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If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have noticed that the past week has been spent on this brick patio. I’m so happy to say that it’s finally gone from this:

To this!

I found the bricks on Craigslist, the story is they’re about a century old and from an old schoolhouse. For $1.25 per brick, I snagged 1700 for the patio and we used nearly every one. For a quick rundown on materials and method:

My dad had leftover crushed red granite that we used for the base, as well as this sand base. Jacob borrowed a Bobcat skid loader and leveled out the gravel, then dumped the sand. We raked it out and used 10 foot PVC pipes and a 2×4, making sure things were as level as possible. It’s not exactly perfect, but after tamping it a few times the waves are subtle and the patio looks great. We purchased some plastic edging and 10″ metal stakes to keep all the bricks in place. Technically we should have done this before laying bricks, but we were unsure of the layout so we saved it for last. Then we filled in the edges with more sand, did our best to evenly grade out the surrounding ground, and called it a day. Here’s what we’re greeted with when we walk out onto the back porch:

SO much nicer than a mud pit! We are loving it. We decided on a basketweave pattern because it was simple to lay while still adding some interest. After laying the main rectangle area, we had a brief debate on whether to make a smaller rectangle attached (the “mushroom”) or detached (the “T”). Ultimately we decided on detaching it a bit and making a small pathway leading to the fire pit area.

On each side of the patio we made raised planter boxes with some cinder blocks. I still need to add more dirt, and plant flowers in the block holes. But, first I need a break!

I did manage to plant my roma and jalapeno seedlings. Not sure what will be on the shady side, but I’ll worry about that later.

We’ll also need a load of dirt, and some grass seed this fall. Right now it kind of looks like a sand box exploded. So…moving on.

We’re leaving a big chunk open for Charlie to run circles. Seriously. It’s her new favorite thing to do right now. As well as “jump like a frog”.

The dining area gets a lot of good shade. Though I’m not thrilled with the table, it looks too similar to the bricks. I’m hoping to sell it so I can build something new. We also took the time to finish up the deck steps, and they sure do look nice! The railings need a few more slats to make them kid-friendly, but for now we’re calling it done.

The deck needs just a bit more love until it’s “finished”. I’m envisioning a u-shaped sectional on the left there, and moving the tractor-seat barstools to the right. Plus securing the lattice and letting the grapes and blackberry vines grow up will really make it look nice.

So while it doesn’t necessarily look like a million bucks, it does at least look like a few hundred thousand We did it entirely ourselves (and a lot was on my own during nap time), didn’t spend a fortune (we splurged a bit on the salvaged brick, but saved a lot on gravel and sand for about $2500), and are thrilled with our new outdoor living space.

Now for a quick tour of the rest of our mess. We fenced in roughly a quarter acre to make a yard. So far we’ve mostly just done this patio space and a bit in the front yard, but we have big plans for the future. Here’s the rundown:

To the larger side of the patio, we have our chicken coop and the main back yard section. I’m planning on moving my raised beds to the sun-shine area behind the clump of trees. I already planted a satsuma there that seems to be taking alright.

If you turn just a bit toward the house, you’ll see the rest of the back yard. Right now you can see what we’ve been using as a drive way to unload materials and move dirt with the Bobcat. Hopefully once we add in a bit more dirt and toss out some seed this should fill in to look more like a yard and less like a road. We’re toying with the idea of running a short fence from that corner of the house back to the fence where the coop is, mostly to keep the dogs corralled. Not sure if we’ll do that or not.

Back to the other side of the patio, we have a small clearing where Jacob wants to build a small “man hut”. Basically a large 10×14 shed to act as a retreat and to store all his hunting stuff. I’d love to do something with salvaged materials, and see if we can make it self-sustaining. I have a feeling he’ll dig his heels in if I mention a green roof…

Once we get this area mowed and filled in a bit (and level those rocks), I think it will be a nice lawn area for kids and pups. Maybe set up some washer boards, cornhole, and horseshoes? Behind the rain barrel I used a fence remnant to keep the dogs out of my raised beds. This was a bad idea. The location is pretty tight, and without dogs, the plants are without protection. I was raided by a deer last week and it decimated my okra and pole beans as well as knocked over one of the sides of the beds. So I’ll be moving them next season to the more open section of yard, where I’ll put the dogs on deer detail.

