Diy cornice board with foam core |

I have been slowly but surely trying to make my rental/military cookie cutter home feel more homey, inviting and personalized to our style and taste. Of course all of this has to be done on a budget which makes things interesting… and maybe more creative . Anyway, I was poking around on Pinterest and other blogs trying to make my vertical blind windows more appealing without spending mucho $$$ on rods and curtains etc. etc. So I saw some cornice board do it yourself projects using foam core, batting and fabric – and I thought, I can do that! So here is how it went…

The Before…

The After:

Don’t you love how my cat is posing? Haha! I opened one window and left one closed so you can see both. There is even another window on the other side.

A little closer. One way I was able to keep this project very inexpensive is this fabric. I made it. The material is actually painters drop cloth that you can buy at Home Depot, a huge sheet for a few bucks. I made a template based on Orla Kiely’s design and spray painted away. I wanted it to look imperfect, a little smudgy and worn looking.

This is the framework for the board. Duct tape seemed to work the best. They measure 8.5 inches high and 4 inches on the sides. The length was the width of the window plus 5 to 6 inches.

I ironed the drop cloth, cut it to the right size and then took it outside and spray painted it. Then I added batting in between the board and custom fabric and wrapped it like a present. I used more duct tape and a staple gun to secure it.

I secured the first one with “d” rings on the back and small nail but it actually worked better to just hold up the board and hammer a small nail at an angle through the side of the board into the wall. It has a more “flush” look that way.

All I had to buy was 3 sheets of foam core which was about $7. I had the drop cloth, spray paint, batting, and duct tape on hand. Even if you had to buy those things, this would barely cost you $20. I’m thinking about adding sheers underneath to hid the vertical blinds some more. The 2 small windows are pretty small so I’m having trouble finding the right rod, but I may add that as well. Still, much improved! What do you think of my little diy?