Ashblue, a fabulous locally-owned gift shop here in Nashville, sent me a postcard week before last inviting me to check out their annual egg decorating party (thanks, Mary-Michael & Marrah!). But this event far-exceeded the typical egg-dying party for three reasons:
1) the blank canvasses we were handed were OSTRICH eggs
2) the decorating supplies went way beyond the usual dyes and stickers
3) Faith Hill and her daughter were there bedazzling with us!
My mom, mother-in-law and I all attended last Saturday afternoon. We thought we would spend an hour or so … but two and a half hours later we were finally paying our bill and walking out with our prized creations. There were young kids, older kids (some who were serious artists and really making some amazing things), and adult kids like us. All were having an excellent time.
I made this which I was really quite pleased with …
Rubber bands created the curved lines in the center when stretched around a naked egg. I used blue painters tape to tape off the ends while I dyed the center pink. After a trip under the hairdryer and removal of the tape and rubber bands, I found that some of the pink had seeped though to the ends. Although it wasn’t what I was going for, I decided to embrace the marbleized look and I taped off the entire pink center band and used highly-concentrated dye and a paintbrush to accentuate my previous “mistakes”. After some more time under the hair dryer I decided to go a little glam and I added the gold paint and jewels.
My mother in law, Karen, made this …
Since she was flying back to Savannah after her Nashville visit, she assumed that the ostrich egg would not make the trip so she dedicated it to my husband and I with a monogram. The monogram and fun pattern on the back were made with crayon. Here’s the back:
Then she dyed the whole egg in yellow. Next she added some clear glitter that makes the monogram look almost frosted. Then she glued all of those cool little flat, glass pellets into each circle on her crayon’d pattern. Pretty cute huh?
My mom made one too but I don’t have any pics. In bright greens, pinks, and yellows, we decided it was Lily Pulitzer inspired. She’s using it as the centerpiece of her breakfast room table for the Easter season.
I think these are both going to be heirlooms someday. Can’t you just hear future generations fighting over the ostrich eggs that grandma and the great-grandmas painted??
I have NO idea how you might source your own ostrich egg if you wanted to replicate this project for yourself. But Nashvillians, if you are interested, Ashblue has offered this fun activity for the last 5 years. It’s $32 per egg and it’s a ball. You need to reserve your egg in advance … but don’t worry, I’ll remind you next year. And even though Easter is over for 2010, you should run on into Ashblue anyway because they have some great looking stuff. My favorite is probably the DIY succulent gardens … so cute. Get on over there and hoping you and yours had an eggcelent Easter!!
This post isn’t about stealing any ideas or providing a tutorial on every detail of a fun, new project. It’s about carpet and what a difference carpet of the fresh variety can make. I can’t even believe I’m about to post these before photos because they are so completely embarrassing but I’m so pleased with the results that I just must share.
THE STAIRS
When we moved into our home almost exactly a year ago, we planned to purchase new carpet for the stairs and our master bedroom as a month 2 expense. Month 1 was devoted to paint, carpentry, plumbing, tile work, a new deck … you know, all of the stuff that comes after moving into a house that an elderly lady has been living in for over a decade. But when month 2 came around, my husband lost his job. So, we moved into conservation mode and just sucked it up. Here’s what we’ve been living with for a year in on our staircase:
Anytime we entertained, we felt compelled to tell the story of the timing of the losing of the job and yadda yadda. So needless to say, we are both thrilled about this:
Do you love it? We do! It’s called French Wreath and it’s 100% wool. Atlanta and Nashville friends, you can get it at Myers Carpet. The manufacturer is Godfrey Hirst and I’m sure you can get it lots of places. Which I would recommend. Lovely, soft stuff. Makes a great area rug too.
