Hey y’all! Well I’ve got a project here for you that I’ve been working on slowly for almost a month.
I’ve been looking for the perfect curtains for my living room for a while now. And while I’ve found a few fabrics I like, my ceilings are 12 feet high, so it’s expensive to buy fabric for four 12-foot panels. Yikes! I used the shorter IKEA Lenda curtains in my master bedroom, and knew I loved them. And so, I bought the bleached-colored Lenda curtains in the 118″ length. At $34.99 for two panels, you can’t beat that!
And then I went in search of my stencil. I’ve been eyeing the Moroccan trellis stencils for months. I have plans to use the stencil on a wall in the future, so I bought something I could use on my curtains and on my wall. I finally settled on the Marrakech Trellis Allover Stencil. These Moroccan trellis stencils are so on trend right now, and I just love them!
OK, now to the actually stenciling. First, let’s talk about paint. I used craft acrylic paint mixed with Martha Stewart’s fabric medium. I was naive and didn’t realize how much paint I would need. You need a LOT of paint. I mixed several paint colors together, along with the fabric medium, so definitely write down your formula in case you need more. I ran out right before I finished the first panel. So glad I had the formula!
Here’s the formula I used:
2 oz. gray
1 oz. silver
1/2 oz. burnt umber
3 oz. fabric medium
And that only covered almost a whole panel, so in the end I’d say I needed 8 oz. of paint for one panel. I had to go back to the store and get more paint.
The color I was going for was a greige, and I love it! It looks like a gray in liquid form, but once it dried on the curtain, it looked more brown. So, it’s exactly what I was trying to create. Yay!
You’ll need a large space for your stenciling. I cleared a space in my living room, so that I could stencil after Miss A goes to bed. (And it’ll be dry by the time she wakes up in the morning.) You’ll need something to cover your work space … unless you want paint on your floors. I used a queen bed sheet, and it worked pretty well. No paint got on the floors. But it did move around some, which makes it hard to keep the curtain straight and even. So when I stencil the rest of my panels, I may make something out of old cardboard boxes.
That is one of the biggest challenges – stenciling the curtain in a straight line. The Lenda curtains have several seams running down them, so it helps a lot in trying to keep everything straight. And you just paint the curtain. It only took me a about an hour to paint it. I highly recommend finding something soft to put under your knees. My knees hurt the next day from crawling around on the hardwood floors.
I love the way this one turned out and can’t wait to complete this project and see them all hanging in my living room.
I only have one panel finished so far, but I finally got to the store today to buy more paint. So now I can paint the rest of the curtains. I plan to reveal them all when I reveal my Christmas mantel! You get a little peek here, but there’s more to come.
(Update: Check out all of the stenciled curtains in my Living Room Reveal!)
Have you ever stenciled anything? If not, what would you stencil?
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Suzan says
March 3, 2014 at 5:53 pmI just bought 4 panels very similar to these – BUT I HAVE THAT STENCIL – AND I HAVE THOSE CURTAINS !!!
Wish I’d seen these a little sooner – they’re beautiful – what a fantastic job you did!
I’m pinning this for sure – thanks so much for sharing!
XOX
Laura says
March 12, 2014 at 4:23 pmOh man!! So close!
Korilynn says
March 2, 2014 at 9:07 amHow great are those! I love it. I have been trying to find a good post for stenciling curtains too.
Katie Adams says
March 1, 2014 at 10:00 amThanks for linking to Create Link Inspire at The Crafty Blog Stalker. You have been featured and pinned! Thank you for sharing.
–Katie, TheCraftyBlogStalker.com
Laura says
March 12, 2014 at 4:21 pmThanks so much, Katie!
Emily says
March 1, 2014 at 7:19 amHi! Just stopping by to let you know you have been featured at Nap-Time Creations from the Create Link Inspire party. I’ve got some fabulous fabric themes features this week. So glad to have you part of the group. I’ve spread the word {and tagged you} around my social media. Would love if you could help to spread the word as well. Thanks and see you at the party next week! Emily
Katie @ Addicted 2 DIY says
February 26, 2014 at 10:48 pmStopping by from the Hit Me With Your Best Shot Link Party. I love your curtains. I have been wanting to make stenciled curtains for a while and completely forgot about the great prices at Ikea! Your whole living room is beautiful and how awesome that you have 12 foot ceilings!
