Thanks, kids!
When my sweetie tells me that I’m building more things for the shop than for her, I tell her that the shop stuff is (almost all) practice for things I’m working on for her. Has the benefit of being the truth, too!
As for the carvings on the sides, neighbors who’ve been to my shop and seen the
file till have commented that I have fancier shop furniture than they do home furniture. I just smile and say, “yep.” But given how much time I spend there, and how much better I’ve gotten at some skills by practicing on shop furniture, I think my plan is working.