8 Woodcrafts To Keep You Busy This Summer

When most people think of summertime hobbies, they think of sports-related or outdoor activities, such as swimming, hiking, or sailing. However, summertime is the perfect season to take up crafting skills, like woodworking. With the long days and warm weather, you can work on your crafts outside, preventing any messes in your home. And they’re great activities to get kids involved in while they’re on their break from school.

Looking for the perfect woodcrafts to keep you busy this summer? Here are eight that are just the thing to carry you through the dog days.

Birdhouse

One of the best things about the weather getting warm again is the return of bird songs to our yards, especially for those of us who love bird watching. And if you want a relatively simple woodcraft to try out this summer that incorporates your love of birds, a birdhouse is the perfect craft for you.

When you’re designing and building a birdhouse, you’ll want to keep in mind the birds that live in your region and which ones you want to attract to your house. For example, a birdhouse built for an eastern bluebird will have a different size, nesting hole, and location than a house built for a boreal owl. Also, contrary to popular belief, it’s not wise to build a birdhouse with a perch. This can give predatory birds easier access to the nest.

Garden Bench

Cultivating a beautiful summer garden doesn’t just mean making sure the plants look incredible. Adding a few lawn ornaments and other hardscaping accouterments is the perfect way to add a little flair to your garden or lawn. A wooden bench will add the flair your yard needs while giving you a spot to enjoy a sunny day.

Garden benches are good projects for people of all skill levels. If you’re just getting your start at building furniture, you can make a very simple one with two legs and a seat. But if you want to flex your skills, you can create with a decorative back. Since the bench is an outdoor piece, you will want to be sure that the seat is well sealed to help it last longer and retain its color.

Summery Door Hanging

Fall and winter are usually the seasons associated with door décors, such as Christmas wreaths or jack-o’-lanterns. But a fun, summery door hanging is the perfect way to make your home a little more welcoming for house guests.

There are a host of ways to design a door hanging, but the simplest is to create a flat, wooden disk that you can hang on your door the same way you would a wreath. This gives you a blank canvas that you can decorate based on your tastes. Here are a few fun, summery design ideas you can try:

• Painting the disk like a sun
• Painting the disk like a lemon slice or watermelon cross-section
• Paint it with bumblebees or butterflies
• Paint it like a scoop of ice cream
• Painting a summery scene, such as a beach or lake
• Painting a summery message like “Hello sunshine” or “Welcome summer”
• Attach artificial flowers to wood

If you want a more neutral door hanging fit for any season, you can simply choose a nice varnish, a color that matches the house, or decorate it with your family’s last name.

Kitchen Tools

Most of us have a couple of wooden utensils in our kitchens and often forget that it’s possible to create them ourselves. A few of those kitchen tools include:

• Spoons
• Spatulas
• Serving utensils
• Cutting boards
• Bowls
• Knife blocks
• Spice racks
• Wine racks

Some of these woodcrafts are simple to make, even for beginners, such as spice and wine racks. Others, though they seem simple, require a higher level of skill because they usually require woodworking with tools like lathes and wood carving knives and gouges. But for those up to the challenge, they add a nice touch to one’s kitchen and make cooking all the more satisfying.

Wooden Coasters

Whether you’re having a dinner party or just sitting on the deck and enjoying a few drinks with those you love, you need a place to set down your cans or glasses. Wooden coasters are a simple way to protect your furniture. And with a little extra creativity, you can use them as an opportunity to add a little style to your table setting.

There are a plethora of ways to do wooden coasters. The simplest is to take a small log or large branch and cut each coaster between ½ and ¾ of an inch wide. Then, add a layer of varnish to make them waterproof. For a more complex design, take several strips of different types of wood and glue them together for a natural multicolored wooden coaster.

Patio Storage Bins

One of the common issues people with outdoor patio furniture run into is taking care of the cushions when the weather turns wet. Even though patio cushions are often a little tougher than indoor cushions, too much moisture can drastically reduce their lifespan. The most straightforward solution is to invest in an outdoor bin where you can store cushions during rainy weather.

While you can easily buy an outdoor bin for your cushions, building one yourself out of wood can be a rewarding experience, and the result looks elegant on your patio. This is a bigger job, but most people can usually complete it in a day.

Indoor Dog Kennel

Some dog owners choose to leave their dog in a crate or kennel when they aren't home. But kennels can be an eyesore for our décor and uncomfortable for our canine friends. Building a custom-made indoor kennel will give your dog a comfortable space that will look a little more elegant in your home.

These days, many dog owners opt for a kennel design that mimics furniture, such as a hallway bench or end table. That way, they seem like they’re simply part of the room’s design at first glance and are still functional even when your dog isn’t using them. Just be sure that the crate is at least 2 to 4 inches wider than the length of your dog from nose to tail.

Playhouse

Summertime is the perfect time for kids to explore the great outdoors. And a fun way to help them build fun memories this summer is to enlist their help in building a backyard playhouse. A few considerations to keep in mind as you’re designing your playhouse are:

• How old your kids are
• How many kids you have
• How much space you have in the backyard
• How flat or hilly your yard is

You can also keep in mind your children’s interests. If they love playing house, you can try to create a building that mimics a house. If they love to explore nature, you can try to add a rustic feel to the house. And for the adventurers, you can consider a whimsical design based on pirate ships or rockets.

Make the most of your summer with creative woodcrafts, and bring ECOS Paints along with our eco wood stains and varnishes to add that finishing touch to your project.