They say inspiration can come from anywhere, and Sheena’s story definitely made us smile. Here’s her letter:
Hey John and Sherry (and Clara and Burger too!) I just wanted to write to thank you for some unintended inspiration you gave me recently. After reading about Clara’s dollhouse, I fell in love with the pattern on the fabric-sample-turned-rug in the tiny room and had to replicate it. I did it with a plain rug, foam insulation, paint, and a sponge brush — think “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” in reverse and decor style! 🙂
I used a 3/4-inch thick piece of insulation styrofoam to make a stamp and stamped the design across the whole rug. You could also try a thick piece of cardboard or packing foam. To give myself something to hold while stamping, I glued a wood block to the back of the foam and added two folded pieces of cardboard to frame the outer square.
Starting with the outer square of my design, I brushed a coat of paint (Valspar’s Secluded Garden) onto the foam using a small foam brush, then stamped the very center of the rug, which I had measured in advance.
I worked outward and around the rug until a basic lattice pattern emerged.
Next I stamped the inner motif inside each square of the lattice.
After stamping, I filled in the shapes by sponging paint with my foam brush.
I let the painted side dry for 24 hours before laying it down to avoid tracking paint through the house.
But wait — there are two sides to every project, including this one…
For the reverse side I used two-inch masking tape to create bold stripes. Then I took the rug outside and applied a few light coats of spray paint. I found that spray paint preserved the rug’s texture better than sponged-on latex paint.
The cost breakdown:
- Rug: $20
- Paint: $6 (two sample jars)
- Foam: already had
- Foam brush: already had
- Tape: $4 (used about 1/8 of the roll)
- Spray paint: $4 (used one leftover can and half of another)
- Grand total: $34
Thirty-four dollars for a reversible rug that flips to match our mood, washes easily, adds pattern and color to our kitchen, and gives our dish-washin’ feet a soft place to land. Not bad, I’d say! – Sheena
It’s delightful to see a dollhouse fabric swatch scaled up into a full-size rug, and the reversible idea is brilliant (the yellow stripes are a favorite). If you want more details about Sheena’s process, she shared a step-by-step tutorial for the stamped side and a how-to for the striped side on her blog. Thanks to Sheena for sharing this creative, budget-friendly makeover!