Laura says
March 12, 2014 at 4:01 pmThanks so much Katie! I’m so glad you dropped by!!
Angela @ Angela Says says
February 26, 2014 at 11:32 amI love they way they turned out and the depth they add to your living room! This is such a great idea and I’m tempted to try this on the curtains in my bedroom.
Tabatha says
February 24, 2014 at 11:09 pmOMG!!! I love that.
[email protected] of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer says
February 24, 2014 at 6:37 pmI knew I recognized these gorgeous curtains! Your stenciling is perfection. I’m a bit stencil-impaired myself. 🙂
Betsy says
February 24, 2014 at 4:46 pmI love this idea. I have some drop cloth curtain panels I purchased at a yard sale ages ago…might just have to do this.
Krisi-www.krisimiller.com says
February 24, 2014 at 12:16 pmWow! What a beautiful idea.
P.S. I found you through Making the World Cuter link party.
Heather {Woods of Bell Trees} says
February 24, 2014 at 5:11 amThese are gorgeous! Where did you get the stencil? I love it!
Laura says
March 12, 2014 at 3:53 pmHey Heather! The stencil came from http://cuttingedgestencils.com. LOVE them!
Lisa @ Practically Perfect Home says
February 18, 2014 at 5:33 pmI just posted almost the exact same project a couple of months ago! I found so many blogs with painted curtains and never came across yours until you posted this on Facebook today. So funny! ~Lisa
Laura says
March 12, 2014 at 3:32 pmThere are a lot out there! But it’s such an inexpensive way to get the curtains you want. 🙂
Lisa @ Mabey She Made It says
February 18, 2014 at 5:14 pmWow. Those are awesome! I’d love to have you link up to the Do Tell Tuesday party–I’d love to feature these!
Lisa says
January 15, 2014 at 4:11 pmThese are so lovely! I’ve been trying to decide what to do to spruce up our family room curtains. Stenciling may be the answer. Thanks for some DIY inspiration!
Mindi says
September 9, 2013 at 5:44 pmThey look awesome! I have been trying to get up the nerve to stencil curtains, you really did a great job!
Laura says
September 11, 2013 at 1:55 pmYou can do it, Mindi!! Thanks for stopping by!
Jamie says
September 9, 2013 at 3:45 pmGorgeous!! You’ve been featured on Give Me The Goods! And on my FB page today 😉
Hugs,
Jamie @ somuchbetterwithage.com
Laura says
September 11, 2013 at 1:54 pmThank you, friend!!
Kathy Penney @ Sparkles And A Stove says
September 7, 2013 at 4:11 pmOh my goodness! Those are stunning. I think I’ve just figured out what I’m going to do with my bare bedroom windows. Pinning to my home decor board. If you get a chance I’d love you to show them off at All Things Pretty.
Laura says
September 11, 2013 at 1:27 pmThank you so much Kathy!! And thanks for pinning!
Suzanne says
September 7, 2013 at 9:59 amThis is such a clever idea. Love the stencil you chose and the panels look perfect in the room.
Thanks for sharing,
Suzanne
Pieced Pastimes
Laura says
September 11, 2013 at 1:26 pmThanks so much, Suzanne! Have a great day!
suburbsmama says
September 6, 2013 at 10:59 pmThese are gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing on Suburbsmama. Hope to see more from you on the next party.
Laura says
September 7, 2013 at 1:04 amThanks so much, Rita! I’ll be back next week … I’ve got you on the calendar! 🙂
Morgan says
September 6, 2013 at 7:17 pmI absolutely LOVE these, thinking about making them for my bedroom!
Morgan
http://www.dizzypets.etsy.com
Laura says
September 7, 2013 at 1:02 amYou so should, Morgan!!
