Back to School Clothing Checklist

I'm starting my new series on Back-to-School Shopping on a Budget. This free printable will help you with your list making.

{Click on the image to begin your download...which won't include the example items}

All About a Bloom Link Party (Jenny@Bloom Designs)Cast Party Wednesday (Sheryl@Lady Behind the Curtain)Crafty Sasse Wednesday Link Party (Kim@The Sasse Life)Creative Share Wednesdays (The Trendy Treehouse)Hoo’s got talent? (Leslie@Night Owl Crafting)Lil’ Luna Link Party (Kristyn@Lil’ Luna)Link It Up Wednesday (Junk In Their Trunk)Linking Party (Passionately Artistic)Mrs. Fox’s Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox’s Sweets)Penny Pinching Party (Jen@The Thrifty Home)Recipe Round-Up (Gooseberry Patch)Show & Share (Lindsay@Southern Lovely)Show & Tell Linking Party! (Becca@Blue Cricket Design)Success U-Wednesday Linkup Party (Athena@The Stuff Of Success)Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice (Kim@Seven Thirty Three)These Chicks Cook (Katie@This Chick Cooks)Wednesday’s Wowzers (Alison@Oopsey Daisy)Whacha Got(DIY, Crafts & Other Projects)Whassup Wednesday (Kara@Elements Interiors)What I Whipped Up Wednesday (Kimmie@Sugar & Dots)What We Made and Wore Wednesdays(Marissa@Rae Gun Ramblings)Whatcha Whipped Up Wednesday (DJ’s Sugar Shack)Whatever Goes Wednesday (Someday Crafts)What’s New Wednesday (Grateful Belly)Whimsy Wednesdays (Jenny@The NY Melrose Family)Whisking Wednesdays (Pinch of This, That & the Other)White Wednesday (Kathleen@Faded Charm)Wonderful Wednesday (Printabelle)Works-for-Me Wednesday (Kristen@We are That Family)Wow Me Wednesday (Ginger@Ginger Snap Crafts)Wow Us Wednesday (Connie@Family Home and Life)A Crafty Soiree (Yesterday on Tuesday)Anything Goes Linky Party (Scrapbooking Made Easy)Catch a Glimpse Thursday (Allison@A Glimpse Inside)Commercial Break Thursday (Suzy’s Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom)Creative Thursday (Michelle’s Tasty Creations and Crafty Ideas)Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails (Kim@Seven Thirty Three)Full Plate Thursday (Miz Helen’s Country Cottage)Get Your Brag On! (Brandy@Gluesticks)Hookin’ Up With House of Hepworths (Allison@House of Hepworths)Linky Party (Celebrations at Home)Pin’Inspirational Thursdays (The Artsy Girl Connection)Pin It Thursday (Emily@Sweet Bella Roos)Recipe Roundup (The REAL Housewives of Riverton)Recipe Swap Thursday (Alison@Prairie Story)Show Off Your Stuff Party (Fireflies and Jellybeans)Show Your Stuff (Julie@Just Winging It)Showcase Your Talent Thursday (What’s Cooking, Love?)Strut-Your-Stuff (Stephanie@Somewhat Simple)Sweet Treats Link Party (Ashton@Something Swanky)Taking a Timeout (Trish@Mom On Timeout)Taylor House Thursday(The Taylor House)Thematic Thursday (Diana Rambles)Thingamajig Thursday (Rad Crafter)Thursday Food Fest (Sarah@The Ease of Freeze)Transformation Thursday(Gina@The Shabby Creek Cottage)Create & Inspire Linky Party (Angie@Little Inspiration)Dare to Share (Pam’s Party Planning & Practical Tips)Dwell on Fridays (Dwell on Joy)Fabulous Friday Link Party (My Crowded Kitchen)Fancy This Fridays (Truly Lovely)Fantabulous Friday (Katie@Little Becky Homecky)Fat Camp Friday (Miranda@Mangoes and Chutney)Feature Yourself Friday (Rachelle@Fingerprints on the Fridge)Flaunt it Friday (Kate@Chic On A Shoestring)Foodie Friday (Not Your Ordinary Recipes)For the Kids Friday (Rachel@Sun Scholars)4 Real Friday (Jessica@Mom 4 Real)Free For All Party (Marni@Sassy Sites)Friday Favorites (Jerri@Simply Sweet Home)Friday Favs(Amy@Naptime Crafters)Friday Flair (WhipperBerry)Friday Frolic (Karen@Pocket Full of Pink)Friday Fun Finds (kojoDesigns)Friday Link Party (Tasha@Creation Corner)Friday Potluck (Erin@EKat’s Kitchen)Frugal Friday (Wendy@The Shabby Nest)Frugalicious Friday (Jane@Finding Fabulous)Fun for Kids Friday (Local Fun for Kids & Smile Monsters)Fun Stuff Fridays (Toys In The Dryer)Home and Family Friday (Becca@Home is Where My Story Begins)I’m Lovin’ It (Cheryl@Tidy Mom)Inspiration Friday (At the Picket Fence)It’s a Hodgepodge Friday (It’s a Hodgepodge Life)Kitchen Fun & Crafty Friday (Jill@Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons)Linky Party (Beth@Living Life Intentionally)Look at Me, I’m So Crafty! (Stacey@Fun to Craft)My Favorite Things (Stay At Home Nation)Pity Party (Mique@Thirty Handmade Days)Refresh Your Nest Friday(Carrie@Making Lemonade)Shine On Fridays (One Artsy Mama)Show and Share Day (Chris@Just a Girl)Show and Tell (Chrissy@For Mamas)Show and Tell Friday (Cindy@My Romantic Home)Show Off Friday (Nicole@What-About.co)Sweet Treat Friday (Meaghan@The Decorated Cookie)T.G.I.F. Linky Party (Tracy@Craft Junkie Too)Tickled Pink(Holly@504 Main)VIP Party (Sommer@Designer Garden)Bacon Time (Mindie@Bacon Time With the Hungry Hypo)Lovely Crafty Weekend (Rachael@Lovely Crafty Home)Once Upon A Weekend (Family Ever After)Project Party Weekend (Rachel@Bubbly Nature Creations)Saturday is Crafty Day (Laura@along for the ride)Saturday Nite Special(Donna@Funky Junk Interiors)Saturday Show & Tell (Mackenzie@Cheerios & Lattes)Saturday Showcase (Bowdabra Blog)Saturday Spotlight (Craft Envy)Sharing Saturday(Mia@Mama Mia’s Heart2Heart)Show and Tell Saturdays (Lorie@Be Different Act Normal)Strut Your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters Stuff)Sweet Saturday Link Party(April@Gingerbread)Sweets for a Saturday (Lisa@Sweet as Sugar Cookies)Watcha Got Weekend (Lolly Jane)Weekend Wrap Up Party (Jen@Tatertots & Jello)

