I’m Anne. Spelled with an E like in Anne of Green Gables. Not Annie, Anna, Ann or Annabelle, or Anna Bananna. Just Anne. These terms won’t define me in my entirety, but it’ll give you a general idea.

A prolific DIY-er, crafter, artist, geek, smartass, builder, equalist, writer. I love the possibilities of the world. Seeing something not for what it is, but what it could be.

I grew up in a fixer-upper house. And my parents did everything themselves. By the time i could hold a garden trowel, my family was digging into the foundation to remodel the bathroom. We remodeled the kitchen, landscaped, built sheds and playhouses, re-roofed, just….everything you can imagine. Participation was mandatory. My father, a city inspector, always made sure my siblings and I knew how to do things right the first time, and what the pitfalls would be if we cut corners. My mother was never afraid to get her hands dirty. While digging trenches and moving lots of wood was not so fun, we were always learning, whether we wanted to or not.

With that came other educations: cooking, camping, sewing, fixing cars, tinkering…plus my own attraction to crafts and art. As I set out on my own, I quickly realized how lucky I was, and that the education I had railed against my entire childhood was pure gold. I had friends I had thought were smarter than me struggling with things I avoided, overcame, or never encountered because of half a second of forethought. I became the reliable friend that you called in an emergency.

Later on, I met the charming Boyfriend Jon, who eventually became the wonderful Husband Jon. Now we have two small dogs and live in an apartment near Seattle, WA. We gave up our dining room table so I could have a craft table which you can rarely see the surface. It’s an organized chaos…really. When something breaks in the apartment, I’m often the one that fixes it. I also occasionally take over my father’s shop to build my own furniture because I hate particle board.

As of last October, we now own our first home. It’s both a relief and a curse that now I don’t have to ask a landlord who will do it cheap and probably wrong. Now it’s our responsibility. I hope to start a family and teach my children all that I know. I hope to help people and explore the limits of my abilities. But for right now, it’s just us. Mr. Electronics and Mrs. Toolbellt, Thing 1 and Thing 2. And it is an adventure already.

I aim to dispense this knowledge to those in need. I want to inspire men and women of all ages to learn new skills try new things, and create. I don’t care what society thinks gender roles ought to be. If a man wants to learn how to knit, or a woman wants to build something…do it! Challenge the status quo. I’ll help if I can or at least cheer you on.

Measure twice, cut once.