Katie @ Made to be a Momma says
September 5, 2013 at 5:59 pmI noticed this was an “older” post…but I am sooo glad you linked this up! I LOVE what you did to those curtains! Your living room is sooo pretty! Thanks for sharing at {Homemade By You}
Laura says
September 7, 2013 at 12:09 amThanks Katie! Love linking up to your link party. Have a great weekend!
JaneEllen says
September 5, 2013 at 5:00 pmGreat job, don’t know if I could do that or not. It’s hard to find a place to lay something down for any length of time due to a furry kid in our house that loves to lay on anything I put down. He’s also big and hairy. Have to think on that one. Also I’m not the most patient person in the world, like projects to get done quickly. Guess that means I won’t be having gorgeous stenciled curtains.
Love the stencil you used, not too busy, great pattern on the curtains, they look great on the windows. Looks like you did a great job keeping the pattern straight, don’t imagine that was the easy part of painting them. Hope you had enough paint so you could finish the job. Always have extra paint on hand, things just seem to turn out that way. You must be very patient besides talented. Happy days
Laura says
September 6, 2013 at 11:43 pmHi JaneEllen … it wasn’t easy to keep them straight, and they aren’t perfect, but they are good enough! I rarely meet perfection, or ever … so good enough works for me. 🙂 They look good hung up, so I’m happy!! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
Monica says
September 5, 2013 at 10:07 amBeautiful! Pinned! If you have time, I’d love it if you would link this to Family Fun Friday – we have over 100 bloggers and 600 readers every week. 🙂 Thanks so much! Monica
Laura says
September 6, 2013 at 11:40 pmHi Monica, thanks for pinning! I’ll be sure to check out your party!!
Becca says
September 5, 2013 at 8:42 amLooks great! I don’t think I would be able to keep them straight. Thanks for sharing! Stop by my Friday’s Five Features tomorrow and link up this post (and others)!
Laura says
September 6, 2013 at 11:37 pmHi Becca, the seams down the fabric definitely helped! They aren’t perfect, but you can’t tell when they are hung up. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!!
carissa says
September 4, 2013 at 2:34 pmlooks great! i have high ceiling problems too:) i tried stenciling them with that exact stencil, but it just wasn’t turning out how i envisioned. love the gray!
Laura says
September 6, 2013 at 11:33 pmI definitely had moments where I wasn’t sure it was going to work, but I’m pretty pleased with the outcome. And it’s not perfect by any means! 🙂 Have a great weekend, Carissa!
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says
September 4, 2013 at 11:44 amHoly awesomesauce, Batman! I’m pinning this because we have the exact IKEA curtains that you do, but they’re in a box in the basement because I needed a change. Um…hello! I can change them myself with stencils! Pinning and tweeting this post, immediatamente.
Laura says
September 6, 2013 at 11:29 pmYou’ll love that they have seams down them to keep your stencil on the straight and narrow. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!!
lisa says
September 4, 2013 at 7:45 amGorgeous! I can tell that this took a lot of time and effort but the end result is fabulous!
Laura says
September 6, 2013 at 11:19 pmThanks so much, Lisa! I hope you have a great weekend!
Kim (TheKimSixFix) says
September 3, 2013 at 10:55 pmThese came out beautiful. I totally want to do this now!
Laura says
September 4, 2013 at 12:44 amHi Kim, I’d love to see them if you do tackle this project! Thanks for stopping by!!
Jenn @ We Do Fun Here says
September 3, 2013 at 10:33 pmI LOVE THESE, so cute! These would be perfect for our master bedroom, I am thinking I am going to need to make these ASAP! Thanks for sharing, I am so glad I found you at the Inspiration Exchange Link Party!
Laura says
September 4, 2013 at 12:44 amThanks Jenn! I love them still, so much! I hope you do end up doing them. Let me know if you post them!!
Kylie Helm says
September 3, 2013 at 7:58 pmYour home is just so beautiful. Everything you post has me drooling! I have several panels of plane white “sheet” curtains in our home, and I would just love to stencil them like this! Thank you for the inspiration!