That melon patch has really taken off! But my poor bed. Luckily nothing in this one was harmed, and my bell peppers and carrots seem to be okay. Though my tomato plants have yet to flower, anyone else having this problem? It’s my very first garden, so I’m on a severe learning curve. Perhaps I let the tomato plants get too leafy and large and now they don’t want to produce?

Heading back around the house, you see the “driveway” bald patch, and our really nice grove of trees. This is where I want to build a play house and swing set for Charlie and Caroline. It’s shaded all day and just looks magical in the afternoons.

From there you move on to the front yard.

We still need grass, and I should do some weeding in the rock beds. I planted two apple trees along the fence line to add some shade and fruit in the future. The trough planters have really taken off too!

Here we have zucchini. I had quite a few more plants but a digger ransacked them and I lost about 5 of them So far I’ve been able to self-pollinate and harvest one though, and it was delicious! Best zucchini I’ve ever eaten. I’m holding out hope that I’ll get more later this summer.

This trough is a mix of winter squash and cowpeas. I just started seeing pods on the peas, and have pollinated and gotten excited about some budding squash. Judging by all the baby female flowers I’m seeing, I should have quite the stockpile! I have lettuces growing in the wagon, though I’ll probably save those for the chickens. I didn’t think through the whole “rusty wagon” thing when I planted them, and I’m not sure I want to ingest any bad chemicals from it. The small obscured pots are housing herbs.

Last but not least is my leaning tower of rain water. We used the last of the house fund to get gutters, and I had them lead them into two large rain barrels. And it’s been awesome! So far they’ve never run out, and even though we’ve had a pretty rainy spring, we don’t get a whole bunch of rainfall here in central Texas. A lot of this is morning dew. It’s definitely saved me a lot of water. I use about 10 gallons a day watering the plants, and it’s a relief to know I’m not raiding the water table to do it. Of course I need to do some freshening up, and plant something other than strawberries in that cauldron. They really haven’t been doing so hot.

So, that’s all of my rambling for today! We still have a ton of work to do to make the yard look nice. But we’re getting there. Every week we have a little more progress. One day I may even call it finished. That may be in five to ten years though!

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Do you remember Charlie’s Chalkboard French Style Closet Doors? Well I used the same method for the nursery closet, but decided to give it a barn-style twist! Since my theme is “Farm Fresh” I wanted a trough-like or barn feel for the doors. I found these sheets of corrugated tin at Home Depot and they are perfect! I think it’s a really fun way to liven up the space. And at only $9.20 per sheet, I spent less than $140 on materials for both doors.

Like the chalkboard doors, I used a hasp closure and installed it high enough for little hands to keep out. And should we ever get tired of the shiny metal look, the tin is simply screwed in and held in place by the trim, so I can easily take off the trim, remove the tin, and do something else over the plywood. Want to see how easy these are to make? Here it is!

I started by pre-measuring my opening and getting the Home Depot associates to cut my plywood down to size. I laid the tin sheets down on the plywood and cut them to length with some tin snips my dad had. I planned on installing trim over the tin to keep in in place, but you can cut it down so the trim doesn’t fit over the tin, but around it, and glue the tin down so your trim boards are all flush. Mine bow out slightly due to the corrugated parts of the metal.

I started by cutting my side trim to fit, using 1×4 cedar boards to match my floor trim. I used 1 1/4″ screws to attach it to the ply.

Once those were down, I measured the top and bottom trim, then had Jacob stand on it while I screwed them into place to push down the tin so both ends are flush with the side trim. It bows slightly in the center, but I don’t mind the rounded look. If it bothers you, just cut the tin shorter so it fits above the trim instead of beneath it and either screw or glue the tin to the plywood to keep it in place.

That’s it! Seriously, 3 easy steps to some fun and unique doors. You could even use mirror or flat flashing instead of corrugated tin for a flat, reflective surface much cheaper than those mirrored sliding doors. When you DIY, you truly can customize everything to suit your taste. And since PureBond is formaldehyde free, I don’t have to worry about off-gassing in the baby’s room.

