Red Rum

I may hate the paint color I picked for the picture shelves.

I broke one of my own cardnial rules...ALWAYS get a paint tester and try out a few shades before making a final selection.

I didn't get a tester, I just made a selection.

I may have messed up.

It may be too red.

I may have to repaint.

My plan is to do a final color check with the boards inside the house later today once everything is completely dry.

I may be painting again tomorrow.

Little Red Riding Dress

 

I am really enjoying sewing little baby clothes.  I have about 5 patterns that are waiting in the queue for fabric and time.  (Time being the limiting factor...who knew having a baby would be so time-consuming....oh yeah, everyone!)

I did manage to make a Little Geranium dress by MADE BY RAE.  This pattern for 0-3 Months is free on her website.

The instructions were great and the dress came out very cute.  I do have to say that I wish the neckline was not so "boxy." I feel like it goes too far up on baby girls chest so that you can't see that she has a neck.

The good thing is that MADE BY RAE does offer a Geranium dress pattern for sale that includes additional options for necklines as well as shelves.  It also is for additional sizes.  I will most likely be buying the full pattern as I really did like the way the dress came together.  I even got to use my button hole maker settings on my machine for the first time.

The material is from the Little Red Riding Hood line from Riley Blake.  There are some really cute fabric patterns in that line.  I have some other patterns that I am trying to figure out what to do with.  They are just too cute not to use.

I also made another little pair of pants using the same pattern that I used for the Easter outfit.   I really do like that method for making leggings.  They are really easy to whip up and she has gotten a lot of use out of them.  I am ordering some fun knits online so that I can make some additional leggings for the fall.

My next clothing project is most likely going to involve making some shorts.  It is finally warming up around here and will soon be too hot for little pants.

I have not been able to find a pattern online that I really like.  Most seem too involve for infant shorts.  I don't want to spend a bunch of time with pleats and darts when the little shorts are going to be bunched up sitting in a bumbo or kicking around on a playmat.  I will save the super cute time consuming stuff for when it can be toddled around.

I think my plan is to approach the shorts in a similar way to the pants.  I am going to use a pair of existing shorts as a pattern.  Hopefully I will be able to post a tutorial soon. 

If you don't ever see a BABY SHORTS post...it means they did not turn out. Don't hold your breathe.

Really all of this baby clothes making is just an excuse to take pictures of baby girl.  She is an adorable model.

What a Year - Nursery Craft Photo Bomb

It is the last day of the year.  What a year it has been!  This has definitely been the year of the baby.  Our entire year has revolved around the upcoming little one.  Even before she was a reality.  It has been a bit of a roller coaster of emotions but 100% worth it!

I won't be posting a top ten Wood and Cloth blogs from the past year as I probably didn't post many more than ten! 

So instead I will try to get caught up on posting the craft/decor items that have been completed for the nursery.  I got a bunch finished this holiday vacation which is a good thing as I swear the baby bump has grown exponentially over the past couple of days.  This is making sitting or standing too long uncomfortable.  Add in the fact that I have to sit a good distance away from the sewing machine and the number of projects getting done over the next few weeks is probably pretty limited. 

Project #1 - Pinwheel Pillow

I did post a picture of this in a previous post.  It comes from a wonderful tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew.  A pinwheel pillow?  I couldn't pass it up. 

Project #2 - Bunting

Simple bunting made with bias tape. 

Project #3 - Paper Pinwheels.

I still have a few of these to make, finding double sided scrapbook paper is more difficult than one might imagine.  There are a bunch of tutorials for these out there on the web.  I used paper drinking straws for the stems.

Project #4 - Framed Paper Elephant w/ Pinwheel.

This is the first of a few projects that were put in painted picture frames.  All of the frames came from IKEA and were originally white.  I will note that some of the frames did not take to the paint as well as others.  No biggie I just did a few more coats and then decided that the white that bled through was character!

For this little guy I just found an image online for the elephant pattern, put a bit of baker's twine on and glued one of my pinwheels.

There are many options for nursery art with elephants holding a flower but I thought the pinwheel would work well...and I think it did!

Project #5 - Framed Paper Punched Elephant

I am going to preface this project...I will most likely redo this one a bit.  I threw this together using hole punched elephants (the punch is from Martha Stewart) in a few minutes.  I didn't really measure and it looks a bit sloppy to me.  However when you are showing off your nursery for the first time to visiting family members sometimes it is enough just to get it done. 

I really liked this punch as it allows for some dimension with the ears that you can fold up. 

