DIY Navy Painted Curtains

We started working on my parents house several weeks ago.  You can check out the earlier post here and here.  Work has gone a little slower than anticipated, but that happens with schedules being switched around and things popping up.  We are finishing up the dining room and yesterday I was able to work on her curtains while Dustin put up her blinds and continued prep work and ceiling painting on their extremely high foyer area.  

I knew ages ago that I wanted to try to paint stripes on white curtains after I saw Beckie's at Infarrantly Creative.  She has some of the most AMAZING DIY's that I've come across!!  When my mum and I where at Ikea recently we picked up several packs of the Merete Bleached White Grommet Curtains.  I figured you can't beat it for $25 bucks for two curtain panels.  If I destroyed them made a boo boo,  it wouldn't be too terrible.  Seeing as it wasn't my money, lol.  

Love ya mum ;-)

Here is my Navy and White Painted Striped Curtains...

    A comparison shot of the window area from when we started...

I can honestly tell you I was so scared to do this!!  For the life of me, I don't know why.  Maybe because I thought it wouldn't turn out as nice as all the other painted curtains I saw online or maybe because the color we chose, Commodore by Sherwin Williams, looked like this on a piece of furniture...

This was only one coat of Commodore paint in the picture.  We did three coats in one area and it still had more of a deep royal blue rather than a deep Navy, but when I put it on a scrap piece of cloth, it came out looking exactly how I wanted it.  So I said to heck with it and rolled it on the curtains. 

I had my brother their telling me he didn't think it was going to work.  How sweet, lol.  When it was all done, he loved them.  

How do you feel about painting fabric?  If you've done any projects, where you completely freaked out a little nervous like me or did it not bother you?  I think my worst fear was the bleeding through under the tape but overall I really only had a couple little spots that were not visible once the curtains were hung up. 

How to GET ER' DONE:

Supplies

1 pkg. of Merete Ikea Curtains in Bleached White

1 Qt. of Commodore by Sherwin Williams 

Delta Dreamcoat Textile Medium to make it washable (Joanne Fabrics)

Tape Measure

A Piece of Cardboard Box

Painters Tape

Pencil

A scrap piece of board (long enough to fit across the width of the curtains)

Paint Roller and tray

Plastic Sheeting for Underneath the Curtain

Knee Pads (Since I forgot mine at home, I cut up an old piece of sponge and wrapped them around my knees with blue painters tape)

*A smart Math Dad who does the measurements for you

*A 2 year old niece who asks you 50 questions when you are working

*The last two items are not necessary, but one comes in very handy while the other helps you multitask and prepares you for reality of DIY projects while having little ones around, lol. 

Here is the photo of the paint and Textile Medium I used...

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Figure out your measurements for how thick you want your stripes.  We didn't have to hem the curtains since my parents have 9 foot ceilings.  So in comes the Math Whiz dad of mine.  

Here is his final measurement of the size of each stripe on the curtain.

We did 10 total stripes with that thickness, but instead of sitting and measuring each 9 9/16 line all the way down with the tape measure, my dad thought up a genius plan!!! Genius I tell you!!  READY?

STEP 2

A piece of Cardboard box cut to the size of the stripes, which was 9 9/16.  So now all I had to do was go down each side of the curtain with my cardboard piece and pencil mark the stripe.

STEP 3

I love little things like that cause it makes it so much easier on me :-)  The only time I used the measuring tape was to mark my first line on the curtain.  I went down 5 1/2 inches from the top of the curtain and marked my first line.  The reason why I didn't start on the bottom was that Not every curtain is exactly the same length.  I learned that quickly ;-)  Then from there, just use the cardboard to mark the rest of the way down.

STEP 4

 Take your straight edge piece of wood and tape off your stripes.  Another great piece of Advice from Becky from Infarrantly Creative was:

Tip:  If you are taping off the stripe that will be painted lay the straight edge board’s bottom edge on top of the line.  If you are taping off a stripe that won’t be painted the straight edge board top will sit below the line.