I hung them using three gate hinges on each side, it’s very simple and straightforward, and took about 10 minutes. Once I pick up a little more steam, I’d like to do these interior closet door organizers from Ana White in both rooms. This closet doesn’t have any organization just yet, right now it’s kind of a dumping ground with the old changing table acting as storage.

Here’s my little lady inspecting my work. Oh, did I mention that the bonus here is that the doors are magnetic? Charlie decided to add a few of her letter magnets for kicks.

In other quick nursery updates, I painted the dresser/hutch combo we’re using as a changing table with a weathered yellow finish. My mom also scored the Pottery Barn Play Kitchen on a huge discount at our local PB Outlet, so those have found a home in here as well.

I’m still trying to pull everything together, but right now I’m completely exhausted. So please excuse the mess. Charlie still enjoys waking up at 3am to yell at us for a bit, just so we all know that since she’s awake, we need to be too. I think today will feature some Family Nap Time!

I’m expecting the rug to arrive next week, and have been working on all the art. I’m not sure what I’ll do over the crib yet, but I’m thinking it will involve sunflowers. It’s getting there! I have roughly 4 more months to pull it all together. Here’s hoping we all get some more rest and I have the energy to get back to work!

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A few weeks ago, my sister mentioned that she wanted to upgrade her hand-me-down round oak table she’d had since she graduated college. She wanted a “real” table that she picked herself, but the ones in stores were insanely expensive and nothing she was really looking for. So I offered to build her a table that was exactly what she wanted.  We spent a few hours online, and she fell in love with the X Base Pedestal table from Restoration Hardware. She liked the chunky legs and the angles on the base, but she specifically wanted a square top instead of a round one. So, I asked the ever-amazing Ana White for help! And didn’t she pull through in a big way? This top is heavenly.

I never would have come up with all that detail on my own. But it was simple enough to build, I just had to slow down and take my time.

The base was surprisingly easy. I used douglass fir 4×4′s for the legs, and used 2 1/2″ screws to attach them. No special tools needed!

One tip to keep in mind when working with angles is to make sure that your boards stay flush on your saw. I don’t have a special table with inset for my saw, right now it sits on the ground. So the boards on the saw are about 4″ up in the air, which meant I had to try and hold them down and cut at the same time. Not too easy when you have an 8 foot long four by four stick of hard lumber! Some of my angles suffered because of this and wouldn’t sit flush after cutting because they were cut at uneven angles.

Luckily a little wood filler did the trick and hid any imperfections. My sister chose a walnut stain, and I used Minwax Gel Stain and applied it with a rag.

It looks fantastic in her dining room! She plans on finding some new chairs to match the sleek style of the table.

I’ve built my fair share of tables by this point, and I think the X Base Pedestal Table is one of my absolute favorites. There’s so much detail in it, but it’s still a simple enough build. You just have to have some time and patience, and be willing to finagle the angles a bit. Trust me, the end result is totally worth it!

Plans should be posted on Ana’s website very soon, and I’ll be sure to update the post one they’re here!

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After a handful of rather sad-looking inspiration boards, I decided to sit down for a couple of hours and kick things into high gear with this nursery mood board. For our little Caroline (due in early October) I wanted to have fun with the farmer focus we have going on at our place. I had a lot of fun choosing the art (I’ve purchased everything but the mason jar photo), coming up with burlap coffee-bag style “logos” (Sweet Caroline Fields and Charlie Horse Farms), chose some fabrics, bought a rug, will be painting the dresser/hutch combo (not the one pictured) tomorrow, and hopefully will find a cozy butterfly chair for nursing and snuggles. My mom found a screaming deal at the PB Outlet for that play kitchen set, so that will be housed in the food and farm themed room. It should hopefully give Charlie something to do during the endless feeding and changing that will happen during the first few months.

I’m glad that I gave myself five months to nail down a theme, because I am in love with it! It makes me want to hone and polish Charlie’s big girl room so it will be as cute and happy and pulled-together as this one. I can’t wait to show you all the finished product!