Project #6 - Fabric Covered Letter

 

I never really found a great tutorial on how to cover a paper mache letter...so I winged it.  Honestly I just cut and glued a bunch (using fabric glue) trying to make the seams as unnoticeable as possible. 

Project #7 - Headband Holder

The inspiration for this project (which is technically a Wood project) came from a tutorial by Shanty 2 Chic.  We ended up changing it up a bit and using small turned wood feet.  The husband gets partial credit for this one although I probably could have assembled it my self.

Project #8 -  Monochromatic Sayings

I saw this idea on Pinterest and unfortunately when I went back to see how it was done my link took me to spam so I improvised.  The husband had cut me plywood boards awhile back for a different project (I decided against doing that one, at least for the time being) so I used them as my backing.  I think the original one used canvas which would also work.  I then attached wooden letters using wood glue and painted.  As a piece of advice I would not suggest gluing the letters to the wood backing until after you have painted the wood backing and the letters separately.  It was a bit of a pain to paint them together and made for some sloppy brush strokes.

Project #9 - Throw pillows

2 sets of throw pillows, one with piping, no biggie. 

Project #10 - Elephant Pillow

I purchased this elephant pattern from Gingercake Designs.  I have done patterns from this shop before and really liked them.  I struggled a bit on this pattern as I felt some of the instructions were not very clear.  It could have been my pregnancy brain however.  I would recommend using a very light weight interfacing as I used the light weight one I normally use and it was WAY too stiff causing a mess when I turned the pattern out.  I may potentially redo this little guy but we will see....

Project #11 - Paper Elephant Family

Just scrapbook paper.  I liked the simplicity.


So that is it, the BIG nursery craft project round-up.

Hope everyone as a wonderful last day of 2012. 
Bring on 2013!!!

Time Was Ticking...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  I think I sat down yesterday for the first time in 5 days.  The holidays are exhausting, especially if you are pregnant!

I somehow managed to throw together the ottoman "packages" before everyone came over to the house for soup and candy house making.  I really should have left this project for next year instead of trying to cram it in last minute but...

Slipcover Packages

Project Rankings
Difficultly - Easy
Frustration Level - Low
Makeability - 100% worth it!

Materials
Fabric
Ribbon
Bow

Warning! I just kind of threw these together not really caring if my seams were good or anything.  They are going to sit under my table for decoration so I didn't take any great pains.  If you are looking for a precise tutorial with perfect corners you came to the wrong place!

Step #1:
Measure the dimensions of what you want to cover and then add some extra for seam allowance.  You want your slipcovers to be pretty snug but not too snug that you can't get them on.  I ended up adding 1 inch to each of the sides using a 1/4 inch seam allowance with left about 3/4's of give which seemed to work out great.

Step #2:
This is the hardest part especially if you don't have square ottoman's.  Lay out all of your pieces so that you know which sides connect to each other.  I actually got messed up (I am going to blame pregnant brain) and ended up having to rip out a ton of seams the first time I tried to assemble one of them.  I worked one side at a time pinning them together and then sewing with a 1/2 seam allowance.  I did leave about 1/2 inch open on each end of the piece.  This allows you to turn under the bottom edge to make it look nice.  It also allows you to piece together the corners.

Step #3:
When you get to a corner just kind of bunch and pin all of the pieces together (as shown in the picture and sew all the way to the edge to finish up your corner.

Step #4:
When you get to your last piece you may have to make an adjustment to make your slip cover a bit tighter.  I ended up sewing a 1 inch seam allowance for the final piece as 1/2 inch would have made the cover a bit sloppy.  Again this is a really rough decorative/non-function cover so I improvised.

Step #5:
Note:  I did not do this step but if you want a more finished look you can turn under all of your bottom edges and sew them.  I just kind of tucked mine under the ottoman for this year...maybe next year I will finish the seams (but probably not).

Step #6:
Put your bows on.  I crapped out an bought a bow for the top of my ottomans.  My bow making abilities leave a lot to be desired.  Done.

Lullabye and Good Night

I am not very good at wall decor.  I panic and tend to over think too much which leads to me having a ton of empty/blank wall space.

So the thought of figuring out what to put on the nursery walls sent me into a mini panic.  Well that, and the hormones.

I haven't been sleeping great, not that I ever have, so I often troll Pinterest for ideas in the wee hours of the morning.  On one such occasion I did come across an idea from Project Nursery to frame sheet music from a favorite song or lullaby.

