Learning the ABCs with a Roller Shade

This post is not part of my 31 Days series; if you are here for that, just click the link provided. As part of their Roller Shade Design Challenge, Blinds.com provided me with a mini roller shade to decorate and use as I saw fit. All designs and opinions are my own.

If you know me, you know I like a challenge. This one was unique for sure. Blinds.com asked several bloggers to participate in a challenge – take a mini roller blind and turn it into something unique.

Man, I had some amazing ideas. But, I also have a hubby who gets some input…

• Growth chart? Nope… you’re supposed to do that on the wall.
• Family Rules chart? Nope… he wanted it to be a certain way and already had it in mind as to what he wanted.
• A remembrance token for Carter? Well, I shot that one down… I’d have been a mess putting it together and a bit too on the perfectionist side, and I had to get this done on a deadline, so, nope.

I decided I still wanted something related to the kids, and came up with an ABC Chart. This is perfect for their age (they’re almost 2), and they both love to read. I knew right away I wanted to do an animal alphabet, because they also both love animals. I found some really cute cards on etsy, and with these particular cards, I can make use of this chart in many ways; they’ll be able to learn colors, letters, animals, and probably even more!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Here’s how I made it:

1. Be sure you know the measurements of the roller shade you’re using. This will be how you determine the size of the alphabet cards. For my roller shade, which measured 24×36 but only had 22×28 usable space, I needed my cards to be 3.75″x5″ each. This also left some space for my title.
2. Print out your cards. Cut them with a paper cutter.
3. Lay out all the cards on the roller shade to make the gluing process easier.
4. One by one, apply Modge Podge to the roller shade and then lay an alphabet card on top. Try to push out the bubbles and make sure it’s glued down well.
   
5. Once all letters are glued down, apply a thin layer of Modge Podge on top of all the letters. This is also your chance to push out any remaining air bubbles and to make sure all edges are secured down well.
6. Now, add a title – I used sharpies to do this.
7. That’s it – you’re done! For now, ours in hanging over the easel in our playroom, but eventually, we’ll be hanging it on the wall.

I really wanted to do a specific animal for each alphabet, and that’s the only thing I’d change if I had had more time and more opportunity to be creative (something about having 2 almost 2 year olds…). Or maybe if the blinds had been the right size for their nursery, I would have decorated it to match, because we definitely could have used a replacement shade in there!

Here’s the finished product:

Hopefully, you enjoyed this little craft – I know my kids will. It’s the perfect activity for being on medical lockdown for the next 5 1/2 months too – why not learn while we’re stuck indoors? (Yep, I’m always thinking of ways to make our situation work!)