THE MASTER BEDROOM
Just after we closed on our house, we invited a fantastic crew of workers from Atlanta to come live in our master bedroom and work on things, namely, aforementioned paint, carpentry, plumbing, tile work, and a new deck. They were short on work due to the economy and we were happy to have them up. We told them not to worry about the carpet in the master bedroom – paint on it, track in gunk, whatever! It won’t matter since we were planning to replace it the following month. And then conservation mode hit. So this is what we’ve been living with:
See what I mean? Embarrassing. But hey, that’s life and we dealt with it. Check out the replacement. Nothing fancy … but clean and fresh. Glory be!
Ohhhhh for love of fresh carpet. I’ve never loved carpet so much. Yay!
About a month or two ago, I was working out at the gym perusing someone’s left-behind copy of Better Homes & Gardens. I turned the page to find a photo of a farm-house sink styled with all kinds of colorful vintage vases brimming with different kinds of flowers. (Out of guilt, I didn’t nab that tattered BHG and now I can’t find the photo anywhere … let me know if you’ve seen it so I can post it here!) It dawned on me that literally every single vase that I own is clear glass (well, with the exception of my the egg-shaped vases that I used in my collection post). So I resolved to add some color to my vase collection and on my last flea market run, I scored this:
Besides just being a great thing to have on hand for when my hubby brings home flowers (which the smart guy does with regularity), I was hoping to find something that was just the right size to brighten up the telephone nook in our hallway. And, I think it definitely does.
I was so pumped up to see that the blue in the vase totally picks up on the blue in that occasional chair that we got hand-me-down from Will’s mom and freshened up with a bit of new fabric. But, I still felt like the space was lacking some pizazz. My good friend Rebecca who blogs right here told me about an awesome website that you’ve got to check out. You see, Rebecca knows that I had fake flowers and plants. You will never find silk botanicals in my home ever. But the real thing, when dried, is a totally different story. So for weeks I’ve been obsessing over Nettleton Hollow. Check out some of their cool offerings:
6 dried artichokes are $16.50 and 10 lotus pods are $8.50. Either would look awesome in a bowl or tray on a coffee table. The dried artichokes would be especially cute in a dish nestled in on some shelves with your cookbooks.
This manzanita branch is 24″ tall and $18.50. If you aren’t convinced that you should spend nearly $20 on a branch, take a look at Nettleton Hollow’s blog where manzanita branches are the star of the show and are used in a million different creative ways.
So I spent weeks surfing around the site. At first I was going to go the safe route and just get some grasses to fill my vintage vase. But then I decided, what the heck, let’s get funky with the dried botanicals. I found this photo on the Nettleton Hollow website and decided that was the ticket:
So here’s my little telephone nook now:
These botanicals are almost pre-historic looking. I’m into it! And while I was at it, I put some of that boring, dried rice on top of my bar to give it a little extra height. Maybe that crystal vase will get replaced with something colorful sometime soon. And for sure I’ll put an actual photo in that Pottery Barn frame instead of the birch trees that have been in it since Christmas.
Funky, dried botanicals r us! What do you think? Comments make me feel loved!
I’m going to credit this rip off to our friends Kasey & Justin who have 3 legit reasons for hanging guitars in their house:
#1. She works for Gibson.
#2. He is a FABULOUS musician.
#3. They have great taste.
Here are some of their fancy wall guitars:
I mean these cats are the real mccoy. Do Will and I boast these same credentials? Absolutely not. Perhaps I should revise my credits here. I’m going to credit this rip off to the city of Nashville. By virtue of the fact that we live in Music City USA, we feel justified having a guitar hanging in our house. Ok that’s not a great reason either. But Will is signed up to take some lessons and the guitar was my Christmas gift to him. It’s not a fancy guitar. As a matter of fact, it’s the second cheapest one that Yamaha makes and came with a crappy lessons DVD. But still, I’ve hung cheaper, less personal things on my walls in the name of decor. So here she is:
In case you are interested, the hanger we used is available here. I have no idea if it’s a good one but ten bones got my hubby’s new hobby up off the floor. So yes please!
