DIY Drapery Rods

You've seen the finished room, now lets talk about how it got there.  I am always a sucker for full-length drapes... no exceptions here.  I like to hang them much wider than the window (just like everyone else does), and this helps to make the window look larger.  They actually end up being more decorative than functional.  Here's what I was working with:

 I was going to use PVC pipe (like this), across the entire length of the window and extending to the outer walls.  BUT, the PVC didn't come in 12' lengths, and I didn't want a joint in the middle.  I headed to the lumber department and looked at wood rods, but again, only up to 10' long. 

My backup plan was to do short rods on each side of the window.  I'd seen this other places, like this or Beth's living room.  I decided to sacrifice the look of the rod across the top, and in the end, I really liked it!  I had the Lowe's guy cut a 6' wooden rod into 2, 30" pieces.  I bought unfinished wood brackets and some bun furniture feet (all available on an isle-end in the very back of Lowe's).  People, we are talking CHEAP!  One set of finials from the drapery department cost about $10 per pair.  I got a pair for $6-8 (can't find the receipt).  "Real" brackets cost about $10-20 a pair.  I got these unfinished ones for $3/pair.  My rod cost $6.  Spray paint: maybe $3 (and I only used a fraction of it).  Total cost: $27-31.  Folks, this is CONSIDERABLY cheaper than ready-made rods.  And this project was so easy, I may just buy them this way from here on out!  (and just imagine the fun you could have: ANY color rod you want!!! Oh this makes me excited!).

After I brought them home, I applied 2-3 coats of brown spray paint so they looked like this:

Then I drilled a small hole in each end.  I had to use the largest drill bit we had (1/4") and it was a perfect fit.  If you're thinking "I don't know how to drill a hole," you are not alone.  I was actually planning on having Simon do this part, but then I thought "Self, you know how to change the drill bits, you know how to work a drill, you know how to hold the rod steady, you can DO THIS!"  And I did.  (and I secretly enjoyed every moment of drilling bliss).  I just sat at my dining table and let the wood dust fall wherever (it wasn't much, and had very easy cleanup). 

**NOTE: for those of you who get a little ambitious, make sure you put your curtain (or rings) on BEFORE you put both of your finials on!

And here it is all together!

If you like 'em big 'n chunky, you should totally make your own curtain rods. :)

Up next: how I made the drape...

Dining Room Reveal

I've been so excited for the day I finally got to write this...it has arrived!  Remember way back at Thanksgiving when I mentioned doing a lot of painting?  Well, the rest of the details are finished and I get to show you our dining room (and kitchen next).  When we moved in a few months ago, the dining room looked like this:

WOW!!!  Is it oh-so-obvious we had just moved in and things were a WRECK?!  (or maybe I'm just trying to make a more dramatic before/after scenario?!?!?!  Hmmm...sneaky!)  One good thing is that the flooring had just been redone before we moved in.  It is laminate wood flooring and I love how durable it is.  It is the kind that has some texture and grain to look more real (even though we all know its not...come on, who are we trying to kid?).  Fake as it is, it is much more kid- and moving-big-furniture- friendly (like a piano, per se).  

My inspiration for this room and the kitchen came from a hand towel I got a few months back from Meijer (I miss that place).  It looks like this:

I then decided to use this fabric for my drapes:

This was left over from a design job I did way back... see the Roman shades I made with it HERE.

So using these 2 fabrics, I took a trip to Sherwin Williams and chose these paints(I only used the blue in this room, the other 2 were saved for the kitchen):

Aqua-Sphere: SW 7613 

Escapade Gold: SW 6403

  Wool Skein: SW 6148

I took a bold step and painted my dining room BLUE.  Ahh!  I still love the color on the paint swatch, but when it is all over my walls, its a little less "calming" and a little more "baby."  Thankfully, I was able to tone it down a bit with a large picture, big ol' piano, and full-length drapes.  

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So are you ready???  Here it is!

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Ta da!

Now I can breathe a sigh of relief that it is all done AND blogged about.  Ahhhh.  The best part is that I didn't have to spend any money out of pocket--- a combination of gift cards, pre-owned items, and taking a few things off our rent payment made this possible.  (and the only thing I used gift cards for was drapery rods, which I will tell you all about in my next post!). 

My piano got a nice cleaning, but has yet to be tuned.  We (meaning three children and myself) play it almost daily, so the day it gets tuned will be a one of great joy.

