Unique Christmas Card Holder

Two years ago at Christmas time I saw a special on HGTV using an old shutter as a Christmas card holder. We are blessed to have a large extended family and lots of friends that send us Christmas cards. I've always placed them in a decorated metal bucket, but you can't really see them. The idea of a shutter appealed to me.

When I saw this 6' tall one at a junk sale for $10 I bought it knowing just what I would do. It wasn't in very good shape. My husband and I spent a good hour peeling layers of old paint. The green paint was thick and the white paint was dry, cracked and peeling.

After all those layers were removed, we sanded the shutter and were left with a sturdy wood shutter ready for some fun!

Since I will be using this for Christmas cards, I opted for a leafy green color with a little glitter. I fell in love with the glitter spray paint. I could glitter everything!
It took three coats and all of 10 minutes to fully cover the shutter.

Then, I decided to honor the age of the shutter and sanded the paint off the corners and some of the edges. It suits my style to have a little worn look.

While it dried, I got to work on the clothespins. Folded cards can slide into the shutter slots easily, but we also receive flat cards, so those needed a way to play.

I used my noggin and attached the clothespins to a small box so that I could spray paint them from all angles quickly.

For contrast, I made them red.

And then my friends it was time to add glitter in the most spectacular way! I sprayed it all over. My garage will sparkle for years to come!

I don't have any 2009 cards yet, so here is an example using my stationary. I plan to stand this up in my entry way and fill it with cards as they come in.

I am also considering what embellishments to add. I fear adding too much when there will be 100 cards on here in no time. But, I do think some ribbon or modge podge of Christmas images would look great. What do you think?