The Curtain Project or Why it Takes Us So Long to Decorate

We are very happy with the house we bought here in Soldotna. It has just the right amount of space, a nice layout and a cozy feel but we haven't really had time to decorate and add our personal touch. We finally got going and decided curtains would be our first decorating project.

Martha Stewart magazine first inspired this project. The idea is to use painter's drop cloth as the fabric for curtains or whatever you're doing with cloth. The fabric is inexpensive and comes in larger widths than what you can find at the average fabric store. It's also a lot less expensive. You also have the option to dye the fabric whatever color you would like.

The first step was to cut out the curtain panels from a piece of drop cloth. 

We borrowed a large stainless steel sink and a propane burner from a turkey fryer and did the dying outside. It seemed like way to scary of an operation to do in the house.

Salt, dye and a vat of boiling water is the magic trifecta for adding color to your life. 

In goes the fabric. 

Our friend Andy stopped by so we put him to work stirring. He got a bit of purple dye on his new jeans. Lesson learned: wear play clothes when you come to the Rudstroms.

It's so purply!

We've decided to have a subtle nautical theme in the living area so C.O. made the rod supports from boat cleats. 

Before

After

Before

After

The curtains add a lot to the living area. It's like they're coming off the wall to give you a big, cozy, purple hug.

Slowly things are coming together in the house. Our project list and ideas are a mile long but little by little the house is starting to reflect our style.

~AnnMarie