Monday

The Little Engine That Burlaped

Is burlaped a word?  Some wise blogger said that if you write it in blogland it becomes a word.  So mine is burlaped.  Or maybe it should have two p's?  Burlapped.  Sort of French sounding when you say it that way.... buur'lapped.  What ever.  I hate burlap.  I hope to not burlap often.  But I love burlap.  I love everything I see buur'lapp on.  I hope to have it on many more things.  Versatile, quaint, country, chic, all rolled into one adorable fabric.  Fabric of fraying messiness, little fibrous pieces of smelly textile.  I hate burlap.

Coffee sacks.  If you are lucky a few green coffee beans will fall from the seams when you cut into them.  If you are doubly lucky you will have mounds of thread-shred-shed all over you, your floor, your dining room table, and everywhere else the stuff walks off too.  If you are smart you will do this on a sunny day outside.  No comments please about me not being smart, it was a weather issue and you should know by now I like to work on the dining room table anyway.

There is a tremendous difference in the weave, texture and feel of burlap coffee sacks.  For this project (what is the project you wonder?) I wanted to use the lighter colored sacks, which were the looser, coarser variety.  They were all clean and flat when I bought them.  I washed them to get the smell out and it turned them into mangled twisted, sacks of lettered wrinkle.  They didn't even smell till after I washed them.

Draw Straight lines


I do not sew.  I found out this weekend I don't even cut or glue all that well.  Math, forget it, I measure by using from my elbow to my wrist.  Works.  Sometimes.  Usually not very accurately.

Donna over at Funky Junk always has ideas I think I can do.  She makes stuff look "Bliss-able".  Her faux shades were the perfect no sew project for me.  I chugged along, uphill, and got it done.  Chanting "I think I can, I think I can" when I was up to my elbows in math calculations for cutting and lining 5 shades that should of all been of equal size.  For the full tutorial go to Funky Junk and do it the way she says.






Easter weekend I found myself in a farm store staring at a bin of coffee sacks.  $1.29 each, some are two sided, bonus!  I had no intention of making the valances from Funky Junk even though it was love at first sight, but that was because I didn't own any coffee sacks.  Now there they were and I bought 8 of them.  3 have been cut up for five windows above our kitchen eating nook.

 The blank canvas, of which I have five of the same size.


My hot glue gun was crap.  Yes crap.  So I used fabric glue.


The evil, mutant shredder. 


Terrific Under Ten Tuesday @ At Home With K 
It's A Party @ DIYbyDesign 

Wow Us Wednesdays @SavvySouthernStyle 
Whatever Goes Wednesday @SomedayCrafts
Show & Tell @BlueCricketDesign
What we made and wore @RaeGunRamblings 
The Mother Lode @ IGottaCreate 
What's It Wednesday @IvyandElephants 

 Time Travel Thursday @ Brambleberry Cottage 
 Crafty Scrappy Happy Me Thursday @CraftyScrappyHappy
 Thrifty Thursday @ ThriftyDecorating
 Transformation Thursday @TheShabbyCreekCottage
Share Your Cup Thursday with Mrs. Olson 
Party Time @ 36th Avenue





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55 comments :

  1. Those are very "Blissable" indeed! You crack me up. I happen to love burlap... but then I've never tried to make anything out of it either...

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  2. So do you hate it or love it? Cute window idea. I am living with the burlap smell now since I bought the burlap thing I sneak peeked the other day. Hopefully it will go away in time.

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  3. Hi Bliss,

    You know ......I read every word. lol You write what I'm thinking when I'm working on a project :) Well anyway before I learned how to sew I glued everything. Fabric-tack ROCKS and so does your cute window treatment. I bet your still trying to vacuum up all the burlap. Ask me how I know. ;-)

    Dee

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  4. Way cute! Great job, my no sew friend!

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  5. They look very chic and Bohemian hanging on your windows. And you got them for a super low price! I love the way burlap LOOKS, but, I agree with you. I can't stand the feel, the smell, or the mess. Maybe we whould change the name to grrrlap.

