Glowforge Beginner Projects and Scope Creep

Are you familiar with scope creep? It’s something I am all too familiar with. I am learning to embrace it. If I had everything laid out ahead of time with the details, timelines, and financials, I doubt many of the projects that I undertake around here would ever even have gotten started.

A couple of examples around here is the big top circus tent of a chicken coop in my yard. It started innocently enough as a homeschool science life-cycle project with hatching a couple of eggs. That experiment ended with nearly 100% fertilized eggs and hatch rate, well-done roosters of Timberock at Hopkins Farm!

Then of course to answer the questions of where to put them now, and how to protect them….the big top circus tent was born. I’m not sure what we were thinking placing the coop so close to the house where we walk out every morning – that smell will wake you up! The footprint definitely would have been laid out differently if I had grasped the scope in the beginning. Then again we might not have chickens! Maybe that was my husband’s master plan all along.

Another example of scope creep was when the clean-up from the basement flood turned into a master lego builder’s dream storage and showcase. If you know my love of legos, you might think that was my master plan! The cleanup & restoration from the flood was conveniently placed near my birthday & Christmas. I’m not sure my husband would have been on board if it wasn’t gift-giving season and he knew the entire scope of this “little” project. 

So this scope creep happens a lot, and many times in my crafting with my craft supplies, fancy machines, and general reach of my craft projects. This year I acquired a fancy new laser cutter. It’s a hobby crafter’s dream! I wanted to take a minute to show some of the projects that I have been working on with the Glowforge and just how scope creep got me again.

My first project was a round wood sign for my friend Julie. She was getting married and it was the perfect time to gift my skills to bless the home of Julie and David Knapp. So after I got the recommended newbie Glowforge projects completed, and found my way around this amazing machine, I set out to make them a sign.

The Glowforge uses the same cut files as the Cricut machine that I am well familiar with, so it was less daunting of a task than it would have been for a total newbie. I purchased a file online to use with this sign, picked some colors, and the project went without a hitch.

Coming up next was my niece’s birthday and I wanted to make her a pretty sign for her new bedroom. I had an idea in my head but had to work out some of the kinks as I was crafting. I feel like my research paid off and I was completely satisfied with the finished sign (below), so much so I made another for my nephew’s little one! If you’re interested in learning the process for this I have written it up in this post to learn the process of Image Transfer to Wood.

After my first couple of projects, I ran out of the proofgrade materials from Glowforge that came with the machine. That brought many learning experiences to the table like finding a supplier for more wood, working with honeycomb pins, masking, and test cuts. Test cuts…I cannot say enough about testing small cuts before your cut the whole project! This goes for Cricut cuts too by the way. You would think I would know better by now!

Anyway, my next sign was my first commissioned job to create a sign for the lovely Debra and Mia, my wonderful Bible study teachers. I have mentioned my love of their teaching and the fellowship that goes along with it on the blog. It will start up again next fall at Horizon Church and you should come be a part of it with me! They even welcome virtual visitors

So my assignment was to create a sign that will likely be hung inside their homes with the verse 2 Samuel: 22:31 “This God—His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true.” So had to pick the stain & paint, design the word art with the verse and here’s the finished product below. If you would like the cut file it’s available in my free resource library.

The next thing I ventured to do, and the project with the most scope creep, was an earring holder. The funny thing is I don’t really wear earrings that often or have very many earrings. I am a very functional person, much to my friend Jennifer’s dismay. She has been trying to get me to wear more jewelry and her dangling earrings for a while. It’s not like I don’t like them, I really do! It’s just I’m lucky to clean up and brush my hair in the morning before the shotgun start of my day begins, so earrings are a stretch. 

I just thought the project was so pretty that I decided to make one for Jennifer, after all she has more earrings than anyone I know. After it turned out, and she showed her family, her son asked me to donate one to his high school’s silent auction. Then a friend saw it and thought of someone she wanted to give it to.

Now, this last stretch of the scope creep even surprised me; I made one for myself. You see, I rarely make things for myself. I have it in mind to do, but I never get around to it with all the fires I need to put out in the meantime. I once bought drapery fabric to match the paint color for the walls of our living room and it took 10 years before I sewed the drapes! This is embarrassing but true.

After I made one for myself I decided I needed more earrings to put on it, then I decided that only one would look silly on my bathroom wall. I made a second one, but the previous artwork nails were placed just a little off so I took some scraps from my learning experiences from past crafts and made the word art “I am a child of God” to complete the wall. I figured in this area of my bathroom with mirrors in front and back of me (who’s idea was that placement?!) it would be a good reminder when I would be tempted to be critical of my reflection that I am indeed a child of God.

And with all this, guess what I wear a lot more of lately?? Pretty earrings! And it’s about time I started to care a bit more about my appearance, what kind of example am I being for my children. Below is a pic of how my 5-yr-old thinks lipstick should be applied!

All joking aside this was a good scope creep project. I really don’t know what this new machine and my other crafty skills will amount to, but I am having a great time trying and creating new things. If you find yourself in need of some laser cut crafts I’m your girl! Let me know and I can get to work on a personalized project for you today.