I’m feeling extra grateful for a handy hubby so we can get after some DIY bookcase building for my 28th birthday!

It has been a week (plus!) of back-and-forth with some blog and website peeps trying (and failing… mostly on my part?) to relocate the blog to a new domain name – lifeoutsidetheshop.com.

So, that is why it’s been a little quiet over here!

It was a mess – so much so that I decided to scrap it and stay right here at sammacydesigns.com/lifeoutsidetheshop. Maybe one day I’ll switch it… and pay someone to figure out the backend stuff since that was just NOT in my list of things to continue spending time and energy on this week.

Why?

BECAUSE IT IS MY FAV TIME OF YEAR… Christmas, my bday and a brand new year around the corner. I didn’t need that draggin’ me down. Also, I wanted to WRITE!

Christmas Recap!

It was a MAD DASH to the Shadow Box finish line over here for Sam. With so many holiday orders, he was head down in his scroll saw from November to the end of December and the final few were out the door just before Christmas Eve!

This was exciting for us and for everyone getting a custom gift this holiday season!

We got in some quality time together with our families on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and my bday today!

It is a #weird holiday season, isn’t it?!

I’m typically a “silver lining, glass half full” kinda girl so I’m it’s pretty easy for me to think things like…

• This is a chance to slow down during a season when so many of us feel rushed, busy, and like we don’t have enough time to get things done.
• This is a chance to relax and really connect with whoever we can spend the Christmas and New Year hoidays with instead of jumping from party to party and place to place, waiting for the next thing.
• This is a chance to get creative! We don’t have to lose traditions, they just may look a little bit different this year.

Even though I truly believe these things (and thinking this way comes pretty naturally) I have still found myself putting on a brave face now and then to force the glass half full.

When this happens, I forget that it is okay (and maybe even necessary?) to mourn a “normal” holiday season…

I’m working on letting myself feel the sadness and miss these things instead of shoving it down and ignoring those feelings when they arise. It’s good practice for me and maybe you’ll find some truth to that for yourself as well;)

Try to think about it like this… we’re lucky that we have these things to miss and grieving for them only strengthens appreciation for these people, places and traditions.

Then, we’ve gotta let it go and focus on what we do have this holiday season (like Blue dogs who are always down to help open a present) and how we can adjust our “normal” this year!

Bday DIY Bookcase

Something that is pretty normal this year is that I am all about that low-key bday life. After even just a little holiday celebrating, spending a quiet day is ALWAYS what the doctor ordered.

This year, that means getting after some DIY Bookcase building!

Sam and I have wanted to build a bookcase in our bedroom since we moved in and renovated.

We built our own walk-in closet which meant that the used-to-be-closet has been in flux collecting books in crazy, overflowing piles for a HOT minute.

…especially as we prioritized other things… like doors and Shadow Boxes.

So, with the holiday orders behind him and a wife BEGGING to finally resolve this book storage issue, a DIY bookcase was quite literally the perfect gift (along with the gift card to fill it with even MORE books!).

Sam got after the lighting and electrical situation yesterday since it was the toughest part. Then, we spent my ACTUAL birthday wood shopping at Home Depot and vlogging along the way.

Right now, he is in the shop, getting the first few cuts under his belt before we coat ’em with some finish, let them dry and mount the shelves later on this week.

More info, DIY directions and cut list to come. But for now, I’ve gotta go help paint;) Make sure to sign up for our newsletter so you’re the first to know when the DIY vid drops! In the meantime, hit us with any questions you have.