Painting Drop Cloths for Drapes

This whole project started out of color-matching-desperation. I'm now set on incorporating the aqua blue from the $5 can of Oops paint {that I used here and here...and will also use on my piano} into all of the main areas of our home.

And I seriously couldn't find the right shade of aqua blue on any panels or even fabric...anywhere! So...I did what I normally do to get a good-looking window treatment...something crazy and bizarre and completely outside of the box. {Seriously if you follow this site regularly, you haven't seen a "normal" window treatment yet...I've got hot-glued cafe curtains, faux roman blinds made out of tension rods and now painted drop cloth panels. Why just walk into the store and buy a curtain when you can get wild & weird like me?}

Using painters' canvas drop cloths is certainly not a new concept in the DIY world. They work great. But actually painting the entire panel...not sure anyone else is this looloo but me {although I've seen some darling ones with painted stripes so I'm not too far gone}. 

I started by laying out my 9x12 foot panel on my garage floor. I used two separate panels...a lot of people cut and hem theirs to get two. But, I don't sew {remember, I hot glued cafe curtains?}, so I just bought two. I wanted a nice & full look anyway. I also didn't wash them...I had seen so many of you who washed their drop cloths only to suffer from major shrinkage. I did iron them...right there on the garage floor in front of God & every one. And my house is in front of the neighborhood mailbox, so lots of eyebrow raises were directed at me ironing on my garage floor.

Then I started painting. I just rolled on regular latex, semi-gloss paint {the $5 OOPS can that keeps on giving}. Before I get finger-shakes and disapproving looks, I indeed, did not use a fabric medium incorporated into my paint. I was terrified it would alter my color that I was working so hard to maintain. I was well aware the end result would be stiff...but if you'll notice in the first photo, these drapes are not functioning drapes. They are purely aesthetic and don't move, so the stiffness isn't a big deal to me {and yes, they are quite stiff}. But, by all means, if you are doing this to functioning drapery, please use a textile medium mixed with your paint to soften it on your fabric.

We have three enormous crepe myrtles in full bloom that kept flowering all over my drapes while I painted...I picked them up all afternoon! I ended up giving them two coats of paint per panel. And FYI...if you're a complete moron like me and just throw them down on the garage floor without anything between them & the cement, your garage floor will also be aqua blue. Is it ironic to anyone else that a painter's drop cloth doesn't actually absorb paint?

And of course, my fifty year old neighbor had to stop by and see what we were up to. He just doesn't get what I do. Yet another eyebrow raise.

I let them dry for 24 hoursish. Then I hung them up...the wrong way. They were a bit long, and because of the stiffness, they didn't puddle properly. I will say that the most difficult part of this process is hanging them...they are super heavy from the weight of the paint. Thanking Jesus that I made my own DIY drapery rods that support the weight of these bad boys {seriously didn't realize how much I needed those rods}. The rings I used were from the previous dining room curtains...which belong at someone's grandmother's house. 