And that pretty much does it!  I will share a few more things about this room in the next few posts (drapery rods, drapery tricks, table runner, and lighting fixture), so don't stay away too long.   I also am not 100% in love with what I have sitting on that console table... but that can change over time and with seasons.

I am now ready to have people for dinner! 

What do you think?  Is the blue too bold or are you thinking about making some new color choices for your house too?  Talk to you all soon.

Favorite Things

I said a while ago that I wanted to enlighten you with a few of our favorite things around the house recently.  

First of all, ruffles! 

These lovely little shirts were a Christmas gift (Thanks Mammaw!) and these ruffles thrill me!...oh wow, I am officially a mom of girls.

Next, our favorite baby pj's.  The girls practically live in pajamas (no exaggeration), and they needed new ones desperately.  They got 2 sets for Christmas, but I knew we needed one more, so we found some on clearance at Target, our fave!...

 

And look at that cute little waving raccoon on her tushie:

This next thing was a Christmas gift from my mom to Christian, a way for him to learn his Bible verses!  We can switch out the cards with new ones or pictures, and take them off to carry around the house if needed.  The amazing part: my mom made this herself!  Who knew!?

And from my mother-in-law for the girls, a super adorable wall hanging, err, in this case, a door hanging!

Okay, here's some more pretties!  Simon and I stopped at a flea market before Christmas, and I got 2 little goodies.  

When I saw this, I knew it would be something I will probably never.ever get rid of.  (The birds were already owned. Do you like them there?).  It is hanging in the girls' room. 

And secondly, check out this address book:

Yep, the good old fashioned paper kind, even leather bound.  And I adore it.

My Bundled Gang

It's that time of year for hats and warm jackets. Somehow it just seems picturesque (thus this post).

Father and Son (could you tell?):

(thankfully you can't see Christian's pink and orange snow boots in that picture, yay for thrifting!)

Selah (yeah, her coat is still a little big):

Jadah:

These lovely family posts are biding me time, but be ready, I have some fun projects and "reveals" coming up soon!

Just to Make You Laugh...

This is from before Christmas, but it still makes me giggle...

Poor Jadah had such a bad head cold she could barely keep her eyes open.

I was taking a few pictures to get the best look...and, well, isn't this next one just AWFUL?!...

Poor sweet baby, I sure am glad you are better now!

The Boy Is Trained

We'd been working on potty training Christian since before we moved, but we never made the leap to being completely trained. Of course, moving and all the new things set him back a bit. We used underwear at home, but were still using diapers for naps, night, and going out. After Christmas, I was done with it, and we went cold turkey... no more diapers, EVER! For about a week, he continued to wake up wet or not make it all the way to the bathroom. So Simon took Christian to the dollar store and they picked out a toy! We hung it above the toilet and said he had to go two whole days without ANY accidents. At first, he was really upset that he didn't get his toy right away, but he finally caught on, and two days later, that toy was his!

He's had one or two accidents since then, but we now consider him trained. He goes by himself most of the time too. In our downstairs bathroom, which has no windows, he goes in, closes the door, climbs onto the toilet, turns on the light, climbs down and lifts the lid, then climbs onto the toilet (facing backwards), does his business, then repeats his sequence of closing lid, turning light off, and exiting. Finally, at this point, he needs help putting his clothes back on, but we're working on that too.

Also, this kid lives in shorts and no socks (yes, even when there is snow outside)(no, I don't let him go outside like this!). He must be warm blooded. He loves music (especially drums and guitars). And he likes to brush his teeth, but probably because he wants to eat his toothpaste. Soccer and basketball are daily activities, along with reading a few books and a Bible story before bed. He will do just about anything for a sweet treat, so we bribe him with cookies and candy to make him sing or say Bible verses in front of friends. These things bring smiles and laughs time and time again.

He also talks nonstop. Today while I was waiting for him to do something (and I was rather annoyed at him because he had not been obeying), he was jabbering about something, then stopped, and looked up at me and said "Mommy, I have a question for you..." I don't think he ever actually asked a question, but it made me smile anyway. I smile at the times he says "THAAAANK you Mommy", or, "I love you SOOOO much."

Sigh.

I love you too, Buddy.

Could I?

Saw this online... it is made of burlap. Couldn't I totally make this at home for oh-so-much cheaper?!?! Burlap+stencil+paint?  Totally.
Check out this pillow!