Sources:

1) Honey Farm Art
2) Farm Fresh Art
3) Mason Jar Print
4) Bacon Print
5) Egg Print
6) Farmer Print
7) Home Print
Milk Print
9) Butterfly Chair
10) Play Kitchen
11) Crib
12) Dresser
13) Rug
14) Burlap Art (personal)
15) Seersucker fabric
16) Floral Fabric

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It’s been almost six months since we moved into our San Bernard home, and we’re finally getting to the point where I can call a few rooms done. I have a few tweaks here and there, like accessories and decor to finish, but the main construction is through and I can sit back and relax a little! The kitchen has truly been a labor of love. From building the cabinets, finding the perfect pantry door (and installing shelving), sourcing truly vintage appliances and tweaking my open shelving display I have definitely had my fair share of work in here. It’s all worth it though. I love this room.

My favorite part is still the island. The stainless steel top is spectacular. I roll out dough, chop veggies, process meat, do art projects with Charlie, pretty much everything here! And it’s super easy to wipe down. I love that the microwave is off the counter, I found a square galvanized bin at the flea market to toss my recycling in, and have three great little nooks for my cutting boards, napkins bibs and rags, and recipe books.

Things are also looking more cohesive with that chippy, vintage screen door.

Of course I still have a few tweaks in store, but nothing really major. I’d love to find/build a new dining table in a medium wood tone and ditch the painted one, as much as I enjoy it. We just need something that wipes down a bit more easily with a toddler and a baby on the way.

And while I adore these tractor seat stools, they’re just a touch too big and heavy to be very useful in here. I’m looking for some nice metal leg numbers, maybe with leather tops. Or I’ll get lucky and find some vintage soda shop stools!

I’ll have a great spot for them by the grill once we actually finish (or better yet, start!) our brick patio. In other not as exciting news, we did finish putting up all the cedar trim, and hung our master bedroom door that separates it from the living room.

Crazy stuff right?! But it does look a lot cleaner, and it helps set my mind at ease to know things are really finishing up. It looks more like a house than a construction zone. I also landed on a good floor cleaning system for my concrete floors. I’d struggled for so long with a hazy white film after mopping the floors and it bugged me to no end. If you also have concrete and notice the haze, I mop once with diluted fabuloso, then after it dries mop it again with Seventh Generation floor polish. I know, I know, who wants to mop twice?! But it doesn’t take forever, it’s kind of a good workout, and I no longer have to stare at shabby looking floors. Now they actually look clean!

We’re still debating on a coffee table. I think we’ll probably hold off until there aren’t any toddlers running around throwing toys everywhere. Charlie’s favorite activity is to tackle dad on the rug, so we use the open space.

Anyway, that’s my rambling of the day! Three finished rooms I’d already blogged about But hey, they’re updated! I’m going to go through and update the photos from my house tour to keep things fresh. Otherwise, happy Wednesday to you all!

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So, remember when I talked about making Charlie’s Chalkboard Closet Doors, and I mentioned I had a lot of scrap material left from the PureBond sheets? After cutting down the door pieces, I had two sections that were about 15″ wide and eight feet long. When we were brainstorming ideas for the guest/playroom, Jacob said he wanted a double desk area for office space for us, and homework space down the road when our munchkin(s) are older. Well, obviously those scraps would make the perfect desk top! But what to use for the base? I could always build something, but sometimes I get nervous about filling our house with too much of the same look since my hand built furniture definitely has a specific style. So I had a harebrained idea. What if I found some old end tables for the base? They are usually made from solid wood, have exquisite details, and would give me the storage I’m looking for. So I hit up my favorite new resale shop and hit the jackpot. Two matching magazine-style end tables and a bookcase type one that had a matching finish and only $80 for all three. Huzzah! That’s equal to or less than what I’d spend on lumber to build something, AND I didn’t have to put in any work! Then it was on to the crazy part. The mockup.

I unloaded my tables and set them into the space. The first problem was the the bookcase style table was taller than the other set. When Jacob came home from work and saw this, he gave me a pretty strong side-eye. I’ll admit, even I was a bit nervous at this point. But I plowed ahead anyway, and made him help me cut the scraps to length. Hubs may have a good side-eye, but I’ve got my strong-arm techniques down pat.