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  6. Oh I love them. I did a valance in our laundry room, and I adore the look. It looks interesting from the outside too. Thanks Bliss for sharing your burlaped project!

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  7. What a great idea! I love burlap and coffee sacks even more. I didn't know you could find them at a farm store. Heck! I live in an area full of those. I may need to pop in there and check them out sometime. I don't sew either. Well, I can hem. Does that count? I usually use fabric glue (like you) or the kind you iron on. Hot glue works best for objects not fabric because it goes on thick and goopy anyway. So it was wise for you to use fabric glue instead. Love how your windows turned out. Now they have lots of personality!

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  8. very cool! i love the level of their dressed-ness. ;)

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  9. Okay...at first I thought you wrote "...that BURPED." I am old. My eyes are bad. Burlapping is better than burping, most of the time. And how did you get those badges on the side of your blog and why isn't mine there? Sheesh. (I really should not be having a glass of wine at 3:30, but it's been a loooong day in the 8th grade.)

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  10. That's quite the glowing endorsement for burlap! I'll be running out to find some ... though, haven't the slightest idea where I would find burlap sacks around Chicago ...

    And the windows are dressed perfectly for a nice casual breakfast ...

    :)

    Linda

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  11. Oh my word, you are hilarious...for real! I also have a love/hate with burlap, mostly love though :)

    They window treatments turned out super cute!

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  12. I think they look cute cute! But do the smell and shed in real life? You know...the life that you don't take pictures of? Or do they have the non-smelling, non-shedding burlap over in your neck of the woods? Cause I want some!

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  13. Such a cute idea! I do agree about the shedding, though! Yikes. When I sewed those vases I had it all over me :)

    blessings,
    karianne

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  14. OMGosh, I just love them...you did a fantastic job...what do you mean you don't work well with glue, etc...you did much better than I could have!
    The mess is worth it!!!!

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  15. Bliss you crack me up!! I LOVE THEM!!!

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  16. I agree with Martina, you always have me in stitches.

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  17. I love the way it looks, but do not like the way it shreds and smells. Good to know that washing them is out of the question...they are so cute in your window! I'm thinking that a faux sack is a better fit for my home.

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  18. Anonymous4/16/2012

    I love this! Too cute! I don't sew either and I love that you don't have to to make these! I just bought two jute coffee bags; you've given me a good idea! Too funny too!

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  19. Goodness girl I'm afraid I would have said oh forget it, but it is good you didn't because they are darling!! I have worked with the coffee sacks before and it is a huge mess!!

    Carol

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  20. Your window treatments are adorable! I think I'm allergic to working with burlap. :)

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  21. I love the way that looks! I've got a bunch of coffee sacks and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with them ... might have to make some valances!

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  22. LOL... you genius, you!

    And I was just drinking my cup of Guatemalan coffee this morning...

    Subtle, but so refined. I LOVE them!
    -Joanne

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  23. Those are beautiful! I've got my eyes out for some of those this garage sale season, if anyone is foolish enough to let them go!

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  24. They look AWESOME Bliss! I hate the smell of burlap and I have left some of my purchases outside for weeks on end. And you're right, when you wash them they are a mangled up mess. But will I continue to buy them....absolutely! Enjoy your day, Gail

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  25. BTW....I love your blog header!

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  26. I like! Another use for burlap I would never have thought of.

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  27. Hi there - glad to meet you in blogland. I too have a love/hate relationship with burlap. Hate the smell and the shred - but love the look! Your project came out great - and I loved this post...so funny and so human! You make us feel that we can do it, if you can!

    Where oh where did you ever get all that burlap for that insane price. Lucky you - wish I lived near you!

    Check out my project that I posted on DIY showoff (and a few other places) - Ceiling Design and Room Re-Do.

    Thanks,

    Linda

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  28. the perfect touch!! again!!!

