| |

Stenciled curtains

Aaaah, can I stress how much I dislike renting?  Sure, it’s nice not to worry about the landscape {we are so not that type of blog!} and do take advantage of the landlord fixing this & that vs. the hubbs having to do it but oh, I am kind of embarrassed about the post earlier this week and how completely STALE the pics are of my current space.  No painting allowed 🙁 Boo.
 
But, I can hang curtains/pictures/anything I want to as long as the holes are patched when we move out… blah blah blah.  So, here’s what I hung today…
My stenciled curtains!

They are FINALLY done!
Hallelujah!
 
I finished everything up today then jetted off to my prenatal appointment/picked up a sweet Craigslist find and when I walked back in the family room, I instantly recognized how much warmer the space is.  Amazing how far a little paint and 10 hours of back breaking work goes, {okay it just felt back breaking since I am in my last trimester and my back is  a l w a y s  stiff!}  
But, totally worth it 🙂
 

 
I started with some cheapie eclipse panels {from WallyWorld in the latte color- see this post for a before} and paired it with the Julia All Over stencil… you may recognize it in mustard yellow from Kell’s fab dining room by the oh-so-popular Cutting Edge Stencils: 
 

Anyhoo, I’ve seen a few stenciled curtain tutorials floating around Blogland but used From Gardners to Bergers tute and was very happy with how thorough it was and easy to do, {thanks, Becca!} The color of blue used is Craft Smart ocean breeze acrylic paint and a simple shade of gray.

I hung the curtains with my DIY curtain rods and finials… 

…but think they look much-o better paired with a pop of color:

I’ll post the DIY on my little gallery wall next week and have big plans for fresh COUCH PILLOWS!  {If you have any great pillow tutorials, send them my way.  Kthx!}  In the meantime, tell me if you have a love/hate relationship with renting, too.  Is it hard to commit to decorate when you know it’s not your house and you’re limited by certain boundaries, {like replacing fixtures or not being able to paint the front door a fun hue?}  It is for me.  But, I suppose that’s why Pinterest was created… I am pinning away for future things-to-do-in-my-dream-house.  Hee hee!  Pinterest always makes me feel better 🙂

Similar Posts

61 Comments

  1. Beautiful curtains! After seeing these, I am wanting the same stencil to make similar curtains, but with orange flowers 🙂 when you were painting these, did you roll the whole stencil with grey and then use a brush or foam dabber to paint the turquoise on top? Or did you have to brush or dab everything separately? Thanks! Heather

    1. Hi Heather!
      We rolled everything gray first, leaving the turquoise flowers alone then went back and dabbed them while the stencil was still on top of it. Make sense? We didn’t take the stencil off until we knew we were completely done with that section, going back over it would be too crazy!
      (:

  2. I love your curtains! Would be willing to sell me some? I have no interest in making them, but I can’t find any that I like as much for my room. Let me know! Thank you 🙂

  3. I can’t believe you stenciled them curtains in your last trimester. WOW!! This really is 10 hrs of back breaking work. I just stenciled one panel and I can barely stand or sit and I’m not pregnant. Panel #2 will have to wait until tomorrow. Great job!!

  4. LOVE these curtains. We are thinking about moving & if so we will have to rent and the thought of not being able to modify my home makes me cringe. Seeing your curtains gives me hope knowing that I would still be able to do DIY projects!

  5. I have those same curtains from Wally World. What a great way to jazz them up. They turned out amazing!

  6. Where do you get those great frames!? I keep seeing them pop up in your project posts and I want to get some 🙂

  7. yes it sucks to rent but your curtains are ammmazzzzzing i just might have to copy GREAT JOB

  8. Seriously–you are the stenciling queen!! I love these curtains. the color combo is amazing!!

  9. These curtains are beautiful! I may have to try it out in my home. 🙂

    As for renting, you are right, it is hard to decorate within renting limitations and knowing that the home is not yours forever makes it that much harder to make it your own. But that's why the world has pretty home accessories I guess. 🙂

  10. I have been wanting to stencil some curtains…these are so darn FABULOUS! I am pretty impressed that yo did this in your third trimester too!

  11. Kristi,

    These are stunning! and as always, you are too stinkin' cute. You stenciled for 10 hrs in your last trimester. Hmmphh! I ate and sat around in my last trimester! Oh and puked 🙂 I do LOVE a great stencil project. I think I have just the space in mind to give this project a try. You know… I always leave your blog smiling! That's what it's all about!

    Kim

  12. Hi Kristi, I love your curtains. Awesome job. This post really speaks to me as that is what my blog is about, facing the challenges of creativity and decorating in a rental. I'm a new follower via email and hope you'll follow me also. Can't wait to check out some more of your projects. : )

  13. These are amazing!! I love love your blog!! I think I've spent almost an hour going back through your articles!! Love your daughter's room, the nursery looks awesome, and the crib turned out great!! I am stopping by via the blog hop.

    http://www.scatteredmusings.net

  14. Cuteness! I've totally pinned this!!

    It was SO fun to meet you gals last night!! 🙂

  15. I can't even describe how much I love your curtains! I have been searching for just the right fabric for my own and it never occurred to me to stencil them. Brilliant and beautiful!

