The Rocking Dino

When my friend Jess told me she was pregnant with her first child I was ecstatic as she was my first friend to become a mom. I wanted to do something special and create a unique, one-of-a-kind, present for her future little ones.

Back when we lived in North Carolina, I had a small, but functioning, wood shop in the garage where I was able to recreate plant stands and candle lanterns that I couldn’t afford from West Elm. My grandfather, who is a fabulous carpenter, built my sister and I a rocking horse when we were little - and a little lightbulb went off. Jess loves Dinos, Dino…rocker.

Somehow, some other brilliant mind out there, had already decided this was an amazing idea and created a pattern for creation. Bless that soul. This thing was baptism by fire for me. I started, and restarted, this dino at least three times. Scrapped a lot of progress, and learned a lot of what not to do.

I would be out in the garage for hours, to the point my spouse would have to come do a “did you drink water today?” check. This was one of my first large projects and I am still, so incredibly proud of it 4 years later. It can hold a grown 200lb person, and so far my godchild has not destroyed it….to my knowledge.