Once the top was cut down, it looked much better, more like a real desk. I added a scrap piece of lumber to the front of the center portion where the bookcase table sat, as it was not only taller but deeper than the other two. I really like this arrangement, it gives definition to both spaces. Once the measurements were finished, we attached the three pieces together with scrap wood braces then trimmed it out with 1×3′s. Since I didn’t want to lock myself in to this desk forever, I decided not to drill into the tables. We just made some “supports” with scraps to level out the top, and the trim keeps the top snugly in place.

Where the two tops meet, and the jut-out portion got attached together into one piece. Oh, that shiny stuff? Just ignore it. My first attempt was to cover the top in metallic wrapping paper and I was going to use a bar coat epoxy over it, but the paper looked like flaming dog poo so I ripped it off in a fury. True story.

For each end, we stacked 1.5″ thick pieces of scrap lumber and topped it with plywood scrap to make up the difference in height. It works perfectly! Everything is level.

After my shiny wrapping paper debacle I sanded the top down as best as I could and picked up some Rustoleum Hammered paint in silver. It’s really cool stuff! The top would have looked even better if I had spent more time sanding and used putty to fill the seams, but I was tired and cranky at that point and just wanted to finish. Even so, I think it looks great (at least, it looks better when there aren’t drywall and sawdust particles all over it – need to get to cleaning!) I used two coats and followed it up with three coats of poly to give it a wipeable finish. I may top it off with a few more just so I’ll be able to scrub it should crayon or marker decorations happen down the road!

While the desk itself was looking good, the space still needed a little something. I had planned on some shelves, but then it hit me. Why not pegboard? I’d never worked with it before, but it was surprisingly easy to install. I purchased two 4×4′ sheets for each desk side, a wall mount for our tv, and a 2×4′ section of pegboard for the center beneath the tv. It was a great fit. I had never worked with pegboard before, but after a quick google search I learned that you needed to install a framework first with 3/4″ thick boards to give space for the pegs. I raided our trim scrap stash and got to work, then gave the pegboard two coats of the same hammered paint. I also hung the tv! It was a pretty productive day. Once Jacob came home from work I asked him to help me hang the boards, and voila! Beauty on a wall. It was an added bonus that the tv wires fit along the framework behind the pegboard, so I didn’t have to do anything fancy to hide them.

Don’t you just love my turtle placemat?! Ha! I threw it there to hide my ugly seams that I didn’t fill. I’m on the search for a good re-usable monthly calendar, one that’s laminated that I can dry-erase marker on. We had planned on using that IKEA rail and bucket in our kitchen beneath the sink before I goofed up on our measurements there and we didn’t need it. Now it’s got a handy spot wrangling all our pens! No more scrambling around searching for a writing tool. I snagged the baskets from my 6 cube shelf in the kitchen (they never fit well anyway) and they house my chargers, to-do paperwork, art supplies for Charlie and a wire basket holds wii-motes.

This is my favorite section! Those hanging bottles with the twine were actually old IV dispensers from a hospital that my dad found for 50 cents and gave to me. The ornament is from our cruise last summer, the map hearts are from Charlie’s old nursery (they have both of our birth places on them), and my mom gave me the chalkboard Anthropologie jars for Christmas this past year. I found the N at a boutique, and I’m either going to paint the inside a fun color or make it a succulent planter. But the best part? Finally having a place to stash all the dvd’s so they actually look decent! We’ve had them crammed in a tiny bookshelf that was awful for the job. You couldn’t ever find what you were looking for. Now it’s a breeze.

I also used a basket on some 6″ shelf hooks to store my camera and lenses so Charlie can’t get to them and throw them around like she enjoys doing. I also hung my weekly planner on a hook, and added an engagement picture.

I can’t tell you just how happy I am to have this desk area finished. It’s one of the last big projects for the house, and I’ve been getting very overwhelmed lately over finishing things up before Caroline comes in October. Now I have about four months to take my time on her nursery and finish up the last few small projects on my list. That’s a very good feeling! Plus its just nice to have all the toys and baby things stashed in the closet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we find another really cool door at this Saturday’s market day!

