Attaching the table legs

Easy -- with the help of these cleats. Pre-drilled holes in them, plus screw holders (whatever they are really called) to screw in the legs.  Totally cheating, but I am not trying out for leg turner anytime soon.

Now I have to put on the side trim boards, glue tiles, and grout. 

Staining....and making supporting details a bit more precise than before

Ok, this table project is taking some time to pull together. Process, process I tell the impatient part of myself.

That is one good thing I have modified over the past year or so...you do learn that taking a bit more time to make the details right does tend to make the project come out better in the end...the right stuff -- the base, the trim, the detritus free surface.... has to be precise, so the "art part" of it is what stands out, not the non-meeting miters or the little bit you missed on the stain that is almost impossible to see (but you can if you look at it carefully...so fix it before you put it together Missy!).

Arghghg.

Leftover plant trays are good for sticking up the legs for staining.

Cement Floor --patina of use

This cement floor had served in my Dad's studio at one point before he moved his studio to bigger separate building. I believe the paint splats must have been from some project way back then in 1960s.

A decade or so later, a bit of an unorthodox use of mainly scrap wood was used to create a parquet floor.  Unfortunately, some of it was tasty for bad bugs, so the floor removed (with a lot of work), to reveal the cement above (after quite a bit of cleaning).  So the lines from the wood blocks added their own patina to the floor. Did I really need to say how much work it was to tackle this? Yes. 

And I haven't even got to polishing or whatever else I may do to finish it off while leaving it pseudo "raw."

Fairy Garden

For the birthday girl.