go straight through the two pieces. I learned this the hard way! I also used wood glue in addition to the screws, and after seeing how much this thing gets used and how my son handles it, I am glad that I did!
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