Kylie @ Absolutely Arkansas
Laura says
September 4, 2013 at 12:43 amOooooh, your curtains sound like the perfect candidate for a stencil makeover. I have some plain curtains in my bathroom that I’d love to makeover as well! Thanks for taking time to comment!
Val @ Home Made Modern says
September 2, 2013 at 8:55 pmThey turned out absolutely beautifully! Kudos to you for tackling such an ambitious project!
Laura says
September 4, 2013 at 12:33 amAww, thanks Val! They were definitely worth the effort and the sore knees. 🙂
[email protected] of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer says
September 2, 2013 at 8:51 pmThese are gorgeous!! They really make a statement. I always stick to solid panels, but I’ve been thinking about painting mine for awhile. I love how these turned out so perfectly with a stencil! I think my pattern would be all over he place 🙂
Laura says
September 4, 2013 at 12:32 amThanks Christy! Mine aren’t perfect, which is why there aren’t any close-ups. 🙂 But nobody sees the imperfections except for me. You could so do this DIY! 🙂
Sarah says
September 2, 2013 at 7:58 pmThese look great. I started stenciling some curtains using the same paint and fabric medium. I kept ending up smudging my paint when I moved the stencil. Tricky business. But these look so good I think I need to revisit this plan.
Thanks for sharing.
Sarah
Creative Ramblings
Laura says
September 4, 2013 at 12:31 amHey Sarah! It is super tricky to make sure you don’t smudge the paint. And my curtains aren’t perfect by any means. I was VERY super careful when I moved the stencil, though. I tried to make sure I was setting it in the right place, and didn’t move it around once it was on the fabric. And every so often, I would wipe the bottom of the stencil to make sure there wasn’t any paint on the under side. Definitely give it another try! And I’d love to see the final product!
Kayla @ Home Coming blog says
September 2, 2013 at 11:44 amThese look great! Don’t forget to link up to The DIY’ers!
Laura says
September 2, 2013 at 11:59 amThanks Kayla! Have a great week!!
Carrie This Home says
September 2, 2013 at 11:16 amYour curtains turned out so beautiful! I’m stopping by from Give Me The Goods Monday.
I would love it if you’d link this post (and any other craft, DIY, recipe posts) to my blog hop. I’d love to see you there!
Laura says
September 2, 2013 at 11:59 amThanks Carrie … I’ll be sure to stop by!
noorain says
September 2, 2013 at 12:01 amwow great idea, you are truly very talented…loved your website keep up the good work..I plan to stencil one of my old curtain too thanks for the great idea 🙂
Laura says
September 2, 2013 at 11:54 amThanks so much! I hope you do try it – such an easy way to spruce up a space!!
Cara says
September 1, 2013 at 6:44 amThis is such a great idea!!
Laura says
September 2, 2013 at 11:47 amThanks so much, Cara!!
Jen @ Girl in the Garage says
June 29, 2013 at 8:58 pmThe curtains look amazing with the rest of the room! I just bought some similar blue and beige curtains from Target, I didn’t think of stenciling them myself. Great job.
Cindy says
May 4, 2013 at 9:38 pmI saw your curtains in your living room reveal. You did a great job and your room looks fabulous!
Autumn B. Brown says
March 27, 2013 at 3:38 pmSo – how long did you wait between stenciling and then moving the stencil to another spot? I’m worried that I’ll end up with a smudgy mess. :/
Laura says
March 27, 2013 at 5:41 pmI didn’t wait long, but tried to be careful. If I noticed the paint was getting under the stencil I wiped it off. And I did end up with some smudges. But I was too impatient to wait. 🙂
Amanda says
November 28, 2012 at 6:21 pmHey, found your blog! This is way cute! You are so crafty 🙂
Laura says
December 11, 2012 at 1:57 amThanks Amanda! Love your blog … so fun!!
Jennifer says
November 28, 2012 at 5:10 pmlove it Laura! great job on this!!
Laura says
December 11, 2012 at 1:57 amThanks!!