Lady Fern Woodworks

How many projects should I be working on? At least 5. But did I decide my plant needed a tiny treehouse - also yes.

I’ve always loved murals but felt too intimidated by the size. I’m in the middle of a surface level kitchen upgrade and took the pocket door out and decided why not try. Am I obsessed? Yes. Will I want to paint everything a mural now? Also, yes.

Hot pink strings for the final touch! She is tuned and ready to go! My 3 year old was so excited to try it she grabbed it and hit smacked me in the eye with the neck - what’s more rock and roll than a black eye from a guitar?

What design did I choose? Punk rock sea witch 🐙🧜‍♀️❤️

Painted it black, created a custom decal on the cricut of the tentacles, voice stealing contract language, and Ariel’s signature. Then add glitter and boom! I am obsessed with how this turned out and how I got to bring to niche hobbies into one piece! I think I’m going to need to like a million more of these. Who needs a guitar?!? 😂Next up strings and electronics!

School is officially out which means it’s my busy work season. The internet was out today so I started prepping for the build your own guitar class I will be teaching in 2 weeks. This is the S style kit from Bexgears. It’s $70 and comes with all the pieces you need and it’s pre soldered electronics - making it a great entry level kits for anyone - especially kids! The best part? Taking the time to design the guitar body before assembling it. I have so many wild ideas for what design I am going to use and am hoping my brain decides while I am sleeping tonight! Because tomorrow is design and build day - complete with video and writing down the lesson plan so I can be hands on the day of class!

If you don’t already know about your local community education department they offer something for everyone ages 0-100. And we are a great group of people constantly working to turn trends and hobbies into accessible education for all ❤️

Working on something small to get back into crafting. The holes will get punched out and then you will use cribbage pegs to track how many fish you catch as you try to beat grandpa 😊 magnets and peg storage will be on the back so it can even come in the boat!

My tiny assistant for the day - this cute little fluffy spider watched me work for at least 30 minutes. We existed harmoniously and it such a happy little moment in my day.

I’ve been spending my evenings working on a side project for this awesome little St. Paul company called A Backyard Farm - they do unique raised garden beds and garden installs. The beds sit on top of these cedar sawhorses and are 8 ft by 4 ft by 1 ft deep. They are simple, super functional, and really, really cool! So far I am on my 6th sawhorse and have the process down - I don’t normally batch make things but there is something about repeating this that is really satisfying and efficient.

My custom samples from came and I am absolutely obsessed! Mailers, labels, and packing tape ❤️

I got to make something truly special for a retirement gift for a coworker. This bench is made from the signs that once were at Cowern Elementary Community Garden, where she spent at least 15 years overseeing that space. I kept the signs before they paved the garden over because I knew they could be used for something special. I only used 4 screws in this bench, the rest is all joinery. It has a plaque that says “for the many years of dedicated service to her community and countless lives she has touched along the way.”

Today was a day. The makerspace where I learned the confidence to try woodworking and have spent the last year and a half practicing closed. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do next, and I have landed on converting my stall of the garage into a shop. If the past year has taught me anything it’s that leaning into the things that bring my joy in art and life. Stay tuned to see my take on a wood shop. We are talking color,murals, tools, community, and plenty of Laura Greenlee-Karp. Can’t wait to see what happens!

Sunshine, flowers, and three new spatulas. I played around with different hand shapes and widths to find which one seems to work best. Actively working to use all of my cut offs and scraps! Each person who tries them has a different favorite - I guess I may just need to make multiple styles.

Some days you get lucky enough to have a full circle moment. Rugby was the first place I felt welcomed 100% as myself, and the humans I spent 5 years playing with are the best humans I have ever met. Seriously - life changing. So honored to make the trophies for the upcoming Gopher Rugby 7s tournament. These need a light sand and a poly finish and then they are ready to be turned over to the winners!

90% done with this bookshelf catwalk - complete with clear bubble beds so I can see their toe beans and floofs from below ❤️

Coffee, sunshine, math, and art?!? What better way to spend a Sunday! Can you guess what I am making?

These ladies are ready to go home with you tomorrow! See y’all at the 5th anniversary of .co tomorrow!

At the beginning of making this a man walked up to me to show me how to turn the table saw on, he flipped the button and said “now you’re good” and stood there waiting for me to say something. Apparently as I was looking at the bevel increments and doing mental math I looked like a damsel in distress. I just started at him, turned the saw off, changed the bevel, turned it back on and went back to work on this Walnut, cherry, hickory, and ambrosia maple end grain chopping block. As I was leaving he looked at my board and his jaw dropped, literally, as he was completely flabbergasted that I made it. All the more reason to keep making complicated these Georgia O’Keefe end grain boards and bringing the BDE. Friendly reminder, a woman in the wood shop does not need or want your help - and if they do, they will ask.

