Wednesday

DIY ROLLER SHADE

I should have called this the "PIY" - "Paint It Yourself" - roller shade project. A few months ago, I ran across this image on Pinterest, and was so taken with the playful trompe l'oeil design mimicking austrian shades, or as they're more popularly called, balloon shades. It looked fun, colorful - and easy to duplicate. And I desperately needed an inexpensive shade for my kitchen. To the Home Depot!


I'm a very impatient DIY-er (as you'll soon see), and I just dashed quickly through the store, grabbing an assortment of brushes and supplies. The shade itself is medium-weight vinyl, for a grand $7.95, and the paint is black tempera craft paint. I purchased several brushes and sponges to try, but the one that worked best was a super cheap one-inch brush. The coarse bristles gave a look very similar to the professional design above. My window was much shorter than the shade, so I rolled the shade out full length, and then marked out six equally spaced marks before painting the full swags. As you can see, I quickly smeared and splattered paint all over - lucky for me, this is not a project that rewards precision.

In about 10 minutes, I had this. 

And there we are:  a sew-free, $15 window shade in the kitchen. All it needs is a tassel! I'll get around to that eventually.

 I just hung up the wall decor too; the green tortoise shell is Nate Berkus for Target, and the green chair print is from Jennifer over at The Pink Pagoda

One of my favorite New Yorker cartoons, clipped from the magazine. I dream about the "Horn of Extra Square Footage" every Thanksgiving.



A few other "PIY" shade ideas - wouldn't snaky squiggles be fun?

Or, free-hand a little greek key, a la Dana Gibson.
/Images/ Blue and white shade, Casa de Valentia/ Black and white shade photos, my own/ Snake painting, Jacques Grange Interiors/ Greek key shade, DecorPad/

Or try wavering stripes, circles, or polka dots! The possibilities are endless. Happy painting!

8 comments:

Michelle said...

It would be nice to have window shades and have a comfortable homey feeling. Shades of any designs wouldn't matter as long as it matches the interior of the house.

Julie lorusso of MonkeyGrassHill said...

You have inspired me. I need some privacy and dark in my bedroom since we did a reno project, but have been holding off since we might relocate soon. This is fun and inexpensive and solves my problem fast. On my list to do today. Thanks!

The Pink Pagoda said...

Your shade is amazing! What a fantastic idea! And I love getting to see my print : )

Melissa Middleton said...

What a fabulous idea. You are soo crafty! Next career as a Martha Stewart I think. Hope all is well. MM

Samantha said...

Great project. I want to steal it.

Do you know the source of the inspiration image?

Unknown said...

Would you consider painting those little arcs with different, alternating colors? I think it would look so much nicer and more fun to put colors on it. =D Or, perhaps, create another one using different colors for each line. I think you can use neutral colors so it won’t block too much light coming in from the window. Let me know what you think, ok? ^___^

Roxie Tenner

suzana martin said...

Wood is to natural materials, as Gold is to metals.  Finely finished wood blinds transforms windows into portals of richness and warmth. Natural wood blinds from Trinity Uptown convert your windows into furnishings, as you match them to the finish of fine interior furniture. You may choose to make an architectural statement by coordinating your wood blinds to interior trim, woodwork, and flooring.

suzana martin said...

One of the benefits of our best motorized shades is that their operation is ideally quiet for interior settings, be it your child’s bedroom, the boardroom, or a hospital room window.

Disclosure

Shop Hop, Great Steals, and some posts may include paid links. View our disclosure policy here.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails