Old Shutter Card Holder

Turn an old shutter into a chic holder for your wedding cards! You’ll find the tutorial at Downtime. Upcycle. A thrifty transformation!

When it comes to adding a touch of charm and creativity to your wedding decor, upcycling offers a treasure trove of possibilities. Imagine repurposing an old shutter, once forgotten and discarded, into a chic and functional holder for your wedding cards. This ingenious project combines thriftiness with elegance, offering a unique way to collect and display the heartfelt wishes and blessings from your loved ones.

The journey to crafting your own shutter-turned-card-holder begins with finding the perfect vintage shutter. Scour thrift stores, antique shops, or even online marketplaces for shutters that exude character and history. Each imperfection tells a story, adding a layer of nostalgia to your wedding decor. Choose a shutter that resonates with your style – whether it’s rustic, shabby chic, or farmhouse-inspired, the right shutter will serve as the canvas for your creative vision.

With your vintage shutter in hand, the transformation process is a delightful blend of craft and imagination. You’ll be amazed at how a bit of paint, a touch of creativity, and a sprinkle of love can turn the old into something truly enchanting. Begin by cleaning and prepping the shutter, readying it for its new purpose. A fresh coat of paint can work wonders, either harmonizing with your wedding color palette or embracing the rustic charm of weathered wood.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?