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!
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?
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool find at that cool shop once again!
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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