  16. I stopped by from HoH bc I also loved Becca's stenciled drapes and wanted more inspiration. Your drapes are AWESOME! I think because of Becca and you, I may actually attempt them. Your extra bit of blue is just lovely. And…you had me at "dislike renting." Ugh. Me, too. I did a whole post on what I would do to my rental kitchen if I owned it. I'm so over it. I love finding other blogs with renters…I need more ideas! Thanks…I'm totally subscribing! 🙂

  17. LOVE these curtains!! They really make the apartment look like your own! I love the colors you used for the stencil! It's all looking great!

  18. Wow! I can't believe you stenciled them! Not because it took a long time, but because they look so fantabulous! Great Job!

  19. I feel your renting pain! Our landlord was very cheap when he picked things out. We have that super cheap carpet that gets dirty if you breathe on it wrong and flat paint walls. Needless to say 3 little kiddos are very hard on this space. I really long for the day we can move!

  20. I feel your pain sista! We are pretty lucky in the fact that out landlord doesn't much care what we do to the house that is NOT structural (like ripping out a wall or something) I have actually painted a few rooms (they need to be redone) figuring that a fresh coat of white if we leave will suffice. We have to pay for any repairs under $150 so I guess I could choose nice fixtures and things when they break BUT I HATE sinking out hard earned money into a home that is NOT mine! The one thing that bugs the crap outta me is the carpets… I would so love to have hardwood or even a laminate hardwood instead of ugly stained blah brown carpet! Praying that we will have a house of our own to fix up in the near future, then I'll spring for the stuff I really like! Your home is beautiful though

  21. I feel your pain sista! We are pretty lucky in the fact that out landlord doesn't much care what we do to the house that is NOT structural (like ripping out a wall or something) I have actually painted a few rooms (they need to be redone) figuring that a fresh coat of white if we leave will suffice. We have to pay for any repairs under $150 so I guess I could choose nice fixtures and things when they break BUT I HATE sinking out hard earned money into a home that is NOT mine! The one thing that bugs the crap outta me is the carpets… I would so love to have hardwood or even a laminate hardwood instead of ugly stained blah brown carpet! Praying that we will have a house of our own to fix up in the near future, then I'll spring for the stuff I really like! Your home is beautiful though

  22. Gah, I rent too and I HATE it! It makes me not want to decorate much because I know one day I'll move (isn't that awful?) I love those curtains, though!

  23. Good question, Bev! I updated the post with the info on what fabric I started with (panels from Walmart) and linked to where I purchased them 🙂

    Thanks for asking, girlie!
    XO

  24. They are sooo gorgeous! I am so excited for you that are done- it's not a small project! They look rally fabulous and I love the two tone color. I felt the same way about the curtains in our rental, made a world of difference.
    Anndddd, I am totally honored you gave my tute a shout out- thanks so much!
    xo, Becca

  25. Ok. I'm definitely doing these!! I love the colors you chose, the stencil, everything. Quick question – what fabric did you use for your base fabric?

  26. Kristi, these are amazing! I love the pattern of the stencil and the little pop of aqua amongst the gray. Love it!

    I also am a renter and have a love/hate relationship. Mostly hate right now because they're doing construction in the basement below us to make it into a rentable unit. I've basically been living in a construction zone for almost a year. Thank goodness we'll be moving in a month!

  27. Oh my goodness, your curtains are amazing! Love the colors, the design, pretty much everything about them! I would love you to share this at our Tuesday Be Inspired Party!

  28. Oh my goodness, your curtains are amazing! Love the colors, the design, pretty much everything about them! I would love you to share this at our Tuesday Be Inspired Party!

  29. hoooooray they are done! they turned out soooo cute sis! i bet they are even worth the broken back 🙂

    i still need to jump on the stencil bandwagon!

  30. Oh my gosh, I totally hear you!!! We rented for the first 10 years of our marriage! AAARRRGGGH! (this is what happens when half way through college your husband decides he wants to CHANGE his degree! *gag*) It was seriously SO frustrating because in most rentals you aren't allowed to paint and are therefore prisoner to white walls and have to rely on splashes of accent colors wherever you can get them! (Oh how I wish I had Pintrest back then….) I think you are AMAZING at everything you do! Those curtains are to die for! LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I can't wait to see what else you are going to do!

  31. They look fantastic. We used to rent, now own. Sometimes I miss the days where there was no upkeep on the house. Can feel like all we do is work on renovating, cleaning, fixing, etc.

  32. We rent too. It sucks because there are so many things I really don't like about the house that I could totally fix if I didn't mind sinking my money into a rental. Plus our place is small & we do usually do any repairs that are needed because our landlord lives kinda far away & tends to say the problems we have are ours to deal with. Blaa. Anyway, I feel ya. Although, we CAN paint in our place. Which is good since they only used flat paint, & it looked horrible very quickly in the bathroom & kitchen.

  33. Wowza!! They really make a statement. I *LOVE* them!!!! Great job, Kristi!!

    I hated renting an apartment. It was so BLAH. I'm still not very adventurous in our house, but at least I know I have the option!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *