When we got ready to makeover Lauren’s nursery, there was much excitement, a small budget, and many accessories to buy to fill the room.
This is a tale of how we came up with some cabana-striped curtains…
Without further adieu, here are the striped curtains in their glory…
(I wasn’t going to say anything, but I just can’t help it…I had no tripod with me the day of the makeover, so I’m hoping beyond all hope I can get up there and take some proper pictures for ya!! 🙂
I absolutely love the wide cabana striped curtain…I love it in a living room, in a playroom, in a bedroom…just love them. I knew they would be a classic, yet playful pattern for baby Ryann and they would grow with her and the room as it changes over the years.
When making the final decisions when the budget became tight, I chose to go with more expensive rug, bedding, and fabric for pillows and use less expensive window treatments. The rule is…touch it, spend more on it. If you’re not going to lie down in it, dry off with it, roll on the floor on it, don’t feel like you have to make major investment there until the time is right.
Our panels were from Target and at $9.99 a piece, they were within our budget.
Wanna paint your own cabana stripes??
You’ll need:
- panels (we had four)
- edge-lock painter’s tape
- drop cloth
- pencil
- tape measurer
- chalk paint (we used Provence)
Start by laying your panel out on the floor. You’ll definitely want to place a drop cloth underneath just in case any paint seeps through your panel.
*Note: It’s much easier and does less damage to your back if you can set this up on a table…you’ll just need to let the material drop to the floor as you tape each section. All up to you…and your back.
Get your tape out, and it was easier for me if I measured across the entire width of the panel, making marks with my pencil as I went. I was then able to ensure a straight line as I taped.
Here’s where the mildly tricky part comes. I wanted my stripes 7 inches apart, so I measured down from the top first (I also wanted white at the top…if you’d like to start with color, simply measure your painted stripe first)
Now, notice the stripes are different widths once taped off….That’s because you have to account for the correct width each time. For instance, measure down 7 inches from the top of your panel. Using the bottom of the tape as your line, tape off along your pencil marks (measured 7 inches down all along the width of your panel)
That gives you the top white stripe. Next, measure 7 inches down from the bottom of the tape. Make your pencil marks along the width.
Here’s the tricky mind game…now place the top of your tape along your pencil marks. For the next white stripe, you’ll measure from the top of the tape again, make your marks, and place the bottom of the tape along the line.
Basically….after the first wide white stripe up top, all of your white stripes should be a couple of inches wide (because you’re not painting those), and your other areas will show the full 7 inches (because that’s where you’re adding color).
That’s why it’ll take you approximately 2 hours to complete your first panel. Because you’ll psych yourself out more than once.
Then, if you’re smart, you’ll find a talented, super cool friend (insert Myra) to help you finish the panels.
Nobody wants to do four of these alone.
Then, simply paint the wide stripes with chalk paint. I chose chalk paint because it’s safe for fabric…it applied like a champ and produced beautiful color on the curtains. Since our panels were originally sheer, we painted one coat so that some sunlight could still get in. We didn’t want solid paint stripes because, well, then it would look like painted stripes.
I love the way they turned out, and I love knowing that one day when Lauren and her fam grow tired of these, it’s no big deal to take them down and try something else.
The painted stripes were a little tedious, but they pumped up the pattern in our nursery makeover, and the look really won me over. I’m already on my way to painting more stripes at home.
Hope to show you Lauren’s full nursery makeover soon…all depends on my type A photography nature. You’ll see it this week if I can relax just a little.
🙂
*I also have to give a shout out to Alathia, who came to our rescue when we ran out of paint…she met Myra on the interstate and gave us a can–thank you bunches, Alathia!!!
HAHAHAHA! Love the picture with my eyes closed! I’m totally cracking up! 🙂
These look really nice! I love the color you chose for the stripes.
Oh, you girls had too much fun! So glad you got to work together on this fun project. Those striped curtains are just the perfect touch. xoxo to you both!!
