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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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February 6, 2014

IKEA Bed Slats Turned Indoor Shutters



We are so thrilled to be welcoming our friend Candace from Vintage News Junkie here today! She has an awesome project to share with you all and we know you are going to be as inspired by her as we are!

white-distressed-kitchen-shutters

Hey there, friends! So nice to meet you here At the Picket Fence! My name is Candace and I blog over at Vintage News Junkie. I am a former news gal who traded in my Emmy Award for a couple of paint brushes, an antique or two, and lots of junkie treasures!

Candace from Vintage News Junkie

I’m a burlap lover, a mason jar picker, an auction go-er, a rusty relic finder, a chippy furniture painter… and an avid upcycler!! (Yup, I love JUNK!) So when Heather and Vanessa invited me to share a project with you lovelies, I knew exactly what to share!

From Ikea Bed Slats to Indoor Shutters, by Vintage News Junkie

A while back, the hubs and I were at one of our favorite thrift stores poking around, when we saw that they had a FREE section… you know the really junky junk, that nobody wants! I thought, hey, I’m not too good. Let’s go diggin’! We uncovered a stash of IKEA bed slats that appeared to be brand new! I’m thinking whoever tossed them in the FREE pile really didn’t know what they were! I didn’t know what I would make with them, but I knew this pile of wood was coming home with me! Load ‘er up!

Ikea Bed Slats into Indoor Shutters by Vintage News Junkie

A few months passed… and we dug out our ‘lil stack of wood. We were makin’ shutters!!

For the full step-by-step tutorial click here. But here’s the basic gist…

We started by measuring the window where we’re putting these shutters, right over the kitchen sink. The sun is just blinding in the evening as I am slaving away microwaving leftover takeout, so we definitely needed some shade. Once we had our measurements, it was time to prep the wood. No fancy tools, just a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. Now, remove the strips. Watch your thumb! Those bad boys are in there good!

Tools Needed for DIY Indoor Shutters by Vintage News Junkie

Then you’re gonna build your shutter! You can do this several different ways… we opted for a brace across the back and a simple hammer and nails approach! This was before the days of my Ryobi Nailer! This would be ten times easier now, with a nail gun! Alas, it’s starting to look like a shutter… right?!? (And I must point out those fingernails… LOVE ♥… who says a DIY gal can’t have cute nails!)

Building Plantation Shutters with Vintage News Junkie

Another brace on the bottom and here she is!

Upcycled Plantation Shutter from Ikea Bed Slats

Now for the finish! This is where things got sticky. Reeeeally sticky!! I started by staining the shutters dark brown, I wanted the darker color to shine through when I distressed them.

Staining DIY Indoor Shutters

From there it was a mess! I thought I wanted yellow. But, it wasn’t quite the mustard-crust-on-the-rim-of-the-jar look I was going for. So I slept on it… woke up the next morning and painted them again.. this time blue. Nope. Still not what I wanted. This journey went on for days… believe me!!

While the shutters were blue, I decided to go ahead and install them to see what they looked like… and what d’ya know? Disaster strikes again!! I had mis-measured!! Yup… they didn’t even meet in the middle!! Seriously!?!

So I stopped yet again… and the next day got serious! We rebuilt the shutters and finally… I decided on white!!

Paint Shutters White

A light distressing, just on the edges, revealed just enough of the blue and the dark stain to give them the slightly worn and aged look that I wanted. (Note: Several days later… new manicure!!)

Distress Edges of White Shutters

We opted to do something a little funky with the handles. Instead of the traditional vertical layout, we decided to attach them horizontally. And after many loooooong days… our kitchen shutters were FIN.A.LLY. done! It was quite the journey… but in the end… anything worth having is worth waiting for!

DIY Upcycled Shutter, Before & After, by Vintage News Junkie

I am quite smitten with how they turned out and they still remain one of my favorite things in our house!! I can’t wait to make more for some of our other windows!!

White Distressed Kitchen Shutters

So what’s next? A new light above the sink? Would a small chandlier be too much? And what about those builder grade cabinets and laminate counter tops?! Big things are in store this year at the Vintage News Junkie house! Won’t you join us??

Unique Kitchen Shutters

Oh! You like those little Topiary Centerpieces, I made them in 30 seconds! See how here!

DIY Indoor Shutters from Ikea Bed Slats

And if you want to see all the mishaps and disasters of these little shutters as they unfolded… you can check out:

Shutter Tutorial Part One | Shutter Tutorial Part Two | Victory Over My Shutters

Until next time… thank you for having me Heather and Vanessa! And I look forward to meeting many of you again soon, here At the Picket Fence!