So all of my UNPAINTED LINES looked smaller than the painted lines with the tape on them (Once you pull the tape up after painting they are all the same size).

 The lines that have rolls of tape on them are thicker looking because the tape is on the outside of those lines, where as the lines that will be unpainted have the tape on the inside of the line.  As I worked my way down the curtain panel, I took the roles of tape off the line to be painted.  It just gave an additional cue as to which line should be painted.

Take a second to rest with Chatty Kathy...

Notice I still wasn't wearing knee pads at this point:   BAD IDEA!!  It was after I finished my first curtain that I made the homemade ones :)

STEP 5

 Before painting, make sure your tape is stuck down to the fabric.  Go back and forth with your finger or nail like I did along the line.  Oh yes, and make sure to have your 2 1/2 year old niece there for questioning such as: 

What are you doing?

Why are you doing that?

Can I do it?

Why not?

Listen to those same exact questions on Repeat and give the same exact answers over and over again ;-)

STEP 6

 Work in small sections going back and forth until it is saturated very well!

STEP 7

 When two lines are completed, you can peal off the tape.  You will not need to do two coats of paint on the curtains.  Again, just make sure to cover it well.

Painted and waiting for it to dry!  It really didn't take very long for the curtain to dry.  I don't know how long most people waited to hang their curtains after painting them.  I am Soooo Impatient (Just ask my husband.  He can give you MANY instances, lol).  So I put them up between around 15 minutes after I finished the last line.  It was dry to the touch.  You may have more patience than I and can wait it out, but my mum and I are exactly the same when it comes this type of thing and we where like "feel it, it's not wet, let's get it hung up."

Once they were up, I was able to see a few missed spots, so I just took a little paint brush and touched up the missing areas.  

Dustin finished up the window area by installing some blinds I found here.

We still have a few things to finish in the room.  The table doesn't look bad in this pic, but in person, it's not so nice.  My mum found a glaze online that is called Java and is supposed to be a mix of black brown, similar to the Ikea Stornas Buffet on the left. 

We still need to find a rug, hang the rest of the artwork. Repaint the console (that I showed above painted in one coat of Commodore) in Naval by Sherwin Williams and then I think this room is complete.  

Friday I will be painting the last two of the Navy striped curtains for the adjacent room that we are turning into and office/sitting area and finishing up the staircase in white, while Dustin paints the walls in foyer area and by the front door.

Have a great Thursday!!!

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For information on my on-line design services, please click here.

For on-site design services {Greater Hampton Roads and Richmond Virginia}, please email seasideinteriors01@gmail.com for pricing and availability.

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Pantry Makeover!

I have been completely MIA over the past week or so trying to get some projects done around the house, working on designs for clients, and taking a little me time to go see the performance of Les Miserable with my sister-in-law, niece, and my mother-in-law.  It was such a relaxing evening and a nice little getaway while my hubby looked after the kids!

So today I am back with a design board of one of my truly favorite places to decorate and organize:

THE PANTRY!!!

There is something about making a pantry cute and functional that makes me REALLY REALLY Happy!

The pantry is part of a whole first floor design that I am working on for a client.  Anna is currently transforming the family room as we speak, or as I just ramble to you, which ever one ;-)

So far, I have created her Family Room Design Package and Kitchen Design Package.  I still have her Dining Room and Living Room Design Board Packages to create where we will be bringing in new colors while adding a touch of the Family Room/Kitchen side so that it will feel like a cohesive space.

It may be the smallest space in the mix, but don't cha think it would make your day a little brighter if you opened up the pantry and saw this...

My client asked for something different when it came to the pantry door.  Instead of having to budget in a new door, the best option was PAINT.  I recommended Aqueduct by Sherwin Williams.  

Are any of your interior doors painted a color other than white?  If so, I would love to hear what color you choose to coordinate with your home?

I chose a fun wall stencil to go along the wall behind the shelving, which will cover two of the walls. The shelves will be painted out in white to freshen them up and make them stand out from the wall pattern.  To keep everything organized I found some Farm Style Chicken Wired Baskets and chose glass canisters with the recommendation of putting chalkboard decals on them to finish them off.  

