~ Lounge chairs, birdhouses and tables, oh my! I’m a nut about do-it-yourself projects around my full-sized house. So, when this new book from Timber Press arrived in the mail, Hand-Built Outdoor Furniture by Katie Jackson, it was everything I needed to get inspired, grab some wood and get busy.

But then my passion took over and instead of heading to the garage, I went into the miniature studio. Look what happened.

The book is a delight to browse through and the steps are laid out nicely with a lot of breathing room on the uncluttered pages. The photos are very helpful in walking you through the project. You easily see what needs to be done ahead of time even for the most complicated project which didn’t seem that complicated anymore. I found myself being an armchair carpenter for an hour!

The 20 projects include a couple of different kinds of planter/flower boxes, different tables, storage solutions and even a fun torchiere that you can light up. Katie keeps it simple, all you need is a few tools, some lumber and a couple of hours for some projects or up to a weekend for others. It’s dedicated to anyone who has every said, “I could never do that!”

The book starts with the basics, choosing boards, the types of wood, how they are sold. It has an overview of the tools you need followed by a chapter on how to use the tools. It is very well organized and edited a la typical Timber Press fashion – that’s why they are the top garden publisher after all.

See more about how to find out what scale your accessories are here.

It’s the author herself in the photos too, which is cute to see. See more about Katie Jackson’s Hand-Built Outdoor Furniture: 20 Step-by-Step Projects Anyone Can Build here, on the Timber Press website or look for it anywhere books are sold.

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