Dining room updates

<p>Hello my friends! It’s a lovely rainy fall day here, and what I think will be the last warm day we have in quite some time. I’m actually excited about that. :) I’m tired of sweating – bring on the crisp air, yoga pants and boots! </p> <p>I finally did something in another part of the house other than the family room…can you believe it? </p> <p>A while back I took the drapes down that used to hang in the <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/search/label/living%20room">living room</a>: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RjEyDLFRA-gPtsMcrFEgux6Qc8DjXRMRIB4VDmGo0oyF91AXMcpOVjbzHd8zVoLExv8Kze7paC5zK_PiOmNI-sYrcn4IWvfi7FN2BvDk-lnUBnolxkgjZZ1yJilkofanuX2R_chUWEE/s1600-h/IMG_1405_thumb%25255B7%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="" border="0" height="722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGdLjPqK3f0UbCscVYAtvY0kJdFhoCM4G7AHM4R5Uw_d4RRrryMU4XZ9Emm8gwQSHw-g6J06AuQT_76AloOvG6bstGdp7kloz33eX1mIPCqcgYKr2Uvq_4CUhCszQubrzaQaBfTpLUNs/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="500" /></a></p> <p>This was in the <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/07/pink-walls-begone.html">pink wall era</a>, so glad that color is gone! (They weren’t really pink but sure photographed that way.) </p> <p>Anyway, I took those drapes down after I added new <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/04/diy-craftsman-window-trim.html">trim to the windows</a> up front: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1pby2l600QhgDas8NhhNaZr7RySmjlSZ4FFm3DI4X71ewZ7w0_t7yq9fxtWTGaEFOlT_63OaxIAXvQKMfHoRZvrrNg-9Ud47_rH-0BXLOWncTV6joSm1IN2mzO0TKD2BmfMadgU_zP8/s1600-h/IMG_9214%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_9214" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nyKDSTJC-Q3M2RIuhIhvUYIkrVar_J2y_zahB4GQUwqbYbu5alxUzA0s7JEfEjTUyBnkhDhzMJhpzS7u9ux49QsatTNdEmyRD91aY2picVCMmtbR9xoWWtGoe1SMQ6kSaIHCSP01qe4/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9214" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I like them simple like that – so much so that I don’t have any plans to put new drapes up, at least for now. </p> <p>I got to thinking that our dining room windows could really use something though. I do plan to trim them out the same way but in the meantime they were looking pretty bland: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qRYgJMyFJnNuNpWxr7CQO8vncRWOoA-VbZu_2_jYqc5aQ9mA4gG2pRwW2ETGyo7LbawBfRzs9kyeDvxgZFsllqL7uqNOcwvloYqf3wXEGl2Clp4k2eFKNm24vjwp9W8Aaru5JzDus1k/s1600-h/IMG_0005%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuLQ6wQQbf2pLwFYceFXP7DKF1AlsHWF-HWYEiGNsC1FtE9f3JYwlXMA9szMaEVVLRCxodo8pAvAzApiORr4vEag0S0N-EkieaiOmQFWMTG30iQ6XPAJL6Hb2A8kA1ZbA_hz7jSELino/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="500" /></a></p> <p>This was my before picture as I started working – excuse the mess. :) </p> <p>I took down the drapes that were the dining room years ago moved them to the family room: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MuK4nKCShrSJnTS7JjZWvKliiAD7nM2oL_JL0H9yMuRKTniZ8K_oDDnfwLflhe1J8kvj-LH89-VQgGNuaXuhZAZf6ShdDTSSaemp6PFgvxPFXCfOvZ5c1HSgkMYLs5QYUJa7vLBLtWk/s1600-h/IMG_7185%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_7185" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbZgfTlOgz_KnGOuekEPzgvJof0WIq5vGvC2_rcNjaJbsNnMoFAsTa2Ms6IKsFH3t2XX2QX_rF7W9SpX70EXCliHZ_TFFkouEcIoI_elR35cgBLH6RtdJksIHeqkHYGnMyXRO-3-kfw8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_7185" width="500" /></a></p> <p>When the <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/search/label/family%20room%20reno">wall came down</a> those drapes did as well. </p> <p>Anyway…I’ve had naked windows in the dining room for quite some time – I’ve been wanting to replace them but it hasn’t been a priority. Then I realized a couple weeks back I could use the drapes from the living room that I took down months ago. Are you with me?? ;) We’re coming full circle here. Kinda.</p> <p>Of course it can never be as simple as just hanging drapes for me. There’s always all kinds of little things that pop up along the way. The first thing I did was move the roman shades back down to inside the window frame. Years ago I mounted them outside just for a little extra light. It’s felt messy looking to me lately though and it only gives a couple extra inches of extra light so back they went. </p> <p>I had to patch where the shades were hanging:</p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASaJ-7wtK9XgY72UmF5Znl_W2iAqLWtXNCsQ3IfxunXbtTjwOxE3FuNPLEPJjlE2a1H8Q3w52K9G8HDyZWbKwRsgksr0gKhtF-ryrdHX_utfdP5EzbJQkdhb6zNo6Vim4GnAEhz5AbQc/s1600-h/unnamed%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="pink spackle" border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRQlJ7xeFykpe2QekR4mePeKGbbn9PJqsMfyaKAr-Iaa-x1LQPMzaG5rCN3BrDcAK67VNRGhgzugRas56bwouxjRQYRhLun3sz0eHphYYOhOS3Dqt4O1CIZomP7Y4bVEnOVxxoR_vwj8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="pink spackle" width="290" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEH2CicssLQacTzAbMTN2-K-5XsvoXTxrvMADnNzLMFDJI3agnYQ7cbc18twJTLc8ub9TROmEiufkICFnjvN9yQg1sofTTppP8mApLCarFa73aFh5Pk5f3TA4A1bYO46wgR-6w7fCVEQ/s1600-h/2%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="dap spackle" border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAquEY_NYowooAVUn-0G5IBwOECMV9pO4jELO0YrjUCA8Ws-ErFJCJFJBwdsrBAU94w2RE5QW0PeRmzyZo9HoAqUY0Q_c5aMrNJwdytlW3Q0e1dGDoTg72vK-MoglzcmxV2VGe8cTks4/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="dap spackle" width="290" /></a></p> <p>When I took the brackets down they took chunks of drywall with them. Not sure why that happened – usually you’ll have problems with that if you put them up right after painting but I didn’t do that. </p> <p>Anyway, I patched those up with spackling – this kind goes on pink and is white when it’s ready to paint/sand: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNonA95hHyktTlnoBzqM8uJmPlnfndVBi9FKj_nJbd0LDlG0mrfNNvBR4K5PJUWrlI_pC17_OrEjGIrQSi5OE-H5pjQXQR0DniHbXeoHu2iyexZTyxcnj8QdaT3p1c0HhLek8laThDhc/s1600-h/IMG_0010%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijmjqvbEx3wuiQHZChd5NmT3XLJgbDmEKj5nV4OkJPkFrvspI6b_iZfXZp8bDQ21FltPFOk-zJtabuWb4Za5JxjP89cQcCa2L4k74hYOwkX_zQ1BVTXK_s_8_f5q1Ch-g09neXqwvThQ/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="400" /></a></p> <p>Love that!! </p> <p>Hanging drapery hardware isn’t hard, it’s just a matter of hanging the brackets the exact same distance on either side of the window. I like to go out at least five inches from the window and usually at least a few above as well – I couldn’t go too high with these because I didn’t make them long enough. </p> <p>I just trace where the holes go in the bracket and then drill a pilot hole: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXH4C1cG_7HUvpGC2t4DRzfJ5NbavpGr8GFKVY-UPgm-rqfI_qS2FFMmn0c61zqo3KdI2-AQi6QbIpw-9jLIxe_7BYRdVm08jMtjHntnWohEoZxnmrpaPBirDHBaTRKK9nFk57XKepJLU/s1600-h/3%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="hanging drapery hardware" border="0" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHPJc0VqSKXfZPjidYZIWzyaEYKUTa5t7RDQA845_ZplEwePHYoMD7OsJnOvAiYTbVbU1LilkiHewvWI9onq1cIAMg097hYJW-lPF7_ErJ-6wZACLiMI7zAG21q_0UzGQ1f3d9nEMxvo/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="hanging drapery hardware" width="400" /></a></p> <p>I always drill a hole first before trying to get a screw in the wall – if I hit a stud then I’ll need to predrill anyway. If I don’t hit a stud I know I’ll need