Here are a couple pics of the pantry that my client sent in which I added some details to...

Here is a better picture of the shelving on the right.

An option to give the shelving a thicker look is to add a flat trim piece along the front of each shelf.

And here is the one last look at the Design Board...

Instead of just sharing the Source List for where you can purchase the items, I thought I would share the hints and tips that I send to my clients too, so here is what Anna received for her Pantry Sources...

                                                                                                                                                 

Anna’s Pantry Source List

Labels to Purchase 

http://www.thehouseofsmithsdesigns.com/category/labels

For Free Labels

https://www.box.com/s/fcacd208202c365f15fb

http://thesocialhome.blogspot.com/

http://blog.worldlabel.com/2013/kitchen-spice-jar-pantry-organizing-labels.html

There are a ton of different labels on the link.  They have directions on how to print them up.

Glass Jars

http://www.target.com/p/anchor-hocking-glass-jar-set-of-2-1-2-gallon/-/A-12705098#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink

These glass jars can be found at Target, that’s where I got mine.  Also try Homegoods, TJmaxx, and Walmart.

Soup Can Rack

http://www.amazon.com/Atlantic-1002-Canrack/dp/B00021RESS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364178592&sr=8-2&keywords=soup+can+rack

Dollar Store Tubs for kids snacks

http://roomtoinspire.blogspot.com/2011/09/dollar-drink-bucket-organization.html

Check at the Dollar store or Target’s dollar section to find some in your color scheme.  These golden yellow would be perfect to bring in a bit of gold or you could do a gray.  If you don’t have a label maker, you can print up some of those tags and glue them to heavy duty card stock and cut out, use a hole puncher to punch a hole in them, and loop a little rope through and tie to the handles.

  Original Door Image is Via Tater Tots and Jello

Crate Storage

 

You can purchase the ones from places like Joanne Fabrics or Michaels if you have one in your area and weather them up a bit.

Great to keep potatoes or storage bags underneath the bottom shelf.  Or I just thought about it tonight, since you mentioned you like to bake, you could store cookbooks in them. Use a coupon for Joanne Fabrics or Hobby Lobby to get them for cheap.  Depending on what size you get, three in the bottom of your cabinet will work well, turned the opposite way than the picture here.   

  

To decorate the wall behind the shelving, I suggest making it a focal point.

http://www.cuttingedgestencils.com/cascade-allover-stencil-pattern.html

OR

http://www.etsy.com/listing/126851131/12x12-moroccan-stencil?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_promoted&utm_campaign=everything_else_mid&gclid=COX4xYyJmbYCFcdxQgodm10A8w

You can paint the walls and then put up the stencil and paint over it to give it the effect.  With the stencil, you would paint the walls a light shade and then stencil over in the darker shade to give the two tones.

  

Martha Stewart has a great line of storage solutions from the pantry at Staples.  You can pick and choose which ever works best for your family.  Here is the main link and below that is a few that I think would be helpful.

http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/products/martha-stewart-home-office/?cmSearchKeyword=martha+stewart

Pantry Pockets

http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/products/martha-stewart-home-office/pantry_pockets.html

To keep your coupons, dinner menus, and receipts organized.  Would look nice to the right of the wall calendar.

Wall Manager

http://www.staples.com/Accessory-Boards/cat_CL204646

 To go above the recycle center on the left wall.

When you are shopping for some of these items, check the dollar store first for storage containers, then hit up Homegoods, TJMaxx, and Target.  For paint color, I suggest going with the same color as the family room and then adding the stencil in white, or painting the whole room a fresh white and adding the stencil in the same color for the family room. 

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments.  Thanks, Helen

                                                                                                                                                

I can't wait to see the end result when Anna completes it!   

If you enjoyed this post and don't want to miss out ;-) click up top there on the right and follow along ;-)

For information on my on-line design services, please click here.

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Industrial Shelving Unit

I had mentioned in my post yesterday, that I was going to share the Pantry Makeover Design for a client, but since we are having a debate in our house today, I thought I would have you join in the discussion.  

