Well first off, I should introduce you to Aunt Kaye. I grew up in the same family ward ever since I was 6. And as far as I know, Aunt Kaye was always in that ward too. But...she wasn't always my aunt. She's Brett's aunt! But how excited I was to have Aunt Kaye as my aunt when I married him. She was the first person we called after we got engaged (after calling our parents), and she screamed on the phone with excitement. And then we woke up to an "engagment" gift on our doorstep the next morning. Oh boy do we love her, and she takes such good care of us!
Well one day, Aunt Kaye called me and asked if I wanted a turn having Grandpa Owen's screen door. Grandpa Owen's is Brett's grandpa. He lived with Brett and his family during his elderly years (I never did get the chance to meet him), but his true home was Panguitch, Utah. Sound familiar? It's the really small town you pass through on your way to Provo. That's also the hometown to my mother-in-law Susan and my Aunt Kaye.
So one evening Brett and I went to visit Aunt Kaye and to look at the screen door. I was in love! Brett, being the wonderful husband he is, helped load it in the car and he even sawed off the very bottom (because it was rotting). That is all we did to it--nothing else! Now it sits in a corner of our kitchen. I collected and made a few things to add to it. Ideally I'd love to have them on a small bench--a little higher, so you can see them better. But for now, having the decor on the ground is alright, I still love it.
I have a few ideas for the walls surrounding the door, but I need to collect a few more little odds and ends. I'm thinking a few more gardening components, a small collection of mismatched teacups and plates, and incorporating a little red to tie it in with the rest of my kitchen. And I need time to work up the courage to ask Brett to drill a hole in the walls (the home is so old that those walls are made of SOLID cement--requiring lots of patience and making it nearly impossible to hang things).
Just a quick summary of the decor I added to the screen door (in case anyone cares, haha):
- Split-pea wreath (homemade--around $5 to make). Tutorial
here
- Grapevine Bird Cage (D.I. $3--I just pulled out the ugly little birds that were glued in it)
- Flower centerpieces (D.I. 50 cents each--there are 2 of them and I pulled out a few ugly flowers and added a few of my own I had on hand from the Dollar Tree)
- Gardening gloves (Wal-Mart--I actually use those)
- Gardening can (D.I. 75 cents, I spray painted it and still might distress it a little bit)
- Old books (Local thrift store, $1 each)
I love this screen door and the fact that it has some sentimental meaning and family history to it. It's a great conversation piece as well. I already know that if Brett and I are lucky enough to still have it when we move into a bigger home, that it would be fun to use it in our bedroom as a jewelry holder (use the mesh screen to hang earrings). But then I might miss it in my kitchen...so who knows!
