The Floor Cloth!!!!!! WHEW

Well hello there and welcome.   I have finally finished the floor cloth.  You know sometimes you get a bright idea and then the idea just goes on and on and on?  You are thinking am I ever going to finish this project?   The floor cloth is one of them.    

I wanted some kind of rug for the kitchen so when I bake and cook my back just doesn't kill me.  We have tile and by the time I finish my back is screaming at me--my hips are loving it but that is another story.    Sooooooo I went on line and typed in Floor Cloths.  I was certainly in for a surprise, so many sites popped up.   I was not willing to pay the price for one so the light bulb turned on and I thought  OK Annette you can do this.   I found a site that gave pretty detailed instructions so here I go.


First I had to find a place that sells canvas, found a wonderful place here in Lubbock and they were so helpful.  I ordered #4 weight canvas which is probably the heaviest weight they make.   It came in and then I  had to shrink it.  It was raw canvas you know.   Heat and water right?    So I have one of the wonderful Sharks that steam clean your floors-heat and water!   After I don't know how long it took to cover the canvas- no shrinkage.   Second try-I have a professional clothing steamer-heat and water!  Nope that didn't work either.   Now remember when I started this project it was cold and icy and had snowed outside.    So we backed the car out of the garage, laid it on the cold floor and Eldon, what would I do without him, poured hot water on it while I mopped (kind of) it in the canvas.   Well lo and behold- SHRINKAGE!!!!  We aren't going to say how long it took to dry being so nice and cold outside

The wrinkles ment shrinkage.  But not enough.   Needed to be about 4 to 5 inches.   

Next step was to put several coats of art primer on it.   Several on the front and one on the back.  It just seals it.  That was easy breezy.

What color to do this floor cloth?  Well out kitchen is beigh, boring and just nothing.  I have some pretty colorful dishes so I went with that.   It is yellow let me tell you this will brighten up a dark cave.   So the three coats of a yellow it got.

Then the fun part started, the wonderful red and then some leaves.  Now I used a stencil and just messed with the colors.   Guess this was cheating some but a stencil anyway.  This floor cloth is 4 foot by 8 foot.

What to do with the edges after you trim it to size.  The canvas company said they would hem it but I didn't want a sewn one.   I went to Lowe's and got some clear liquid nails and folded the hem over and loaded the edge down with books.  Lots of books, I knew all the scrapbooks I have done would come in handy for something besides looking at and seeing our life in photos.  

Just starting to put the books down, this little brain storm actually worked.

The final step is to let everything dry and put several coats of polyurethane on it.  Suppose to use Marine but couldn't find that.  I just used regular.  I am creating all this wonder in the basement with a ceiling fan.    First coat of the sealing wonder was done down there in the basement.  Lets not talk about the fumes.   OMG.  We had to open the front door to help us breathe.  Now remember we live in West Texas.  One day it snows and the next day we have a full blown sand storm-the wind blowing 50 miles an hour and red sand filling the air.  Well we got to contribute poly fumes as the sand blew in the house.   Good trade off-sand in house vs breathing.     We then moved this project to the garage and it has to dry several days between coats.   Finally dry and then went to Lowe's and bought some padding and oh my it is wonderful and cushey.   

The little leaves in the center are my fav ,  I just had to quit and not do to much on it.   Was certainly tempted to though.  


I chose colors to go with the dishes.   Now at the moment I had nothing in the b,b and jn kitchen.  So I pulled out some of the dishes and went to my favorite place----Hobby Lobby--and found some pretty little plate holders and there you go--some color.  

Some of the little plates I added for some color.  The Daisey and corn crocks are some I did in my china painting days.   The plates in the center are closer to their true color.  

Will I do it again?   Probably.   Now I do highly recommend that when the plastic is on the floor and you put the art primer on your canvas----change the plastic so lots of little UFO'S don't find their way on your floor cloth.  

That is it for now and thank you so much for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world.  

Vertically Challenged vs 10 feet of Wall

Hello there,  

Just wanted to post my last challenge.  Sometimes I feel like David fighting the giant with some of my projects.  Like the floor cloth but that is another story.  

Sometimes you really mess up and I will admit it.   When we moved into this house the bedroom is a lot larger than we have ever had.  Always painted the bedrooms this wonderful red, it depends on what paint you buy what color it is but can be called Cabin Red or several other AKA's.   So why not paint all four walls with 10 foot ceiling and who knows how tall the rest of it is in this house?   Well, have you ever felt like you were in a cave?  This did.   Having gotten back from painting wonderful grandson's bathrooms-two of them- I thought I am going to tackle this little project.   I have been up and down a ladder many many times already.  This eight foot ladder and I are on first name basis by now.   Remember I am vertically challenged.  Of course my feet touch the ground but my head just isn't as tall as a lot of people's heads.

After going to Lowes twice for three test pints of  test paint I finally came upon   Earthy Ocher.  Now how they get these names I will never know.  To me eathy is dark brown or if the land has sand in it a tad more orange and could be gunky clay and it comes in a various amounts of colors.   I just knew I would have to put kilz on it to cover, but the painting fairies are with me.  Nope just two coats of Earth Ocher,  it went well with the bedspread and the goldish color and seems to be an in color.  I am not really into in colors but hey I am in now.  Now I do not tape at all you know the little blue tape they say you have to do.  When I use tape I make the biggest mess.  The paint oozes under it and all.   I  usually use a good cut in brush or discovered one of the little pointed foam brushes.   Once my daughter wanted me to paint their son's bedroom and I used all the things she wanted me to use the tape and plastic and made a MESS!!!!! Took more time cleaning it up than painting  LOL. 

 So here are the pic of the joining walls and the one by the dresser.  Right now have some "stuff" on the floor trying to figure out a display to put on the wall.  It is easier to move on the floor than putting holes and then moving them.  That is ok though holes in the wall, makes it breathe easier.  

 

This is the Cabin Red and the Earth Ocher together.  As you can see it does go together.  The Paintings above the bed are traditionaly done by yours truly.    As are the lamps in my China Painting days.  Actually we did paint but mainly visited .  

  

Another view, I wanted the curtains to look  like a petticoat underneath.  

Well kind friends thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world.  You never know.