The residents of Planet Internet have long since established the crafty value of a pair of shutters.  I have only one new point to add, but I think it’s a pretty good one.  In a word, paper clips.

And yes, you might wish to point out to me that that’s two words, but it’s one good idea – and I can say that without being immodest because even though I’m the one who thought of paper clips, my husband is the one who sorted out how to attach them.  Good job, husband!

As he demonstrated to me, paper clips can be slipped through the small metal rings that attach the tilt rod to the louvers.

Metal Rings

Yup.  That long, skinny thing you move to open and close the shutters is called a “tilt rod.” I looked it up for you. Now we both know.

Slipping paperclips through these metal rings creates far more display space than I have seen on other shutter projects, which is good, because I always want to display a lot of mail art.

02 Paperclips down one side

As you can see, the paperclips are oriented in opposite directions, with one space in between.

03 Paperclips halfway down the other

Sliding the paperclips on is slightly counterintuitive. If you want the paperclip to end up pointing right, you insert from the left, and vice versa.

04 All Paperclips in Place

It doesn’t take long, although I’m proud to say I screwed up the counterintuitive part at least six times. Okay, not that proud.

Once you have the paperclips in place, you have complete and total flexibility to display any size of mail art, in any orientation.

Versatility

The 3×7 on the right is held by two paperclips. The Artist Trading Cards on the right work perfectly, even though one is portrait and the other landscape.

For my shutters, I decided to create a “Saints and Sinners” display.

Completed Sinners and Saints

LOOK AT ALL THIS MAIL ART

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Ann D'Angelo is a dedicated drinker of diet Coke who has never spotted a thrift store she didn't want to visit or an item she didn't want to alter. Check out Ann's shop.

1 Comment

Cindy Dauer · May 25, 2015 at 8:22 pm

That is a great idea. And a super cute way to hang mail art and to get to see all the arts. As I have mentioned recently, I have SO MANY. I keep saying I am going to hang some and then you put up these great ideas and yet I haven't quite managed it yet. Soon!(?)

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