to use anchors, so it’s a time saver to just do that first. </p> <p>I got the hardware up on both sides and then realized the middle piece was going to hit the small molding I had around the window. Sooooo that had to come down…more patching and then painting to cover up the original chocolate brown color underneath: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4yh7wfxkUPOOtd0iEIRS_DCYSpQH463RoBqWTRis7KwSJVqO1VI1kcYuJDWax2HYv4vCNo-dhYftDz9hXcs6mW9LCUx6y7pZLW_L-ItgApz5Qgst99rMzyZP5BElcRxlYEhbfl6h3hM/s1600-h/5%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NcDq7eDVpyj3ma0tzT1eYBvxAz8xJHf0eyXxtINgBYRbWiFP1QGjxSi2mYmb9o6uQ5yj2dXmBDvQNgBoenmm_Qx6agssoI0ckdEG96jvBo9q_MZ4aD3iPVGjuk7WrMRs4nXueakgWvQ/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="500" /></a></p> <p>Remember those days??: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGD6ITu3qjUT5gE-qYU30XKEAf3TUbe53PLnN37gSbwSe1f6YkTSyK7CKnu9rhCm9X8ujYZNfrq4TEt5YltXB9RYle0mobG6M7nz9gXYnFdCiaMwMBMf9kHMnT8Q61fyS70dT282Oh8g/s1600-h/003%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="chocolate brown dining room" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7hx0USPfldsWmFRASbEAojEnd1ITyxRAkJ0wNj3M6x4ngHBhv_3xjf0QJUH-D7R08A7OM4fajzmivCZFx_NCa7s5pGu4mi8_g98AdtxZzR0vB84sMV8F7cH93qPPRnBFoBZb6_Gsz0c/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="chocolate brown dining room" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I don’t miss it. :) </p> <p>So THEN I get the drapes hung up and realize I didn’t like the stripes I added as a leading edge years back. I was using two panels on each side of the windows so the stripes were on either side of each one and it looked circus-esque. Not what I was going for. </p> <p>So I took them down, cut down the sides quite a bit and hemmed. I just left a bit of the stripes and I quite love the dark on the edges now: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6KhcMG4zx5uErgYNaNN1LnDgWo6Qsa0QdxFvhXU2WFSSfLacaeC_yyKszCSVRL5BgMtf2Eg5ikg40jqMlUCRGToP0m8Le7LYkzFkAoR7UxKqGcRRv4948olFi06U5CE-qTCGE0fgN7GE/s1600-h/IMG_0026%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="retreat blue citrine" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUadgvWngp8z5rvfHpW6UlkAegvR48lZw49C1hKZHRqg_HbN9vsOgJmgi1WDz7CIxep2L3fS-vdMfu3ziA25zGbgPzLRYa5ztMgM2r8evYqzsrWuIMGZCeYu2SWj4CrBB0pxmjMk1NFs/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="retreat blue citrine" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I get asked about his fabric a lot – it’s a P. Kaufman fabric called retreat blue citrine. I’d like something a little simpler in this room eventually but until then these will do nicely. :) </p> <p>I “trained” the drapes like I showed you <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2009/04/easy-drapery-tricks.html">here</a> years ago:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlALFXIEScgUB32mbWSzF3glord8MH6zF_TNZdfoQTUFYZLIAfnTKSuiwW1IPOP3zeK02T7-BFQpgw7jieym0sm2MXzr6lJ58LDr0RS-W6foydISBd5rBjQt8K7mhyphenhyphennIzgHeTEVEgk2yM/s1600-h/IMG_0007%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="training drapes pleats" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mqu_IHQNrhHwrnv7mW1_TVJ31SMc5yHhw70SlzsMYVyCG4S9ZDju0UOIcM1jg-xZIPQNyFuWdLR7Z7EmEocGmRNCHawHQYI2mYVvXISFqQEpV5vU82fw9eGKBRljZoNQ_A-XJykkIyM/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="training drapes pleats" width="500" /></a></p> <p>Combined with my fake pleat method it makes them hang much prettier! </p> <p>They add some warmth to the room and make it feel much more finished:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Js_SlgFykyBnQvfkQNKemVH4bLK7GXALDYsBuwBz-dlpDL74iaAeTxjipbCEqNlmZ8qsm_Gt3chVZ7BPDWARm9ZCqgbzRTBAipDZSYVABq3ZFpXbjyvIOr3eI-a2OGHhh8s8CJZRxrw/s1600-h/IMG_0020%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="p. kaufman fabric" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTatahn2BQmtWROMyB5GJ8mVpllUOQCgBJzpgNN_zRw1xvhlNbQ5Zus_bOl0MhFH7wnZ394H_mqHT13vBI8ZsXF-T27DXzTAbCrcxUmFUl3-81I0xdY4Xwt2ievE4U6L8FrdodaBp_TzQ/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="p. kaufman fabric" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I’m so glad I took some of the stripes off – they look SO much better with just the simple color along the side:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JJvFjZNSl2T9mHJYayPotKzNr2aahIMpBxU7sn6I-uYpiGsBLfG1o56qiHQ49TXHjkpqusK-_z31CcNM6Mt_6uOjOLS_VEzpSDvg5iKWrAv5jNQXmtSQNQXPlF8AR6T6zIFmz_EAPkw/s1600-h/IMG_0022%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="leading edge drapery " border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6V1B6NII47YFF9GOVhAhAfl16Yfj7v7fvUkb_6WI2JS-UpxC7yle5luh9ElZ3fS04o13PhGDu5A-m7b7cO5Qs7eel9LJSKxLFtj_Q7ttXqNJYj3z3LCuF34u_mWmcgGQAeY6EaDoGrA/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="leading edge drapery " width="500" /></a></p> <p>These are two skinny panels together on each side – I cut the fabric down the middle for the other windows. I didn’t sew them together and you can’t tell. :) </p> <p>I hung these along a full drapery rod so we can close them if needed: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO93tqGYEYd5WED6Mr6VOfkxPTgXz_bldMvs9mzcwKTHXktpX1_d7nmvC68OpUemYn6WlkrsebSUX3GnhFjXh1bN0unn422HnMFk5iYlzrUeEeidq948hWD7DK486kY6fDkg4OJMWhoGk/s1600-h/IMG_0035%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="built ins dining room" border="0" height="662" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPCeXNnx5g5IGSXAZVTQ-1aONWqaL7oMruc5VZie4t1Q9GjoXhSkiiNvEdUQCs2x3508A1WomNerFAriuztkKIsHpHr4zQLQ1b-05lDzMQr4yMbiKbK2MIMyzcD0weybrQvkgvQJzJQw/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="built ins dining room" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I hear we’re going to get another nasty winter and I like being able to close drapes for some added insulation. It helps!</p> <p>The colors are lovely – the blue edge matches the background on the built ins almost perfectly. Someday I will add the window trim in here but I will still probably keep drapes up even after that. They definitely add some coziness to a room!: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONagF0g8QSy-FCIgfxcmcu8CResD9Z2E2ZvT9UdTNMCwP2mjKeZZJPd6LfskptS7Dih7nLm6WW0yAcEFh3M5JryBF6nS5yBk8VxGJkbKzX7x6mLfSknnBmfukrt7kIVeUMx4C1_rWI-0/s1600-h/IMG_0016%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="dining room DIY built ins" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoX_fS1Rj3ahuHR_a1c5j6_BNsDhCposxrOG6IBayu7LkmNS9SB02ncakddb6eC3qryGHyFGRAq2UBlfgQ9ubjS-kQbpht5h4UnfvOuA7uoSTBfG2q4WuWHe5UJvZVPbWUnWZSdnPKHc/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="dining room DIY built ins" width="500" /></a></p> <p>This project ended up taking a lot longer than I thought it would, but it was free so I can’t complain. :) Another fall nesting project done! </p> <p>Do you prefer drapes or none? Do you use yours if you have them? We use our bedroom drapes every weekend so the bedroom is crazy dark, love it. If you want your drapes to be full and pretty while closed you’ll want to add to your yardage to make them wider. I don’t spend money on that since they are usually only closed at night and it’s just us who sees them. </p> <p>OH and we were waffling on keeping a table in this room but now that our kitchen table is plenty big I think we’re going to move ahead with our <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/01/dining-room-turned.html">original idea</a> of comfy chairs and a coffee table. Whoot! I think it will look lovely! </p>

