Drop cloth curtain Complete.... Or almost.

So this is the successful finish of my first set of curtains I still have two more sets to complete. I must say the smaller stencil patterned throughout the cloth was much easier than working with the large floppy stencil. I cut and no sew taped the curtains to make a curtain rod, the total length of my curtain is seven feet, I then measured one foot from the top, three inches from the edge and six inches from the bottom for he placement of the first stencil, then I placed the top edge of the stencil under each foot mark on my tape measure, for the next row I measured three inches over from the last row and started my row placing the bottom edge of the stencil above each foot mark instead of under each foot mark. The pictures below really don't do the color justice, they are pretty muted plum with a. Dark plum stenciling. They came out just great only two more sets to go, I spent about three hours last night on this set so I have about six more hours of work to go.

Measuring out the rows.

I used the tape measure as a guide, stretched it out to 

Seven feet using the feet marks as spacing guides.

I locked the measuring tape and then taped the end to 

Use as a straight line guide.

One panel done!

One set of curtains finished, my pillows for the couch 

Are light green and plum, I have the plum one on the chair.

I think it works well with the colors in the curtain.

Lots of frustration figuring these things out but totally worth the accomplished feeling.

Drop cloth curtain take two.

So take two! I dyed each set of 6x9 drop-cloths a plumbish purple using one bottle of purple rit dye and one third bottle of dark brown dye to 5 gallons of water. Be sure to run the cloths through a cycle in your washer to get them damp before dying or you will have splotches from non soaked in dye. Now I have to new sew tape the pockets for the rods and graph out spacing for the new much smaller stencil using a tape measure and painters tape. I will place the stencil throughout the curtain using a dark plum color.... Pics to come soon. The larger stencil was too floppy and hard to keep lined up but it was great for edging or just doing one strip at the bottom or top of curtains, I will probably use it for the bottom of our bedroom curtains.

Pallet art.

Using some stenciled letters white paint and a nine dollar deconstructed quarter pallet from Home Depot I was able to make this cute piece of art for the mantel. I think I will have it hung over the plug outlet on the wall when Bright eyes gets back from deployment. I used a paint brush to fill in the stencil because a foam roller just was not working well at all.

Gallery wall projects

I made three wood plaques for my gallery wall. I used three fairly inexpensive wood plaques from Hobby Lobby some plum, antique white and sage green paint, plus mod podge , sand paper some pictures and a Dremel tool. Step one, simply paint your plaque then sand the edges after it has dried well to make it look a bit worn a vintage. Step two, brush a layer of mod podge on to the back of your photo then slide your photo around to center it on the plaque, once centered then wipe any excess mod podge with a paper towel from the edges of the picture, it will dry clear anyways so don't worry if it looks messy. Step three, Dremel a hole in the back of the plaque for hanging, your husband can probably better do this for you, mine are butchered back there because my Bright Eyes is not home yet. And that's it! I am going to add our Monogram in the middle and call the wall done. Under the pictures I plan on having a wood crate bookshelf, the crates are waiting to be stained and put together by Bright Eyes when he gets home.

Drop cloth curtains

Ok so I thought it would be nifty to try my hand atdrop-cloth curtains, I purchased a stencil and some paint but apparently not enough paint. I am going to head to the store for a gallon of plum paint hoping they can match my swatch since I already stenciled a row on one of my curtains. So far the stenciled paint looks really amazing on the cloth. I laid down a plastic drop-cloth on the floor to protect the floor from paint seeping through the cloth onto the carpet beneath. I purchased a morrocan wall stencil from hobby lobby and it is quite fetching. Bright is coming home soon so I need to get these done, I have one set trimmed and no sew taped to make a pocket for the rod, the taping , trimming and ironing really isn't too hard, the hard part was getting into work mode and then being stopped abruptly because I did not calculate the paint amount needed properly. Here is a pic of what I have so far. Tomorrow one gallon of flat matte latex paint should help me get my project going again. One gallon of latex paint should cover six panels, and six panels is what I need done. Then I am moving on to dying my drop-cloth curtains for the bedroom. Making some pallet art for above the fireplace mantel and perfecting the bedroom a bit. I finished my wood plaque mod podge pictures for the gallery wall and they look amazing. I will post a quick tutorial on how to do those as well.

Leaving Home To Go Home

The last year has been hectic, hence the no blogging for a long time. We have had a colicky baby, a move, and a deployment, so it has been rocky for us. I will soon be leaving my childhood home to head back to Washington where my husband is stationed. And after nine long months I will be welcoming  him home from the Sandbox. I am so grateful to my family for allowing me to stay with them for  the nine months of deployment. I would have surely been heartbroken and lonely without them. I am sad to leave them behind because they have become a big part of Gage's life, but I am also thrilled to introduce the fun new toddler Gage to his father. I am excited to see how they will grow to love one another and interact with each other. Gage really is a miniature of Bright Eyes, so I do not see how they would not hit it off right away. I have twenty days until I leave home to go home. Today I will wish time to go faster so I can see my husband but I know I will wish I had more time with my family after heading back. So for now I will relish in the moment.