Outdoor Art for Under $12

$12
2 Hours
Easy
As I was putting together a summery front porch (see how I did that for under $200 on one of my other Hometalk posts) I noticed we had two rather large “blank” walls.

I realized that if this room was an indoor room, I would hang art on those walls. I thought, “Why not?!?” I had the perfect way to do it, too!



When Hometalk asked me to curate a board of budget DIY wall art ideas, I found an idea that used a shower curtain to create art. You can see that project in the graphic below: the one with the whale.


The problem with this particular version was that it is an indoor project using a cloth curtain and a wooden frame. I didn’t see any reason that it couldn’t be adapted though! I knew I could use a plastic curtain, but what to wrap it around? Why not foam core? It seems kind of indestructible.


Here are my supplies:


I bought 3 sheets of foam core, the only plastic shower curtain at my local Walmart that fit my decor, and a roll of packing tape. I wanted 2 pieces of art in 2 different sizes. For the smaller wall on my porch, I used the foam core as is ( 22″ x 28″). For the much larger wall, I decided to attach 2 boards together making a piece that is 28″ x 44″. My middle son helped me! We taped the boards with the packing tape and added additional support with 2 used paint stirs from our basement (free!).


When I opened the shower curtain it was very wrinkled and full of fold lines. This is the one step I would do differently next time: I decided to use my steamer to get the wrinkles out. It did get the wrinkles out, but the steam also puckered the curtain in a few places when it got really hot. I’m not sure HOW I would do it it differently, but I wouldn’t steam it next time. ***UPDATE- I've had hundreds of people offer suggestions on how to remove the wrinkles since this article first appeared on Hometalk. I'm good, now. Thanks! (They said to throw it in the drier. Be careful if you do this! If you leave it too long it will melt!)***


We just cut the curtain in two pieces and then further cut it so each piece was slightly larger than the foam core pieces. We wrapped the curtains tight around the boards and taped them to the back with packing tape. I taped down all the loose edges, so no bugs or debris would be able to get inside- this was especially important here because my shower curtain is actually clear on a white board. The curtain is not white. Any speck of dust that would get in there would be visible.


And the finished product:


I hung them with sticky back Velcro squares: 4 squares on the small one and 6 on the big one- not because they are heavy, but because I didn’t want the wind to take them. The package said “For indoor and outdoor use”.


I would love to see if you decide to try this yourself! There are a few more photos of this project on my blog. Follow the link below.
Jennifer Terry- Calm and Collected
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 15 questions
  • Sandy Sandy on Jul 26, 2018

    have you tried laying a tower over the curtain then iron with steam?


    I may try it when I can get the materials.


    love the idea.

  • Mirna L Mirna L on Oct 25, 2019

    Hi

    I want to do something similar but mine is a family picture cloth. I want to put in a picture frame but I'm scare to mess it up. I just want to know what can I use to keep the cloth to stay in the frame? I will really appreciate your help


    Mirna


  • Karen Miller Bonett Karen Miller Bonett on Mar 03, 2020

    How did you attach the sheer curtains on the porch? Thanks!

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  • Joan Zambito Johnson Joan Zambito Johnson on Oct 17, 2019

    I love this! I have been puzzling for months over what to hang on the large bare walls of my otherwise cozy outdoor porch. Something like this is exactly what I was envisioning was concerned about the potential weather elements of n play. Really looks great! Thanks for sharing.

  • Doreen Kennedy Doreen Kennedy on Oct 25, 2019

    I love your idea. Your picture looks beautiful. In my younger years I was a professional photographer. I did most of my own mounting and framing. I sometimes heat mounted, but I also used acid free spray mount. The spray mount takes a little practice, but the finished product looks just like a heat mount. It is rather toxic, but there are other spray adhesives that are not. I also save curtains, old fabric from scraps, quilts and any other fabric or paper that I think I might use for future projects. I’ve changed the fabric in this old window many times over the last 20 years.

    • DebbB DebbB on Feb 06, 2020

      See if steaming will help, it can t hurt.

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