DIY Rustic Shutters & New Foyer Lighting- Adding Rustic Farmhouse Charm

Hope y'all had a wonderful long holiday weekend! The tropical storm brought us a ton of wind and just a little rain. Not enough by any means! There are fierce fires raging just 2 and half hours from us near Austin. We pray for those who are effected by them!! Today we had some beautiful weather though and we are very thankful for it. Tonight it is suppose to get down to 58!! WhooHoo!  

As for my to do list I managed to clean house, get all the laundry done, and accomplish a few projects with The Hubster's help. One we finished up today just before dinner. 

Let me take you back to December to show you the before. Nice chandy but not quite large enough for the space and that empty landing above the door. What on earth do people ever do with those!?

First things first, The Nana & The Papa got up on scaffolding changing out my foyer chandy for me! It had sat in the garage for a year just longing for it's new home.

Yes, I was in LOVE with how it turned out! On the other hand there was still something missing. 

Now fast forward to yesterday when we headed to Lowes and purchased some lumber. We had it cut down to the size we needed and then I came home and stained away.  I did not sand it or anything. I wanted it to have a rustic feel.

Next The Hubster nailed the boards together for me. 

Then we added the hanging hardware. Can I tell you how much I HATE nailing those tiny nails in!? They are the worst! Thankfully The Hubster did that for me too!:)

This is what we ended up with and I was just tickled pink!

Next I had to tackle my fear of heights and head up a very tall ladder with out looking down! The Papa would be proud because I had a tape measure in tow and actually measured out where to place the screws in the wall something I normally do not do.

Just the something extra this space needed! Deciding if I want to place a small rug up there or not?

Yep, I am in love! The best part is that this project cost all of $15!!

Linking up to the following parties:

Metamorphosis Monday- Between Naps On The Porch

Show Off Your Cottage Monday- The House In The Roses

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday- Home Stories A to Z

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday- Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures- My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday- Savvy Southern Style

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It's a Shutter Thing

Be sure to stop by my Appreciation Party! You have till August 1st to submit your question for Annie Sloan!

This little set of shutters has made its rounds thru out our home. Mostly hanging out in the dining room but more recently hanging in the foyer. Since I decided to change that out they ended up here outside our master bedroom. It is just a little blah space not really large enough for anything but these. I really liked how they looked here but this little hallway is pretty dark most times of the day.

Out came the chalk paint.

I used the dry brush method. Duck Egg was the main color and then I used Old White on the centers.

Next came the waxing and I  must say that the waxing was not all that bad this time around! Since the shutters are small I was able to go ahead and rub clear wax over the entire piece instead of in sections. This made it go by much more quickly! I am also sure that since I was working on this project inside the absence of the 100 degree heat was a major plus as well! The wax did not dry as quickly which made it much more easy to work with. Left panel no wax. Right panel with wax.

I really like how the finish turned out but I am debating on wether or not to brush some Duck Egg on the spindles.

Urgh! Let me try and finish this once again. Every time I hit add caption to the last picture it deletes it!:( 
So here are the shutters all finished. I am not sure they flow as nicely anymore but I will live with them for a lil' while. They can always be painted back!:)


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