flickr
Empowered To Connect LogoETC LogosAspen Social ClubDSC_5250DSC_5248

The Great Christmas Music Hunt

Matt posted this on December 18, 2009 in music. (0 comments)

Taking a cue from Mark Driscoll, I’ve been trying to initiate more of the Donovan House Christmas celebration instead of just expecting Kristin to drive it all. Over the past few days I’ve been looking for excellent (if not slightly obscure) holiday albums. Here are four of my favorite holiday tracks right now…

12 Days of Christmas by Relient K

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The First Noel by Over The Rhine

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Blue Christmas by Martin Sexton

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

White Christmas by Jamie Randolph

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What are you listening to this advent season?

My friend, Daniel, just told me about this website. Some really cool before & after + DIY interior design resources.

Matt posted this on November 7, 2009 in design &  home improvement &  links. (0 comments)

How to make board & baton shutters in a weekend

Matt posted this on October 18, 2009 in home improvement. (0 comments)

Several months ago I posted some quick before & after shots of some board & baton shutters I made for the front of our house. A few people have asked me how I made them, so I thought I’d whip up a little how-to.

Assembly

These are just faux shutters – they don’t actually “shut.” The upshot is your measurements don’t have to be exact. In order to make them look functional, each shutter should be about half the width of the window.

shutters

For this project, I used fence boards because they are cheap, light-weight, and support the “cottage-chic” style we’re going for in the long run (so much more work to do). I played with different board counts and spacing widths before landing on five boards per shutter, each board being spaced 1/4 inch apart.

Once you have a plan, you’ll be able to cut the appropriate number of boards to length. Each of my shutters required seven boards. Five boards at exactly the height of the window and two horizontal boards to secure them at the top and bottom.

I decided to stain the wood before the shutters were assembled because I didn’t want any of the wood to be susceptible to rotting. Staining each board individually took an exceptionally long time and, in retrospect, I’m not convinced it made much of a difference. If I had got to do it again, I’d stain each shutter after it was assembled. Whether you’re painting or staining your shutters, use an outdoor material with a sealant and make sure to cover the front and back of the shutter.

During assembly, I used paint sticks between the boards at each end to keep them spaced evenly. When securing the cross boards, use a combination of wood glue and finishing nails. Use two nails on every vertical board at both the top and bottom of the shutter in order to keep it from getting wobbly.

Hanging

If you’re hanging shutters on a brick house like mine, be sure to use concrete anchors. The nice thing about these Tapcon anchors is that (a) they’re easy to spot because they’re blue and (b) they come with the masonry bit necessary for drilling into brick. For this project, I use 3/16″ x 2-3/4″ anchor screws.

screws

When you drill your pilot holes, drill into the mortar between the bricks and not into the bricks themselves. Drilling directly into brick will likely crack it, which would be a bummer.

screw-placement

My father-in-law helped me hang these and we whipped through all eight shutters in about an hour. It’s really a two man job. I don’t think I could have gotten them up evenly on my own.

I hope you found this little how-to helpful. If anything seems missing or is unclear, ask away in the comments. Likewise, if you’ve done this before and (more than likely) have done it better, please share your insight in the comments.

From the website –

Promoting, encouraging, and assisting biblical prayer

This is a great example of fantastic content fused with outstanding design. Can’t wait to dig in!

Matt posted this on August 13, 2009 in design &  links &  prayer &  web design. (0 comments)

Madmen Yourself

Matt posted this on August 5, 2009 in how to waste time. (0 comments)

madmen_standard

In anticipation of Mad Men starting back up next Sunday, I madmen(ed) myself. Now I’m gonna go home and have martini.

Page 1 of 65123»...Last »