Monday, September 9, 2013

Lace Covered Window

So we had a little problem.  

This window, which lets in much needed light, is very poor for privacy.  I never could decide on a window treatment.  Plus, my budget at this time in our life is a big fat ZERO.  I kept trying to think of what I could do for free......what do I have around the house that could work???  What could give us some much needed privacy, but still let in the light.  If we could cut down some of the Florida heat coming in with this south facing window, 
that would be a bonus.

Pinterest to the rescue.  I saw this idea over at Annabel Vita where she 'liquid starched' lace to her window.  
Boom!  That will work.  
(The bottom half is a very old piece of vintage lace curtain...so pretty)
 I can make my own starch.  
FREE, sort of, or FREE enough!
  I win!   

I used this recipe for my liquid starch.  Took only a few minutes.  Let it cool before you paint windows with simmering glue gravy.  :)  
Here is a before:


I didn't take any pictures of the process, as I was covered in liquid starch, 
but below are pictures of the results. 

I followed Annabel Vita's easy tutorial and here are my tips from my experience.

  • Clean your window first, removing any dust.
  • It would help if you have an extra set of hands.  I was by myself and it took patients and upper body strength.  
  •  Don't be sparse with your liquid starch application.  I used generous amounts.  It dried rather quickly, so you have to keep it wet, or it won't stick.   
  • The whole process took about 2 hours. 
  • It's been up a few weeks now.  No problems and it still looks good.
  • I haven't tried, but I'm pretty sure it could be removed with water and a scraper.  At least I hope it will.                                                          

After:




I went outside at night to see how much more, if any, privacy we had.  Nice!  That will work.  Good enough.  
You can't see up the stairs or the hallway any more.

PERFECT!!!  Success!  Thank you Annabel Vita! 

Lee Lee the Cowdog says hello!  

Hope this post inspires you to creatively solve an issue 
when money is tight.  :) 
 Use what you have and don't be afraid to take risks.  

“Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.” 
Edith Wharton

Be Blessed and be a Blessing.

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24 comments:

debra @ frugal little bungalow said...

it looks great! :)

April D said...

It looks great! I've been wondering if I could do something like that to our front door sidelights. Thanks for the resource sharing!
We were in FL this past weekend(Heaven!). Thought about you when I saw someone walking an English Springer...made me smile.

Unknown said...

What a great idea. It looks fabulous. And I love how your dog doesn't want to be left out of the process. ;-)

Wyndy said...

Gorgeous! I love this! It would have been the perfect solution to the huge window directly over the garden tub in my house in Indy. Hello? Window directly beside the tub. :/

Thia said...

Fantastic! Looks great!

Annabel VIta said...

This looks soo gorgeous! I love it!

Ann Hartter said...

I have been following Annabel Vita's post comments for some time now hoping for a photo of what it looks like from the outside, and what it looks like at night was a bonus! Thank you so much for giving this a shot! I am totally going to do this this next week. I've been so excited to try it!

Michelle said...

That is a wonderful idea. It turned out beautiful.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

That really turned out pretty. We have half moon windows here in our Florida home and this would be nice for those, too. Good idea!

Annabel VIta said...

Hi Michal, hope you don't mind that I shared one of your pictures (with a link) on my blog. Let me know if that's a problem and I'll take it down.

Annabel V xx

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

What a great idea!

Sweet Woodruff said...

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. Annabel gave me the idea and I just ran with it. She gets all the credit. And it really does look beautiful. Prettier than the pictures show.

Sweet Woodruff said...

Hey Anna. Thanks for the exciting feedback. I hope you were successful. Good luck and thanks for stopping by my blog. ;). Take care.

Sweet Woodruff said...

Thanks for stopping by Debra.

Sweet Woodruff said...

Makes me happy you smiled when you saw a springer. Thanks for always posting and being so kind to me.

Sweet Woodruff said...

Thanks Gypsy. Yea, I went outside and the dog was feeling left out. Take my picture mom!!!

Sweet Woodruff said...

My sister-in-law has one of those windows over her tub too. A perfect place for lace!

Sweet Woodruff said...

Thanks Thia. How are you?

Sweet Woodruff said...

Hats off to you....muse of the day. You inspired it. Thank you.

Sweet Woodruff said...

Thanks Michelle. ;)

Sweet Woodruff said...

Thank you. Its perfect for those awkward crescent windows, as custom window treatments are expensive.

Sweet Woodruff said...

No problem at all. Thank you for the exposure. ;)

Sweet Woodruff said...

Thanks Karen!! Good to see you.

Thia said...

Doing okay, thanks.

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