diy projects, summer

DIY: Philodendron Waterproof Beach Blanket

Philodendron Beach BlanketPhilodendron Beach Blanket DIY 2

Let’s be honest, shaking the sand off of a beach blanket can be pretty awkward. It seems to always blow a bit too close to the neighboring group of beach goers – and the sand never completely comes of, am I right?! So why not use a surface that doesn’t require any shaking to get rid of all that sand, just a gentle brush with the palm of your hand?! And speaking of palm, why not add your own palm pattern design onto your fancy new sand-free beach blanket?! (Nice transition, eh?)  For under $10 you can make this waterproof “beach blanket” from a dollar store shower curtain, a handmade stencil, and some acrylic paint. Continue on for the DIY!

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Materials Needed:

  • Philodendron leaf or printed template
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Posterboard
  • X-acto knife
  • White plastic shower curtain
  • Optional: Double-sided tape
  • Green acrylic paint + water (1:1 ratio)
  • Paint roller

Directions:

Note: If you don’t have access to a philodendron leaf, find a hi-res image online and cut it out to use it as a template.

Step #1: To make the stencil, trace the outline of your philodendron leaf (or template) onto the center of a piece of poster board with a pencil. Use an x-acto knife to cut out the inside of the leaf to create your stencil. [Note: You can also use cardboard in place of the posterboard for a thicker stencil. And just to be safe, I made two identical templates before painting.]

Philodendron Stencil

Step #2: The surface area of a shower curtain is obviously a bit larger than your typical beach blanket, so if you plan on using the blanket to accommodate a large group, keep it to size. If you wish to accommodate two people (as I did), it’s best to cut the shower curtain in half. Follow along the creases from the packaging to get a straight, clean cut.

Step #3: Once you have your curtain cut to size, lay your template down onto the plastic curtain. If there are any edges of the stencil that don’t lay flat, use small pieces of double-sided tape to secure those edges to the curtain. Roll a small paint roller into the green acrylic paint and water mixture and lightly roll the brush across the inside of the stencil. Once you’ve covered the entire inner stencil pattern with paint, gently pickup the stencil. Make sure to brush on extremely thin coats of paint. If your coats become too thick, the paint may peel in heat. You should see your first philodendron leaf at this point. [Note: If not, quickly grab some nail polish or a Clorox wipe to clean off all of the paint on the curtain, before you figure out what went wrong!]

Painting Philodendron Stencil

Step #4: Working in a random fashion, repeat Step #3 until you’ve filled the curtain with philodendron leaves. Make sure to not work in the area where the freshly painted leaves are until they’re fully dry (luckily, as long as you apply thin coats, it dries within a few minutes). Whether you want to add just a few or fill the entire curtain with leaves, that is up to you! Feel free to also use a lighter green shade of acrylic and a paintbrush to add highlights to your leaves.

Philodendron Beach Blanket DIYPhilodendron Beach Blanket DIY 2Painted Philo Pattern

Step #5: Once the paint has dried, your new beach blanket is ready for use!

Philodendron BeachBlanket

This shower curtain beach blanket came out even better than I had imagined it. I love it so much, that I absolutely wouldn’t mind making a second one to use as a shower curtain as well!

  1. oohblossom

    July 11, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    love this idea! And the design is adorable, I totally want to make one now.

  2. gemma

    July 13, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    what a nice project. It looks really cool! and I really liked your little pun / transition thingy 😉

  3. Annalisa @ Stone Broke Hawaii

    July 23, 2016 at 1:59 am

    Rad project! I also thinking this design would be amazing as an accent wall in the apartment done with stencils. I’ve been seeing this pattern a lot in boutique stores here in Hawaii bulgur why not DIY for cheap! Thanks for the post!

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