Dining room updates

Hello my friends! It’s a lovely rainy fall day here, and what I think will be the last warm day we have in quite some time. I’m actually exc...

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A glass door, sorta kinda

<p>Hello to you! Hope you had a great weekend! Ours was lovely – lots of time outside, a date night with my hubby and family time as well. So happy that summer is here! </p> <p>So a couple years ago I wrote a post that got a huge response – I never imagined <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/04/glass-doorcould-you-do-it.html" target="_blank">talking about glass doors</a> would be so interesting. :) I spoke of my desire to add some glass to our front door. We have a transom window above the door and five windows in the living room/foyer, but because we face north the foyer especially can feel dark. </p> <p>It got even worse when I painted the inside of the door black years ago: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGbDTlTaUvdtWFklOWd5dCYHzvOfqtbuM7LHxeXAQrr4js8uD05FJUw4tzS_BrNWSKzK3-kZU7Sy5enkQtQx9jGbfJtPA09SUgc_-m8r-7thF8G1w0X1Vuoqop5hdFtkV8m1XYl61GTc/s1600-h/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="black front door" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginaHYJxPhqbfDU5acC26TBGthiyHSn2tiyaPznLTjH9B0igWFk0_xEJad5E14gGPcRAYdiG5Xsva8h10cYj-RxqyRE7213pY9p3UhbeeaXXF2-10xoz9pgaFU6xVaBtSwtGvPCKkmTNI/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="black front door" width="326" /></a></p> <p>I LOVE my <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/02/one-more-black-door.html" target="_blank">black doors</a> though, so that was staying. :) </p> <p>So many of you agreed with the desire to have that natural light coming in as well. Those of you who already have glass sidelights or doors were mixed – some loved it and some hated it. Because a lot of you are in the one percent like me: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFIxXG5Os2BjeYHYnFkyVr0NVBpty-rTvOt0eriYWx2huqDnoWvAXXiw249aOuEiCx9DQAiC_Wk2ZgFm0slXj751WUy5-ufoRZL8kGCUd3QqzyeLe4e_lV4UHogew-n64n7Qte3Oxkh8/s1600-h/image_thumb%25255B20%25255D%25255B6%25255D.png"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoMeaRDeSXZzqQ_30SddggOV8itpFvzrXl1FDrU7OyTzwHGOyZVqGX9iiDnp5q5-MGFtMpcETr1D57z3kGVOeymkfKMaKTV7QVtJmyFltqAbnligGV5u3m4NYWo5K3IMtm7Nz9aq1mvc/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="410" /></a></p> <p>Ninjas! </p> <p>So the years passed and I still couldn’t get over how much I wanted some natural light up there. And the boy got older and I really wanted to be able to easily see where he was at outside. One day I realized I was going to just do what I said I would never do – get a storm door: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9n1jBQjsNNFZ_7fEmj4rkfyyvGrdfemntpq1YfAlTdhtcSx4cSjchJQQelTbw1PtUbM1JIUlSQQti_W0fITv4KscSr-kRo9uddtU_0ZzSuEVl-Nm9q84xKmNOsR9YKCVf6rubIS7zbs/s1600-h/IMG_9221%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="glass storm door" border="0" height="756" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtz3TZwbbqX_kA2_ektnQIPkizTClMN-zviUtfNN5qeLUp_umjKXf0SekK_215ERIxzhgB32otpTnCgcgdNPafRf7U9pdbjoqR201bfMjbJ_f94dGkyh4podV7zc4Zsxg-y6xBjpxFMcY/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="glass storm door" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I’m going to be honest here – I used to be a storm door snob. I mean, in my defense, there are some that aren’t great looking. I have just always preferred the look of just the plain door. </p> <p>But my mind changed. It happens. I’m growing, changing, all that stuff. </p> <p>We got it from Lowe’s and it was actually a long wait to get it installed. It was about six weeks, maybe more, from start to finish. The last two weeks were the hardest – it was getting nice out and the Bub was outside all the time and I wanted that glass door so bad! </p> <p>When it was installed I instantly felt very mom-like and very suburban. You know how I feel about <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-style-is-suburban.html" target="_blank">suburban</a> – some think it’s a bad word but it’s me. Proud of it. </p> <p>I’m not totally obsessed with the way it looks from outside, but it’s not horrible at all. I went with a cranberry color (there weren’t a ton of options) because I figured it would work best with our front door. When I got home from ordering it I realized how much more rust our door is than cranberry, but I really don’t mind it: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYPEgWI3kL4tZmdo3xYiTlSYrQSDZlqC_W9fT4qpvMFWXCLwR-m9cE4kvA6wgzfvchCd1cjsivQZZUnNDJm3FLPsBUsm9MdnxtNfkgfeq1zfxx6CsP-kA1pRNEou-R2EcEe_0g6ZJTJ8/s1600-h/IMG_9229%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="glass storm door" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBRRDEbef6xahgfw0Xh6aHqUQKgwJCLx_pDFrvCAPsYUMKbiKue_a5ZqDLIGepGj10cL3JhIzTmPIjgREyg8elSrKoF601uEbV5XpxaRwKQaPU1HK04HimTcn8vSmWRRLqTmYZQaVTDY/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="glass storm door" width="500" /></a></p> <p>For a hot second I thought about painting the door again but I think this is fine as is. </p> <p>We ALL love it. It’s open all day, everyday. LOVE love love. The animals are obsessed: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK99AJ2uqH6Uz5AtxDB4BRmCrcxqY0rjBCW6dYVWQPc853El0kP6ULoJzkz9FfLXs0SFkPhDaupOcXFB7s8n2Z2uSeyHiCyQhLi3u6QJYzIqhewDHMZs06pbE9-jCtL039bzkM6BWVS_A/s1600-h/IMG_9228%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE96YIdSTdo0BAcg4PTi1auk6uuVSecsDWD0X6kzqRhg5__IyeymLmkOg5RL8PlR1aiuaQnkHc4XltBgYfI9MmZPcO9DGiKzMidkxrwQQs61xnq334RdoZLmEhKGnFNRCfJaVv5NjhAms/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I do know one thing now though – I could NOT do an all glass regular front door. No way, no how. When darkness hits that baby is closed and I need my privacy. </p> <p>I was so thrilled about the door I figured it was time to update the trim like I’ve been doing all around the house. What a difference!: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoYRJu7doECruKCjxjti3nRTcYrirD9ZKXeiFMRQ1lhFweE__ySe0lqRlvMb3oxjMBT9hulsc1BWe0Kz7bJY6dQf99R2r7-IqBfKz-It5DbJhqGt_gg5n6-rm89s_HTUte9cjaAGi83U/s1600-h/IMG_9212%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="black interior doors" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHIYxPcwAu3cSvfRqdy7_rufItyrFFce7_pvMW1OJfOPeHt44cD9g4rro_TMVFDH_FSONiBHTFj6gOrOzRG6U9Gry7iBRtLP9iZzD5ugCbVTQse_EMriIjvmaqSSQ9cWbOYLw1LYYp8g/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="black interior doors" width="500" /></a></p> <p>You can see how I install my DIY craftsman trim <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/03/my-love-chunky-trim.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </p> <p>Now it works great with the new <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/04/diy-craftsman-window-trim.html" target="_blank">window trim</a> up there as well: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsLkWfYtaOL-HFSeyK_b_8B1htPjHrBT5eFGJaE2OiwkhOgzaC1b6Mhnr_pnFYErtM_ltGdZW4RbV2kLn7zgvcXp1tPIWzmaTJ_G3cxm0IVBKoEyfakZiq1BUYfIIUvb_NxEqiIaqCLU/s1600-h/IMG_9236%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="thick window trim DIY" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCkfmmzQ_LGysyioD-zFfcjoIdKKlCbj3CMeUtkn9ULhogELXYX9_P6yXHn0XDv-OUUcYNIbGZ40HgI6PyGjbAM8fSprVgK9wo8T7_yCW7CLNqBjCmdcJHGa1jlXoUC9UpCYqY3f94NQ/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="thick window trim DIY" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I still need to do some caulking on the door trim but it’s almost complete. I want to replace that foyer tile even more now! I still need to finish up replacing the chair rail throughout this front area as well. </p> <p>We’re enjoying all the natural light that the new door brings in. I adore it! It makes the whole house brighter. We went with the heavier storm door with great security features, so I feel comfortable leaving it open all day:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvSh7dakDdbogHuLRxbbTJcbFM_roXjAEe2045UPh3UswZHFRKEOznbkGOKZ6N7ehZvSoiPx-unLtUPnlECVWEjd3drWNkqZg8FXHlme3InYIX0l62tYy68vYPgdUPPzJteity847f9A/s1600-h/IMG_9233%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="craftsman diy door trim" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYPiZe_jnEBfDrqlw8S1LxNvxvt50U8VBbtdptDrOgBPMQw_rIIdV2fJemOsswmpxAyXB8cxoRkTM3qV4dEhHB2r67jc398_P06Cnf6lAyD-D3E0GUd_7Qq2rQ6EFiFmOpshQaR5gHg4/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="craftsman diy door trim" width="500" /></a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>Do you have a storm door? Does it make you feel incredibly suburban? :) Or do you have a glass front door and love it? Either way the natural light is amazing and I’m never going back! Whoot!</p>

A glass door, sorta kinda

Hello to you! Hope you had a great weekend! Ours was lovely – lots of time outside, a date night with my hubby and family time as well. So h...

