Rustic Fence Gate From Wood Scraps

For the love of mah DOnkee - the fence is going up and I made sure there were three spots with gates for me to get in the domesticated animal ring! I decided to get artsy with my smaller fence gates which will be next to my house and behind the pond, by using whole hardwood tree branches & scrap wood that was piled up on my porch from all the other projects going on.

The basic premise I followed to make the small gates were alot like making a frame to stretch canvas over for paintings. Even though I was using raw materials, like branches I created a square/rectangle/box shape following my measurements (approx. 4 feet high and 36 inches wide).

And to support the box, it needed corner braces...

There may be better ways to do this, but I was using mostly hand tools and winging the design(as always I am open to suggestions, and ways to make things easier too!). I was careful to put in extra screws to increase it's durability.

As a finishing rustic look, i took other twisted branches and screwed them to the front of the gate-! Pretty cool huh? Now Jus' two more to go & I am picking up mah DOnkee this weekend.....

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(Helpful Hint::: If you wanna make something like this make sure to pre-drill holes and use really long screws!)

NEW BONUS PIC :::::: (Here is the second gate on the right I built today, July 29th!)
xoxoxo

Sketching A Sustainable Dream

There are some adventures which are just still a dream, but the only way to make that dream happen is to clarify your intentions and follow every avenue of possibility towards making it happen. I make creative lists, and now I make drawings of what I want too! Right now I am looking for land to purchase (with or without a structure already on it) so that I can begin where I left off a long time ago, in building my own eco & sustainable homestead to live out a peaceful and natural life on. The above pic is my drawing of what I want to happen, I got the idea of drawing when a old neighbor from back in Marshall NC told me once she looked for her farm for almost a year and couldnt find anything she liked, she finally sat down one day and drew an exact picture of what this dream farm would look like - she drew in small details like spring fed concrete watering hole for her horses and hills rolling a certain way, barns in a specific place. After she made the drawing it was in almost no time she pulled up to her future farm, which was an exact replica of every detail of her drawing.
Another thing I am loving to do, is take the online photos of all the places that woo me on the TInY HOuSes BlOg, and save them in a folder for inspiration! Below are some of my most favorites I wanted to share with ya'll... to see tons more like these, go here.
I am attracted to natural wood, whether it's flat, round, logs, cordwood, or a shack - if it's made with wood in a natural rustic way I fall in love. Being in a forest setting, these structures make more sense- they blend in better and hopefully attract wildlife. :)
On the TiNy HOuSes BlOg, there are so many hand built homes that are on trucks or made from horse trailors and other wild imaginative objects. This one below is an antique/vintage photo which is why it holds that true gypsy style and energy.
And of course- here is my dream hobbit cabin, which looks not only like heaven to me but also not too hard to construct.
Now we get to interiors of tiny eco homes- which make good use of natural materials, space, and re-use.
In the pic above I love the wooden counter top, I built an exact counter top like this in my favorite house I ever bought - and would love to do it again! The bedroom pic below gets me because of the feeling of a loft, yet full private room to sleep in- it is very well designed.
Now, the cob house kitchen below freaking rocks, basically cause a real tree with bits of branches in tack was used to hang things off of and i lovvvvvve the micro sized kitchen! I am not into cabinets, everything I have is useful most days and i like having little open shelves like in this micro kitchen.
And last... quirky construction, so quirky I don't even comprehend - but all those warm looking wood slats on the walls, floor and ceiling. Mmmmmm, COmE On DReAM HoME, I am ready for you!!!!
XoXo