Monday, September 26, 2011

Destruction Before Reconstruction: Shutters

Is it just me, or are DIYers obsessed with shutters lately?!  I mean, I can’t blame them; shutters are so cute and I’ve seen them used in so many different projects.  However, as much as I have seen them used, I have had a terrible time finding them at a decent price in Houston.

Well do I have a story for you today!  In April, I saw some shutter dividers at HL for $300.  I thought they were pretty, but I wasn’t going to shovel out that kind of money, and besides I really didn’t have a use for them.  Months later though, I was still thinking about them.  Every time I went to the store I went and admired them.  Yep, still there & I still love ‘em.  One time when I was looking at them in June, I noticed that one of them was scratch.  Some of the paint was chipping and the wood had been damaged.

JACKPOT!

I tracked the store manager down and ask him if I could have the divider at a reduced price.  He quickly said sure, and asked me for how much. 

Thinking that my offer was ludicrous, I squinted & whispered up at him, “$50?”. 

“Sure!” 

Man do I wish I had said $25! lol  But still, $50 is waaaaay less than $300.  And since I planned on demolishing the dividers on my own anyways, I didn’t care that it came with a few dents.

So I purchased it and brought my new divider home.  Boy, was this thing heavy!  I wish I had been one of my neighbors watching me try to maneuver up the stairs with this thing.  I bet I looked hilarious.DSC05667-2
  I used a screw driver to separate the panels into the three partitions.  Using gray primer, I spray painted both sides twice.  I used a gray primer because I am lazy & cheap didn’t want to be painting my life away.  I wanted the shutter to be gray so I just used gray primer and then I wouldn’t need any extra coats of paint.  Easy enough, right?!DSC05679-2
Once it was dry, I went back with my trusty sandpaper and distressed the panel.  There was no method to my madness here.  I just wanted the shutter to look old.DSC05709-2DSC05691-2
Then I painted some clothes pins white and had pictures of Phil and I printed in sepia tones.  I attached the pictures to the shutter with the clothespins.  I figured with the shutters being distressed and the sepia photographs, I could get the romantic antiqued look I was after.DSC05684-2DSC05708-2
The former room divider is now a shutter holding pictures of me and the Mr behind our reading chair.  DSC05713-4
What do you think?
xoxo Darby
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