Vintage News Junkie

*Follow Vintage News Junkie on Facebook*

6 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, DIY, Good Ideas Tagged With: DIY

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Comments

  1. Cheryl at Snaps of Ginger says

    February 6, 2014 at 10:34 AM

    I love this idea!! Makes me wish I had a house so I could try it. For now I’ll just live vicariously through you all.

    ~Cheryl
    https://snaps-of-ginger.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  2. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    February 6, 2014 at 7:37 PM

    How so very, very creative…they look wonderful!!…

    Reply
  3. Deborah says

    February 9, 2014 at 7:38 PM

    LOVE THESE! I am thinking this is my new window treatment!
    Just saw that you are going to be at the Michael’s Pinterest event. For some reason, didn’t realize you were in OR. I am in Southern OR and would love to make it up for that event. Well see

    Reply
  4. Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says

    February 13, 2014 at 6:15 PM

    Love this! Those shutters are so cute! What a clever idea!

    Reply
  5. Susan says

    February 23, 2014 at 9:27 PM

    Well of COURSE a chandy!

    Reply
  6. dezvoltare personala says

    May 31, 2014 at 6:07 PM

    Hi there! I know this is sort of off-topic however I had tto ask.
    Does building a well-established blog like yours require a large amount of work?
    I am compltely new too writing a blog but I do write in my diary
    every day. I’d like to start a bloog so I cann share my experience and
    views online. Please let mme know if you have any kind of ideas orr tips for
    brand nnew aspiring bloggers. Thankyou!

    Reply

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The first weekend in December seems like a good ti The first weekend in December seems like a good time for my annual gentle reminder about this month. I don’t know about you but, for me, December is a month of mixed emotions, ranging from joy-filled moments to ones that have me wanting to pull my hair out.

There are so many expectations and we put so much pressure on ourselves to create magical memories. And for years I have felt the added weight of wanting to make sure my family had opportunities throughout the month to grow in their relationship with Christ.

We celebrate advent and read all of the appropriate Baby Jesus books and encourage a spirit of generosity and heavily emphasize the real reason for the season.

But sweet friends, I want to remind you today that one month out of the year does not a strong relationship with the Lord make. December doesn’t define our faith in Christ.

For our families or for us.

There are 11 other months in the year. 11 other months to live out our faith in front of our children. 11 other months to pray with them. 11 other months to help them wrestle through their questions and add depth to their walk with the Lord. 11 other months to encourage them to have generous spirits.

Let’s stop putting so much pressure on this one month out of the year. Let’s be surprised at the ways we might be able to celebrate the baby in the manger without a dozen countdown calendars. Let’s give our kids some grace when they are focused more on gifts because…well…they’re kids after all.

And while we’re at it, let’s give ourselves some grace too.

Grace when we think we should feel all the warm fuzzy feelings about Christmas but we really just want to take a nap. Or have a good cry. 

Grace that reminds us that this month will soon be over and we will have a brand new year ahead of us.

A new year filled with big moments and little moments and everything in between.

A new year to draw even closer to our Savior.

My hope for you is that, as you head into this season, you will be given fresh perspective and that you will give yourself (and your family) permission to just ‘be’. ✨
✨ The first Sunday of Advent is upon us and this ✨ The first Sunday of Advent is upon us and this year I created a super simple centerpiece for my dining room that incorporates the candles we will use each of the four weeks leading up to Christmas. While we will only light one candle each week, I used more than four so that the centerpiece would look a bit more filled in. In keeping with my goal to embrace a softer approach to my decorating, this arrangement works perfectly and helps to keep our focus on the beauty and the meaning  of the Advent season. For more ideas like this, check out my previous Advent post! ✨

#advent #adventcandles #simplechristmas #wearethehomemakers
In this season of motherhood, my soul is feeling a In this season of motherhood, my soul is feeling a bit more tender. When Christmas rolls around and I no longer have wish lists that include Lego sets or dollhouses, I find that I want my home to reflect this craving for all things gentle.

So our hot cocoa station this year is much more simple and done in a neutral color palette that just subtly blends in with the rest of the decor. It still feels festive and is definitely still “user friendly” but it’s just a bit less…well…less.

And, that’s ok. It’s not that this area won’t ever again have bright colors (maybe even pops of red!) but, right now I’m happy to have things this way.

