Good morning, all! I hope you are having a great Hump Day.
Do you ever have those projects on your list that are really not that bad, but for whatever reason, you cannot bring yourself to tackle them? Guilty here. I finally managed to get some long overdue projects crossed off my list. Call it laziness, call it avoidance, call it what you will ... I put off hemming the kitchen curtains and making Big's curtains for far too long.
Do you ever have those projects on your list that are really not that bad, but for whatever reason, you cannot bring yourself to tackle them? Guilty here. I finally managed to get some long overdue projects crossed off my list. Call it laziness, call it avoidance, call it what you will ... I put off hemming the kitchen curtains and making Big's curtains for far too long.
It is an easy fix and a project that I have done countless times before (including here and here and here): just measure the curtains, get out the iron and seam tape and get to work. I made a little rule that I had to finish this project before the end of 2012. And ... I finally did it on New Years Eve. Nothing like a little false deadline to get me moving, even if it was literally at the eleventh hour. Here are the before and afters.
Kitchen
I have a lovely large window in my kitchen. I really wish I could leave the window bare to let in all that gorgeous light, but the window overlooks the parking lot, so privacy is imperative. If this were not a rental, I would splurge on chunky plantation shutters like some of my neighbors have, but the window is irregularly sized and the cost would be prohibitive. So curtains it is. I found these curtain panels at IKEA for a great price. I think they were $25 for two. They are a medium weight linen-looking fabric and let in a lot of light but also block the view. I hung them with tension rods.
When I moved in, I needed to get something in those windows ASAP, so I just quickly cut the sides and lengths and popped them in place. Here is what they have looked like since April:
Shameful. And now, here is the same window once I took care of the curtains:
Ahhhhh. Nice and neat and tailored. It took no time at all. The only problem: I can see the grey window trim now. I'll have to address that soon. You know it will drive me crazy.
Big's Room
When I hung the curtains in Little's room, which I bought ready-made at Target, I also hung a curtain rod in Big's room. I found the rods for next to nothing over a year ago at the Christmas Tree Shops. I have had the fabric on hand for Big's valence (since July ... again shameful) and just needed to measure and hem the sides. Here is the window before.
I bought baseball fabric at Fabric.com for the window treatment - the fabric coordinates with Big's headboard and bedding. Once I finally cut, measured and hemmed, I put it on the rod and voila:
I decided to add grosgrain ribbon to make it look more like a drape shade than just a valence, so I rummaged through my stash of ribbon and lo and behold, I found two extra-wide pieces of black grosgrain ribbon, the same length, with velcro at the edges. I think they were on a gift years ago.
They were perfect - the right size and width and look! And let this be a lesson: never, ever throw away ribbon! Here's the finished product.
They were perfect - the right size and width and look! And let this be a lesson: never, ever throw away ribbon! Here's the finished product.
I'm so happy with how it turned out. It is a great look for a boy's room - kind of a cross between a pelmet and a drape shade. Not too girly, but also nice and finished. And cheap - I think the yard of fabric was about $5 and everything else I had on hand.
Ahhhh ... another project I can cross of my list - a project that has sat on my ever present to do list for over 8 months. Nothing better.
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