Monday, December 30, 2013

Shutter Project!

Some time in early November I posted an Instagram picture of this super cute shutter that I snagged for a song at Vintage Hardware (WHERE ELSE?!) There were more, and I was SO tempted to get another, but was good and stuck with one! My aunt Kathy and I were talking about just how adorable the shutters were, and how they were just perfect for a neat project. How on EARTH could I say NO?!

Here is the original shutter. Chipped paint, dirt and all!

Wiped the dirt and grime off and went to town on that chipped paint! I used a palm sander to eliminate quite a bit of paint, then used a 5-in-1 tool to scrape even more paint from the shutter. And then it was MoRe sanding! Then more cleaning to get rid of all the dust!


I then used cream colored paint, the same leftover paint that the candlesticks received! I debated on a second coat and opted against it at that time.  It was still a bit rough looking and imperfect, as you can see below. But as projects go, I changed my mind at the end.  


I then used cardboard letters as stencils. To go with the Christmas tree design at the top of the shutter, I opted for a holiday classic, NOEL. To do this, I measured from the top and bottom for my first and second letters. Then split the difference for the middle letters. Each letter ended up being 1 inch apart from the other! I didn't have an N for tracing so I had to fudge a little with help from an H and a straight edge. 



The final tracing result! I know they are a bit light, but that is okay since I need to paint over them!


I used a RED Sharpie paint pen in order to give it a holiday feel. Once the paint had dried, I took a high numbered grit sand paper and roughed the letters up just slightly. I wanted them to have a bit of wear-and-tear to match the rest of the shutter. 

In the end, once the letters were painted, I used a bit more cream paint to touch up around the letters and give a second coat to the really rough patches.  One thing that I am still debating, and can continue to debate,  is whether or not I want to outline the tree with dark green paint. Hmmm!!! Decisions, decisions!

What are your thoughts? Should I outline the tree? Or leave it? Readers, HELP!


2 comments:

  1. Well, my opinion is not to paint green around the tree. You might consider just sanding the edges of the tree to give it a worn look. What will you do now that the "Noel" season is over? Turn it around and give it another look?
    What a cool find at that cool shop once again!

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  2. Thanks for your opinion on what kind of exterior wood shutters should be nice to design my house. Where do I buy a shutter that's durable and stylish? I want it installed in my house through their handyman too.

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