Lovely Lacy Window

When I was designing the look of my bedroom, I did a lot of research for alternative window dressings. There are some beautiful ideas out there, but a lot of them were just impractical for a bedroom. I'm not bothered about blocking light, I rarely struggle to get to sleep, but I do like my privacy ~ bare windows freak me out, but I find net curtains can be a bit frumpy, while plain muslin or voile blocks a little too much light. Then I came across a fabulous idea on Pinterest ~ covering your windows in fabric using only cornflour?!

Yes, that sort of cornflour!

It turns out it's not just for thickening stews and sauces, it's also brilliant for a funky new way to dress your windows! (it also turns out that it doesn't matter if yours is 4 years out of date!)

I didn't know how well this might turn out but for such a cheap and easy project (Ikea do a beautiful lace for only £1.50 per metre) I figured it was worth a try. Fancy giving it a go yourself?

All you need is:

2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons cold water
400ml boiling water
enough lace to cover your window
a plastic mixing bowl
large paintbrush

First measure your window and cut your piece of lace (or whatever fabric you're using) to size ~ you're better off cutting it a little larger than trying to be exact, you can trim off excess when it's dry. Iron it to ensure you have no creases, you want it to lie flat on the window.

Now mix your paste. Put the cornflour in a large plastic bowl and mix to a paste with the cold water, then add the boiling water and mix well. This made a much looser mix than I expected, about the consistency of . . . um . . . runny wallpaper paste? I don't know, just don't let it worry you, it'll be fine!

While the cornflour mix is cooling, clean your window. Thoroughly. I don't just mean cleaning the glass so it sparkles, make sure you get into all the nooks and crannies around the edges too, because you can guarantee any of those little bits of muck will find their way out when you're painting gloopy cornflour mixture all over.

Now it's time to go for it! Put some old towels down before you start, I had lots of splodges and drips and I didn't want my new carpet ruined before it had been down a week. Paint your cornflour gloop on the window, right into the edges, then place your piece of lace on top and paint with another coat of gloop, smoothing out any air bubbles or creases as you go. Make sure everything is evenly coated right into the edges.

That's it, done! All you need to do is wait for it to dry and trim off any excess with a craft knife. The cornflour gloop gives a cloudy translucent finish to the lace which still lets plenty of light in while keeping my boudoir privacy intact ;-)

I also had enough left over to cover my transom light (I had to look that up, "window-above-the-door" didn't sound very professional!)

I'm quite pleased with the effect, especially as both windows cost me less than £2 to do! But if I wasn't, or if I get bored of it, I can sponge it off with warm water, wash the lace and re-use it for something else.

But you know, I think I'll be keeping it.

Feet of Flames!

Sometimes at work they make me wear safety shoes. This makes me sad. Safety shoes are not pretty.

 

I know they're black, but that doesn't mean they go with everything. At all. So I decided they needed titivating. I thought about glittering them. I thought about bedazzling. I considered lace, florals, and even vintage trims, but after a thorough root around my fabric stash I decided that I needed . . .

 

Feet of Flames!!!

 

 

First of all I unclipped the heel straps and put them to one side. Then I laid the fabric across each shoe and cut a chunk out that covered the big ugly front. As these are a clog I decided that this would be enough flame for me, but of course if you are recovering a shoe with sides and a back, or a wedge heel, you will need to cut a big enough piece to cover the whole area.

 

The next step is to slather the area to be covered with a generous amount of PVA glue. Don't worry if the glue gets 'outside the lines', it dries clear and won't show at all.

When your shoe is slathered, place your fabric on top and smooth it down. This is a bit tricky as you're essentially trying to make a flat piece of fabric cover a curved surface, but the glue makes the fabric wet and it will stretch a little. You may have a few creases around the toe but don't worry, I have a plan. When you're happy with the position, push the fabric into the crease around the sole using your thumbnail, or a pencil or something ~ you're trying to make a good clear crease to use as a guide for trimming your excess fabric off.

Using a pair of old scissors (you really don't want to get your best sewing scissors all gluey!) trim away the excess fabric around the outer edges of the shoe, smoothing down as you go. Do it as neatly as you can but don't worry if your trimming is a little raggedy, remember, I have a plan! Leave about an inch or so of overlap around the part where your foot goes in, and cut a series of slits in the overlapping part. This will make it wrap over more easily. Put a good layer of glue on each piece and tuck it under.

Those pesky little flaps will want to pop open, especially if your shoes are fabric-lined like mine. So I pegged mine until the glue dried.

Remember my cunning plan to hide the raggedy edges? All you need to do is glue a piece of trim or ribbon around the edge to finish it off nicely. I went for a piece of gold cord. As my cord was quite stiff, and PVA is pretty slow to dry, I used my hot glue gun to attach it, but if you're adding something more supple like ribbon you can probably get away with PVA for this bit too. Hot glue guns are a bit mozzarella-y, but you can trim or pick the stray strands off when the glue has dried.

Tada! Feet of Flames!!!

 

 

They still don't go with anything, but they definitely look awesome, and that's what matters ;)

Thrifted Treasure

If you hadn't already realised, I ADORE vintage fabrics! I'm always keeping my eye out at carboot sales and charity shops for vintage curtains and bedding, either to use around the house, or if they're a bit tatty, to cut up and make into something new. But that's not the only way I add to my collection. Today I was given a big bagful of fabric that a friend's mum found in her grandmother's house when she was clearing it out. Check out these treasures!

There are two of these gorgeous alpine panels. They both have the odd hole, but with a little imaginative darning I think they will make wonderful wall hangings.

 

 

These curtains are just awesome. The lemon and grey is heavily faded and stained in places, but will make some pretty owls or cushion covers.

 

 

These two pairs of curtains seem to be in great shape. I'm hoping they will fit the windows in my new home.

This prancing pony print is fabulous, and I know just the person who will love them almost as much as I do ~ if I can bear to part with them that is! Check out the vintage curtain hooks still in the header tape!

And last but certainly not least, a knitted bride and her bridesmaids! I wonder if these were made as a wedding gift or keepsake?

How lucky am I?! I think I owe my friend's mum a big box of chocolates as a Thank You!