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Blocking the sun (new drapes)

<p>Hello all! Hope you had a lovely weekend! I had a great time out on Saturday with some friends and also got plenty of family time in too. It was a great one. </p> <p>This week the posts will probably be up later like this one – it’s so cold here and will be all week so we’re expecting school delays most of this week. That means my kiddo doesn’t get off to school till almost 11 so it pushes my day back quite a bit. </p> <p>Have I mentioned it’s cold? Yeah. I’m still doing OK with it – in another two weeks I’ll be about <strong>done</strong>. </p> <p>So I’m thinking more about the master bedroom redo lately. I’ve made changes over the past six months or so – I started painting (and stopped, but now I know my direction and I’m going to start again), <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/07/diy-tufted-headboard-tutorial.html">made a new headboard</a> and made a couple other changes along the way. </p> <p>I sold our old bed so I have $500 to spend on the redo and so far I’ve spent about $350 (including items from today’s post) to start the transformation. That includes bedding, the headboard, all new window treatments and some of the paint. </p> <p>The only part of the redo that won’t be covered by that $500 are the new floors…which we decided we will go ahead with next month. </p> <p>Lately my focus has been on the windows. Up till about Christmas they've been nekked (I took the old drapes down months ago) with only some wonky roman shades up: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9zi_ZtU0P4xbwK2zyQ8ht269CRnvQWB6s1PWBSUxtI9xNBIdPVfrX6MSRSrZbH9KrxjgcTaefQCh27me5RW60ZkIATuMdV7jKRB1Ig6xE_pUqibqPaXBL8MWGL6Hdrxjm5KfxfMsbVs/s1600-h/IMG_7768%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxA0ieG476dKn95ixkK7ayk3ZAgUOoTAu9ndjSAMGuPHb047jvVCD3oA80M5clJGXBaxVVHT7AkVac5UwxebL6DOg2B19cgp3XJ17rtU5fgHhy_EtC0AR_bNJk3a-Ah9PRhkHk2oyWwI/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="450" /></a></p> <p>The roman shades are about seven years old, maybe older. These are the shades I <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-will-spray-paint-anything.html">spray painted</a> years ago. (Yes, spray painted.) The new color held up great – the shades themselves didn’t. You can see in that pic that the left one wouldn’t go higher than half way. </p> <p>I got tired of the room being so dark during the day so I finally got some new ones over the holidays and hung them a few weeks back. This time I went higher above the window and did the outside mount instead of inside the actual window frame: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeupNK2j-BqWbz8fY3cFuGzO1ChLwNcgf8i050LBX2Cjf-MXJmqjO8P0KxHxECwaqAkCU1TNzNFDfiu_d9lRJk1-oBkV-yyqEKbQONt95q4RMliQulfkTtlDboqN8NWOxq1agk0EoVVjE/s1600-h/IMG_8143%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_8143" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqov5Y1fRAYyJpPEnJO0ktO_a_Qs_yGNNgANumXxABv2Mz7s2z_qtbDMs7pQFJtlOz-MkPr5ovDxgZkR_AipCRBHVclMM67Uv0z-Z3oU9DLWeWL0vQ_Y3ddvhvhBPiJnkOdxr8-hMjtTc/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_8143" width="500" /></a></p> <p>In this pic they are pulled all the way up to top of the window – LOVE it. It lets <strong>so </strong>much more light in the room and also makes the windows feel bigger. (More on that in a bit.) </p> <p>That was a big change but I knew I wanted something else to soften them up. I’ve had my eye out for drapery fabric for months but wasn’t finding anything that worked that worked with the busy bedding. I wanted something really simple and it wasn’t till I was in IKEA a couple weeks ago that I realized a solid color would be perfect: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQGVYmwYq01ji7MOryN5XbnUHK7ofzCJUi_qSfV87PfjskliVJ8tmnJYGVzibb7ZRrxAymMEFegFeZqjFmiipR8VnZHNuJTOszrBe1eJ2_6EG88gFr4UEOgbfKzqaBNNIHOmTHg0owl0/s1600-h/IMG_8141%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="sanela panels ikea" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimtwEUbrklM3fiC5MHR7UshAj2k25oItGbxmWfalnM4OBmjSuOIfJyj7pR-ujY9AW1QqrRCoMQv919juxX32DCScpsz6JN9Cy5KZVP8zXLXVKNSaPOX64hkO9zJyqasUuqDavNnPz7OM/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="sanela panels ikea" width="500" /></a></p> <p>They are the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40230198/">Sanela curtains</a> – they look like velvet and I got the dark gray. Because the roman shades are hung higher I needed to clear those so I went with the 118 inch drapes. ($70 for two panels.)</p> <p>Turns out I had to cut about 17 inches off the bottom and hem them to make them work so I was thisclose to being able to get the cheaper (shorter) ones, but I’m glad I went with with these in the end. </p> <p>Anyway. I had picked up a long drapery rod at HomeGoods a couple months back so I got that up yesterday. Hanging drapery rods is one of my least favorite jobs, really. It’s easy, just tedious. The hardest part is making sure you place the hardware in the exact same spot on both sides of the window. Once you get your measurements figured out, mark where you need to drill, then use a stud finder to see if you need to use anchors or not: </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1H7ywsE2zZ2_MNrMnvZy17IrQ8P6q0snadPl6uBETIsuyEPB3i5xo4VyNefg5qOuXLokgKUAJCsHqVemvRzybtZLP3POpAI8kQLQrstakgK8ghQxMK6XvD59MbNZoOrrCbPHFYyr3Zp4/s1600-h/IMG_8133%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to hang drapery hardware" border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHUoCb6_6KA2qymIgOzbxepLfJZjkdjwQAMSZ6Tta4R4k0mrZlGKl0srdKRKZOGxHA7mjkcSAsynyCe-lvtNzCuzbY_cKgd1yAsrvVIFjAtQNUeXOK6qhpWnSJPlB82hAnLgog5cPyGc/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="how to hang drapery hardware" width="290" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCz8xXiWK6mKi5nxhF_LchAlsxByIy1Gq3sFn3oJXN0xIy0lWK-iOTSIpnMtZ1rqAdRwQODXYMx1ST7Bjl5a9an0MKY1dpoO2yyPGQfmOAQzB4eAxq1AUBx7yTsl6_KExvwZLWKMZFOzg/s1600-h/IMG_8135%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to hang drapery hardware" border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOz5SbNwkg0Y4glvXkcBQZeXOGHp-uaRUCTHSOF9_72NxXR95Xg_dF9zlS7yQsBoC4MhXNbV_x5tqBK_GQHFHzKeKQVyKoaRcm3U1Bh9107gLlt3hymMlCev7zDX0GBur78oqsi__4M8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="how to hang drapery hardware" width="290" /></a> </p> <p>You know Mama went out when the nails are painted. :)</p> <p>The stud finders are sometimes wrong, so I always use a drill bit to make my holes first. If I hit wood I know I don’t need an anchor there. The finder said there was no wood in this spot, but when I drilled the top one hit wood:</p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR14V-Y9_AuzHeQfXWc2cOKWaRmUWmB08Ke7apH8_Pq6hHxx37tIsqu18R0omgG9uT0gRKUNFnkpHIKMR2wj67xwlLPKaTAmMXC0dlxZgMuVtoLhYeKiqBNcMVfeQgQmFHxk-j3QfBGZk/s1600-h/IMG_8137%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to hang drapery hardware" border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGsy8ukFefn9_9eEKaksxQGK161d9UIUYEqNoWtSAMAVbaWMRmCkO54pKhfpFNABAd_ru7Ao_MMLOol6kDyibXWTFjXRADG-kLDCRMbM4HbLQZ_b9pYy6dgYUSU29geTFs7p0liLiEt8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="how to hang drapery hardware" width="290" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6svUM_L4hZb_lQnZMgp4bhZEUMh7up80po-YK3y7wZ6l2U1mGrrByDyuIW308DJA15-zAbQkxzpp65ArLq7uCItZVXCUt899fraqY_8zT2XpxYRHYNDa8SUTmSrNv9M18zje4YkRVDA/s1600-h/IMG_8139%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to hang drapery hardware" border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97nHm9sXSPnjMaeYUvaKGxFJF3KBDNdFYEMm_FzELg66SD3BvPJGQNkiWqmO0elWFQHbrTI1_tGANyoUwq3-R_THQHigJcD3yzJ283YSnYCetEeq1hkDX2wJgWNeUCnrFO0I5EHUiCZY/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="how