My friend Sarah suggested that I start an inspiration board to help me keep my weight-loss goals in my mind.  I thought it was a great idea except for the fact that my office is nearly all windows (it’s a windowed-in porch) so I have nowhere to hang any boards.  An idea came to me, I’m not sure how, that I could make a free-standing board that could be decorated with fabric swatches and garments I love and want to wear again, and magazine pictures.  And then I realized that what I really needed was the equivalent of closet doors to hang outfits on for inspiration.

So I went on a quest to find a couple of old doors.  You might not be amazed to know how many hideous doors there are out there and how much the cool vintage ones cost but I was kind of surprised.  I ended up lucking out at a salvage place (and don’t think “junk”, this place has crazy cool and $$$$ stuff in it) in Petaluma called Heritage Salvage.  I saw an exquisite turquoise hobbit door with a metal grill in it for $600 but Philip said I wasn’t allowed to sell Max just to have a gorgeous door.  I did find two old doors that suited my purpose perfectly and paid a total of $40 for the pair.

Missing doorknobs, peeling paint, and dirt all included in the price.

Plus rusty paint-clogged broken hinges.  But the best part you will see in the last picture: two hooks for hanging things on!

One door was taller than the other so I had to cut it down with my banged up circular saw.  I did an alright job, not my best work, but it served.

Then I hinged the doors together.  This was easy to do but not easy to figure out.  I didn’t want to take the old hinges off because I like them but then I couldn’t use those sides of the doors for the new hinges and the hooks on the front of the one door made putting the hinges on so they wouldn’t be visible impossible.  So I just put them on the inside where they are all super shiny and ugly.  Who cares?  I might paint them later on.

I do have some wood that I plan to cut down and fashion into “feet” to stabilize the doors so that I can open them up all the way when I feel like it.  For now I’m fine just keeping the doors slightly bent.  I love them!

I spent (including the lumber I haven’t used yet) a total of $70.  I know a cork board is less than $30 but not nearly as cool as my old doors!