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  29. I sure know what you are talking about with the BURLAP mess...but oh how I love to make things with it:) Your no-sew curtains are so CUTE...thanks for sharing them at NTT.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  30. Love, love, love the burlap valances. So cute. I'm your newest follower. I hope you will take a minute to follow me back at http://sister-number-5.blogspot.com/

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  31. You are so funny. I have a love hate relationship with burlap also. Cute idea.
    Fran

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  32. That stuff sure makes a mess, doesn't it? Your new window treatments are java-tastic!

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  33. LOL...Sounds like you got a great deal on coffee sacks. I've never owned one. But I agree with every words you said about burlap. They do look cute in your window.

    Holly

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  34. Another great project, Bliss. Very creative us of burlap.

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  35. Love that look - good job!

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  36. Love the coffee sacks. Where do I find some?

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  37. Cute idea Bliss...
    and burlaped should totally b a word ;)
    amber

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  38. Ah - the love hate relationship - with burlap! Such a fickle gal, that burlap is but your coffee bags are amazing!

    Especially since I can't sew either! I may need you to pop some of those bags in the mail so I can have a burlaped window too.

    Haven't you hear - burlaped is a word. My blog buddy Bliss said so!
    Kelly

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  39. forgot to mention that I'm pinning this to my I can't sew a button but I can do this ideas!
    Kelly

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  40. This is the cutest idea. You really did a fab job. I did not burlap could look that cute. Would you mind sharing this inspirational post at our WIW linky party? Hope to see you there!

    Paula
    ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

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  41. well...you may not have been Blissful while you were doing it but they sure turned OUT Blissful....see Blissmagic wand waving works!!
    Blessings, Lorraine

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  42. You sure look like a sewer (not to be confused with the plumbing sewer) to me. Is that kind of sewer a word? See what you started???

    Anyway- it looks GREAT!

    Your windows are wonderful.

    Laura
    White Spray Paint

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  43. You found the glue gun after all! and then it was not good? LOL you are so funny but hey ... the valances are GREAT! Good job :)
    Hugs,
    Joy

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  44. What's not to hate, I mean love about burlap? I have burlap curtains in my family room. I love them! Probably because I did not make them. I saw these on funky junk and loved them also. You did a great job! Thanks so much for sharing them with Share Your Cup Thursday!
    Hugs,
    Jann

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  45. They look great, I've got burlap in the breakfast room, it's required if you're a blogger. Isn't it?
    Debbie

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  46. They look terrific, well done. Hugs and happy weekend wishes!

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  47. These turned out great! But just reading about it makes me sneeze. Thanks for linking up at Show & Tell this week.

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  48. I'm impressed Bliss! As a fellow non-sewer I can appreciate finding projects that seem doable, although now I'm totally calling it Blissable. I've tried a few this week that did not turn out the way I had planned. You are so lucky to live near farm stands that sel things like burlap sacks for cheap, I'm pretty sure where I am each sack would be $25 with an eco-friendly-locally-made-upcycled sign attached to it.

    Jessica
    stayathomeista.com

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  49. I can so relate to your love - hate relationship with the stuff! They turned out so cute I will be featuring you on Facebook this week. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Igottacreate/100573240032625
    thanks so much for linking up at I Gotta Create! <3 Christina

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  50. What a fun upcycle. The perfect rustic touch to the windows. Congrats on the feature at Tisha's. :) Have a great week.

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  51. You are CRACKING me up! You sound like me...what a darn mess that burlap is! Is it the burlap or our hot glue guns, because both of mine staged a mutiny last weekend when I was making burlap flower pots. I was so stinkin burned and tore up by the time I was done. ANYWHO....I do LOVE your window treatments! I just partnered with a burlap company and they are sending me tons of coffee sacks and I may have to try this one!
    xxx
    Kim

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  52. You are cracking me up! That burlap is a messy devil to work with and my hot glue guns staged a mutiny last weekend when I was making burlap flower pots! I was burned and tore up by the time it was all said and done. Your window treatments rock and I think I may have to give it a shot myself.
    xxxKim

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  53. Hello! I’m stopping in to invite you to join us at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop
    this week!

    http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/clever-chicks-blog-hop-7-country-craft.html

    I hope to see you there!
    Cheers!
    Kathy
    The Chicken Chick

    ReplyDelete

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