With all that is going on in the world right outside our door, my desire is for our home to truly feel like a respite. I want it to be where we come and let our guard down, our heart rates slow and to be flooded with a sense of peace in knowing that here is where we can just simply be. I want it to be a place of rest. Rest from the constant onslaught of news and information. Rest from the seemingly small struggles of school and jobs that can so often feel like big struggles.

And, most importantly, we rest in the comfort of knowing the One who is Sovereign over all and is the reason this month is so very special and sacred.

Many blessings to you dear friends as we kick off this wonderful season! ✨
Next week is first Sunday of Advent. And contrary Next week is first Sunday of Advent. And contrary to popular belief, the celebration of Advent is VERY different from just simply doing a ‘countdown to Christmas’. It’s not about having little drawers filled with candy or doors to open with prizes inside. Those things are so much fun and definitely help to build anticipation as you head closer and closer to the big day.

But Advent, from the latin word ‘adventus’ meaning ‘arrival’ or ‘appearance’ keeps the focus completely on celebrating the arrival of the King who came in the form of an infant.

This is one of our favorite family traditions and over the years I’ve figured out how to incorporate the Advent candles into my decor without using the traditional wreath. I hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration as we head into this sacred season. 🌲

#advent #adventdecoration #wearethehomemakers
Why do I start decorating before Thanksgiving? Bec Why do I start decorating before Thanksgiving? Because it’s the Saturday after and my house is almost completely ready to start the season! So I’m sitting with my coffee and just soaking it all up knowing that now I can focus on shopping, hosting and preparing our hearts for the start of Advent. The only thing left to do is get our fresh tree for the front room and then the decorating is done. 

Starting early is a gift I give to myself and I’m always grateful for it! 🌲

#simplechristmas #traditionalchristmas
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest fo “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours dear friends! 🍂
Christmas has arrived in the family room where I k Christmas has arrived in the family room where I keep things simple but festive! We’ll get a fresh tree after Thanksgiving which will go in our front room bay window but this slim faux tree with its colorful ornaments tides us over for now. Which room in your home gets the Christmas treatment first? Or do you just start doing a little at a time in each room? 🎄

*pillow covers are from @jshhomeessentials
I share this recipe every year because it’s JUST I share this recipe every year because it’s JUST.THAT.GOOD! 

And I have a confession ...I’d rather have cranberry sauce smothering the turkey on my plate than gravy any day!! And this, this right here? Well it’s the best (and easiest!) cranberry sauce ever!! I eat on crackers and sandwiches and sometimes just by the spoonful. It’s so yummy! And I’m just so very thankful for all of you that I’m going to leave the recipe right here instead of making you go to the blog to get it. I promise you won’t regret having this on your Thanksgiving menu but be warned...you may find yourself up in the middle of the night sneaking some helpings of this deliciousness. Or maybe that’s just me!

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries
2 oranges
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup white wine.

Instructions:
Wash and pick over berries, removing any that are soft. Peel and dice oranges removing any seeds. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until cranberries pop open and mixture is thickening.
For best flavor, prepare and let stand for several days before using.

Gobble, gobble!! 🦃
How do I want people to feel when they walk throug How do I want people to feel when they walk through my front door? That’s always at the top of my mind when I’m decorating my entry for each season, particularly at Christmastime. 

✨I want them to feel like my home is greeting them with a smile.

✨I want them to feel like this is a place where care has been given to details (but not to the point of being too stuffy or too busy or too overwhelming). 

✨I want them to feel like there is peace here.

✨I want them to feel like they are welcome…because they are. 

My home is a reflection of my heart and my heart is a reflection of the ONE for whom I live and try to honor and praise all of my days, but especially at Christmas.

How do you want people to feel when they come into your home? 

#christmasentry #simplechristmas #simplicity #wearethehomemakers
This is not a criticism of those who are sharing t This is not a criticism of those who are sharing their great new Christmas finds but rather an encouragement to those of you who are feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all and trying to resist the temptation to purchase more items than you really need.

Several years ago I felt a conviction in my heart about how much time and money I was spending on trying to create a new look every Christmas. I was not being a good steward of my resources and I was far too easily swayed by the peer pressure in this area. And a funny thing happened when I smashed this idol that had taken up residence in my heart. I suddenly found renewed joy in decorating for the season. By keeping things simple and maybe only buying something like a new spool of velvet ribbon, I actually realized that I could be far more creative reusing and repurposing what I already had.

In the coming weeks your news feeds will be filled with temptations for MORE. Maybe, this year, you too can find the joy in LESS. 🌲

#simplechristmas #simplicity #wearethehomemakers
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