Now came song selection time.  My original thought was to use a favorite lullaby my Mom used to sing me...Horsey, Horsey, On Your Way.   After some searching on the Internet I found out it is an old English lullaby that has a couple different versions.  Unfortunately I was unable to find the sheet music for the version I wanted.

Next up I thought I would like to frame St. Judy's Comet by Paul Simon.  I have always loved Paul Simon and there are a couple of songs of his that I hope to make into lullabies for baby girl.  The problem with my selection was that the original song is written for a boy.  When I sing it ( if you want to call my vocalizations singing...my family is not known for their melodic talents) I change the words to a girl but I wasn't sure I wanted it framed with the boy version.

I went through a couple more options but found out that many had more than three pages of music and would not work as I only want to frame three.

Finally I settled on Baby Mine from Dumbo.  It was perfect.  Sweet lyrics, three pages, and even tied into the elephant theme.  Now to find the sheet music.

Apparently no one buys actual sheet music anymore.  It is either digital or only offered in compilation books.    I did make a trip to one of the local music stores only to find out that no they didn't have it in stock but they could order it in.  The problem was it would take 4 weeks to get and the store was closing its doors forever in two weeks.  So I decided to buy it digitally.

Now the problem was that I needed it bigger than my printer could handle and I wanted it on paper with a bit more character than stark white.

The husband enlisted the help of a friend of ours that is a graphic designer.  He created an ivory background for behind the music so that we could take it to be anywhere on white paper. 

For the frame we used a frame from IKEA with a white matte.  I wanted a bit more "pop" so we painted the matte with the dusty rose accent color.

The result is exactly what I wanted.

Now I need to work on signing the song all the way through without crying.  I get to the last verse and I lose it.

"From your head down to your toes.  You're not much goodness knows.  But you're so precious to me sweet as can be, baby of mine."

You have to taco it!!!

This is the last time I am doing this...

My favorite feature in the nursery is the built in that Wood made with the window seat.  I have always envisioned a little one curled up underneath blankets surrounded by pillows and books.

I was very excited when I found the perfect fabric for the nursery window seat.  I actually found this fabric back before we knew that she was a she!  I loved the plaid (as I have stated before I really like simple patterns) and the fact that the colors were not super pastel but a bit darker, more tinted.  (FYI...I found the fabric at JoAnn's in the home decor section.) 

It had been a couple of years since I did the original window seat cover that was used when the room was a craft room.  I had forgotten the horror.

I had forgotten what a pain it was to work with such large pieces of fabric and foam. 

I am not a fan of working with large pieces of fabric as I always find it a bit difficult to get things cut correctly.  Also it is hard to find a large enough spot to do the cutting...especially one that doesn't include pugs. 

(Yes those are Halloween decorations...I cut the fabric a long time ago!)

Thankfully having the plaid pattern made it a bit easier as I was able to cut along the natural lines in the fabric.

I followed an amazing tutorial by Sew, Mama Sew! that can be found here. This is a very nicely put together tutorial that I follow exactly only omitting the handle part as this is not a portable cushion.  Also the piping and continuous bias portion of the tutorial is one of my favorites.  I use that technique to make all of my piping for pillows etc.  You should definitely check it out!

One tip from me to you is to check out foam from Home Depot.  Seriously Home Depot.  Foam as I have stated before is like gold and costs about as much if you get it from the fabric store (even with 50% off deals).  The husband's Aunt put us onto the Home Depot foam which is slightly less dense than the high density stuff at JoAnn's but not by much.  Home Depot carries foam pads for camping.  I am not sure if they carry them year round but it is worth checking out.  We got a 3 1/2 inch thick pad for about half of the cost of going to the fabric store.

The longer I worked on this project the more certain I became of this fact...this will be the last window seat cushion I do for this room.  Either baby girl will live with this cushion fabric until she turns 18 and moves out or she will go without a window cushion.

The husband and I spent some of the most frustrating and funny 40 minutes of our lives trying to stuff the foam padding into the cushion.  Let me set the scene...

Our window set measures 7 feet long.  The longest zipper I could find at the fabric store was 2 feet long.  While I suspect I could order something longer online I didn't. So can you picture the issue?  We have to manhandle the huge piece of foam into the tiny zipper opening.  What resulted was both Wood and Cloth breaking a sweat while trying to twist the foam into submission.

At one point about 30 minutes in the husband let loose with the comment..."you have to taco it more, taco it more"  at which point the wife started laughing uncontrollably losing her kung-fu death grip on the foam resulting in a major setback in the stuffing operation.