Goddess board on ambrosia maple. 1 of 7 in a series for International women’s day .co ❤️

Thank you for these holographic stickers! DOES THIS MEAN I CAN FINALLY DO A STICKER SWAP?!? *swoon*

Give me the weekend and these will be planed, sanded, squared, glued, and oiled for the .co 5th birthday and international women’s event. I’m bringing some big Georgia O’Keefe energy to the design, and I’m not sure I ever want to go back. I mean the hickory end grain pattern is *chefs kiss* for normalizing, honoring, and celebrating all shapes, sizes, and colors🌷

Who doesn’t need a magenta Les Paul style electric guitar in their lives? I have challenged myself this year to make two big projects, a canoe paddle and a guitar. I was absolutely lying to myself when I was like “oh this will be so easy, just paint it and go” It absolutely is not that easy. Each layer of paint requires sanding, sculpting, and PATIENCE - a trait I could definitely practice in woodworking. So, this is attempt 1 of who knows how many - but I am already learning what to do next time, and that is exactly why I love being a maker. Experiential learning, trying/failing/trying again, and finding the fun in it all ❤️

As a former rugby player I don’t like American football - there are too many breaks, too much equipment, and too many problematic tackles. So you will find repping my favorite uniform today apron by , mask by , glasses from , and headphones from .

There are few things better than seeing my work in the wild, even better if it’s serving stylish snacks ❤️ thanks to for sharing!

Some times I make something and I am completely unsure of how I was able to pull it off. This is one of those pieces. It’s walnut, hickory, and maple. It is a 2 in butcher block with bookend matched end grains. The cnc added the juice groove and hot damn is it pretty!

I’m finishing off this cheeseboard made of Maple, Paduak, and Cherry. Now that the holiday rush is over I am getting back to the basics - focusing on flawless glue ups, simple and elegant combos, and timeless lettering/engraving. Practicing these so I can bring them into my new collections where I will be experimenting with pattern, color, and function. Really trying to set myself apart as a maker and artisan that has a clear and kick ass vision for what comes next.

Laura Greenlee-Karp on Instagram: "I’m finishing off this cheeseboard made of Maple, Paduak, and Cherry. Now that the holiday rush is over I am getting back to the basics - focusing on flawless glue ups, simple and elegant combos, and timeless... Laura Greenlee-Karp shared a post on Instagram: "I’m finishing off this cheeseboard made of Maple, Paduak, and Cherry. Now that the holiday rush is over I am getting back to the basics - focusing on flawless glue ups, simple and elegant combos, and timeless lettering/engraving. Practicing these so...

Adding a little pop of personalization for the newly weds to this cribbage board 🙌🏼❤️

Took a break from woodworking to do a little DIY on my own bedroom! DIY home Reno is how I first got into woodworking and is one of my absolute favorite things to do. I built this room for my wife and I right before the pandemic started, because our youngest was on the way and we need space. It’s been this sterile white since then and we finally got to a place where I could start the work to make it our sanctuary. I used peel and stick wallpaper from on Etsy, and evergreen night from . I don’t think I have ever slept as well as I did the first night after doing this. It is so cozy and it feels like us. Amazing what a little elbow grease and intuition can do!

Calling on my community of makers. You all have stepped up for me big time before, and I am humbly asking again. I am looking for any range of items for this auction. Please consider donating. All items will go directly to the family to help with the transition from hospital to home. If you’d like to support but don’t have time or space to make something here is his wishlist, meal train, and go fund me.

Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/294ZXCE9W2L6X?ref_=wl_share

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/407d3898

MealTrain: https://mealtrain.com/o92398

It is such a special feeling to receive messages this weekend from those who have given and received things I have made ❤️ thank you all so much for a wonderful year and continued journey!

I learned how to use a doweling jig this evening! That little circle in the middle is a Purple Heart plug! The bit drills down into the wood and creates a dowel - so cool! This a prototype for magnet bottle openers with the option for engraving on the top! This one is paduk, Purple Heart, and walnut.

What even is this life, just shipped a cribbage board to Germany. I am so grateful to on this ride ❤️

Okay, how freaking cute is this? A friend asked me for a custom order and now that i have the template who else wants them? They can be personalized with a name about Christmas wish or left like this! They hold one sheet of paper folded with special Christmas wishes for Santa!