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Sep 28
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New Mud Room Exterior Mosaics and Seating

By Clay Plaster, Artwork

mosaic

A couple of weeks ago, we got around to re-plastering the north side of the house (most of the plaster on the lower half of the wall was completely weathered away), the east, and the finished mud room. April slaved away on this mosaic above the bench and around the window that day, and I think the final product is really swell. The stones are from a Tennessee river bed and the white pieces are broken tile.

The grape vine (to the left in the photo) exploded with all of the rain this year, and it frames this mini seating area and has climbed well up onto the roof. The bench itself is cantilevered in the wall — two roundwood branches (one osage orange, one black locust), and the boards are hand-planed and oiled black walnut. It’s cozy!

Sep 13
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hardwood floor with natural oil finish

To Tamar

By Uncategorized

-1

Dearest friend and fellow Dancing Rabbit member, natural builder, gardener, fiddle player, yoga teacher, (hell, life teacher), and just simply an amazing human being, Tamar died on Sunday, September 12th. I’ve had the oh-too brief fortune to know Tamar for three years while living at Dancing Rabbit. Last fall, Tamar’s health took a sudden turn for the worst when she was diagnosed with cancer. Since that fateful autumn, she has been through much pain, as have those many family members and friends who have been witness to her suffering. It has been one hell of a journey, the difficult end of which has come on a incredibly sunny, breathtaking September afternoon, with Monarchs bringing fluttering, fleeting color and beauty to the prairie. How fitting a day for the death of such an amazing individual.

Tamar has left a mark on many of those people who have crossed paths with her, and I am no exception. She had been a big inspiration throughout the building of my home, and her colorful mosaics grace its cob walls. She has left behind many reminders of her beautiful (but too-short) life here at Dancing Rabbit, and for that I am extremely thankful, and I am indebted to have known such an amazing person and friend.

Here’s to you, Tamar. You are missed.

Aug 20
Love0

Michael Janzen’s Free Tiny House in Yes! Magazine

By Resources

tiny houseMichael Janzen of Tiny House Design is building a tiny, 80 square foot house… for free. And word is getting out about his project, which is one of many in the new tiny house wave. From Michael:

The core values of the tiny house movement are that living simply in small spaces empowers us. Committing to a tiny house removes many of the burdens we accepted when we bought into the idea of a “normal” American lifestyle. Instead of focusing on how much we can afford, the tiny space forces us to consider how little we really need.

Check out more about his nifty free tiny house project at Yes! Magazine and visit his website for more news and musings on the tiny house movement! Cool stuff.

Aug 20
Love0

Michael Janzen’s Free Tiny House in Yes! Magazine

By Resources

tiny houseMichael Janzen of Tiny House Design is building a tiny, 80 square foot house… for free. And word is getting out about his project, which is one of many in the new tiny house wave. From Michael:

The core values of the tiny house movement are that living simply in small spaces empowers us. Committing to a tiny house removes many of the burdens we accepted when we bought into the idea of a “normal” American lifestyle. Instead of focusing on how much we can afford, the tiny space forces us to consider how little we really need.

Check out more about his nifty free tiny house project at Yes! Magazine and visit his website for more news and musings on the tiny house movement! Cool stuff.

Aug 19
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Building the Handmade Roundwood Bed Frame

By Carpentry

roundwood-bedframe

Last week, after being sick of sleeping on a carpet with some blankets on the floor, I finally hunkered down and made a bed frame, not without some consistent prodding from April. The idea had been to use some osage orange logs for the corner posts, and I had cut some low limbs weeks ago, but I was nervous about the prospect of using something so round and irregular to make a very square piece of furniture. But it turned out to be quite successful, despite my lack of experience with woodworking.

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