Friday, June 17, 2011

Shower Curtain DIY

A few weeks ago I found this shower curtain from Anthropologie and couldn't stop wishing that it didn't cost $118. And, even if I had $118 to spend on a shower curtain it is only 72" square and I had been wanting a floor to ceiling curtain for my little bathroom. So, I headed for JoAnn's with a 50% off coupon in hand. I knew the only way to get all the fabric I needed, for a reasonable price, was to get 1 cut (the coupon stipulation.) After a lot of figuring and a few drawings I came home with 15 yards of white muslin and 2 packages of RIT dye.




I cut 10 strips 120" long and 12" wide. Then I used every last scrap to piece together a back. I hemed the bottom of each strip, so that when I dyed it, the thread would match.




Then I mixed each of the colors in 2 buckets with a third bucket to use for combining the colors and soaking the fabric. I started at the top by adding some yellow dye and some water to get a really light cream and then continued to add blue down to the bottom teal strip which was dyed in the teal bucket with no yellow added. After rinsing really well, washing, drying, and ironing each strip I started sewing the strips to the back piece. I pleated as I sewed to get the ruffled look and underlapped each piece by about an inch or so (I would do a little more if I did it again because when it is hanging you can see under the pieces a little bit.) I worked my way down to the bottom and the length turned out just like I wanted it.



It turned out a little more yellow than the original and I wish I would have left a couple of the bottom blues in the dye a little longer. However, I finished the project for only $28, 2 trips to the store (I had to go back for more thread since all those ruffles used a lot more than I thought), and a few hours on my sewing machine. So, it was totally worth it. Plus I think this kind of stuff it fun!



Another bonus, I finally hung (scratch that) made Tyler hang, the cute towel hooks that his dad made us for Christmas a few years ago. I have been waiting to hang it until I painted, which I tend to put off. This curtain gave me the nudge I needed to finally get it done.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Last weekend...

it was great to be eight for a boy named Damon.





We had such a great time with so many members of our family who were able to come and celebrate with us.


Damon was feeling a little under the weather that day which made for some less than perfect situations here and there, but it was a great day and I am so proud of Damon for choosing to be baptised.


Since his baptism and birthday happened to be on the same day, we had cake. It's the same cake I made for Damon's last birthday. The difference was, I knew what I was getting myself into this time, and I didn't make it the day of. So, there were no tears this year. Tyler actually seemed concerned when Damon asked for this cake again. It turns out it's not too bad with the help of one simple item, PARCHMENT PAPER. Sometimes you can get by without it, or use something else, but that is not the case with this cake. Don't be scared by the fact that it requires 19 eggs and 2 lbs. of butter, it's worth it. (cake found here)



It was so much fun having family fill our house. Thank you to everyone who came! We love you!