Privacy in the Privy

In my last post I showed you the wood shutters on the front of

our house.  I mentioned that they needed to be painted, but on closer

inspection, we realized that the upper shutters should be replaced.....soon.

I figured that constructing board and batten shutters should be a pretty

simple job even for us.  We had some scrap lumber in the garage to play with,

and a problem area inside our house that could use a privacy shutter,

so here's what we came up with.

I lined up the boards and pencilled a simple cut out design on the center pieces.

My handyman cut the moon and star shapes with a jigsaw and then we

screwed the vertical pieces to the horizontal braces.  I made my own chalk paint

with flat red paint and unsanded grout.  The wood was already distressed, so

I didn't have to work hard at making the shutter look aged.  And, believe me,

there are already enough distressed surfaces to contend with in this room!

We added horizontal braces to the back side so the shutter

will look finished whether open or closed.

(This is the best shot I could get with the available light when the shutter is closed.)

I added a hook for an outhouse feel.  After all, the shutter is located...

....in the man cave biffy.  Just a very small step up from an outhouse.

Exposed plumbing and steam pipes and a bare light bulb create the industrial vibe

we all want to bring into our homes.   :@

I'm sure the opening was designed to let daylight into

an otherwise windowless room since it's positioned adjacent to the laundry room window.

  Normally it's not a problem, but when there are guests in the back yard, they might see a wee bit

 more than they bargained for, if you get my drift.  Mmmm, hmmmmm.

Looking out.

Looking in.

Problem solved. Easy as one, two, three!!!

And that's just how many sets of the shutters below we need to reproduce.

I have never been particularly fond of the cut out design on the original shutters.

What is it?  A fox?  A pool ball rack?  A bull?  Your guess is as good as mine.

Just for fun, which design would you pick?

Given the history of my gardening fiascoes in our yard,

I'd have to go with that pesky squirrel smack dab in the middle.

Well, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go!

Thanks for stopping by,

Vickie

*Joining the parties at:

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special

Knick of Time Tuesday

The Farmhouse Porch Cowgirl Up

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

Do you see what I see?

This is not a Christmas in July post as my post title may lead you

to believe.  Rather, it's about the first signs of autumn in my garden.

I'm not talking about the unsightly spots or half-eaten leaf.

I'm talking about the color!

It's not even August and the leaves on my vine have started to turn red.

Elsewhere in the yard..............

I may plant these Wave petunias in my window boxes next year.  As you can see on my garden cart to the left, they don't get as leggy as the pink and purple varieties.

The first Helen's Flower to open.  This plant gets to be about 4

feet tall with thousands of blossoms in all shades of orange and yellow.

Ebony and ivory.

Diablo Spirea and Annabelle Hydrangeas, side by side.

More hydrangeas trying desperately to cover the ugly chain link fence!

These sweet pea blossoms are the star of the show.  I planted a perennial sweet pea vine this spring and it's just starting to blossom.

 There is no editing done on these photos.  The colors of the flowers are so vibrant!

Here's what's happening behind the vine.

We are trying to tone down the hideous color of the fence.

Disclaimer:  We did not pick the magenta color behind the trellis, we

inherited it from the previous owner.  Can you see why I 

missed the first blossoms on the left?

The Benjamin Moore dealer assures us that the burgundy color will hold up
much better than the magenta which we my painter has to scrape and
paint almost every year.  I'm hoping the CEO of Ben Moore reads this
post and offers to repaint our house inside and out.  I've already
chosen the colors.  :@

This phlox need to be moved away from the fence.

The violet against the burgundy is not a pretty combination.

The cone flowers and pansies have reseeded themselves in new

locations from last year's flowers.  They seem to be healthy,

so I just let them be.

Black Eyed Susans can't be beat for late summer color.

Some garden art.

In the front yard.....

I like these Pink Diamond Hydrangeas with their white blossoms,

but as the name suggests, they turn a dusty rose as they mature.

The Wave petunias in our window boxes have been given a trim

in hopes they will fill out again during the month of August.

The old wood shutters need to be painted this summer, so you can see

why we're trying to pick one color for the fence and shutters.

It won't be me climbing up the ladder.

Every spring I sew new cushion covers for my ice cream chairs.

I use the lime green color to counteract all the burgundy..cranberry...

er magenta, whatever that color is!

The chairs were purchased wearing the

 black ballerina shoes (aka electrical tape).

Our neighbor has slowly weed wacked the shrubs between our
yards to death (directly under the flag in the photo) over the past 2 years.
 Do you think she'd notice if I removed them in the middle of the night?

Thanks for coming along on my garden tour.
Vickie