Repurposed Old Doors

 I begin this post with a heart felt thanks to my husband.  Thanks, Darling!

This is the post where I admit my Pinterest addiction.  I can thanks several students (college) my first semester in Tennessee for introducing me to this epic (and wonderful) time suck.  I have said, more than once, that if Pinterest had been invented before I finished my dissertation, I would not be Dr. Kat.  That said, I have adored collecting pins (it's much easier than collecting crap!) of things I love; pinning ideas for craft projects; and dreaming about the many renovations going on at my house.


Last summer, for instance, we had the (hideous) paneling removed from the (not so) Great Room and replaced it with drywall and some gorgeous turquoise paint.  During that time we had new doors and windows installed.  Imagine my husband's surprise when I refused to let the doors or windows go.  And imagine his amazement about 10 months later when I showed him a few of my pins of "old door arbors".  In fact, this pin was one of my first ever pins! 


A few weeks before Mother's Day my husband dragged the doors up from the basement and began sanding and repairing them.  He caulked seams to prevent water damage and proceeded to paint those puppies THREE times with our favorite outdoor paint, Valspar Duramax (We have used this amazing paint on the porch, the bathroom cabinets, and the trim and bead board throughout the house!).  He had to fight the carpenter bees for the 2x6s, but in the end he won!

Like most of our home projects, they take roughly four times longer than we anticipate.  So shortly before Father's Day found us in the yard assembling this arbor down by the sidewalk.  Again, the husband thought of everything.  Instead of just propping the arbor up in the lawn surrounding the walkway, he created a foundation to protect the arbor from sitting on or in the wet earth.  This man thinks of everything.

After some time leveling, multiple brackets, and tons of screws, he caulked every hole and sealed every crack before repainting the arbor for a FOURTH time.  I am thinking this puppy is going to be able to withstand all sorts of weather.

After much discussion we decided upon Monrovia Climbing Roses in white and yellow.  They've been planted and their training has begun.  I cannot wait for them to begin climbing and blooming.  And I cannot wait to see what project we tackle next. 


Don't forget, I have those windows to do something with! 

Soap Socks

I cannot believe it has been over two months since I have posted. It has been a busy and interesting two months with the ending of one semester and the starting of another. I've finally completed grading for one semester and have started breathing life into my summer classes.

Earlier this spring I learned to make soap with my good friend Shannon from our good friend Jennifer (Thanks Jen!). It was a lovely basil and tea tree oil soap. I cannot wait to make several different batches of soap this summer. Hooray for soap making! Well, on the way back to Warrensburg this weekend I battled boredom by making a zillion dish rags. Then I started on soap socks. I made three this weekend. A large rectangular one for my friend Shan's giant bars of soap I gave her for her birthday, a medium oval shaped bag (pictured above), and a smaller version with a tighter stitch. The soap socks are now in beta testing.