DIY: invisible gate

One of the things that irritated me at our old house was the gate latch. It was one of those sliding bolt-type locks. It's not that it was particularly hard to use, it was just very annoying trying to reach it and slide it over from the other side and it was even more annoying trying to shut it since I had to line the bolt up into its little slot (and the gate was less than straight). And those few times I didn't line it over completely or didn't put the little handle down, the gate wouldn't close properly and I'd find it swinging open. And I'd never be able to open it with one hand or push through it with my shoulder. Oh no. And can I just mention how terrible it looked? Like, really terrible. Not modern at all. (I'm starting to realize that nothing's ever modern when it comes to things like this. What's up with that?)

Then I saw this post from The Art of Doing Stuff and I really loved the idea of using a magnet as a latch. I thought it was so smart and actually in the realm of possibilities for me. We have a Lee Valley Tools! I don't have to order anything from the internet! (Which is probably the number one reason why this was possible for me. I still haven't gotten over this ordering-online hiccup of mine.)

Of course, I didn't install it myself, our neighbour did. But I did have to explain to him what was floating around in my little brain and I did have to sit back and cross my fingers that he actually understood what it was I was asking, so it's almost as if I did the work myself!

Thankfully, he understood it PLUS he made it even better than how I would have done it.

This is the back or inside of the gate. I still have to find a handle, so it's not quite done yet. Just use your imagination to install a modern looking handle on the right side. I'm thinking long and black. (Oh. There's a "that's what she said" joke if I've ever read one.)

This is the front of the gate. It doesn't look like a gate, does it? I think that's the absolute best part! The original plan discussed with us was to put handles on both sides and cut a little hole out of the wood for a latch or, you know, we could totally (in your slow-mo voice, please) do the string over the top thing, too.

Jaw drops. Speechless. Eyes glazed over. It was pretty much at that very point that I thought, "As scary as it is for me to drive to foreign places (especially foreign places where I know construction exists), I MUST find this magnet. I may not be able to have the super modern cool fence of my dreams, but damn it, I'm going to have a friggin' awesome gate."

So you want to see how it latches?

The top board magically comes apart (ok, not magically), and one piece becomes the latch! This is the part I didn't think of. If you cut the boards on an angle rather than just a straight cut, the seam is even more invisible. Who'd've thunk it?!

The latch is a super-powered rare earth magnet. It's really strong. Before installation, I had to slide the two pieces apart so I could separate them. I couldn't pull them straight off each other. And these magnets come with a warning to keep them away from electrical devices and credit cards. Thank goodness the guy at Lee Valley Tools said something cuz it's so small, I was just going to pop it in my purse.

They don't have this particular style online, so I can't link it for you, but I promise it's at the store if you go (they keep these behind the counter, so ask unless you want to spend two hours of your day looking around Lee Valley Tools -- which isn't a half-bad way to spend two hours of your day, actually. They have some great stuff).

It took me a while to decide to purchase this style over the other since Karen from The Art of Doing Stuff used these, but I liked how the two-piece model was a little more straight-forward for installation (since I wasn't doing it myself and I didn't really want to invite him in and sit him in front of the computer so he could see how it was done).

The best part was that this one magnet cost me only $3! That's it! An entire gate latch for $3 (plus some wood pieces that were going to be used anyway). I love that the most!

So maybe by now you've had a chance to look at Karen's gate (and if not, you should cuz her fence is super cool and if there weren't dumb fence regulations and standards around here I totally would have wanted to copy that, too) and maybe you're wondering why we didn't counter-sink the magnet into the wood like Karen did. The reasoning behind it was that if the gate should shift during the winter or settle, it'd be a lot easier to unscrew the magnet and move it if we had to. Plus it's less work. Less work is always better, right?

the metal striking disc is screwed onto the gate

Now maybe you're thinking, "Hey! Won't you hit your head on that piece of wood sticking out?" And to that I'll quote Idle Husband, "What? Am I stupid?!"

The neighbour brought it up before anything had been built and I had this weird worry dream where all I could think about was how many times I'd bump my head on it and maybe I should think of a better way to install it and oh god! I have to tell him before he installs it and oh man! What if he installs it before I can tell him?! (worry worry) But now that it's there and I've had a chance to walk through it, the wood part is completely not in the way. Unless we were to walk rubbing right up against the house and inch our way around the post, there's no chance either of us will hit it.

