My mother-in-law is a genius!
Now, honestly, how often do you hear those words uttered? Come on, give it some thought. Those poor mothers-in-law are one of the most abused stereotypes ever, even though so many of them help with our kids, do our laundry without even asking, and put six meatloaves in the freezer while we’re out getting our nails done. (Okay, this is what my mother-in-law does, and I wish you the just same!)
But, I kid you not, on my in-laws’ recent visit, I uttered that phrase directly to my sweet mother-in-law (so it went something like this, “You’re a genius!”). In what context, you must be wondering, would I shout out such accolades? Well, we were discussing window treatments in my master bath. I showed her the dust ruffle I’d been saving from my Anthropologie bedding and mentioned that I wanted to turn it into some kind of panel in the bathroom to bring in the green. (To see the bedding, click here.)
“No,” my mother-in-law said, “I think the bamboo shade looks just fine as is.” (I will suggest that she’s a woman who’s not afraid to share her opinion.) “But what you need, Lisa, is something over here (pointing to the bare wall). We could cut out this pattern on the dust ruffle, glue it on some burlap, frame it, and you’d have some nice, inexpensive art in here that would bring the green in from the bedroom.”
And that’s when it happened. The words just sprang forth. “Kathy, you’re a genius!” Wouldn’t you have said the same thing? Think about it, this project involved no curtain rods to buy and talk my husband into hanging, no sewing machines to set up and thread, which often yields incredible grumpiness on my part. No, this project would involve merely scissors and glue, and, hot damn, I already HAVE those things, and I even know how to use them!
So here you go: a step by step process on making art on the cheap (and easy).
Step 1: Gather your materials. You’ll need fabric scissors, fabric glue, spray tack adhesive, your piece of art (we used a pattern in the fabric), your fabric background (we used burlap), and a picture frame (we used one w/ a glass front because of the moisture in the bathroom). You can purchase all of these materials at a craft store like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby.
Step 2: Cut out your art.
Step 3: Cut out your background fabric. We used the cardboard insert inside the frame as a pattern.
Step 4: Spray a light coat of spray tack adhesive onto the cardboard insert that comes with the frame to give your background fabric some heft. It’s easier to handle this way. However, if you’re reusing a frame and don’t have cardboard, you can skip this step.
Step 5: Spray a light coat of spray tack adhesive on your piece of art and mount it on your background fabric. The great thing about spray tack is that you can reposition your art easily.
Step 6: Glue down a ribbon border on the edges. This is another optional step, but it finishes the piece and prevents frayed edges of the burlap from creeping.
Step 7: Place your new cheap art in a frame, hang it, and enjoy!
For the record, this project cost $10 for the frame (50% off at Michael’s) and $5 for a yard of burlap. (I saved the leftover burlap for another project, stay tuned.) I already had the spray tack and fabric glue, but those purchases would probably be about $5 each, so for around $20-25, you’ve got yourself some original art that is customized for your space.
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