Many of you might recall the post I shared some time agao regarding the Dog Planters, created by a gentleman from Fareham Men's Shed. They have become quite a popular item for us to sell, especially as a unique/personal tribute for funerals.
In addition to the dogs, he also crafted some bird houses, one of which featured a chicken on the front of it. That chicken brough such a smile to my face that I couldn't stop looking at the photograph of it. Naturally, I asked if he might be willing to make just the chicken for me; happily for me he agreed.
Chris, whom most of you have seen standing on your doorstep, or at your workplace- as he is delivering flowers to you - occasionally you'll also see him have a grumble at me inside the shop! He'll deny that but we all know the truth :) That aside, as Chris the person who introduced me to the chicken (he's an active member of Fareham Men's Shed) he was tasked with figuring out how to enlarge it from just the bird box size, to be able to fit into the perfect two-foot square space I had on the shop wall. All of this was done with the permission of the gentleman who originally designed the chicken.
One morning, a few weeks after our discussions and time spent working out measurements, Chris arrived in the shop, handed me many pieces of wood, and said "One chicken for you"!. As you can see from the photograph below, it wasn't quite what I had been expecting!
As a puzzle and challenge enthusiast, I took those pieces home and was able to resolve a few issues which arose (like the chicken's head falling off for one!). Then, I reached for my tube of Gorilla Glue (other glues are available). I would advise being absolutely certain you have the pieces aligned before applying the glue, because it bonds almost instantly - unless you have painted before sticking it all together, at which point you may want to try a different glue.
Next I painted and was very pleased with the result. The red smudges on it's tummy have since been fixed, and now that prototype sits grinning at me from my bedroom door, ensuring I start each day with a smile. Having worked out any issues from that first one, I was able to tell Chris what needed to be changed so he was able to perfect the next one!
Oh yes, there was a next one... then another... then another! Because I wanted the one to fit my two-foot gap, Chris kept working on it until he got it right; boy did he get it right.
I cannot tell you how therapeutic it was to spend last Sunday aftgernoon in the garden with pieces of wood for three different sized chickens, tubes of acryllic paint (don't try using oil paints like I stupidly did at one point - it won't dry!) and a set of different sized paint brushes. Being at work 6/7 days a week, 50 weeks each year it can be quite difficult for me to switch off. My brain is constantly buzzing with questions - did I remember to order that flower? Did I send off that email to Mrs S? Have I ordered enough flowers for the wedding? What time do I need to start in the morning to get it all done in time? Although with many others, the most popular one being "Did I lock the doors at the shop when I left?". Painting those chickens took me away from it all for those few hours.
I orginally only want one, ended up with four and I love them; they make me smile whenever I look at them. The second size has been commandeered by a family member; Number three is sitting on a specially made stand in the shop (a stand Chris also made) and Number Four, the biggest - although due to the cutting machine he uses he wasn't able to make it quite the two-foot we were hoping for - sits proudly above the doorway from the shop, into the kitchen, where its clock hands (oh yes, I turned it into a clock) move around keeping perfect time.
"Is Chris able to make different shapes?" Absolutely. Ive currently set him another challenge for something he doesn't have a design for already. I have no doubt he will exceed my expectations.
Are they expensive to purchase? The depends on what you class as expensive. The large one - which I turned into the clock - cost £20 for the chicken pieces, plus the price of the clock mechanism (I paid £8 for the one I purchased). I don't think that is expensive. In fact I think they'll make a great gift for someone; they're easy to make, simple to paint and can't help but raise a smile. A bespoke one (that Chris doesn't already have the design/template for) would cost £30 for the first one to allow for his time and the wood needed to experiment with a prototype to ensure it was perfect for any potential customer.
The dog planters also come in kit form = £20, or ready made/painted for £30, but who wouldn't want to put one together and make their own? They do have a twenty one day turn around period; I personally feel they are so worth the wait.
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