to hang drapery hardware" width="278" /></a>   </p> <p>Now that I show you in photos it seems like the easiest project ever, gah. Like I said, it’s not hard…just time consuming to get all the parts level and secure in the wall. </p> <p>So these drapes have grommets and I LOVE them. I’ve never used grommeted drapes before and the fact that they hang so nicely and you don’t need rings/hooks is awesome. </p> <p>Our window is so close to one wall (shakes fists in air at home builders) that I don’t even put the decorative finial on that side: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXP3RjkKYIWvt9RAv57HxjB7MYvVTGGrNwDZhGK1bWW-R1Oj6AdWS6Kb6HbUE5PqG79n6y8dEMjCThmzDAtoV8XVOTmdCmpW_ORpGdZ23lQgF5bzmjHQu7x9R4yyV9b9ejWmdrHZgucA/s1600-h/IMG_8166%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="hanging drapery hardware" border="0" height="675" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjk81ls9d_aGtgFOPA27Oi7Rb33o_1HB5Y77ULS_KcqqnyJ8xLI2EjIXnqpQHiqsUuWmAT0Hhj0RhNRvwypv585kmgbO-h4t1BULq0yjzhBju-Gpva6h2R1l75CrhcC1vB0Uq2HG8fDQk/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="hanging drapery hardware" width="450" /></a></p> <p>You can’t even tell when it’s up. Also, if you’re going to use your drapes (we are in here) then I always recommend placing one drapery ring (or in this case one grommet) on the end, on the other side of the hanging hardware. Does that make sense? This keeps that end of the drapes from moving when you pull them shut. </p> <p>I love the pretty glass finials on this rod: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7qgX0I66GaqRdz8h4oRGzRzkt1bmd4r898TYzw25BKeNgdiErqnKbXKEKBKVFi5j3eUAHV-n98EqQVPhmUY0NSNhBiLA56So4A8yc94BqkTaUPiHsEPI1VrLOQRxFU2Bs4w8mYh35Is/s1600-h/IMG_8169%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="hanging drapery hardware" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVBu6qeNoAevrpJJMWTbYsbmbSMTmp9MUr8pY05kHCwWmJ3GnJrgB8B78YHP0zHy-HcUSLwLDEh3gV3rOLN97wIGXIo1cv5EPbEo9etMxVu5wGYADYFr2yOvrdqxhH5Dq2kxrVWQmMHc/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="hanging drapery hardware" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I used to go big and chunky with our window rods and finials but over the past few years I’ve moved to lighter and thinner. </p> <p>I waited to take pics this morning which was DUMB. This room is impossible to photograph, especially in the morning, but this gives you an idea of how it came together: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yXS-sndZNhUXcDlmPl-J_dfaobqI0PsV8_HTQaKrdo0yxxe8DkRwYjnOIsDoN_fhFVmZ7D52X54GgbDFE_p85jzplUVCiHDen_zxJeFs92tgpjuABsPNr4wjXLpBQOsOYXK3SIjRwdA/s1600-h/IMG_8172%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="hanging window treatments high above window" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eSCclhHq2jjs5bGiM0A7X6UrhuqgYGGnY1Knum3zu69-F2eT3_eVN7UAnNSSrjUZ7cUeyZTKqLs2q-SeByNaa-vWJo-umR84gjPDvv1pq6XK59g6kHGbMNWnhj7EcO7YQNRacUkN_kI/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="hanging window treatments high above window" width="500" /></a></p> <p>YES, the walls are still two different colors and YES I still haven’t finished painting the wall to the left, but I’m sure of what I’m doing now so I’m moving forward…finally. :) </p> <p>Let’s just pretend the walls are all painted, OK?</p> <p>I got them up and REALLY loved how they looked. They are sophisticated and a little sexy and I love them. When the walls are all the light gray they will stand out even more. I get a lot of questions about how well the bamboo shades filter light -- <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/HOMEbasics-Natural-Woven-Bamboo-Cordless-Zig-zag-Roman-Shade-64-in-Length-Price-Varies-by-Size-WS-060823-13-43/203841752?N=5yc1vZbt0v">these are the shades</a> I always get from Home Depot and they have a tighter weave then most: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIE1Hrqf13jSZaGBCTXEa2WLwh9qLhXmCXq8ZHMKe6cVz6Ys8uoecHGizfZpxe19QonFF6MN1ZXba3_v4mXRB1tlTv7avBK2SdG_Xv4HgIKk08WS5YsopCA5myybDk2w4V0L7kRhhG-mY/s1600-h/IMG_8163%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="bamboo roman shades" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapFrHukaiMY-8YYMcWnqSkgiW9zojgRdnqCjFlKcsbGoNoWOBUf4EwBrTpi6tn4iMoMcwHAltgGUtnHhFauOQhJQBLjAXZ3uGbAtGFkcnQezlBOLrVCvzhvqExWV1xRD36EyPYFQrSgo/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="bamboo roman shades" width="500" /></a></p> <p>Keep in mind all that sun across the floor is from the reflection in the mirror. </p> <p>In general I think they are fine without liners (I’ve found bamboo shade liners at Lowe’s), although there is one point in the morning when the sun moves across a sliver in the shade and is like a laser beam into my face, which I’m so not cool with. I wanted to make sure the drapes would be thick enough to block it out and our room was so dark this morning, it was awesome. </p> <p>Here’s the same shot, same time of day with the drapes closed: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQa19bTNEZFHQvkM10izMJrOzDpOdubHjag3tkw5J5MzZfvrg95Y5o4Y9aeuk5XedY17uC2h9XUOXqK5TaaW4FmK5lXQ5yg3XeflmVLbUQFsaCILqSKlcpx8-fhKCg-kxYT3YzxqaVMow/s1600-h/IMG_8164%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="sanela ikea curtains" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3M3YjSRuAF6dh7F7KHyp8JJ4GxU0BULqbVzUn-FYFza84YCkybuAt7wuXb5Kx4xLqK1dmWnVrdLjCM8hJKl7Qphkctd7kGZ1_gF2CfGaGiBygCYrmhDe3ufJondeG219z-U4oH6iJi2g/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="sanela ikea curtains" width="500" /></a></p> <p>All that light is coming from the other side of the house. The room stayed nice and dark.</p> <p>So quickly, here’s my thought on hanging window treatments high above a window. I think most of the time it really can make a huge difference – it can make a smallish window look and feel much bigger. Hanging my bamboo shades higher really does let a lot more light in too. BUT – I think sometimes doing this can look really awkward too. I recommend hanging your blinds/shades higher if you plan to hang your drapes higher too. Otherwise the illusion is ruined, if that makes any sense. You can see the true height of the window if the shades are hung using the inside mount and if you hang the drapes a foot higher it still makes the window seem small, you know what I mean? I think when both are hung higher than the window it comes together nicely. </p> <p>You know, the real issues in life…where to hang your drapes. :) </p> <p>I decided a while back that I wanted our bedroom to be more sophisticated then it’s been in the past, but also soothing. I’m usually not one to use similar tones throughout a room like this, but I’m loving how it’s coming together. </p> <p>Once this wall is painted and the floors are redone I think it’s going to be really pretty, I’m really excited about it: </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2njSnxl2p4WBqxuc0R_nRPYVAN09X1TH9XLVR45wW-Ub7bjUpi1SlHbqh3pvFhVviVl8-3vUhDohEgTDfMtTNQuVYaNmZOQyFNG7wzkMs8hUdaaHZoft6fhbjU9wD_18HNa35S7bCqk/s1600-h/IMG_8159%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="" border="0" height="725" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GyT4ADd0Oy1V9ylGP_mZLsmlx_0HzDOjaXH7SSinGwMQhKhPi_BALZVif0LhQAVwCCybdRExY-n1vE-zAfjkZH4GdvN4WQiG7h4HYi6QcAi2qRlDg4FRhHF8PFuNyPbwWRDMxY-XkX8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="500" /></a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>And YES I still have a magazine problem. </p> <p>Other than painting I have a wall treatment idea in mind, I’m planning on a redo for that floor length mirror and I hope to recover the bench at the end of our bed. Lots to do but I’m happy with how it’s coming together. </p> <p>Do you love roman shades or are you a blinds girl? Do you hang your drapes high or like them low? </p>