Finally, after recovering our composure, we were able to somehow wrangle it into the cover.  The only way that foam is coming out of that cover is by scissors or the jaws of life.

For all of the grunting and groaning, twisting and turning...I love it.  The fabric is exactly what I wanted for the room.  What a perfect place for baby girl to read her stories. 

(I'm not quite ready to show the entire built in, still a bunch of work to do so this is just a teaser...)

I have a couple of pillows made but still need a few more.  So many projects so little crafting time!

Gingham Style

 

When I started to think about the nursery I didn't want to go the super matchy matchy bedding/decor set route.  Not that there is anything wrong with that it is just not my style.  I really enjoy selecting or making individual pieces myself.  Early on I found the perfect material for the window seat in the nursery.  A plaid pattern with dusty pinks and sage greens.  From there I knew I wanted to focus more on colors and patterns than an actual theme.  I also didn't want to go overboard with the pastels.  So I chose the sage green and the dark dusty rose to be my accent colors in the room.

I looked a bit at window coverings to use for the curtains on the closet but did not find anything that I loved...So out came the sewing machine.

I found 2 fabrics that were perfect and decided to make my own curtains.  It seems like it would be pretty easy to piece them together...and it was!

I love the result it is exactly what I wanted.  A pop of color with a bit of pattern.  I really like the way they frame the closet.

Project Rankings

Difficultly - Medium
This gets a medium only as it is a bit difficult to calculate and determine lengths that you need for the fabric.  You need to take a number of things into account.  I tried to list them all below.  I have also included the  dimensions I used as a starting point.  The actual piecing this together is a cake walk.
Frustration Level - Low
Makeability - 100% worth it!

Materials

Fabric -
I used 2 different kinds but obviously you could do more or less.  As far as how much fabric you need it will depend on the length of your panels and the width you need.  the specifics listed below are for what I used on my closet.

My dusty pink fabric came from Joann's.  It is a home decorator fabric.

My gingham fabric is from IKEA.  It is also a nice home decorator weight.  I am not sure if you would want to mix a simple quilt cotton and a decorator weight...2 cottons would probably work though.
1/2 inch fusible tape
Normal sewing stuff, pins, thread, sewing machine, etc.


Step #1: 
You will need to measure your area to determine the width and length of your panels.  I can't stress enough that you should measure twice and cut once!  You will need to determine if you want your curtains hitting the floor or not, I did not.  You will also need to determine how high above your window or closet you want to place your curtain rod.  If you are doing multiple fabrics you will need to determine how much length of each you want.  I wanted my second/bottom fabric to be smaller than the first as I wanted the pattern piece to only be an accent and not overpower the room with the gingham pattern.  For the width of your fabric you will need to determine if the curtains are just for shoe or if you want them to be able to be untied and pull across your entire closet or window.  I did so I did make the panels wide enough to cover up the closet (in case it is a mess and company is coming over).  All of those decisions will factor into your dimensions.  In addition you will need to account for seam allowances as well as the width of your curtain rod.
Listed below are what I did and why so that if you are inserting your own measurements you will need to make your adjustments.  I added 1/2 inch to each edge for a seam allowance.  This allowed me to sew a 1/4 inch, turn under a 1/4 inch and top stitch.

Dusty Pink Top Fabric - Cut 2 of this size for the 2 panels.  56 inches long x 36 inches wide

Gingham Bottom Fabric - Cut 2 of this size for the 2 panels.
27 inches long x 36 inches wide
Additional material is needed if you plan on sewing the tiebacks.  You could also use cute ribbon or something like that. Or you can make your own.  The instructions for the tie backs are at the end of the curtain tutorial.

Step #2:
Pin the right sides of your 2 pieces of fabric together.  Sew together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Press your seams out.

Step #3:
Cut your 1/2 wide fusible tape in half to the width of your panel.  Place one of your 1/4 inch tape strips under the pressed out seam as shown in the picture. Iron in place.  Remove the tape backing and iron the fabric seam down onto the tape.  Repeat for the other side of pressed seam.

Step #4:
Next up pick one of the long sides (not the top or the bottom of the panel) and turn fabric under 1/2 inch (turn under to the wrong side).  I pressed out the turn under and also pinned it (I like to use pins...). 

