diy color block curtains.

I received so many compliments on the curtains I painted for Greyer's room and much interest was expressed in hearing how I did it. 

I wasn't planning on having colored curtains in his room, nor was I planning to make any, but having purchased a pair of cheap white curtains from Ikea and feeling the need for a bit more color in his room, I figured I'd give it a try.

The good news is that it really is as easy as painting a pair of existing curtains. But just to make sure, here are all the details:

Supplies:

- Pair of Curtains (I used the white Vivan curtains from Ikea)

- Mini Sponge Roller

- Painters Tape

- Quart of paint sample (I used two different shades of buttery yellow I had lying around)

Step #1: Hang the original curtains where they will be after the project is complete. Use a pencil to mark where you'd like each block of color to start and stop. I pretty much just eye-balled mine, but I knew that I wanted the top color to go down to the bottom of the blinds when retracted. And I wanted the bottom color to come up to the window sill so that the light shines through the white.

Step #2: Lay out your curtain on an open space that can get paint on it or lay down a plastic sheet first. *A cloth or towel will not protect your surface, as the paint will stick to and soak through the fabric.

Tape off the first section and start painting! I ended up doing two coats.

The whole project took me about 4-5 hours, but had I chosen a more open work space, I could have done more than one block at a time without having to allow for drying time. 

If I did this again, I would spread out on the back deck or kitchen floor (with a plastic sheet underneath). 

Because I was working on a smaller surface, some of the white parts of the curtain ended up getting wet paint on them... Oh well! 

Step #3: Once the paint has dried, peel the tape off and hang them up in your room to enjoy! 

Step #4: Let paint set for at least 48 hours and then wash them in cool water on "delicate". This will help soften them up a bit and drape more nicely. I will warn you that they will still be a little stiff/crunchy on the colored parts. Since I don't plan to wrap myself up in these curtains, I don't mind that they are a little stiff. 

Optional Step: Cut a few inches off the bottom of the curtains. I think I cut off about 8" so that they would barely hit the carpet. 

Let me know if you try this! I also saw a couple tutorials from people that used fabric paint/dye. I have had bad experiences with fabric dye, but that might be a little less crunchy if you prefer!