Decorating with Matchstick blinds

Matchstick Blinds

You've seen these in the stores.  They were popular years ago and now are slowly slipping back into favor.  Sold in Home Depot, Lowe's and other big box stores, they come in a variety of colors, sizes and also materials.  They are usually made of thin wood but I've seen them now made of a more durable plastic.

What can you do with these blinds?  The obvious is actually using them as blinds which is what I've done on my screened in porch.  My porch gets very little sun but I hung them up anyway.  They work for privacy, which I need when all the trees shed their leaves. I also just like the look they give to the porch-makes it looks sort of cozy.

This particular blind is "green tea". I have several of these hung in the porch.  They go nicely with the wicker furniture.

Other Uses:

I have an entertainment unit in the den.  Years ago I faux finished the exterior but decided it needed something additional.  I purchased one large matchstick blind to provide an interesting background.  I needed to cut the blinds to fit behind each shelf-not an easy task.  The matchstick blinds are sort of fragile.  I asked someone in Lowe's if they could recommend a good saw for the job.  He told me to purchase a "bear saw".  It's a hand saw with teeth that go in a particular direction.  I think it cost about $15.00 which is a lot of money for a hand saw, but I knew I would use it in the future.  The guy who suggested the saw was very skeptical.  

I took the blinds home, wrapped them very tightly with a series of rubber bands close to the cut and sawed them very gingerly, but it did worked out fine!  Yay!!

The photo above shows how these blinds add interest to the back of the cabinet without spending a lot of money.

I cut them all to fit and fastened them to the back of the cabinet with small paneling nails.  

Another Use:

We have a room with a built in desk (came with the house) that has countless wires hanging in front of it.  There isn't much you can do about it.  I bought some clear wire wrappers and tied up all of them, but the wire still seemed like such an eye sore. I hate wires! I toyed with the idea of using fabric to cover the opening (see photo below so this make sense) but decided that the matchstick blinds would work just as well.

Behind this blind is a bunch of ugly wires.  Now they are hidden from view which is the desired effect. Oh yeah, as an added feature, you don't see legs and feet either.

So you can use these blinds around the house to add some interest.  There must be other uses for them, but so far this is about all I can come with.

Christy

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