Quick & Easy Front Door Upgrade

So I was in the Joann Fabrics the other day trying to get fabric for curtains for my oldest son's room (which is not a quick and easy project -the room not the curtains- and which is why I only had one post last week - sorry).  Anyways, I was in the aisle with the stuff to make roman shades and I happened to notice these window cling things.  

The official product name is Hanover Stained Glass Applique.  I took a closer look and decided they would be ideal to dress up our current plain jane front door sidelights.  Plus they were on sale for 30% off so I got 2 clings and 6 feet of rope or black caning lines for just under $30.  You can also get them on amazon.com by clicking on the link above but they cost more there.  I keep calling these clings because they do just cling to the window but they are 3-dimensional which is why they are so realistic looking.


Here is a before picture of our front door and sidelights.  Boring.

That evening I began the transformation.  I started by using a razor blade tool to scrape off the security sticker on the lower part of the left window.  That was the hardest part of this whole project and it took all of 3 minutes.  Then I cleaned the sidelights really well.  Next I measured and marked where the center of the sidelight was from top to bottom.

Then you take the cling or applique out of the package.  The cling is sticking in between 2 pieces of plastic.  Remove the plastic from one side of the cling before placing it against the window.  I placed the center of the cling where my mark was and pressed the rest of the cling in place working from center to top and bottom.  I gave it a lot of all-over firm pressure and then pulled the remaining piece of plastic off the front of the cling.  I used my finger to rub out any remaining air bubbles in between the swirls.  Then I measured and cut and pressed some of the rope cling to the window to finish up the design.  

Both windows were done in 15 minutes and they look fantastic.  I love that they look like the super-expensive real stained glass sidelights that you can buy at the big box store for hundreds of dollars, and I love that they give us a little more privacy when people come to the door.  

You might think that privacy is a weird reason to install the clings but I don't understand why when someone rings the doorbell they think it is okay to peek through those windows.  It is nosy and creepy.  You should ring the bell and then politely wait for us to come to the door.  If after a few minutes we haven't answered the door you may ring again and then continue to wait politely while admiring the beautiful seasonal wreath that I  bought at Target handcrafted for your enjoyment.  Then and only if we had an appointment and you think I have fallen and can't get up do you peek in that window.  At our house it is entirely possible that at 2 in the afternoon I am still in my pjs, there are 30,000 toys all over the front entry and half the children are naked and covered in pb&j.  So I appreciate a little privacy while we tend to these things before we answer the door:)

They sold a couple larger sizes of the applique and some smaller detail pieces too.  You could use more of the rope to make more intricate designs.  I could also see using this on a bathroom window or you could use the applique horizontally on a large window to mimic an old house transom feel.  


Love, Love, Love this project.  It was almost too easy and every time I go by our front door now it makes me smile.  


Let me know what you think.  I also Love getting comments:)


~Gold Shoe Girl~

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