Blocking the sun (new drapes)

Hello all! Hope you had a lovely weekend! I had a great time out on Saturday with some friends and also got plenty of family time in too. It...

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How to line drapes (with what you have)

<p>Hello to you all! I have a fun little project for you today – the afters aren’t anything earth-shattering, but it’s one of those to-do items I’ve had on the list (in my head) forever. And I did it without spending any money! </p> <p>I mentioned earlier this week that I’m going room by room in the house decluttering (and cleaning). It’s taking me a long time. Eons. I don’t see an end in sight. Help. me. I have our bedroom and bathroom (and I’m ignoring our closet like usual) and then I’ll move on to the other floors. Working my way down sounded like a good idea when I was all gung ho about this idea weeks ago. </p> <p>Anyway, part of the reason it’s taking so long is because I’m taking care of little (<a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/08/an-ombre-wall-guest-room-progress.html">and huge</a>) projects along the way. I try to ignore them but then I start twitching and I can’t concentrate and the annoying voice in my head goes “Oh it won’t take long, just do it!”</p> <p>So I do. This is one of those. Our drapes in the loft/playroom/craft room have been hanging for a couple years, but they’ve <em>really</em> been pieces of fabric hanging, not drapes: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROy6dp1VYA6mTZDu_Jf6ftbhq2xDJExilUZys1UeqdT3mIegC01Q7Me4vl0S8nS8-CDR6xW1ZgAP6SpQDr2E9uyv3gvaBpYVcXAFDeExqrq_VDChpRMNaykWWu-7GiHPDU6NfMAXVYmI/s1600-h/IMG_7527%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="P. Kaufmann blue green fabric" border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqv22Vo9o6HGcoxj7sjsNDyoTjz4-nkJanp04hBLuOLShJWTIQZ06EtToTJRKdFKz2sv8wZbPa5dZAoJ1_cmvyZOz-2EaAcCGKWVuHNpY06BDOvWd-CXWkQyMnRJU6nGa8BQtB7rg3qJY/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="P. Kaufmann blue green fabric" width="400" /></a></p> <p>It’s what I do. ;) It’s not the first time I’ve done this. If you don’t mess with the drapes you can’t tell too much. It depends on how much light pours in the window. These are a linen-like fabric so very light and sheer and they were looking kind of awful not being lined. Did anyone ever notice it? I doubt it. But it’s something that was bugging me. </p> <p>So I went to my fabric stash for some lining. I went through all of it a few weeks ago and knew I had some bigger pieces. Well…I had two that were about a foot too short and nothing else that worked. And at this point I’m ready to <em>do this thing</em> so I’m racking my brain trying to think of what I could use. </p> <p>I was about to just save it for another day (a non no-spend month day) when a light bulb idea hit me. (LIGHT. BULB. Name that movie.) I knew we had an extra set of cream sheets for our king-sized bed that we haven’t used in a <em>long</em> time. We have two sets we rotate and this was a cheap extra set we never use. </p> <p>So I threw the flat sheet on the floor and realized if I cut it down the middle it would <strong>totally work</strong>. SCORE! I’ve seen this done a million times so it’s certainly nothing new, but it worked for me since I’m not spending on decor/DIY this month.</p> <p>I figured I’d give you a quick how-to-line-drapes tutorial – but keep in mind I’m not a GREAT sewer. (Seamstress?) I just do things they way they work for me and they’re not perfect. </p> <p>The big thing here – you need to lay your fabric with the print side down. If you’re doing a pillow, both printed sides need to face each other. When you’re done you’ll pull it back inside out so the good sides are out. This hides your seam: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsg6R8gYWSuvp1XuxnBzPUxYbaT_vgjoK9ec_w13hFcw_1K1S1KnmGj-NdVTYdYOT-qOQGPcLOWIgL-7z-mwrLgWbdrcbesOMHg3uEriYXXuRwOhYW5-ib7OOF4aP6bRGOlsnD8ClPYk/s1600-h/lining-drapes%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to line drapes" border="0" height="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvckwY0H1tUu6oqe5kwGk5c7I1OU-t8Gk1G-wMFG12qK_neI6Gif85Bk0eEtGtMtJU7ga_SLTNb-X2g8zOmiBAHKA2fpxeQTpi_qaEqJlwxUXreb235wEi5MJ9U7i3jw_t_i8C5V_AOYw/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="how to line drapes" width="450" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7tUsAzkFAPz3wiSoYXueG_HKmQjbHNEYweXBHvMq78q_-nIzN7PhA8L6pGZiyLFpald2An5FDlWUjiOHVTvb8rBA9EVFzYqCPlYNgtAV0YNvMHlWDY_idnTv01CIXlnf_WGrqioLg-Q/s1600-h/how-to-line-drapes3%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to line drapes" border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnqhyZrbqZNy1OW9TxpvAv54WCsAxZQSSAUd3lbwYDr5D4cmXN8ZAIaI2CfhP5nuEj4Cw_enluAq84iQYdn56ojquauSdof5nF29iFCW9BAjP4MKyM9zHnMMJtvxni0BT_ujhBLUZFB0/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="how to line drapes" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I don’t pin the whole thing to start – just the top. I get that where I want it and pin it, then sew that part first: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTX_iVzNnLQwoKoafePjLfSzyit0twH4bultyuKhVRVjaKIK7YqHGsEFrhfFVT6ZRLhE5X-FJuLuewpEVGNY-QcjArgPMA2S0x4n_i0fDzuzBo2SDFoXfFaxgCSzkRuF6MDlYKvyxFpQ/s1600-h/how-to-line-drapes4%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how-to-line-drapes4" border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBsJQy0-SmD2vJeSBrVlUWhSqf33hr27mj52q8EKe4SQMKHcbpUvwl7G1PNG3jT09Ym-z2RDdqHqjO9JMf7aweTnIVKJHe_cjIKKVhXq0BGYQCJTV3Lf8V7vqGQOuWJM-cIbrO-riV_I/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="how-to-line-drapes4" width="500" /></a></p> <p>Speaking of sewing. Do not be afraid. This is your friend: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ubn_0yPj-o-WMdB2eowOpHgQ8MqJiHTt0qFGRJk3z8KQ0c4kOwFFYLt90jJ4fD4OjpYXMN29YMiBgFYAlA62mCPxEAHAfKi0GXdngJrdSMfLkKxP4WSF9m_bDp0PsztKQLf-wt1fpVk/s1600-h/brother-sewing-machine%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="brother sewing machine" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi639DngzKUHTFoObwkM-Vrae3uPUNgUYjRf50tJRiU2lIInoT-Ts3Oru2YTSeBQlI4V5Bc7dGGtDp6-81zhDTiQbkEXPvrLpdr9swVy6P6PH-Ynrw8oLlqZ_HzEb-zj87K_6rMtOFEJUI/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="brother sewing machine" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I promise, if I can sew, you can sew. I’m not good at sewing. Not a great sewer-of-straight-lines. But the thing is, no one will notice your lines aren’t straight. YOU won’t notice. (Unless you’re sewing something with vertical stripes and in that case good luck to you my friend.)</p> <p>Half the battle is learning how to get the machine threaded and it’s not hard. It shows you how to do it right on the machine and takes about a minute. </p> <p>Then you sew. Like a boss: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ibRE-gI92XifpGcOYc_SDpaRKyFda3gbe_5qFiyyFOaLQkfqjmMRMU4Xc411_LU7Eu40l6owjWL4txdHeMDfZET0kxGfLDPAXcxELItigr2L0QhVNDSnAb62pAXzQmKuabL5lRaP7r0/s1600-h/how-to-sew%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to sew" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmzfLFCbB33JvBf07At8PbXvjDeHY9zuJzbjEPONWkz_FNGOqKCqQNEgIo9AKo3NKwoCBw4DdmwhuhdRe877GlVUTYVpLs8RwuXiNzVSC6xlEaKrHlZHL2e4f9VL9otgJlg0wK04Z0Mc/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="how to sew" width="450" /></a></p> <p>I love hemming tape, and for years I used just that. But we have animals and I found I needed to throw stuff in the washer occasionally. The hemming tape will actually hold up for a wash or two, but after that not so much. And honestly? Sewing may even be faster than hemming with tape and an iron. Once you get going it’s super fast. </p> <p>You really want your lining to be slightly smaller than your fabric, so at the end you can iron the edges over so you can’t see the lining. Does that makes sense? You want the printed fabric to be seen from the side, not the lining. (I kind of help that along with the way I hang them too.) </p> <p>The ironing afterwards took longer than sewing each panel, no lie: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93KCcFjz-qrFv7lKpYjFfgYrpxI1ZqZpmeOZpqxQonIErKhYJ94T5IN2c_mqeC3yHwVhyphenhyphenuKw7aFXfOoUV5i3MnGNh6hyphenhyphenFMnVx4twcZ_1PaC8-UEWZBbqLN4kHmHaC6lgoYH5eH-MRvGM/s1600-h/how-to-line-drapes2%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="how to line drapes" border="0" height="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaq4KQ-twgYQIQt49Pj-Vk-Z_mZucfMi6FUmTfxgWSi1PuwogG9JDRewi5lUrut8yyS1JRG4juuYIGWPrWfEs7LORKIwzGLr5CckuqrG5HF1c1O4UYT70PuqSyoynCgMnjsSYTHvlttpE/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="how to line drapes" width="450" /></a></p> <p>Here’s an idea of the different the lining makes. It makes them less see through, yes (you can get black out lining from the fabric store) but it also makes them fuller and they hang prettier: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfIpjWmgx-ql47TVC8DAVXBubsdNE1DJrX-fiIycwMxFwetVnQdtJ0tqreOwnKHktd-P-Qwmr3HCIHPHQa0kjqzUP_Kyom79orWGUigvtGQgiUNysEuT0s6-laJGQYxUahQ_33TO58uM/s1600-h/lined-and-non-lined-drapes%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="difference between lined and non-lined drapes" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqSWbn6v2Wj5vn4JRFkf25xjpm2v8vwlXiVEexDihqjqTGqzByroBR-maSHCUElIHVdh7ZbTuYZl6gMGUap04ZrXbI3EAs2Sp9YWksdctTm-CKC4kfUue4dHO7AAGCAB7kglGsF73aNQ/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="difference between lined and non-lined drapes" width="450" /></a></p> <p>Wimpy on the right, lined on the left. </p> <p>Since I was at it, I took care of another quick little project. You can see in the pic above that the bamboo shades were hanging inside the window. I’m obsessed with getting as much natural light in this house as I can so I moved them up. </p> <p>They now hang on the wall above the window: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzbQqsvMJBMfIgIHyEGg9euGiGnvZN6KppfU1oV9Rl_PIPAL-1vf5jp2Mgw2Z9Fwsyi257UHv_gXzfJ5fDtysDbbDi0rG4BBlR4UXH4_D5hrlpQ0qwY-9ccMyam5ikua3a7SvEpAZIXc/s1600-h/hanging-roman-shades%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="hanging roman shades above window" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U_RcAAssCuxrTxOAqvefot7uqkrxqyd4dhG0DpRMMPxdz9usrcu5BMcTRqvUZRZwml4l6UyEaQR0TyQNRhQBBGwl7Zp15cw0hBvs-TygINFlfF8yx4MnGB_TzK66A9XyzuOw3b-F9bU/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="hanging roman shades above window" width="450" /></a></p> <p>It’s a little thing but it all looks so much better to me!: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOEekWMxOiIWVXglSXozc7nASZcwb-2mRBjIuUfckSsM9JsoejRPng-anUrFzOAA-YWp5yW1OnlNhP39KcxA7f8_SfbHZv5a6_hpr6WTsgiS1OYbzKVEaBN9UBFqiftWsu6xLsSawPpc/s1600-h/lining-drapes-with-sheets%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="lining drapes with sheets" border="0" height="751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRNAS9bXRiFXU543WgdOUoRzhikdXQ9LUQw1lEMVUOkfrJ82lBRFPzOCdsIxXvbg5Apkam5K37csIomW2FWBipedud8kd5VEVm62X94qzHYjHe2QzoeRlHqnkZk_mPMHT03wTEOuSIdY/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="lining drapes with sheets" width="500" /></a></p> <p>I use the little clips to hang my drapes but hate seeing them, so I use <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/11/tricky-tricky-window-treatments.html">this trick</a> to hide them from view. It gives your drapes the look of pleated ones (that are way over my head).</p> <p>This room is way in between decor-wise, but at least for now it’s decrapified and clean. And the window looks nice. :) </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLur3j3GYTBS6trRgL8Fd9UjpfgYtQ2dE2HpjMIZw35YiEsCSJXt531vcLcAiWxwhZjMthC-mIkI-rrhjNaIH5wYMrK1ngefxgBr9Xo6l9X8BIMtSx2B8XHHKujS_YRnkGL81s8kwTHRo/s1600-h/how-to-line-drapes%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="line drapes with sheets" border="0" height="751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoo5e943_9XTpfJT8qldtUj5kZAjdiXM1hXgCLfH5HEhGbvToEbq3CWba53GtGMbVR_1rmWs1vQQ0wEj21o1DMcw-gO-LE551id1SgZuuqtf3r8bR5f25W-M7mVaYOKnLxoS6_RohwSXI/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="line drapes with sheets" width="500" /></a></p> <p>The “create” is coming down next. I think I need a break from words on my walls. ;) </p> <p>So do you know how to sew? Have you ever used sheets to line drapes? I use sheets from Goodwill for my spray paint “tarps” occasionally – but I may need to start looking for more to use as lining. After a good wash of course. :)         </p> <p>**You can see more about my DIY craft table <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/02/diy-craft-table.html">here</a>. </p> <p>**The fabric is called Spring Vine Opal from P. Kaufmann.</p>