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In preparation for Charlie’s little sister this fall, we are getting her big girl room ready for sleeping in. One of the last tasks (other than bolting all the furniture to the walls because I’m a paranoid freak) was to add some closet doors. Originally I hadn’t planned on any. Then one day while admiring the built-ins I made in there, I realized that they looked exactly like ladders. Ladders of DEATH! So it was time to seal in the closet until she’s old enough to understand that closet shelves aren’t for climbing.

See what I mean? Perfect for climbing. I did a quick poll among friends to ask what their favorite style of closet doors was, and hands down it was French style. So I took some measurements, hooked up the trailer, and set off for Home Depot to pick up the only plywood I trust, PureBond. (for those of you who haven’t heard my schpiel on it yet, it’s formaldehyde free, ethically sourced hardwood plywood from the good ol’ USofA. I got me some standards now when it comes to my lumber!) I had the associates cut the doors exactly to size right there for me, so these were a cinch to install.

I took them home, gave them two coats of rolled-on chalkboard paint, then measured for 1×4 cedar trim to match the rest of the room. My little helper watched me screw them into the plywood, and then the doors were ready to hang. Really, it was that easy!

I used three gate hinges on each door, and a hasp for the closure so it would be easy for an adult but too high and difficult for a toddler to open alone.

They fit in well with the room, and I’m happy I went with this style! If she ever gets bored with the chalkboard, we can always cover one side in cork or flashing for magnetic or push pin decorating. You could also cover it with batting and fabric for an upholstered look. There really are a million options here.

It’s still easy to access the closet, and now I can close it up when I don’t want a little gremlin in there pulling things off shelves and throwing shoes around. Winning for everybody! So if you’re looking for a unique (and affordable!) option for doors, this may be a good fit for you too. Two sheets of PureBond runs about $100, with enough scrap leftover for a desk, you know, if you need one Maybe even a bookcase! Or you may get lucky and only need one sheet of wood. But it’s still cheaper than those hollow bi-fold doors, and looks a dozen times better. Plus, you get to decorate them!! I found a cute design on Pinterest for the Charlie stats, and snagged an excerpt from Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone for my first artwork. I’m excited to leave her sweet messages and pictures as she grows up. Memories in the making people!

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After I found the perfect screen door for my kitchen pantry, I had to solve the problem of the 11″ gap above the top of the door to the top of the opening. I decided on a transom window. Ideally I’d have loved to also have found the perfect stained glass transom, but I know better than to push my luck. So I built a quick frame from cedar 1×2′s and nailed it into place above the door. Next up was to figure out the stained glass part.

Now for a permanent solution, I want to commission a local artist to make three panes that will fit in the window. But before I go to all that expense and time, I wanted to make sure I liked the look of what I saw inside my head. So I looked around the internet for a few faux stained glass tutorials, and adapted the methods to use the tools and supplies I had on hand. Here’s what I did:

Supplies:
• one sheet of plastic or plexiglass to fit (I used an old poster glaze I found in my mom’s attic)
• hot glue gun & sticks
• craft paints
• mod podge or decoupage medium

Step 1:

First I started by marking my glazing to size. I used a fine tipped permanent marker for my lines.

Step 2:

It was thin enough to cut with scissors, though there were a few hairline cracks near the cut. You can also use a razor to get a clean cut.

Step 3:

Next I held up the glazing to the window and made marks for each corner of the windows. Then I connected the marks with a straightedge to get my window frames.

Step 4:

Now its time for the art! I wasn’t concerned about being overly precise, as this was a temp solution. If you are, you can lay some graph paper below the design to get straight, even lines. If you mess up like I did, spray on some Windex or nail polish remover and scrub it off then start over.

I researched a few different patterns, searching for “Southwest” and “Santa Fe” fabrics. I really love the style, and I planned on having two bold colors so I wanted a really bold, geometric pattern to go with it.

I decided to do two similar (they were supposed to be identical, but oh well!) patterns on the ends, and a simpler one in the center. It took about 30 minutes to measure things out and draw my shapes.

Step 5:

Use your hot glue gun and trace over your pattern. I’ve seen people online use colored crayons in the glue gun, but I can’t attest to it working as I’ve never done it. However, it does seem like it would cut out some time! You could try black crayons for the “leading” on your glass.

