Then, one day while on Pinterest, I found several awesome painted rug tutorials & knew it was the perfect solution to my problem!
I ended up buying a $40 4x6 Erslev rug from Ikea.
{Before}
After unrolling the rug, I gave it a quick vacuum & rub down with the iron. Then, I began taping a striped pattern on the rug. Because of the size of the rug, I made each end stripe nine inches long & the six stripes in the middle ten inches long. I also made sure to place the tape for the stripes on the inside sections of the stripes that were not getting painted. That way, all the stripes would be even & allow for the extra inch or so of the masking tape.
{During}
Painting was the trickiest part of the process. I intended on using acrylic craft paint mixed with textile medium. Unfortunately, I didn't buy enough & didn't want to wait to finish the rug until I could get more supplies. Instead, I decided to use some leftover paint from the living room mixed with water. The mixture was about 2 parts paint to 1 part water. I rolled on two coats & then removed the tape.
{After}
I am pleased with the way it turned out, but I have to admit that I'm terrified for it to get dirty! It's small enough that it could fit in the washer, but since I used latex paint on it, I'm not exactly sure how it would look afterwards. Since the paint doesn't seem to come out of my "paint clothes" I'm pretty sure it will be okay to wash! So, do you have any insight on this situation? I'd love to hear it!
