My $7.00 burlap coffee bean sack window shades

I love coffee bean sacks! Not only is the burlap perfectly rustic, the added stamped graphics give them the ability to turn something ho hum into art.

There's a bank of 3 windows in the kitchen I thought could use some warming up. So after I landed a certain sack lately, my brainstorm kicked in. Faux shades! Well, they're real but they don't function as real roll downs. They're just for looks.

My costs:

brackets - $2 per window x 3
sack - $1@

Aren't they fun?! Here's how I made them.

1. Start with a wooden dowel and a coffee sack.

2. Pick up a closet bar install kit for the dowel.

3. Cut the dowel just under the size of the inside of the window frame.

4. Gather up a drill bit and screwdriver bit.

5. Pencil in the hole, then predrill a pilot hole.

 6. Screw in the brackets. 

So easy!

7. Cut the sack to the width of the dowel. 

Depending on how long you wish for them to hang down will determine the up/down height. I used 1/2 a sack per shade.

8. Fray the ends so they have a nice edge.

9. Cut a liner of some sort for a backing. 

The burlap is very transparent so if you wish for the graphics to show up, a liner does the trick. I used a linen material from my stash.

10. Glue the liner to the burlap just around the edge.

Don't overdue it or the glue will seep through the materials.

11. Run a bead of hot glue along the inner edge and attach the dowel.

12. Roll until material meets material. 

Or however much you wish.

13. Add some junky trinkets as shade pulls, install and you're done!

If they want to 'unroll', predrill a small hole into the side of one bracket and add a screw. I did that to one and it worked like a charm!

Then add a few green faux plants for a no upkeep window area and... 

...go decorate the rest of the kitchen to work with your new windows of course. I'm on it. :)

(best place to land coffee bean sacks are any place that serves up coffee or roasts their own beans... these are from The Back Porch, Harrison Hot Springs BC Canada, for $1@)

A few other untraditional window treatments can also be found in this collection.