Woohoo, it’s done! Now just let it set and its time for paint.

Step 6:

Next I used a tiny paintbrush and some black craft paint to cover the glue for the “leading”. This took the most time, you have to be careful not to get any on the glazing.

Step 7:

Almost done now! Let the black paint dry completely. I mixed up some red craft paint with mod podge to dilute it and give it that transparent glass look. I used a simple craft paint brush (the kind kids use that come in packs of like 45) and brushed on a coat, let it dry, then brushed on another. I followed that up by mixing some teal house paint with mod podge and repeating the two coat process. Looking good so far!

Step 8:

To attach it to the transom, I simply used pushpins to hold it in place. As this is a temp solution, I didn’t want to be drilling holes or putting screws in the wood just to take them out again. These hold the glazing firmly in place, and you can’t see any overlap from the outside. I think it looks great!

Yeah, it kind of looks immature since I didn’t bother to make my lines straight, and the hot glue gets a bit uneven. Plus there’s the whole “similar yet different” vibe on the two end pieces that needed to be identical. But, it served its purpose. I adore the colors, they work really well with the door and my red island. The pattern is bold but still a classic. Once I save up enough money I’ll bring the images and some better sketches to a stained glass maker and get things all set up for real, and have a truly grown up kitchen! I’m really pumped about that. It really will look fantastic.

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One of the best perks about being a flea market vendor is that you get to hang around all day and shop. Plus I have a little extra cash burning a hole in my pocket every time I make a sale. For May’s market, I stumbled on this amazingly beautiful old screen door. Oh, and the best part? It was only $65! I’d been waiting and searching for a good pantry door since we started building, and just hadn’t found the right one. I thought I’d have to build one myself, which would have been in the 60-75 dollar range. So when I saw this, I immediately high-tailed it back to my booth to grab the cash and sent Jacob back to pick it up.

What’s funny to me is that my booth up until then was having a bit of a slow day (we all were, surprisingly) but when Jacob came back and propped that door in the back until it was time to load I was literally blocking people from coming after it! I kept having to tell them, “No, this is MY door I  bought around the corner, I’m not losing this one!” My family thought I was a bit nuts to not mark it up and resell for a profit, but I just knew this door was *the one*. And it is. It is the most absolutely perfect door for our kitchen pantry.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that it doesn’t actually sit inside the frame. The door measurements were 3′ wide by 7′ tall, which didn’t quite fit my 31″ x 96″ opening. Not to be deterred, I made it work in our space. I just couldn’t bring myself to cut down six inches of width, so I simply decided it could sit over the frame like a cabinet door. We just used three plain old gate hinges from my dad’s stash.

Blends in, doesn’t it? For the top gap, I made a transom window frame with some scrap cedar 1×2′s and nailed it into place. I also wanted to try out a stained glass look so I whipped up a faux window with some plexiglass and hot glue. I’ll post more on that next.

As the door wasn’t sitting inside the frame, we had to rig up the knob. We removed the back knob and the interior hardware and used putty epoxy to keep the old knob in place. You can see the white rim of putty just barely. To keep the door shut, I again raided my dad’s latch supply and found this old bathroom-style catch. All I did was bend half around the side of the door with a hammer, then screwed it into place. It’s perfect! Very subtle, and simple enough for the adults to do while keeping toddler hands at bay. Now I no longer need to fear looking up to see her dumping an entire bottle of syrup into a bowl on the couch. Yikes.

I am by far and away thrilled with how well the door fits in with the style of our kitchen. It’s the perfect shade of teal that it contrasts well with the red and blends with the gray on the cabinets. Plus it fits the whole vintage theme I have going on with the range, sink, and farmhouse legs on that island. I’m so, so glad I found it, and that I resisted the urge to make a quick buck to resell it! This door belongs here. Just like that little girl enjoying her bowl of midday ice cream at the table. Because who doesn’t need a noon time snack of mint chocolate chip?!