How to line drapes (with what you have)

Hello to you all! I have a fun little project for you today – the afters aren’t anything earth-shattering, but it’s one of those to-do items...

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A private window

<p>Hey hey laaaaadies! (And men. Hello Dad!) How are you this fine Thursday? Today I’m sharing a super simple project that solved an age-old problem for us. </p> <p>See, we live in a neighborhood. Like, a real, suburban neighborhood with houses next to us. (That gives some people the shivers, I know.) Our bathroom window is one of those that doesn’t open. (And I still don’t understand why. Moisture issues I think? But wouldn’t it be better to be able to open it and let moisture out?) Deep questions people. </p> <p>So this window has been a thorn in our side for going on nine years now. Of course we love the natural light, it’s great, cause the other light in that bathroom stinks. But at night I feel like I’m in a fishbowl – not so much because of our neighbors, but because houses across the street can see in. </p> <p>Now, who knows if they can really see in, it’s not a short distance. But at night when I don’t want to be seen, I feel like I can be seen, so there’s lots of ducking and rolling. OK, just ducking – but I do it without even realizing anymore. </p> <p>I know I could do window treatments, but I don’t feel like they look right there. And we have had blinds, but you have to climb into the tub to put them down: </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TZ7iMRnZ2ak/UQqhq2P1UUI/AAAAAAAAaiQ/SRD4bTT8jAI/s1600-h/IMG_4668%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font color="#4c4c4c"></font><img alt="" border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhP2CCOM4mO8j515Ukg3pdDD0s_pSmxZwUtEDuv1olfKrrSmwPd2j_M16NR59Bu57zmsl3TF8kHqQr6O9P67feG5ZW9nr8HTdp5qatDNqYkQdy1Rf3c3khG6PfEGFz1_YkQOCzCm4-pMY/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="320" /></a></p> <p>See? Neighbors. No, I can’t reach out and touch them, it just looks like it. </p> <p>Years ago I was looking for a solution to cover the <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/02/no-more-wire-shelves-pantry-redo.html" target="_blank">glass on our pantry door</a>: </p> <p><img alt="pretty pantry stenciled walls" border="0" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_CoZdD-bHmp6oH0JiXuuAqAZUb7wGWrXybKWJztfP02Ywh6HbAMbbjGtgXyS1hhNH9KAUb-qqOB0Fy5vyl-akIrlmAf4iFrjiI8I2v0FKwkRPSi4ay8t4sbOXHIqR0nnD05G_s8b_kY/?imgmax=800" title="pretty pantry stenciled walls" width="400" /></p> <p>I wanted something that would hide the food but would also let some light through (I installed rope lights around the inside of the pantry door). </p> <p>So a few of you suggested regular clear contact paper and it worked like a charm. It was a total pain in the butt to install on those window panes, but it works PERFECTLY. (I shared how I did that <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/11/before-and-after-party-private-pantry.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</p> <p>There is window vinyl you can buy at the hardware store, but it is a.) expensive and b.) not always the prettiest. This regular old contact paper was a few bucks for a HUGE roll and will last me a very long time:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvyXgix42usuATikXE3KpBcXcF5GLXKSvSVNZY5j4-IN2NZdWDAQ-I6Rgh6R9lksmoKB3aWo9gqcAn-GaH_eZ5nxlaZTjZzdMWw0es0TCSC3dtAo-z0EUIKeArTxMXGd6RxjwGh3E9y0/s1600-h/IMG_4669%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="contact paper private window" border="0" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCNp_aaZ7QhNZHDIkoo8MSwgNEe36vk2JOZ4EFMGlKglqtV-dQen33ZLrf3_BastodJGWVwCM32qFVPi5omUqmLpP9E20DWXU3GCa6J4cCR_z_tBdnD-IwOK8fiWmsf_w1csq3FlKxMI/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="contact paper private window" width="360" /></a></p> <p>So anyway, I decided to use it on the bathroom window. Thing is, it wasn’t wide enough. To make it work I decided to cut it in three horizontal strips to kind of match up with the window panes. I just held it up and marked with a pencil where I needed to cut, then laid it down on the floor and used a steady hand and scissors: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGhS7HxsQf1UIwlyZehwDpFgqdpQjNzWhB9-lF-x65sPvtmBEjmOUqOYF3lfND8PkfwAb36r9aP-fKPOOagR-DfuvAPGtrDEN1-6BBuppS2huU5MJhAebbeh5snbh7xyJ3Z_ypxffcLI/s1600-h/IMG_4673%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXkCf591SDQPrzcP8ReE7Nwf3cypuj0jxV1-JsAOKyEo9V1kK_4Hh54JN6reN4PNN_UcDyA5WDgBWlZV03-uyLiWCNwfsyJdifu5m7L9HpgKO4FVy7h3WQrnCpQtkZY3ii66lC5WR508/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="400" /></a></p> <p>Excuse me. A steady hand and scissors: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpccSe1NIwDa55ozjecw6VAWl_sj0m7nwtbu-qJrblbfKkClYyJuEhUtrmC8kW_MJxk_CgE0nry2GI5pHCkxAYSiuw9p25YMr2uCO2HpxkS0XCezuJmu4BO2A7DqWlfxbniyORzHkgqY/s1600-h/IMG_4675%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0T3zq4aysZ6imQ1Pw2WIxxKAJNMoPS3OIexqmEB6dIQ69Y6U-iydkvPqafR8YmQgxc3jd-MGyTT9-Q_nNgWJbACHtQ0UpJ2DsjH_t-LreGadYe6yA0u85OAvpzP30iAVoOA6nK638ngk/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="400" /></a></p> <p>:)</p> <p>I was going to try cutting it with my paper cutter to get a nice clean cut, but the piece I needed was much longer than the cutter. The lines aren’t perfect doing it with scissors but thankfully you really can’t tell. </p> <p>It’s super easy to install this stuff – the trick is getting it on there right when you start. Just spray the window with water: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUz3HYvuqeJBjRRakVe6V8vbCc0n6bDoHwuR7_qgsDurppWrKSp41ENcV7L1P9ORkDrdzat__K2ElXTB9EztLd2eubUHlgob6rG_JfWDpfkr8Oi-Q9dYT6jpa9uoFrKT60JWdHoVPhCE/s1600-h/IMG_4678%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="applying contact paper to window" border="0" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtEnxS_tUPd-eXL4ZaPXfvwxk9bM9zQdya242B3W4osfp7WVQSlvZxf5gQMmz3or2XBIzk97c18Ll8t-ZpQG6AWbAy7DLBctm6_ZV7P_IXQsjZFn4mEUILmDoittB2P62ELmO_Ia7vko/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="applying contact paper to window" width="360" /></a></p> <p>And if you’re smarter than me, wash the window first. I ain’t got time for that. ;)</p> <p>Don’t be stingy with the water. Spray it on good. Then tear a bit of the paper off the end of the contact paper:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqLZ_OOfB2xgE7wvnMyVSDYtJmC6q4M5whVuQr-Y6sKy_9AHD5YLYG0sUiNsrkWaTtRX_FIe6Eck9LrCXWpC-AIa6sBpe3f5apO6_nXcUe3Hih86iFF-1_G4uX-xGxJpKw_qY9Re2EAw/s1600-h/IMG_4677%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="contact paper private window" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHaojvJB0wtdLswL7nsr3uHfLIVvQxGYcb-4luO6DJtKQWFTD-A2y3POtlqC_56nC122F7BEJOaPZZyv2Avh2o-y_K9X9SCjr064nHuX_C1wvlCGm0i56Y2xAyWCO8Cylsu3qdsc7MGc/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="contact paper private window" width="400" /></a></p> <p>And line it up and push it on, over the watery glass: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbz0pG166dBYDxt8YDI5hCKDBVkmjQ8mIkvNBcPrf-57ThizkK5kihEOUH8aQjQvbyMEwKPifuTQF8dFB7O1_NQ4sOy-5KNkojSgOfJp6qFmmk1A2jJOMnPWjv5Q4uw_VjuM0v6ShqB70/s1600-h/IMG_4679%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="applying contact paper to window" border="0" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvSF_F7iNozkYN4oIizzlnrzIU6I2TxW7dIqCvLmJrYQ5HZm5QqD557E1zObUZ3FLGcw8yXYr_4yMp5uYEx0o295k74mCaG8abVmnbeaN4k6g7HLkK5X9JeU_V4bessxE82RWI-5VUWA/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="applying contact paper to window" width="360" /></a></p> <p>Then you can start peeling the rest of the paper off the back and smoothing it out with  your hand as you go across the window. I thought it might be a pain to get it straight but it went on perfectly. </p> <p>This is one of those rare projects that I thought would be easy and <em>it was</em>. Usually when those thoughts go through my head I’m in trouble.  </p> <p>When the contact paper is on the window, you’ll freak out a little and curse me and yell hey Sarah I thought you said this was easy, this looks like crap!! </p> <p>Relax. You’ll have bubbles, lots of them:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLK4JmNTisLLOAIY8inUtbJEAQX3LwholLofdZox_8i_H0M3q3Lk_JWgHWjDyadTTTU2QlltTh2Vc4Dy0HYo6a0dFylSTMpeu78ovIlfh6NvnvtiEy50BZVCRztpPbdVkqfuSBGYUbIh8/s1600-h/IMG_4681%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="applying contact paper to window" border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFazwEw3Ut_QF3ikO2RzMCQCfzM_EgEWfbFT9gZ5KV04gMjr4wSb_9oV-DSMM9oVMeMcApyNujKNXI81PAQx74SRfBr_fxYMiVjD-gxGQdrjruanQMJvKLNZuEY4D9Xgs96syWw4HLe_c/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="applying contact paper to window" width="400" /></a></p> <p>You’ll need something with a straight edge to smooth them out: </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPYFYhyrmEXg4Xo-eYe5kjWyQ-xbwjLc1S-Ohs0KxTqwCM_YRPK5bmCbSB2gF4RT-yxRGJ7DmeyhdmAgw4dM9MqAoB56KagHWTKwPdY233BD8FHp_vvvM9AadY5iCzyUH4lL7Q-wCbpE/s1600-h/IMG_4683%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="applying contact paper to window" border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNMByX35Uo8R8ndwGI_MAQdcggXRmcCIcmSHLNJtKNmCSGHvjv2TuHjHsL1GwBZozQ8qzyjY9AkyjJvJY6OUr4eif3ObkZx-jwT6lp9SPRmK5WAQ6cDjoM1O8TOfsMC9X3TJ5zc5mEeY/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="applying contact paper to window" width="285" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAwk0EWBZofgbm-ISUHMRBlxjROuZf_JDrxUL0PvznruOLk0R49NXDNrXJDjHDqxRrNnimxGhXflO6auhKopQ2-597BOdsiDBnmGIjUwajxM2DFM9erfQN5oGh_IoEsVh28tPXuhEDjA/s1600-h/IMG_4684%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="applying contact paper to window" border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJ1jnGo02AhzPQuAl0BtFPAYsDiyebplDtziSrrhbHAdmHsSVG4LoCQN9_Ioo8v_FVXrtZdez0EjwwK0IjSy0viIziagVN00IRZqtazfWZkXdVwLzIPWHeytR3yk0iDqCnhO3grVLlC4/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="applying contact paper to window" width="285" /></a> </p> <p>I just use a pan scraper. Just make sure it’s got a clean edge with no raggedy things that can tear or scratch the contact paper/vinyl. </p> <p>Just smooth them out – this part takes the longest, but it’s not bad. This is why you want a wet window, so you can easily push all those bubbles out from underneath. </p> <p>I installed three horizontally just because I figured vertically might look jail-like. :) It turned out better than I even expected – it still lets all the light through and I can walk around in my bathroom after a shower without ducking. </p> <p><font color="#4c4c4c">And <em>everyone</em> is thankful for that, just saying: </font><img alt="contact paper private window" border="0" height="569" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LvLBPfqB2FVvlgqIfpK2vgmXdprO827VDRrpdGxgZnIrJgYvE-bg0EXsWcqFxCqZ3CYEAmohyphenhyphenjMDN7N8t1QT2y8dLzPDLIw1VTDh41HTfxLnzZp9F0aPiWkPxPoJm7x9bFTSExAJ8Lw/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="contact paper private window" width="380" /></p> <p>I took the old blinds down and that actually lets even a little more light in. </p> <p>If you’ve ever tried to take a picture of a window during the day, you know its nearly impossible, so forgive me that you can’t see more detail. </p> <p>Here’s a before and after just to give you an idea: </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXs300Qheh06O145SpazDSpn1GbSW4bKvWmYhNsMS5lW2Y8866dF_IUcVimbzP7FzPeGIpZAwZRFHrwD3rGdusvOeaZNcJsLPzl8zx8eOsl35r-4OhzyrMSQMD6s0bbF8NYeK0TIKgv4/s1600-h/IMG_4668%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJy4m0lx7LY6pOUq7bdW0AjQ3Qp0bjJMT5-ty0ZjMr0LqBhn_m1c3olCcY3GxPpU_0m1gLN1UPOTNxQEi7v_lUalnQhhWjPmtPXp0soh42wKHpNp3jLlyIH_SRB1lSOXpbefsYFlT78Xo/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="" width="290" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSipy4BvkMWVRkawOvYe7FSNPllZwMLm8o2mhm7FIEtH1v0DCtbMIwwuTc4w1QLuwS-q9VN9k4cli_ZcUxembm7mUODVEzmQwvvHpOjk0flPGp1Ra-OzhyLrCEidfq3ZbFS23GZ6piT4/s1600-h/IMG_4693%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="contact paper private window" border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRtFlgG9P2tcCiY40QUPo2rxvfpSujZHnCpF0z4nNT-cWwhGjJ2An2d44EeeEkjcQsi2XIeizOBupenlLXLSavwZsR0DH3agUuwq1mvUndr6TH40O_zXcc-XPI3BHHndCNC770EW97ZM/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="contact paper private window" width="290" /></a> </p> <p>Sometimes it truly is the little things that make such a big difference. My husband was SO excited about this small change, I don’t know why we waited so dang long to do it!! </p> <p>Here it is at night, so you can get a better view of how it looks: </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdmFsC5tkWa75ZwFE5-y43p-4daQx9EouxE1utTcAeIAzq2rrwq1LqGpdBplIgiF0DewCEZHmzpPVfiltJ7q6Il4jj8nkQpHsMDQxTphebD1mJbxToqtKa-YZW4PxhmumjjzTGHGI59w/s1600-h/IMG_4706%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="contact paper private window" border="0" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzk2eKsrY3ou-huK7pQ2dKGzXv8nkUpbJcgCbs9bjIcviK0H0Rv63xQGnUMtkEmKvdtto0xYn9BbHRl07i0qk1UcYRf2cMbva6vFf1NyNCl3bhh1vTUN_i2ddadSXjUQlJhQQYlxqW3nA/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="contact paper private window" width="360" /></a></p> <p>A private window, for pennies. Can’t beat it! I still have a TON of this stuff left, I’m on the look out for other projects. </p> <p>Do you have a window that lets in light but you still want covered? This would be PERFECT for side lights by a front door, or maybe even glass in a door? (<a href="http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2011/02/15/dont-mind-the-foggy-shadow-its-just-me-running-around-naked/" target="_blank">Allison</a> put this over a window by her front door and it worked GREAT.) If we ever <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/04/glass-doorcould-you-do-it.html" target="_blank">add glass to our front door</a> I’ll be doing something like this. </p> <p>I bet it would look great if you have glass doors on your kitchen cabinets too. You know, for those cabinets that aren’t perfectly pretty inside? </p>

A private window

Hey hey laaaaadies! (And men. Hello Dad!) How are you this fine Thursday? Today I’m sharing a super simple project that solved an age-old pr...

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