Step #5:
Sew in place using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Step #6:
To make it more "finished" looking I turned under another 1/2 inch and sewed another 1/4 inch seam allowance.  That way I don't end up with any rough fabric edges.  I could also just turn under twice and then sew once but of course I didn't really think about that at the time.
Step #7:
Repeat Steps 4-6 for the other long side of the panel.

Step #8:
Working on the bottom of the panel turn under and sew as described above.  Because you are folding under some of the long sides those will be a bit bulky but should go through your sewing machine...hopefully!  At the end of this step all of your sides should look nice and finished with the exception of the top part of the panel.

Step #9:
Working with the top of the panel fold over 1/2 inch as described above and sew using 1/4th inch seam allowance.

Step #10:
Measure 2 inches from your newly finished edge down an pin.  This will create the pocket that you will slip the curtain rod into.  See picture.

Step #11:
Sew into place.  I sewed directly over my seam from the turn under as shown in the picture.

Tie Backs Instructions

Step #1:
Cut 4 pieces of your desired fabric ~30 inches by ~5 inches.

Step #2:
Pin 2 pieces right sides together and sew around all edges using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  You will need to leave about 1-2 inches open in order to turn out your fabric.

Step #3:
Turn your fabric right side out.  Press out the seams being sure to fold and press under your open portion.

Step #4:
Top stitch around the entire tie back using a 1/4th inch seam allowance.

There you have it curtains!

Making room for baby!

When we built our house almost four years ago I knew I wanted to have a room where I could store all of my craft items, spread out projects, and not have to clean everything up at the end of each day.  I wanted a craft room! 

With no children we had a large excess of rooms so I pretty much had my choice.  I decided on the corner room.  It was the biggest of the remaining rooms and had the best window. 

It was a bunch of fun to convert the space into a dream craft room filled with storage and Wood and Cloth projects.  Wood made the craft table (using table legs we had found in an antique store) and the built-in window seat storage.  I had fun finding a bunch of antique items to use as storage and organization, I sewed a window cushion cover, and we both got our feet wet on home DIY projects with the installation of the bead board and chair rail.

I spent a ton of hours in that room making things for friends, family, and our home.  However, if I am honest, I always wanted the room to be a nursery.  I suspect most of my choices for decor were based on the hope that someday we would be able to put a little one to sleep in the room. 

So as soon as we got the news I started planning the destruction of my beloved craft room and the creation of the nursery.

Before any of the nursery fun could truly begin we needed to move the craft room to the empty room down the hall.  Previously this room was used for all of our numerous painting and staining projects...(we will have to find somewhere for all of our craziness..most likely the basement)

Making the move was not as easy as I thought.

I kind of freaked out when planning the new craft room.  I loved the yellow in the old room but didn't know if we were going to keep it for the nursery or not.  If we were having a boy..no.  If we were having a girl..maybe.  So I spent a couple of months in a constant state of "what do I do."  I didn't want to move everything out of the nursery into the new craft room without painting it first. 

But what color?  Did I want to do something fun on one of the walls like batten boards?  What was I going to do for storage now that I was leaving the cabinets in the nursery?  Needless to say numerous hours were wasted on Pinterest trying to find inspiration.

Total breakdown.  I am going to blame it on hormones but I was completely incapacitated when it came to any decisions related to the nursery.  Very frustrating and not really like me.  I can usually envision what I want and begin to work toward it immediately (and somewhat impatiently).

Finally one day I woke up and decided who cares?  The new craft room can be a work in progress.  We can move stuff out and paint later.  No need to have everything in place.  I just needed a place to begin nursery crafts.

So here I sit in my new craft room with unpainted walls and I love it. 

It is smaller, less bright, and devoid of character (so far).  I love it because next door is an amazing space that will welcome my baby girl in a few months.  I have projects planned for the craft room but they will have to wait... 

I have a princess that needs a castle.

Cloth-Laundry Room Finishing Touches-Mini Fabric Clothesline

It is always fun to get a big project to the point of decorating.  A few DIY projects can really pull together a room.

I am going to split these projects into a few postings...so here we go with part one!

I wanted to try and incorporate as many laundry room touches into the decor as possible.  So how about a cute mini clothesline complete with coordinating fabric pants and shirts....let's do it!

Project Ranking
Difficultly - Easy
Frustration - Low
Makeability - 100% worth it

Materials
Clothesline (or rope of some sort)
Fabric
Clothespins
Spray paint

Step #1: Spray paint your clothes pins if you want.  I wanted them to match my yellow and black decor.  I didn't take any special care when spray painting as I knew they were going to be up high and little boo-boos would not be seen.  If your going to put your clothesline up front and personal you may want to make sure your coverage is good and there are no goobers.

