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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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We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most we’ve had in a LONG time) and now we are back to pouring rain. This has officially confirmed what I’ve know to be true for awhile now.

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If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
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What are your favorite plants that you look forward to seeing in the summer?
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Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

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And, while I’m always happy to look around my home and see rooms that are updated and more reflecting of our style, it doesn’t compare to the joy I feel when I look around my home and see the people I love the most who have been shaped by the many adventures we’ve experienced together.
Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and h Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and hail and snow) we are finally getting some sunshine and warmer temperatures. I’ll be honest, it’s really affected my spirits having one gloomy day after the next. So this is a much needed reprieve. Our cherry trees are showing off outside my kitchen window and we plan to get outside and make the most of these days while we have them.

What’s the weather like where you are?
“The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and “The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…HE’S RISEN!” (Charles R. Swindoll).

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. (Isaiah 53)
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Isn't it amazing how small gestures can make us feel less invisible? Knowing that someone is thinking of us and takes the time to meet a need that we might not have even realized we had? These little acts can have big impacts. What is something that someone has done for you recently that made you feel valued and seen?

What have you done for someone else to remind them that you are paying attention to their needs?

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
― Charles Dickens
“The next day the large crowd that had come to t “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ – John 12:9-19
#palmsunday
When the Lord blesses you with a glimpse of the pa When the Lord blesses you with a glimpse of the payoff of your investment in your children, it is truly one of the greatest gifts. We had that experience twice this week with our 18 year old son and were overwhelmed by this opportunity we had to watch as he handled two very different situations (one personal and one professional) with grace, maturity, integrity and courage. Those of you mamas of little ones, don't ever minimize the job you are doing in raising this next generation. 

Every story read at bedtime
Every correction made to strengthen character
Every outdoor exploration
Every nose wiped
Every bandaid applied
Every time you say no when the world says yes
Every night of helping with homework
Every difficult conversation
Every prayer uttered

The final pieces of the puzzle of his childhood are falling into place and the picture revealed is one that is more wonderful than we could have imagined. And we know that it is only by God's grace on us as we sought His wisdom and guidance that we have come to this point. We have been FAR from perfect parents, but one of my most sincere prayers for the past 18 years was that the Lord would stand in the gaps that were surely to be revealed by our imperfections. And He has answered those prayers again and again. He's taken my humble petitions and most sincere intentions and knocked our socks off with the young man we are so privileged to call our son. And we can’t wait to watch as his future unfolds!
Happy Saturday!! I haven’t posted all week (exce Happy Saturday!! I haven’t posted all week (except for in stories) because I was soaking up the sunshine and time with my family in San Antonio for spring break. One of our favorite activities was a bike tour of the missions and I found myself obsessed with all of the beautiful architecture, especially the doors. What is it about doors that is so fascinating? Is it knowing that these were so lovingly hand carved? Is it thinking about how many people have crossed through them? Whatever it is, I couldn’t get enough of them and had to stop and admire each one. 

I hope you are having a wonderful kickoff to spring too dear friends! 🌸
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