City of Nashville (ahem, Kasey & Justin) rip off accomplished! Do you think we are posers? Tell me in the comments. Comments make me feel loved!
Ever since I graduated from dorm life, my mom has given me a bunny at Easter. I love rabbits (such sweet little faces) and I love to celebrate Easter and Spring so it’s no wonder she chose this tradition for me. Last year, my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law jumped in on the fun as well. As you might suspect, my rabbits are multiplying like, well, like rabbits. In Easter’s past I have spread them all over the house under the guise that having a happy bunny to look at in every room makes my bunny collection more enjoyable.
But this year I decided I would draw my bunny collection display inspiration from just about every article I see on collections. Everyone says group collections for impact. And I have to agree that a thematic display like a collection is a pretty cool way to show off your stuff. Here are some examples:
Genia Gilchrist (of Gilchrist & Gilchrist here in Nashville) was featured in Southern Living just before the holidays. In that article, Genia shares how she groups a collection of Santas she has been acquiring over the years. Isn’t it fun to see all of the different shapes and styles in one place?
I’m a lover of plates, although I try to resist buying them on every shopping trip (which I would if I could). Mostly I don’t buy them because I don’t have a great place for displaying them. But just have a look at how this collection totally makes this kitchen. Just darling.
If I had a collection of sea life specimens, I would want them to look like this. (That’s one sentence I never dreamed I would type!) If these were spread all over the house, it would be downright creepy. Like I’m getting the hell out of here creepy. With sea life specimens on these modern, open shelves, this office becomes totally cool.
modern home office design by san francisco architect Schwartz and Architecture via Houzz
I actually saved the picture below because I love the casual, mix-matched style of that front porch. But check out this clever display of metal buildings that this homeowner collected on his travels (#3 below). This is genius because put yourself in this man’s wife’s shoes (I don’t know that he even has a wife but work with me here). Your man insists on buying metal buildings on every trip that you take. He also insists that they be displayed. I mean what – are you going to strew them all over your den or even all over your bookcases? Well, come to think of it the bookcase idea could look cool. But what about putting them all together on the lower level of a table like this? Cha-ching! My Dad’s got some lighthouses that are going to get the same treatment in our lake house.
But back to bunnies. One of the spots in my house that I can’t get happy with is my mantle. I mess with that sucker at least once a month. Stay tuned for a post on that. So I figured why not corral all of the bunnies on the mantle for one high-impact Easter extravaganza? So night before last I unwrapped all of my bunnies and started arranging them. I was aiming for balance without symmetry. But when I finished, the mantle looked kind of empty. I decided this was actually good news since I can keep collecting and not outgrow my mantle for at least a few more Easters.
So to fill in a bit for this year, I added 5 of the Pottery Barn Egg-Shaped vases that I had been given for Christmas. This set of 6 total vases was a great find. The colors totally fit in with our house and even just a single flower makes these so cute almost anywhere. I hadn’t used them as a group until I nestled them in between the bunnies and I’ve got to say, I love the repetition that they add to the display. And although I don’t usually choose carnations, I chose them for this project since they are pink, cheap and long-lasting. They might even make it to Easter with a trim and water change.
What do you think of my bunny collection display on the mantle? Maybe it’s still missing a little oompf? Comments make me feel loved!
As you have probably gathered, I am all about stealing good ideas and making them my own. Sometimes this means doing things on the cheap. Other times it means that a great idea is worth a little cash so I go for it. Last week I got my Napa Style catalog. It’s Michael Chiarello’s company – you might know him from his Food Network TV program Easy Entertaining. The TV program is pretty good stuff – lots of Italian cuisine and California wine country influence. S0 you might imagine I was pretty intrigued when I realized he had a catalog company a couple of years back. Never purchased anything from him, though. The prices are just way to high, in my opinion. The dude must be making a fortune!
