I'll toss in my .02. I can see spray paint or 'regular' paint eventually crackling and crunching from all the 'give' in the fabric. I will offer this though. I have painted (decorative tole) on fabric before and although stiff, it worked. At craft stores there is a special sealer you get for fabric, then apply the decorative paint over that, then seal again. It's been a long time since I did that, so maybe better products are available? The folks at decorative/tole board here might be able to offer more (link below). Here is a link that might be useful: Decorative & Tole Painting Forum

Hi madster, Unfortunately, I can't recommend a fabricator in your area, however, here's a photo from the fabricator we plan to use (GA) that could possibly be helpful in giving you an idea of shape, etc. if you decide to go with the glass. Were you planning on using regular glass or crackled glass? I think the crackled glass will be more durable and less likely to break, but the drawback is the price - it's not inexpensive by any means! We've debated actually including it in the design many times for that reason and currently are planning to, but that could change I suppose! We didn't find many fabricators that deal with the crackled glass, but found this one just by doing an internet search. The photo below is fairly close to what we'd like for ours. I'm not sure I'd want it if it would be used on a daily basis or if I had kids - granite might be more practical. I simply like the look of it as an accent and something a bit different, and it will primarily be used when entertaining most likely. Here is a link that might be useful: Advanced Glass Designs

My mother has that gorgeous Typhoon Bordeaux and it is a show stopper. Her's is the pretty kind like yours. Some of them are really wild, I like the tamer version, it is just so darn pretty! I have been looking for a back splash for her and am attaching what I have come up with. It is a marble like travertine but not like the travers of old it's very finely grained and is new according to the tile lady. I want to pair it with some of the glass bordeaux color 1 x 1 tiles every so often to compliment the granite. These are just samples and a small piece of her granite since she lives hundreds of miles away from me. These are crummy cell phone pix. Imagine them vibrant and clear without shadows and discolorations!!! One day I will have a good cell camera! There is no yellow in it like in these photos, errr...

Haven't used any type of commercial fabric softener in decades. Occasionally I use vinegar to help remove smells. No need to worry about your clothes smelling like vinegar. They don't. I occasionally use vinegar to wipe down the cutting board, counter or wipe out the microwave. It's actually a disinfectant. And once dry, there's no smell. My sister uses vinegar to wash her floors. The cats won't walk on it while damp (they don't like the vinegar smell) but she knows when the floors are dry. The cats are in the kitchen. o vinegar smell. I fill the fabric softener dispenser in my current machine with white vinegar. The old one I used a Downey Ball and some would dilute the vinegar in the ball but I wouldn't. I'd fill the ball with white vinegar and toss it in. Worked great. And as I said, no vinegar smell. Think about it for a minute, it's diluted down so much there really isn't anything left to smell. And of course you're rinsing after too, most likely. I don't like smelly clothes which is why I hated commercial softeners and most detergents. Why do people think clothes have to stink before they can be clean? Amazes me. When clothes smell, it's time to wash them IMO. And for those who have static problems, you're issue is not caused by not using softener or not using enough, the problem is that you're over-drying your clothes. Cut back the drying time, save yourself money in two ways, less electricity (and possibly gas) and no softener. I use dryer balls to assist in drying (which they do). Supposedly they help with static which they might, but I can't prove it one way or the other. Grainlady bought some of the anti-static version and she says they help a lot. Since I don't have static issues since I quit over-drying the clothes, I really don't have need to try them. And FWIW my towels and jeans are as soft as anyone's. The occasional time they're a little stiff, I know I didn't rinse them well enough as already mentioned. So when I wash them again, I use less or no detergent depending on the amount in them. And some say dryer sheets are good for cleaning shower doors. I can't confirm.