Outdoor Curtains Using Drop Cloths

I am beyond thankful that we have outdoor space at our current apartment. We love being able to grill out in the summer, sip on wine and talk in the evenings, drink coffee and tea in the mornings, and read during the day. I'm actually sitting out on the deck right now as I write this post!

However, we are in the city and so there can be a lack of privacy at times. Sometimes you don't want the neighbor kids next door staring at you while you're trying to read or asking you 10 million times, "What are you doing? Why are you doing that? What are you doing now? Where are you going? Do you like my dress? Wait, what are you doing now?"

Don't get me wrong. I love kids. Clearly I do. I an elementary teacher, I help out with the 3 year old Sunday school class at my church, I used to coach summer league swim team and teach private swim lessons, I was a nanny for a year to 7 adorable kids, and I tutored children. But, when I'm sipping on my coffee in my pjs in the morning, this lady just wants some peace and quiet.

So, to make our back patio a little more private and to help with blocking out the hot sun in the evenings, we hung up some drop cloth curtains. We also used drop cloths as curtains in our family room and sunroom. You can check those out here and here. There were already hooks and wiring to hang the curtains on, so we didn't have to fuss with that (though I think it would have been fairly simple). All I did was sew some tabs onto the drop cloths to make them the right length then used shower curtain rings to hang the curtains on the wire. Using these rings makes it easier to slide the curtains back and forth.

In order to keep these curtains from blowing like crazy during those windy days in the Windy City (which actually isn't called that because of the wind, but because of the politicians of the city who were long-winded when trying and successfully getting the World's Fair of 1893 to be hosted in Chicago. I LOVE Chicago history. Maybe that'll be another post one day.) I used twine that I purchased at Home Depot for $3, tied it around a post, and then tied it around the curtains.

This space really does feel like an additional room of our apartment. We love it!

What do you think of our little backyard oasis?

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Drop Cloth Curtains Revisited

My first post ever on this blog was about the drop cloth curtains that I used in my sunroom. I love the neutral, linen feel that they provide. Plus, at $10 a panel and requiring NO SEWING this was a great alternative to either making my own or purchasing curtains for at least $20 a panel.

This has been a hot Chicago summer. I'm sad to say that I've lost part of my "southernness." I've lost the ability to handle 95+ degree days. A few years ago I always thought that I'd move back to the south, but I just don't know. It's too hot. I think I'd rather deal with the 2 degree days in the winter here than a summer full of 95 degree days. But, ask me how I feel about that in February.

With this crazy hot summer thankfully our apartment stays fairly cool, especially if we close the shades at night to prevent the morning sun from penetrating in. By 11 A.M. the sun is above our apartment so we don't get direct sunlight, but still lots of natural light. Closing those shades makes a huge difference.

I never got around to hanging a curtain for the one big window in our family room that lets in tons of light and, therefore, heat. So it was off to Home Depot to purchase a 6x9 foot drop cloth. I threw it in the wash with a little detergent and fabric softner, stuck it in the dryer, ironed out the wrinkles, then hung it. It's that easy!

Last week when it was 100 degrees out (which I did NOT like), I pulled that baby shut and it kept the front room nice and cool.

Check back in later this week when I share with you our new and improved back patio. We've spruced it up quite a bit from last year and drop cloth curtains are included in that makeover.

What crafts and creative things have you used a drop cloth for?

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Creative Canvases

Matt and I love the building that we live in now. It is a 3 flat that was built in 1918 and it has tons of character and charm. I love the hardwood floors, the crown molding, and the old white shelves.

One of the things that usually comes along with living in an older apartment is plaster walls. This presents a challenge with hanging heavier items. Plus, we aren't allowed to put screws in the walls (in the rental agreement) so I've had to get creative with what I hang on the wall.

For a while, I've been wanting something to hang over the couch. The space requires something a little larger than just a picture frame, but it's hard to hang multiple frames due to the weight and the ability to hang each one evenly because of the lovely plaster.

I finally decided that canvases would fit the space perfectly. Plus, they are super lightweight. Originally, I was going to buy fabric to cover the canvases, but then I came across beautiful sheets of wrapping paper at a few local boutique stores in our area. It got me thinking...

I ended up purchasing 3 sheets of Paris inspired wrapping paper. I rubbed mod podge on the canvas then carefully laid one sheet of wrapping paper on top. Now, the sheet didn't go on as smoothly as I had hoped. I was definitely frustrated, but just decided to go with it and see what I could do. I mod podged on top of the entire sheet once it was on the canvas and then let it dry. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

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There are a few waves here and there, but since I was kind of going for more of a vintage feel, I ended up not minding the few waves here and there. I finished up the other two canvases, hung them over the couch, and viola!

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Drop Cloth Curtains

A while back as I was preparing for one of my painting projects, I had bought a drop cloth from Home Depot. As I opened it up, I noticed what I nice color it was. Then an idea popped into my head...drop cloth curtains! I did a little research online and lo and behold other people have had this idea too. I got excited and so did my husband so off we went to Home Depot to purchase 6 drop cloths and some rods to hang them with.

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Matt worked to get the rods hung up while I did about 6 loads of laundry with the drop cloths and tons of fabric softner (I did 2 at time each load with a full lid of fabric softner), then dried, then ironed them. Finally, I clipped the rings onto the drop cloths, put them on the rod, and voila! Amazing! No sewing involved, a cheap solution to expensive drapes ($10 for a 6x9 drop cloth), and really makes a difference in the room!

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Linking up to: Skip to My Lou, Today's Creative Blog, Under the Table and Dreaming