DIY Use CDs to Make Unique Window Blinds

Not only have I made curtains using old CDs, I've also made window blinds. They are easy to use and fairly cheap to make especially if you are someone like me who winds up with unusable CDs because you can't seem to burn them correctly. Here's how you can make window blinds out of your old CDs.

Supplies Needed
*Optional - Length of thin chain. (purchase at Home Depot or Lowe's)
Package of "S" hooks (between 20 - 50 hooks needed depending on size of windows)
Heavy Gage Wire long enough to stretch across the width of your window
4 "L" brackets
1" X 2" board the width of the inside of your window
2 small forged shoulder screw eye
Lots of CDs
Hand Drill
Needle Nose Pliers

Note about supplies
The amount of CDs you will need will highly depend on the size of your widow. CDs are 5 inches wide so you can determine there will be one column of CDs per every 5 inches.

Lowe's sells heavy gage wire for around 8 bucks a box. This is the type of wire you typically find on the back of very heavy mirrors and pictures. See illustration 3 for view of supplies.

Chain is optional for this project. You don't have to use chain to connect your CD's but if you do there are a couple of things to know before purchasing it. The type of chain you will want to use depends on your own personal preference. Chain is sold on reels and cut to order depending on how long you need the chain to be. Chain comes in a variety of styles, colors and weights.

Instructions
The first thing you are going to do is to figure out how many CDs you need. As stated above the easiest way is to figure 1 CD for every 5 inches across and down. I suggest making one column of CDs to determine the exact length you will be making for every column.

After you have a rough idea (or precise idea if you're married to an engineer like I am) of how many CDs you'll need, gather your hand drill and CDs in a safe place where you can drill holes into them.

Drill two holes into each CD. One hole at the top and one at the bottom. Be sure to line up the holes exactly in the dead center so that when they hang they are uniform. Experience has taught me that I can safely drill through 5 CDs at a time without endangering myself, the CDs or my environment. See illustration 1.

Once you have drilled holes in your CDs you can start connecting them together. If you are not using any chain then simply put one end of a "S" hook through the top hole and pinch it closed with your needle nose pliers. Repeat for the bottom hole of the CD so that you are using the "S" hook to connect a long column of CDs together. Make one column of CDs and check against the length of your window to be sure the column is as long as you need it to be. Repeat these steps until you have enough hanging columns of CDs to cover the entire width of your window. See illustration 2. At the end of each column use the "S" hooks to dangle a musical note charm or other cute little decoration. If you don't want a charm dangling from the bottom add one CD that does not have a hole at the bottom to each column.

After you have connected all your columns of CDs you need to mount them in a way that lets them slide open and closed. This is fairly easy to do with the heavy gage wire and 1"X2" board your purchased.

Screw one forged shoulder screw eye into each end of the 1X2 board. Cut two pieces of heavy gage wire long enough to attach to the screw eyes, leaving an extra inch on each end to tie it off. Twist the two pieces of wire tightly together using your needle nose pliers. Once you have the wire twisted together simply insert through the eye of the screw and twist until the wire is tightly secured. You should now have a piece of wire running down the center of your 1X2 board, taught and not loose.

On the inside of your window frame mount one side of an "L" bracket. Repeat on the other side of your window frame. Mount two "L" brackets on the top of your window frame as well. You will need all 4 "L" brackets to support the weight of the CDs and the 1X2.

It's a bit tricky and hard to maneuver in such a tight space but mount the 1X2 board onto the other side of the "L" brackets so that the wire is on the inside of the window.

Once you have your 1X2 mounted flush with your window frame, use the "S" hooks to hook your CD columns to the wire and then pinch the "S" hook closed. Your CD columns should now slide back and forth.

Paint your 1X2 to match your wall or decorate any way you wish.

To use the chain method
If you are opting to use chain to connect your CDs together, simply connect the "S" hooks through sections of chain. You will need to cut the chain to a desired length. The more chain you put between CDs the more open space you will be able to see through.