Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Spring has sprung!

I am finally coming out of hibernation!  We have had a tough, cold winter that has kept me inside and suppressed my creativity.  The weather is finally starting to shift into spring and I can tolerate working in the garage - although, I should clean the garage out at some point.

Anyway, this past weekend I finished two small projects.  I have a few pairs of old wooden shutters lying around in the garage.  For months I've had an idea in my head to use the shutter as a mail organizer/command center sort of thing.

Old wooden shutter from a Habitat Restore for $5
I used left over Chateau Grey chalk paint, which is a muted green/grey color.  After a small amount of distressing, I added a coat of clear soft wax.


I added a few hooks to hang extra keys and used wooden mini chalk board clothes pin labels.  This organizer is a great way to keep cards, bills and coupons off the counter.  I did a quick search on etsy for a shutter mail organizer and they sell for $30 and up.  I spent $5 for the pair of shutters, which means I still have one side left. I used left over paint and wax. I purchased the silver hooks for ~$1.70 at the hardware store.  I hung the organizer with Command removable picture hanging strips so I could remove the shutter without damaging the cabinet.

Finished shutter mail organizer

In addition to the shutter project, I updated my small wall gallery with nautical themed canvas.  I am sort of obsessed with nautical themed everything right now... anchors, rope, blue/white strips, etc. 



I used mod podge to adhere the images to blank canvases. Then added a black paint border with a sponge.  I've done this before and it is a fun, easy project.


For those keeping score, I made the currency collage a few years ago as a way to display all the currency I've collected while traveling.  I also created the subway art image used in the top right display which includes all of the places my husband and I have traveled together.

That's all for now!  I hope spring is here to stay.

2 comments:

  1. Love what you have done with a $5 shutter, the color you used is great also. LOL The wall gallery looks wonderful for the summer. Glad you have come out of hibernation, always look forward to seeing what you come up next.

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  2. So good to see you're back in the garage, Tara! Love the shutter idea. It looks great!

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