Creative Conversions
Transform salvaged goods into whimsical yard decorations.
Materials:
• Old shutter
• Various scrap wood strips and boards
• Jigsaw
• Hammer
• Screws
• Nails
• Acrylic craft paint (optional) • Paintbrush (optional) • Medium-grain sandpaper (optional)
• Wire (optional)
Instructions:
1. Hold the shutter in an upright position. If your shutter is unfinished, leave it as is or paint it the color of your choice with acrylic craft paint. Let dry completely. Use screws to attach boards of three different lengths to the top back of the shutter, positioning them parallel to each other from longest to shortest to create a wing shape.
2. Using nails or screws, attach wood strips to the “front” of the angel to create arms in the desired positions. Lea positioned her angel’s arms vertically parallel to each other, along each side of the shutter.
3. Cut a thin board into a circular shape with a jigsaw to make the angel’s head. Securely fasten a long, narrow piece of scrap wood to the back middle of the circle for a support, so that a few inches of the support hangs below the bottom edge of the circle. Fasten the free end of the support to the back of the shutter so that it is not visible from the front.
4. Paint any other parts of the angel as desired and let dry. Use medium-grain sandpaper to smooth and lightly distress the edges and surfaces of the wood, if desired.
Accessorize your angel. Lea attached a rusty bucket to the front, where she can station foliage, flowers, decorative flags or a wreath. For a finishing touch, use a length of old wire or a wire hanger to fashion a halo and attach it to the top of the head, if desired.