Embellished Drop Cloth Curtains

So exciting! I'm in love with drop cloth! You get lots of fabric for a little mu la! The great thing about them too is that they are already stitched up. So if you would like cream curtains, all you need to do is hem to the length you need and hang with those nifty rings with clips! I wanted to make mine a little more embellished so here's what I did..

Supply List
*2 Drop cloths from Home Depot. Mine are 6x9" for $10 each.
  However, after you wash them they will shrink up. Mine measured 67"x101" after washing
*1 1/2 yard Drapery fabric (54"wide)
*Sewing machine
*Thread ( I used a neutral color)
*Iron
*Good fabric scissors
*Fringe

Instructions for one panel
1. First I washed and dried my drop cloths

2. I cut my drapery fabric at 23 1/2" x 54" (width of fabric)

3. Hem the sides of the drapery fabric. I folded the sides over once so it wouldn't take away from the width of the fabric. Press then stitch.

4. Next I hemmed the bottom of the drapery fabric. I folded over 1/2" and then folded over again 1/2 inch. Press then stitch.

5. Now its time to add my fringe to the bottom of the drapery fabric.

You can see here where I wrapped the end of the
fringe around to the wrong side of fabric.

 6. I had to cut some of the width of my drop cloth to make it the same width as the drapery fabric. After hemming the drapery fabric, I laid the piece of drapery fabric on top of the drop cloth to see how much I needed to cut off. Remember you need to add 1" to the width because you have to hem that one side of your drop cloth. So whatever width your drapery fabric is, add 1".
Here is a tip... to cut a strait line down your drop cloth, snip where your width needs to be and then RIP in all the way down! Yes, RIP it!

Here is where I measured my drapery fabric and
 added an inch. Then I snipped the drop cloth.

Now its time to RIP! :)

I folded the side over 1/2" and then fold over again 1/2". Press then stitch.

Here I folded the side of the drop cloth over
 1/2" and again 1/2" and pressed it.

Time to stitch it!

7. Now that my drapery fabric is all ready and I have hemmed the one side of my drop cloth, its time to put the two together! This might sound complicated...Lay the drop cloth down on the floor WRONG side facing up. Next I laid the drapery fabric on top of the drop cloth WRONG side facing up. (This will make both fabric with right sides when you flip the valance part over.) Stitch together.  Flip your valance over and press seam down to flatten.

WRONG sides of fabric facing up!

8. Hem the bottom to the length you need. I wanted mine to be 86 1/2" FINISHED. So I measured 86 1/2" down and marked it. Then I added 6 more inches and marked it. I folded it under 3" and then folded under 3" more. Press then stitch.

Marked at 86 1/2", then added 6 more inches.

ALL DONE!
This project cost me...
$20 for the two drop cloths
$27 for the drapery fabric
Fringe was free because I cut it off something else I had.

TOTAL for the project was $47 for two panels. Not bad!

"Mercury" Lamps

So... these are the lamps I started with. I got them at Goodwill for 4.99 each.  I immediately knew I wanted to use the Mercury paint technique I have seen on Pinerest! And yes, those are beer bottle caps in the lamp on the right! Now I need to find a craft using LOTS of bottle caps! :)

I was a little nervous about taking the lamps apart and not being able to put them back together again! But they had to be taken apart in order to do this correctly. 
*Here's a tip...take pictures as you take your lamp apart. That way you will have something to look at as you put it back together! Believe me, this came in handy!!

1. First, I took the lamps apart and cleaned them glass with soap and water and let dry completely.
2. I sprayed the INSIDE of the glass part of the lamps with Krylon Looking Glass Spray Paint. I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $8.40 each (they were on sale 30% off). I needed 2 cans.

I kept my hand outside and sprayed inside turning the lamp every so often. I sprayed with short spritz of the spray paint so it wouldn't drip. It did drip a couple of times but the other coats covered it up so no worries.  I put several coats, letting each coat dry before adding another coat. (this paint drys fast so you wont have to wait long)

3. After I got a good solid Mirror finish, I sprayed a combination of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar in a light spritz inside the lamp. Let it set a minute or two. This will soften the paint and make it easier to take off.

4. Using a paper towel with the vinegar mixture sprayed on it, start rubbing some of the paint off. Depending on how thick your coat of paint is, this may take a little bit of an effort.

5. When I was satisfied with the look of my lamp, I sprayed a thin coat of the looking glass spray paint again. This made my glass not so see through. Then AGAIN, I rubbed some off in places until I was happy with the way it looked.
*You can do this process as many times as you would like until you are happy with the results.
6. Lastly, I sprayed all the metal pieces of my lamps with some Hammered Metal spray paint I just happened to have on hand. You can spray yours with whatever you would like.
7. Finally I put both of my lamps back together and now I love them!
NOT BAD FOR $26.78 FOR TWO LAMPS!

The shades I have on my lamps, I got at Hobby Lobby. They were $39.99 each but I got them 40% off. That made them $24.00 each. I knew the minute I saw them that they were it! So I splurged a little on the shades since I saved so much on the lamps!

Print on fabric? Yes, you can!

Did you know that you can print on fabric? Well, you can! It's super easy!
Go HERE to learn how!

For these pictures, I wanted a  black and white checked "matt" so I had some scrap black and white fabric and I sprayed the Elmer's spray adhesive to the piece of board that came in the frames and stuck the black and white fabric to the board. Then I placed the bird picture (I left the fabric on the card stock) on top of the black and white check fabric using double stick tape. Then simply place it in the frame.  Now it looks like there is a fabric matt board around the picture!
*By the way, I got the frames on clearance for $3.00 each at Hobby Lobby! They didn't have glass in them so I bought the pre-cut glass for $6.00 each. If I had to have them cut the glass for me it would've been $9.00 each for each so be sure you check to see if they have the size you want pre-cut and packaged! Since I used scrap fabric and card stock I already had the total for this project was $18.00 for two pictures! Not bad!!

Close up of the picture setting ON TOP
 of the black and white fabric.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! I decided to create this blog so that I can share inexpensive design ideas, re purposing projects, thrift store re dos and helpful tips! I absolutely love to find something at the thrift store and make it new again! It is my passion!
I was inspired to name this blog "Beautiful Things" after listening to the song "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. Its about how God makes beautiful things out of us. As I'm redoing a thrift store find, I'm reminded by what God has done in my life. I was an old, beat up piece of junk until God, sanded the yucky parts of me, polished me up and made me new again! 
I love this song and would like to share it with you! :)
Enjoy!