Step #2: Draw a pattern for the clothes pieces you want to cut out of fabric.  I am crafty, not artsy so I limited my patterns to a chunky shirt and pants.  A little dress would also be cute.

Step #3: Cut out your clothing pieces from cute fabric. and hang on your clothesline with your painted clothespins. 

Bam, done!

Cloth - DIY Berry Lemonade Bar

Is there anything more quintessential summer than lemonade?

The husband and I host a family BBQ this year for Memorial Day.  I decided to jazz up my lemonade a bit and make a "build your own lemonade bar."

Super easy, a bit unexpected, and yummy fun!

Step #1: Make your favorite lemonade recipe.
 -You probably want to keep the recipe fairly simple as you don't want really strong flavors to overpower your fruit syrups.

Step #2: Make simple syrups using your favorite berry or fruit.
-Basic Simple Syrup Recipe
 *1 cup sugar
 *1 cup water
 *1 cup fruit
 **Heat all ingredients to a boil and simmer for ~15 minutes
 **While things are simmering I did try to mush up the berries a bit so that I could get the most flavor out of them.
 **Remove from heat and pour through a strainer to remove any of the big fruit chunks.  Make sure the container you are straining into is heat safe as your syrup will be very hot at this point.

NOTE:  I was not really impressed with the blackberry syrup I made.  It may have been my blackberries as they were not very flavorful to begin with..the strawberry and raspberry turned out great.  I can't wait to try peaches once they are in season.

Step #3: Find containers to dispense your syrups. 
 -I used some cheapo vinegar bottles with spouts but you could use cute glass milk bottles or whatever else you have on hand.

Step #4: Cut up fresh fruit/berries to match your syrups and put out spoons for your guests to scoop the fruit into their lemonade masterpieces.

Step #5: Label your syrups with a cute tag. 
 -My printer decided to act up on me before the party so I ended up hand writing the ones for my actual party, not as cute as the printed one but they got the job done!

Have your guests fill up their glasses, mix in flavors to their hearts content, and enjoy the summer weather!

Cloth-Painting a Rug and Other Such Nonsense

I am not exactly sure what possessed me to do this project but I did.  I suspect the key word here is possessed.

The husband and I were in Lowe’s a couple of months ago and I saw this rug perched on a sales rack in the middle of the aisle.

*Perfect size for the laundry room = CHECK

*Exact pattern design I wanted = CHECK

*Amazingly low sale price = CHECK

*Black & white = BIG FAT NO

Three out of four ain’t bad, right?

When I pointed the rug out to the husband and told him how perfect I thought it would be for the laundry room the following conversation played out…

Husband: You know it is orange, right?

Wife: I know, I’m going to paint it.

Husband: You can paint rugs?

Wife: Sure people do it all of the time on Pinterest.

Husband: Just because people do stupid things and post them on Pinterest doesn’t make it a good idea.

True there are a bunch of painted rug tutorials floating around on Pinterest.  However they all assume that you are taking a blank rug and adding some sort of pattern to it where you tape off your pattern and pretty much roll paint over the entire rug.

How much harder would it be to take an existing pattern and paint over part of it….?  I had to try.  I figured even if it ended up looking like total crap I would only be out about 8 bucks.  

Long live stupidity!

Step 1: I did a bit of research and most of the people painting rugs recommended using a fabric additive to mix with your paint.  I didn’t expect or need a fluffy soft rug as it was destined for the laundry room but I didn’t want a rock hard unbending mass either.  I ended up using a Martha Stewart fabric paint medium additive, it seemed to do the trick.

Step 2: I mixed my paint with the additive according to the directions on the additive container.  2 parts paint to 1 part additive.

Step 3: Initially I thought I might try to tape over the white lines to ensure I didn’t get black everywhere.  I quickly abandoned that plan after a few minutes as it was going to take forever to get everything lined-up correctly.  Sometimes you just have to go for it!  Using a small foam brush I carefully dabbed paint along the white edge of each of the patterns.  I will admit my first couple outlines were not the best and that part of the rug is positioned the furthest away from the laundry room door.  I did eventually get the hang of it and subsequent patterns looked much sharper. 

Is the rug perfect, nope.  Does it look pretty darn good, good enough for a laundry room…heck yes! 

Even the skeptical husband conceded that the rug turned out not too shabby.

Gotta go post my stupidity to Pinterest.