Sunflower Screen Door

Most of the doors I have done have had a wildlife theme to them so I was pleasantly surprised when my neighbor asked me to make a garden themed door featuring her favorite flower—the sunflower. Her other request was that it not have a lower section of screen as her dog would damage it. So I sat down to work up a template. I do most of my template work on the computer. I just find it easier to move things around until I’m satisfied with the design.

On the template I was able to mimic a garden trellis and her “Rose of Sharon” that are in her garden while adding the “gate” to keep her dog inside. When I showed her the template I suggested that maybe she’d prefer to have Welcome across the gate instead of more flowers. She loved the idea. Other than that small change I am really pleased by how much the door resembles the original template. I find it eases my mind when I work…less worrying “will they like this or that”...

When I delivered the door she became a bit emotional. She recently lost her mother (92 years old) and she said, “I didn’t realize that you were going to have a bluebird on the door. My mother always called then, “The bluebird of happiness.” Now when I see it I’ll think of her and how she loved this garden because the bluebird of happiness will always be here.” It was very touching.

So far the best part of building these screen doors is the reactions from the people who order them. They all seem to be great stories.

-- Robbinscabin