I took the drapes back down and decided to fold them over from the top and then clip them....wayyyyy easier to manage this way! Then I just hung them back up.

Like I said, yes, they're stiff. But it doesn't matter to me since they're purely decorative. If you'd like softer drapes, incorporate a textile medium {available at HobLob or Michael's in the acrylic paint section} into your paint before using it.

YAY! One step closer to being done with this room and being able to have friends come over for dinner again!

On that bare wall on the left, I'm going to make a buffet with some HOT lamps on each end of it {and to be clear, I'm not talking temperature here...they're HAWT, babydoll}. I also plan to KO that chandy and DIY a new one {although when I called my mom to explain my idea for a DIY chandelier she started laughing and told me to go buy one already made...doesn't she know that just adds fuel to my fire?}

To break down the cost of this project, if you saw the post regarding the DIY rods, they were less than $4 to make...each. Each panel cost me $9.90 plus the can of $5 Oops paint, which I finally used the rest of {but I did get another can mixed for my piano!}. {I had the clips leftover from the previous drapes}. So...less than $30 for two {custom colored} panels and hardware. If I ordered these from Pottery Barn, I would have spent hundreds...I know this only because I wasn't so DIY-ish in my previous home. And I was dumb and left those gorgeous drapes behind...gets me annoyed every time I think about it.

Again, to see how to make those DIY rods holding up these puppies, click here. It also explains why I used two demi-rods instead of one long rod across my entire window.

Thanks bunches for stopping by. Happy Drop Cloth Drapery Painting to you and yours.








I party here:

