DIY Wooden Doormat

Following construction of our deck last fall, we found ourselves with an abundance of cedar scraps. It was really nice lumber, in various sizes and lengths, so not really useful for any large projects, but we still felt that wood so nice deserved to be put to good use.

Enter Martha Stewart. A friend sent us this online tutorial, and we felt it was the perfect new life for our leftover boards. Fast forward an hour or two, and voila!

We followed the tutorial pretty precisely, so you can see the step-by-step there. Our only changes were the size (we made it extra wide to fit right in line with the trim around our 36" front door), and we used natural colored nylon rope rather than sisal for durability. We love that it brings some wood onto the concrete floor of our porch, and it knocks dirt off shoes very well with all of its little edges and cracks.

Have you completed any fun, simple DIY projects? Or have you recently come across any great how-to's that you're itching to try out?

Kitchn Feature

What a fun week for our little blog - the cutting board Chris made to fit my farmhouse sink was featured on Kitchn, a great national blog that I very much enjoy! We have been a bit quiet this season, but have some big fun things coming up so stay tuned.

Garden Tool Hanger

When it comes to garden tools, I am storage-challenged. I have a place in the garage to keep them, but I'm terrible about putting them away - I love to have them handy in the garden, so when I'm ready to rake / dig / weed / trim / etc. everything I need is handy. The sad result is that I've left them sitting on the cobblestones, where they've rusted. My grandfather would be so ashamed!

So when I saw this tutorial in This Old House, I knew it was meant for me. I scoured ebay for old spigots, and found a variety of eight that I loved for around $12, so I went for it. When they arrived, CJ helped me sort through his lumber pile to find old scraps perfect for my project.

And then he closely supervised (and helped quite a bit) while we put it all together in the basement. There was lots of drilling involved . . .

Followed by tightening . . . 

To get these little guys set. We ended up using only six, so I'll have to find another fun use for the two remaining spigots. 

I even got to use CJ's new nail gun! I may have gotten a bit carried away, but the good news is this thing is ready for some rugged outdoor weather!

It was pretty late when we finished it, so despite my excitement we left it overnight so that we could take our time hanging it in the daylight, and make sure it was exactly where we wanted. Just a little history, the back piece of wood where the spigots are attached actually one of our old stair treads, from when we replaced them all WAY back when. It's an almost 90-year-old piece of oak! 

It was great to get it in place on the back of the garage today. And as you can see, it's already working hard. I need to get some leather to attach to more of my garden tools so they'll hang easily. It will be so nice to have them handy, and hanging so they will stay dry when not in use. A few little plants on top of the shelf will be a nice touch too . . . .

So our final project cost was . . . . $12! Everything but the spigots was reused, making this a whole lot of cheap satisfaction. I'll buy some leather to get more tools hanging out, but even then this is a lot of bang for the buck.

Vintage Doorknob Coat Hanger

With a pile of leftover oak from our remodel in my shop, I've been antsy thinking of the possibilities. Picture frames, a coaster box, and coat hangers have been on my to-make list. I also have a pile of old doorknobs from the kitchen that were saved. Some are brass, other are the glass version.

I saw a cool project once on This Old House, where they made a coat hanger out of trim and old doorknobs, and decided to make one this weekend.

Lastly, my dad got me a sweet finish nailer for Christmas, so this was an excuse to break it out and see if I could figure out how to work it.

Leftover trim moulding from the office

Glueing up the frame

The doorknobs bolts required square holes

A test run

Side view of hanger