Happy Sunday babies!
I love Sunday. Several reasons why, but mostly because:
The Walking Dead is on.
Have I mentioned I have a huge crush on Norman Reedus?? Oh... I have?? Mmmm... anyway!!
Today's project I've talked and talked about. Talked about it with Drew. Talked about it with Mandy.
Searched Pinterest and Google looking for tutes. How hard could making your own functioning indoor shutters REALLY be?
Anne started my obsession with her bathroom shutters:
In my searching I came across the exact look I was going for here:
SOURCE
When I took the curtains down in Merry's old room, I found this:
The blinds were barely hanging on. Perfect opportunity to try out the shutter idea.
First, I had to beef up the molding to give the shutters something sturdy to hang from.
Trusty MDF and crown to the rescue:
This time I added a sill as well. This window has a killer view and I thought the kids would enjoy a larger space to rest their furry butts.
BTW, I HATE working with crown. But, Drew had a revelation of epic proportions during this battle with crown molding. See those tiny side pieces? They can be a nightmare to try and get right.
To get them right, you just cut a smaller piece, identical to the large piece you just cut, then cut it in half, and reduce it to fit from there. It worked like a charm! HOLLA!!
While the caulk dried, I went out and made the actual shutters.
Now, when I was at Home Depot deciding what wood I should use, I struggled. I didn't want these to be super heavy and I wanted them to have a very rustic and aged look.
As I walked through the lumber, I found the rough cedar fence planks.
They were cheap, lightweight, VERY rustic and cedar smells divine.
Went through the pile to find the pieces that weren't too chewed up {These are cheap for a reason. Can be cracked, broken, they are heavily knotted and VERY rough} and had really nice knots and texture.
Cut all the boards, laid them together and glued everything together with liquid nails.
Then, I took 2 scrap pieces, liquid nailed and screwed them to the top and bottom of each section.
Then we used a narrow hinge to attach the 2 sections.
I wanted this shutter to fold in half, then flat back against the wall.
I sanded the heck out of the whole thing.
This rough cedar is VERY rough and can splinter you very easily. Also, you can see that if you get a little too aggressive with your drilling, it will crack. I learned the hard way that you need to gently pulse the drill to keep it from splitting. It's all good, I wanted rustic.
After all the paint had dried on the window casing and the shutter, we used gorgeous black gate hinges to attach the shutter:
Picked these up at Home Depot also.
Honestly, I'm just a little proud with how these turned out:
Every time I do molding, it gets better and better, not to mention easier.
Let's all pretend that I'm not obviously trying to hide the satellite cord with the giant flower vase, shall we? {goofy grin}
Earlier in the week, I had recovered an ugly, but very functional storage basket with a scrap of white chenille.
Before:
After:
The kids love it too. I adore chenille.
Also added a $2 handle to help open and close the shutter.
And I'm tellin ya what. These do an awesome job of blocking the sun. So well, I had a hard time getting any decent pictures of what it looks like closed.
Do you guys love the gate hardware? I'm in love.
I'm going to do a similar version of these in the Master bedroom. Those windows are much larger, so there will be a double set like this.
This one window took me all day yesterday.
So, I will plan that project out over a couple weekends so I don't overwhelm myself.
I am BEYOND thrilled with how this room is turning out.
No, we don't see the cable, right??
LOVING this space.
Still lots of plans, but this is one my favorite projects to date.
What do you think?
Disclaimer:
I don't think that this type wood {rough cedar} would be a wise choice for a childs room.
It splinters easy and could be an issue for little hands.
Since there are only adults and cats here, I feel pretty safe with it.
XOXO
Enjoy that extra hour of daylight! I am!!