Creative Bloggers’ Party & Hop (SJ@Homemaker on a Dime)The DIY Project Parade (Roeshel@The DIY Show Off)K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple Sunday (Christina@The Tattered Tag)Not “Baaad” Sundays (Lamb Around)Recipe of the Week (Corey@Family Fresh Meals)Savory Sunday (Amanda@The Sweet Details)Scrumptious Sunday (Addicted to Recipes)Sew Darn Crafty Party (Karen@Sew Many Ways)Sundae Scoop (Jamielyn@i heart naptime)Sunday Linky Party (Jen@Petite Hermine)Sunday Showcase (Stephanie Lynn@Under The Table & Dreaming)Sunday Showcase Child Centered Link Party (Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas and Classified: Mom)Sunday Slice (Snips & Spice)Sweet & Simple Sunday (Cups By Kim)Think Pink Sundays (Flamingo Toes)A Round Tuit (Jill@Creating My Way To Success)Anything Goes Link Party (Jeana@A Place Called Home)Bedazzle Me Monday (Nikki@Everything Under the Moon)Calling All Crafters! (Felicia@All Things Fee)Craft-O-Maniac Monday (Jen@CraftOManiac)Craftastic Monday (Cheryl@Sew Can Do)Creative Me Monday (Jenny@The Southern Institute)The Cure for the Common Monday (Rachel@Lines Across)I Made It! (Ninth Street Notions)It’s A Wrap (Erika@Artful Rising)Just Something I Whipped Up (The girl creative)Linking Up (I Gotta Try That)Mad Skills Link Party (Mad In Crafts)Made By You Monday (Cindy@Skip to my Lou)Make It Monday (Megan@Brassy Apple)Make It Pretty Monday (The Dedicated House)Make Yourself Monday (Jamie@For Love of Cupcakes)Makin’ You Crave Monday (Mrs. Happy Homemaker)Making Monday Marvelous Day (Jamie@C.R.A.F.T.)Making the World Cuter Monday (Tiffany@making the world cuter)Manic Monday (Melissa@Serendipity and Spice)Market Yourself Monday (Sumo@Sumo’s Sweet Stuff)Meet Me Monday (You’re Talking Too Much)Mix It Up Monday (Flour Me With Love)Mop It Up Mondays (Kristi@I Should Be Mopping the Floor)More The Merrier (The DIY Home Sweet Home Project)Motivate Me Monday (Kaysi@Keeping It Simple)Muffin Monday (Talking Dollars and Cents)Playdate (Beneath the Rowan Tree)Recipe Sharing Monday (Ali@Jam Hands)Savvy HomeMade Monday (Erin@Home Savvy A to Z)Show Me What You Got (Our Delightful Home)This Week’s Cravings (Tina@Moms Crazy Cooking)What’s in the Gunny Sack (Tonia@The Gunny Sack)“A Little Birdie Told Me…” (Jenn@Rook No. 17)Craft Catwalk (Jenny@Embellishing Life)Crazy Sweet Tuesdays (Dorothy@Crazy for Crust)Destination: Inspiration (Teagan’s Travels)Get Your Craft On! (Today’s Creative Blog)Handmade Tuesdays (Kristen@Ladybug Blessings)Homemade By You (Pincushion Creations)Inspiration Board (Carolyn@Homework)Made by Me (JAQS Studio)Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays (Linda@Coastal Charm)Open Call Tuesdays (Salt Tree)Overflowing With Creativity (It’s Overflowing)Show Me What Ya Got (Stacy@Not Just a Housewife)Take-A-Look Tuesday (Sugar Bee Crafts)Talent Tuesday (Nichelle@Vintage Wanna Bee)Tasty Tuesday (Liz & Holley@A Lettered Life)Tasty Tuesday (Emily@Nap Time Creations)Tea Party Tuesday (Trisha@Sweetology)Tempt My Tummy Tuesday (Lisa@blessed with Grace)Ten Buck Tuesday (Lauren@Young Nester)Time to Shine Tuesday (Courtney@A Diamond in the Stuff)Tip Me Tuesday (Laurie@Tip Junkie)TOO Cute Tuesday (Kyla@Funky Polka Dot Giraffe)Topsy Turvy Tuesdays (Ashlee@I’m Topsy Turvy)Tot Tuesdays (Jenn@My Delicious Ambiguity)Tough Tuesdays (Kirsten@One Tough Mother)Trick or Treat Tuesday! (Jocelyn@Inside BruCrew Life)T’ Time Challenge (Raising 4 Princesses)Tuesday Confessional (Macy@Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy)Tuesday Crafts & Party (A to Zebra Celebrations)Tuesday Glam Party (Giggles, Glitz & Glam)Tuesday Talent Show (Nikki@Chef in Training)Tuesday Time Out (Melanie@Reasons to Skip the Housework)Tuesday Tutorials (Audra@The Kurtz Corner)Turquoise Lovin’ (Sara@Sweet Little Gals)Tutorial Tuesday (Hope Studios)Tutorials & Tips Tuesday (Beth@The Stories of A to Z)Uncommonly Yours (Bonnie & Trish@Uncommon)All About a Bloom Link Party (Jenny@Bloom Designs)Cast Party Wednesday (Sheryl@Lady Behind the Curtain)Crafty Sasse Wednesday Link Party (Kim@The Sasse Life)Creative Share Wednesdays (The Trendy Treehouse)Hoo’s got talent? (Leslie@Night Owl Crafting)Lil’ Luna Link Party (Kristyn@Lil’ Luna)Link It Up Wednesday (Junk In Their Trunk)Linking Party (Passionately Artistic)Mrs. Fox’s Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox’s Sweets)Penny Pinching Party (Jen@The Thrifty Home)Recipe Round-Up (Gooseberry Patch)Show & Share (Lindsay@Southern Lovely)Show & Tell Linking Party! (Becca@Blue Cricket Design)Success U-Wednesday Linkup Party (Athena@The Stuff Of Success)Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice (Kim@Seven Thirty Three)These Chicks Cook (Katie@This Chick Cooks)Wednesday’s Wowzers (Alison@Oopsey Daisy)Whacha Got (DIY, Crafts & Other Projects)Whassup Wednesday (Kara@Elements Interiors)What I Whipped Up Wednesday (Kimmie@Sugar & Dots)What We Made and Wore Wednesdays (Marissa@Rae Gun Ramblings)Whatcha Whipped Up Wednesday (DJ’s Sugar Shack)Whatever Goes Wednesday (Someday Crafts)What’s New Wednesday (Grateful Belly)Whimsy Wednesdays (Jenny@The NY Melrose Family)Whisking Wednesdays (Pinch of This, That & the Other)White Wednesday (Kathleen@Faded Charm)Wonderful Wednesday (Printabelle)Works-for-Me Wednesday (Kristen@We are That Family)Wow Me Wednesday (Ginger@Ginger Snap Crafts)Wow Us Wednesday (Connie@Family Home and Life)

DIY Drapery Rod {on the cheap!}

I was inspired to create my own drapery rod after seeing the one Allison Hepworth created on her site. Mine ended up being quite a bit different {since I had to use two along my window wall in my dining room}, but I certainly wouldn't have thought to do this without inspiration from the House of Hepworths. Thanks, friend!

Sponsor Spotlight: Bear Rabbit Bear

Please welcome Melanie from Bear Rabbit Bear Crafts!

Sponsor Spotlight: Meet Amber from SaltTree

Hi, I'm Amber!  Here in Ontario, Canada, I am a wife to my best friend and a mother of a wondrous little boy who has stolen my heart!  I started SaltTree well over a year ago as something to do while my newborn son slept in my arms.  It's developed into a fantastic platform for any and all fun, frugal, crafty and yummy thoughts that swirl through my mind. I hope to always keep at least one foot firmly planted in relentlessly creating... and if I can inspire a few people along the way... even better!
--