Cool idea!!! Thanks for the tips. 😉
Hugs,
Gail
Love the curtains! Those turned out fantastic! There’s nothing like having a good friend by your side to help out with the work and make it fun:)
So great-this would also be nice and fresh in a basement.
great job as always Shaunna… Miss you when you’re not around but understand you’ve got a full plate… can’t wait to see the finished nursery… p.s. btw you are great on video… always make me smile – wonderful personality, talented and beautiful to boot… great combo :-)….
take good care and c u soon… Patty
Just curious, why did you use chalk paint? Did you already have it?
Hey Delaine! I did already have it…but, chalk paint adheres to any surface including fabric. Latex has a greater chance of flecking off, plus, I LOVE Provence and it was just the right color.
🙂
shaunna
Fun tutorial!! Thanks for sharing it!!! 🙂
Wow. Love it! And I have some Provence on hand. Hmmmm….
Cute, cute, cute!
Oh these are adorable! I will have to give this a try!
They look amazing! Just wondering…can they be washed? And also, love the color on the walls in the nursery…what is it?
Hey Jennifer! I’m betting, no, they can’t be washed. But honestly…not really sure. We didn’t seal them with anything. But again, for the money, hands down it was the way to go to give them a customized look for less. That’s the trade, I suppose. The wall color is Sherwin Williams Tinsmith…it’s awesome!
🙂
shaunna
The curtains look fabulous!I’ll have to give this a try.
Kathy
AWESOME!!!!! I love that the paint is so versatile! And I love even more that you shared this awesome trick!!! They look beautiful!
Love it. I have two boys and would love to do something like that in their room with a more masculine color. Thanks for sharing the idea.
I love the curtains! Looks like you guys had a great time!
Debbie
Love these! I have actually been contemplating painting my own striped panels for our living room.. this confirms it! Great color choice, too, by the way!
I love this! I actually just did this wih the exact same curtains from Target but painted a large yellow chevron pattern instead. Perfect way to get great style for a low price tag.
Those are beautiful! Very creative, and like you said they will grow with her!
I absolutely love the curtains. And that blue…one of my all time fave colors. I’d love to do the same type of curtains for my daughters room but in white and hot pink. I’ve noticed that the chalk paint doesn’t come in hot pink, plus I’ve never seen that type of paint anywhere here in Canada. Do you have any suggestions for a type of paint to use for the hot pink stripes? Btw, I’m new to your blog but I’m really enjoying it so far.
love those panels with that color.
You’re inspiring me….watch out craft store!
These look GREAT!!! I think I’ll be trying this with a paisley stencil to match what I’m planning on doing in my daughters room – let’s hope it works, and if it doesn’t, not a lot of money was spent! Thanks for sharing!
Where do you find the Provence chalk paint? Can you just get that from Lowe’s or Home Depot or do you have to order it from somewhere? I’ve never heard of it before. It is a beautiful color though.
I have been searching for a way to create masculine curtains for my husband’s media room and I am having a hard time finding the color combo I want… This is such an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.
I love your curtains! I’m about to make some for our living room 🙂 I was wondering, how long did you let them dry before they were ready to be put up? Thanks!
I tried to do this to my sheer curtains from IKEA this weekend and it was a total bust. We bought our chalk paint at Jo Ann Fabric, did everything as described and the chalk paint was just so hard to work with. It was not easy to spread, so we used a ton of paint and were VERY thorough to get great coverage. Once the curtains were drying we even went back and touched up with paint brushes and the paint didn’t blend or dry the same. They look blotchy, patchy and definitely like a DIY project gone bad. When the light isn’t against them it hides the hidiousness of these but up close you can still see how bad they look. I’m wondering if just regular acrylic paint would’ve been better coverage and easier to work with. We put so much effort into these. I contacted the paint company to try to get my money back. I learned a lesson….DIY isn’t for everyone. I won’t attempt something like this again and waste all of this money. I’m glad it worked for you. Your curtains look great!!
Hey Leah!
I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you. 🙁 I hate that, I will tell you we used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and it works wonderful!! 🙂
Are the panels still soft enough where the paint is that they drape ok? I’ve painted lace trim before and it was so stiff and crunchy that my end result was not great. Thanks!!
Hi! Got the same question as Gretchen. My panel seems really stiff and doesn’t hang well. Wondered if a run they the dryer would help.