And on that note, here’s where I need some advice. I really really like my dining table. A lot. But does it work the best in this space? Now that I have the teal door, the lighter blue color on the table seems off. Yes, I could repaint it, but I’m worried that the painted cabinets, pantry door, AND a painted table is just too much paint in one place. I’m considering selling it to find a vintage wooden table instead. One that my sister perhaps has in her dining room right now and asked me to build her a new one because she’s tired of it. So, what do you think? Keep the table, or replace with wood? I can’t resurface this one for two reasons: 1) it’s not real wood, it was a white lacquered laminate originally so I can’t strip it and 2) I don’t know how I’d ever get back to the original woven chair backing color. And while I’m still enamored with those cushions, I’m not sure the pattern blends well with the rug. And I think the rug needs to stay, because I like the color/pattern and its outdoor so it has held up well to the food stains that Charlie throws all over it.

So, let’s take a vote on the table! Keep it, or ditch it?

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Well after four thousand, five hundred and sixty-five arguments on execution (as in, how to implement rather than offing each other – though I’m sure it crossed both our minds at some point!) we *finally* have a rolling gate for our back porch! It’s so amazing to be able to shut this sucker off and keep the dogs’ muddy paws off the furniture and give Charlie a safe space to color with chalk.

Building the gate was actually very basic. I measured the opening and added a few inches, cut the top and bottom pieces at 72″, chose 2″ fixed-wheel castors then figured out my necessary height (31″) for the two side pieces. They needed to fit just below the top brace of the railing.

Attaching the panel was different on the gate than on the railing. For the railing, it’s sandwiched between two 1×2′s. On the gate, I couldn’t fit the panel on the slim inch and a half of the wood. So we used some 3/8″ two-hole brackets for the corners for stability, then regular old fencing staples for the interior. You can see my pajama munchkin there, chalk in hand. And pop-tart on face

As far as the latch, I kept it simple. It’s just a hook and eye catch like the kind you see in public restrooms. It’s high enough for little fingers not to reach and not quite easy enough for her to figure out yet.

For the catch side of the gate, we used metal deck (I think?) brackets my dad had on hand. Let me preface this section by saying I am exactly like my father in this respect. We’ll look at a random stash of supplies and brainstorm until we come up with some MacGuiver’d way of solving our problem. This drives my husband absolutely insane. But luckily, this worked so well! The top is a U-shaped bracket fed between the 2×4′s and screwed into place to stop the gate at just the right spot. The bottom is an L bracket with holes that we used to anchor bolts into the concrete and serves as a guide as well as a stopper to keep the gate from slipping out sideways. It’s not a conventional method by any means, but when you’re working with concrete your options are limited. Jacob was wanting to use sliding gate hardware that’s used for barn doors and just run it across the bottom. This would be great on a wooden deck that you can carve out space. Here, I just see myself carrying my toddler while massively pregnant and tripping over the slide, plunging head first down the stairs and breaking all our necks. No bueno. So brackets it is!

For the sliding side of the gate, we used two more L shaped brackets for the top, and one on the bottom at the closed portion of the gate. This keeps it all in line, and again prevents the gate from being pushed sideways. The fixed-wheel castors are great, but you can still make them slip sideways with a good hard shove. For the back side of the lower half, we just anchored in two concrete bolts to keep the gate in line and in place when opened. So far, so good! Everything lines up well, and it’s an easy way to roll the gate open and closed.

Plus it’s pretty minimal when its open, though it does stay shut most of the time. It’s so convenient to just open the doors from the house and let Charlie run in and out, looking for the cows and drawing with her chalk.

Plus its very effective at toddler wrangling. Now I can feed the chickens in the morning without the nagging worry that she’ll try to go up and down the stairs fifteen times and crash down them. I’m really pleased with how minimal the brackets are aesthetically. You hardly notice them when viewing the whole porch area.

Please excuse the mess. We’re in the process of leveling out the dirt for our brick patio, and will eventually mount that lattice for my grapes and blackberries. My dream is to have them grow up the panel as well.

So there you have it! I hope this helps someone out there looking for a rolling/sliding gate option on a concrete porch. I searched for ages and ages looking for an online tutorial and found nothing suitable. Now we have a simple (even if it wasn’t easy coming up with the idea!) solution with an easily operating gate. Just in time for summer too!