Vintage grain sack tutorial

I recently saw in a magazine a roman shade made out of a vintage grain sack and I wanted one. I scouted out grain sacks on eBay and found this one I loved but it cost $100. I decided to make my own....

Materials:

Burlap (sized to your project, mine was 1.5 yards)

Spray adhesive

Razor blade knife

Painters tape (for delicate surfaces)

Sponge brush

Marker

Wood craft paint

Textile medium for wood craft paint

Iron and scrap material/paper to heat set paint

1. Save a picture of the grain sack you like to your computer. Open it up in a photo program such as     Photoshop.  Crop the picture down into several pieces & enlarge them to the right size for your project. I cut my design into 9 separate pieces, each filling one piece of paper. 

2.       Trace each outline with a black permanent marker, making the lines more visible. Cut along the lines with a razor blade knife to make the stencils. 

3.       My pattern has a red stripe going down the center of the feed sack, to replicate this use blue painters tape (for delicate surfaces) taping on either side of where your stripe is going to be.  Using regular wood craft paint (toll paint) mixed with textile medium (follow directions on label) and a sponge brush, paint the stripe.

 

4.       Position each stencil piece on the burlap. Once positioned, taking two at a time, spray the stencils with adhesive drying for a few seconds before placing on burlap. Paint each one, removing stencil immediately after painting; otherwise the paper will be too hard to remove.  Continue until all stencils have been painted. 

  

5.       Let dry. When dry follow instructions on label of textile medium to heat set the paint, making it washable.  Usually this means covering the painted area with scrap material/paper and running an iron over it.

6.       Drum roll please…the side by side of the original vintage worth $100 vs. my knock off, isn’t it wonderful? 

Check back later to see how I turn this into a roman shade! I would love to see your projects, if you make one please post a comment with a link to your blog.

Goal: laundry room makeover

I've been wanting to get my laundry room organized and re-painted for so long. I just couldn't decide on which color or style to go with. I think I've finally narrowed down my plan so here it is....

I recently saw in a magazine the cutest roman shade made out of a vintage feed sack. I've been scouting them out on ebay but they're pretty pricey, however I think I can replicate this with a piece of burlap, a stencil and some paint. Check back later for my results. 

My plan is to paint the walls this coral color, using turquoise accents, and paint the cabinets a sand color. And of course to hang up this cute sign Jen and I saw at Anthropologie.

I'm giving myself exactly one month to get this project done; I'm such a procrastinator when it comes to painting. So check back and see if I reach my goal.

Time to blog

One day while surfing etsy I stumbled across this watch designer. I've never been one for wearing a watch but I think for one of these I'd change my mind. To check them out click here... http://www.etsy.com/shop/revolt70

monkey love

Isn't this the cutest quilt material for a little boy. My mother in-law sells these chenille quilt kits on etsy you can get yours here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=41257676

Old spice baby

I can't get enough of this commercial, its hilarious. The first time I saw it I had to rewind and watch it again.

Love these

I love this photographer, Alicia Bock, who sells affordable prints on etsy. I have this one hanging in my bathroom.

And I can't wait to add this one to my collection, as soon as I find the perfect spot to hang it.

You can get your own here, or just window shop as I frequently do. http://www.etsy.com/shop/AliciaBock

-amy