The only other thought I've now had is to put a couple hook and eyes on the hinge side so that I can lock it closed or lock it open. I'm still kind of thinking about that. I know that this gate has a tendency to swing shut so a hook to keep it open would probably be really handy. More pondering needs to be done!

So if you were looking for a super simple latch that's easy to install, makes your gate invisible, and is super cheap, this just might be the latch for you!

DIY project: fabric scrap wreath

I loved how this wreath looked when I first found it. It has a lot of interest, it's totally easy, and even though it's made with scraps, it still manages to look put together. I particularly loved how customizeable it is. If you want a wreath for Christmas, use Christmas colours. If you want one for year round (as I did), use colours you like or colours that match your house. Whatever you've got will totally work. I didn't have enough scraps to make mine from actual scrap fabric. I used large pieces of fabric I've had sitting around in boxes for years that I hadn't used for anything else and then I cut as much as I needed. I even used bits of crocheted lace from an old antique tablecloth that had holes in it. Anything you've got should work!

This is the hardest part. Use any device you have in your possession to achieve the roundest shape you possibly can. I used a pair of pliers to deal with the hook and then kept pulling and bending until I got a roundish circle. You don't have to go overboard just do your best.

Choose some fabrics that you like and that work well together. I think it's best if they're not all matchy-matchy. It adds to the uniqueness.

Cut your strips about 1 1/2 inches wide and 7 inches long. Skinnier or shorter is fine. If the fabric scrap was wider it was harder to tie onto the wire and if it was longer, it just didn't look quite right. Too floppy.

All you have to do now is tie them on. I guess some people can do the random thing, but I'm not one of those people. So first, I tied on the fabric I had the most of (the above blue). Then I went back with the other colours and filled the wreath in that way. I kept holding it up and judging where to put each colour so it looked kind of random but with some semblance of order. I like to have things even. That's my OCD talking.

I swear, you'll be doing this for a while, and you'll be just about finished with the bulk of your fabric, and then you'll think, this is never going to look right. Here's another junky craft project I can stuff in the bin. But then, all of a sudden, it all comes together, and you end up with something like this:

Pretty sweet, hey?

I felt like it still needed something more, so I used this quick and easy tutorial for foam flowers to add a little something extra to my wreath.

Besides, I had all that craft foam leftover from the stamp project and then I spotted some wavy scissors at another dollar store (which I've always wanted anyway), so there really wasn't any reason not to make them from foam. Although, I did consider doing some felt flowers. They'd also be brilliant.

Cut a loose spiral from the foam. Don't get all serious about this. You're crafting! It's fun!

Starting at the smaller end, roll it up to resemble a flower like so:

For whatever reason, I was not going to start up my glue gun for this. I was in total glue gun boycott. So, like a dummy, my first thought was to thread a twist tie through all the layers so I'd be able to twist tie it onto the wreath. Keyword there: thread. So when that was terribly unsuccessful, I got out a needle and some embroidery thread and used that instead. Duh. Just make sure to push the needle through all of the different layers and the rose will definitely stay in its rosey shape. To cover up the thread in the middle (and add a little extra), I whipped on a button. Easy.

Plus I got to dump out and go through my cute little bear button jar.

Tie the flowers on wherever and however you like and cut the threads short so you can't see them.

Stand back and marvel at your creation! The pictures really don't do it justice. It looks amazing on our front door (I didn't necessarily try to match it with the house and door, but it matches really well anyway). Plus I knocked out two DIYs in one craft! Score!

{the rest of the DIY list is here}

Idle Musings

I'm getting new doors installed today. The old ones were letting in the snow -- no joke. So part of that (rather expensive) deal was that we had to have a set of new locks sitting and waiting in case they couldn't use the old ones. Now I find out that they prefer to use new locks because "there's always a problem after the installation" if they use the old ones. This I don't get at all. Having installed more than my fair share of door locks, I find this preposterous. I have honestly made every single lock work in every door I've tried. The only exception being the fancy full handled door lock I tried to replace when we first moved into this house. I couldn't get the bottom holding screw to match up with the old hole and I wasn't about to drill a new hole millimeters above the old one (though I'm sure I could have if I really wanted to).

Is installing any door lock a minor headache, why yes, yes, it is. Is it impossible for me? NOPE. Is it impossible for the so-called experts? Apparently. I did my best to sway him, I honestly did, but I'm past the point of no return.

I'm off to continue my calming chants now -- ommmmm ommmmm