Paint & Posts

I had a bit of a crafty day today.  The morning began with the front gate.  We painted the front windows and doors last year but ran out of steam before we got to the gate ...it needed fixing at that time anyway so it was left.  Andy got round to fixing it over the summer and it was up to me to paint it ... so it got left again!  On a warm day last week I gave it two coats of dove grey and then spend ages on Pinterest looking at photos of gates.  I can get lost on that site for hours ... there are some amazing gates, honestly! ... but all I wanted was a simple stencil design.  The one I chose was printed onto thick card and this morning I stuck it onto the gate ...

The stencil has been filled in pale green (to match the front windows).  It is the first time I have tried anything like this and I am quite pleased with the outcome.  The photo below makes it look very pale ... it stands out a bit more in real life!

 While I was waiting for the first coat to dry I got out the tool box and bits of wood from an old fence.  Now you may not believe this but I can assure you I have never had any woodwork lessons in my life ... mine was the last generation where girls did cooking and sewing and lads played with wood.  Well. I measured the pieces; I sawed the pieces; I hammered the bits together; I realised too late that one piece was upside down and the door was too small so I had to pull it apart and start again ... but after a LOT of sweat and swearing I was the proud owner of .....

 .... if you are still wondering it is a luxury hedgehog house!  I am just glad I don't have to make a living from woodwork .... how anyone can saw in a straight line I do not know!  Yes, it looks a mess but I had a lot of fun making it and Andy had a right laugh when it was finished!  Anyway it doesn't matter because the hedgehog won't mind as long as the roof keeps her dry (which it will) and I took it up to the top of the lane (really need to think of a name for this place) and covered it in dead leaves so no-one can see what it looks like anyway!

I put a few cat treats round the door to entice a new owner to find it.  Unfortunately my lovely pet, Isis, died this week so she won't be needing the treats.  We had eighteen loving years so she is missed. x