DIY Lined Curtains

When the cat is away, the mice will play. Or in my case, when my husband is away, I DIY!  My husband was out of town last weekend so I decided to tackle making curtains for my woMan Cave. 

You may remember the fabric from my woMan Cave mood board.  I fell in love with it after seeing Jennifer use it on her dining room chairs.  It was the kickstart I needed to tackle this space.

 

Jennifer was also kind enough to point me in the direction of this fabulous tutorial for professionally lined curtains.  It seemed easy enough that I was willing to try.

 

Now, for those of you wondering, I don't sew.  My only sewing experience is a button and patch in 7th grade home economics and those probably weren't very good.  Although I would like to learn how to sew, I am not ready to make that investment on a machine I don't know how to use.  That is a project for another day.

 

So when the best bloggers in all of blogland used heat bond sewing tape for their daughter's bedroom curtains I was sold.  If it is good enough for them it is definitely good enough for me.  Best of all, if I had not shared this little secret with you, you would never even be able to tell.  Even my husband said "Who's machine did you use?"

 

These are real deal curtains people!  They are even lined (with twin flat sheets from Walmart)!

 

Most importantly, they were easy to make and I think they are awesome!  They really do look great and totally pop against the emerald green accent wall.  The woMan Cave is progressing and I hope to show you more of it in the coming weeks.

 

Now I am thinking I can just make curtains for every room in my house. :)

 

Lisa

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Blog Crasher: Fashionable Roller Shades

The blog has officially been crashed and I am so excited!!  Meet Laura.  She is the voice and soul of Bobbie + Agnes (the first blog I ever followed) and the creative talent behind Laura Lee Interior Design.  She is my go-to-girl for design tips, but most importantly one of my best friends (since high school!).  No matter if it has been days or weeks, we pick up right where we left off without skipping a beat.  She is also a wonderful mother, wife and sister; a true total package.  Today, she is here to let you in on a little secret.......

Fashionable RollerShades

I’ve grown to loathe mini blinds, not to be confused withplantation shutters.  They (the shutters) are timeless.  So, in two years of living in our littlecasa, I’ve slowly removed most of the blinds in our house.  Some windows have full panels, some haveroman shades, some have cornice boards. I love seeing the world outside, through the glass, not the blinds. Thenursery was the recent upgrade.

Before....

 

After... 

 

I first saw this on a blog I follow...Cottage and Vine. 

The designer in me actually called a professional, had themmeasured and thought about roman shades, custom fabric, the whole nineyards.  The more I thought, the more Ididn’t really want romans.  I wanted blackout, quick up, quick down, easy, but cute...and...not spend too much money.

Light bulb goes off.

My fabric, any fabric, and roller shades.

I pretty much follow Rene’s instructions with one, or twoadditions.  I found my fabric atHancock’s, an unexpected find, but it was perfect!  Khaki, wool, herringbone.  Perfect for the equestrian room.

 I laid the shade over the fabric to cut the access off.  I cut the fabric so that there was about aninch on one side and the bottom.  The edgesof the fabric were frayed and I wanted it to show.  I would hang the shades with this on theinside of the windows.  I put the shadeon the very edge of the fray to get the cuts accurate.

Then glue.  I used fabricglue, also found at Hobby Lobby.  I gluedthe side and then the bottom.

 Let dry overnight.

Hang.  (May or may notrequire man power, and a drill.)  Follow hanging instructions with shades, andfollow the instructions for getting the shades to roll up as tight as you wouldlike.

The panels in this room are non-functioning, so I can’t pull themto cover the rollers, and I don’t want to add a valance.  My wheels were spinning, how can I cover the rollers?  Even husband asks, “Aren’t you going to coverthose rollers?  Ummmm....yes....

I had just helped my sister take down lots of those rods (butthey’re not rods) that you just slip a panel on through its pocket.  The name totally escapes me.  They’re flat, not attractive and you canchange the widths.  And I did not take apicture before I did this.

 Hot glued upholstery binding. (Found at Hobby Lobby.)

Almost done.  These windowsare on the front of the house, so you could see my very uneven cutting job fromthe front, or the road.  Must fix.  Back to Hobby Lobby.  Amongst the trim I find this perfect redtape. 

 Cut.  Hot glue.  Done.

I love them from the front and back!  The best part is that I bought the black outrollers from Lowes, 20.00 per shade.  I’mnot sure if any of you live in Central Time Zone, but the sun keeps crazy hoursin this time zone.   Now when this littleguy sleeps, it’s like a cave...a beautiful cave.

 Win-win for everyone!  (Andyes, they work!)

 

I told you she was creative!  She might even have me convinced to keep my ugly roller shades.

Lisa

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New Year. New Blog.

Happy New Year!!

It seems to be blog tradition to begin the New Year with a recap of last year's posts. It is a time to reflect on a job well done or total failure and then start fresh with new goals/resolutions. You can’t go back and look at any posts, but take my word for it when I say I failed miserably. You see, I am the absolute worst with New Year’s resolutions. Some years I haven’t even bothered making any because I know they won’t last through January. So, I only made two small resolutions last year: 1. Keep my fingernails painted. 2. Send cards. Well, let’s just say that I didn't make the grade and will be repeating (20)12th grade!

Since I can’t even make the grade in the simplest of subjects, I figured this year I will either go BIG or go home. New Year. New Blog. New Goals/Resolutions. Of course 1 and 2 remain at the top of the list, but I’m adding 13 home projects to the list for 2013.

3. Paint the staircase. It is the same color as the day we bought the house. I can’t even describe it, but probably the original from 1955.

4. Redo the master bedroom. We painted and got new bedding 4 years ago when we moved in, but now I hate it. I cannot even begin to tell you how much bedding I have bought over the years only to loathe it later.

5. (Start and ) Finish my office. Need I say more?

6. Window treatments for the guest bedroom. MIA for 4 years.

7. Window treatments for the kitchen. MIA for 4 years.

8. Cut off all the blinds. I’ve always been too scared to try it for fear of ruining the blinds! YouTube here I come.

9. New color scheme and couch for the living room. I want to lighten it up a little and add more color. Is that contradictory?

10. Create a space for me. My husband has a man cave. I want a WOman cave.

11. Clean out the closets. They accumulate SO MUCH STUFF!

12. Touch up the trim. Some normal wear, some new trim and some probably never even got painted in the first place.

13. Install the rest of the kitchen hardware. While the cabinet doors seem to have all of their parts, the drawers never got theirs. Worst cabinet installers ever! Cheaper is not always better.

14. Heating/air upgrade for the upstairs. To make it just right like baby bear.

15. Permanently fix the outside pots and topiaries. I am tired of “fixing” them only to have them blow over with the next wind gust. Plus, I look like the neighborhood misfit.

Whew! That looks like a long list, but some projects are small and simple. I’ve recently found myself with a little more time on my hands. That means more time for these small and simple projects that I have been putting off (only for the last 4 years since we moved in our house!! Don’t judge!) I am going to use this blog to keep you update along the way, but to also help keep me accountable. I’ll let you be the judge at the end of the year. Don’t worry, this won’t all be about house projects but also about fashion, food, books, and everything else that happens On Manor Drive…..where life and love meet.

Lisa

P.S. I am no photographer.  Maybe that can be my extra credit project?

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