To finish up the dining room, I wanted to go with an Industrial Shelving Unit.  I want it to feel completely casual and relaxed where you would just grab a few bowls or a serving dish off the shelf and set the table.  I have quite a few white serving pieces, so my thought is to just have open shelving where I can stack the white serving dishes and dinnerware.  I also thought it would be fun to have a wine holder of some sort to put my wine.  I don't actually own either yet, the wine rack or the collection, lol.  But OH If I had a place to put them, I would.  At least that is what I am telling Dustin in order to purchase this piece.  ;-)

I showed the Industrial shelving unit to him and...

Insert imagine of an extra tight squeezed fart face and that is what he looked like when he saw the shelving I had pulled up online.

Wouldn't that be too much for the dining room?  Why would you want so much shelving to fill?  What would you even put on it? What are you going for a Restaurant?  Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.  LOL.

YES, that is exactly what I'm going for.  Hellllooo!  I just bought a sign, which he likes that has our last name on it and the big word RESTAURANT underneath.

So I decided to put together a Design Board so that he could get the full effect of what I am going for.

Here is my DREAM Dining Room...

I went looking for a chalkboard framed in gray reclaimed wood and came across the inspirational pic in the bottom left this morning.  Very similar to the feel I am going with except that my room will have some darker tones and turquoise and navy as additional pops of color to the room.  

The inspiration pic comes from Country Living.  

Although my dining table has feet on the pedestal and is in need of a paint job, I hope to do a gray wash that will make my table look similar to the one in the Design Board when all is said and done.  

Hopefully after seeing this design board, Dustin will be able to get a great sense of what I am going for. 

 Just trust me dude!!! ;-)

For the Industrial Shelving, I saw a lot that I liked, but found only ONE so far in my price range and size.

Industrial Mansard Double Bookshelf  VIA 

It may need a bit of a roughing up job, but overall for the price and the reviews, it seems to be a good choice.  What do you think?

If you enjoyed this post and don't want to miss out ;-) click up top there on the right and follow along ;-)

For information on my on-line design services, please click here.

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Quick and Easy Garden Bed Tutorial

A couple weeks back, we got a jump start on the yard and garden to get ready for the summer.  I knew we wanted to have a larger fruit and vegetable garden so we decided to create some raised garden beds.

They were really simple to put together and took all of about 20 minutes to create each one.  Each box cost approximately $10 for supplies.

To make one of your own, you will need:

Supplies:

6  Pre cut Dog Eared Pressure Treated Fence Picket (Approx. 4 ft tall)
1  2 x 2 piece
Finish Nails for your nail gun

Tools:

Miter Saw
Finish Nail Gun

If you do not have the miter saw, you can always get your Home Improvement store to do the cuts for you.

Directions:

Step 1

Cut dog ears off the top of each picket
* use the cut from the first picket to measure the cut on the rest of the pickets so that measurements will be exact.

Step 2

Cut two of the 6 pickets in half for the shorter ends of the raised bed.
*giving you 4 short pieces

Step 3

Cut your 2 x 2 into 6 pieces.
*We measured ours to be about 10 inches tall so that our pieces would be 1/4 from the top of the box.

Step 4

Using your nail gun, attach two of the cut 2 x 2's to the short boards.

We attached three 2 x 2's when we made the first bed, but decided that you only need 2 pieces, one on either end to complete the shorter end.

When you finish, do it a second time to create the other short end.

Step 5

Attach one short side to the long boards using your nail gun and duplicate it for the other end.

Step 6

Using your nail gun attach the last 2 x 2 in the middle of each long boards and you are done!

Now you can plant all of your veggies :)

I will be finishing them off with a coat of paint and some cute labels.  

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Now I head back to finishing up some really fun design boards!  Tomorrow, I will share the Pantry Design Board for a recent client.

If you enjoyed this post and don't want to miss out ;-) click up top there on the right and follow along ;-)

For information on my on-line design services, please click here.

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