I think it’s high time we take vintage back to the flea market and get a Michael Chiarello/Napa Style rip off in the making. Let’s begin here:
#1) Napa Style is selling Vintage Pressed Glass Goblets (pictured above) for $49 apiece in their catalog. They are mismatched (super cute, tons of personality and interest there). These are each apparently at least 80 years old and made of pressed glass, a lost art from the 19th century (according to the Napa Style catalog).
First and foremost, pressed glass is not a lost art. Just about anything you buy that is glass is going to be pressed glass, including anything you find at Target or WalMart from glass giant Anchor Hocking. I’ll give Michael this, they aren’t as fabulous as they used to be. But that doesn’t mean you have to pay $49 a goblet to get the look! Here are a few I found on Replacements.com and eBay with prices.
Duncan & Miller Hobnail Goblet for $15.99 on Replacements:
Wright Glass Moon & Stars for for $15.99 on Replacements:
Set of 4 Duncan & Miller Pressed Glass Goblets for $19.99 on eBay:
Here’s a Highbee one from circa 1890 on eBay for $17.99. I am no longer impressed with your $49, 80-year old glasses, Michael. Not impressed at all.
And these are just the clear glass ones! If you are interested in colored glassware to spice up your table, pressed glass offers TONS of cute, vintage options. Spend a little time rummaging through yard sales and flea markets and I’m telling you, you’ll see TONS of these at crazy low prices. They were so common for so many years, it might even be worth asking grandma if she has any tucked away. My grandma does … in olive green.
#2) Napa Style’s Sugar Mold Candleholders (above) are apparently an Exclusive. At $99 for a half mold and $179 for a full mold (not including votive holders), they had better be! But guess what? They are not. For sure Southern Living at Home was selling sugar molds from their catalog a few years ago and they were not that pricey.
Look at this reproduction one I found on eBay. It’s $79 for a 43″ (that is 3.5 feet!) one including 12 glass votive holders:
And if you are ok with a reproduction sugar mold, the Nashville Flea Market always has tons. They sell them for $19-$30 and you can always haggle them down. Not a trip to the flea market has passed that I didn’t see the vendor with the sugar molds. It’s a sure bet. Look how cute my friend Molly’s table looked when she used a sugar mold to decorate her holiday table:
(Stolen without permission but with gratitude to my friend Molly Witherington who blogs right here.)
And here’s how Southern Living uses a sugar mold to make a kid-friendly centerpiece for Easter:
Moving on.
#3) Let’s tackle the Napa Style Vintage Spindle Collection, pictured here:
I’m going to ignore the $1,599 chandelier because I would not want to rip that off anyway. But the magazine rack, towel bar, and table are intriguing options for our upcoming lake house project. But at $349, $79, and $249 respectively, you can forget it. But you better believe I’ll be looking out for some old spindles on my next flea marketing trip. They can’t be much – and what a cool way to give the lake a little character. You’ll have to stay tuned for that one.
#4) Now let’s have a look at the Napa Style Antique Clawfoot Door Stop f0r $39.
Personally, I love the idea of using a clawfoot for bookends:
But whatever you fancy, it’s not a $39 investment. Random mis-matched clawfeet are everywhere at flea markets and salvage shops if you just keep your eye open. As a matter of fact, my hubby and I stopped into Preservation Station here in Nashville over the weekend and we saw lots of clawfeet around the shop:
These were $25 apiece, no matter the size. Still better than paying $39 but still not great. I’d be willing to put money that a flea market purveyor would part with one of these for $10 or $12, especially if was a stray with no matching pieces. But please don’t think I’m knocking Preservation Station. I’m not! Those guys have some fantastic stuff that is definitely worth the investment. Like maybe $495 for this pair of lamps made from an antique balustrade? They are calling my name and are worth every penny:
So Michael Chiarello, we are taking vintage back to to the flea market. Your good ideas can come to life in our homes without spending an arm and a leg. Rip off accomplished!
Decorating , Gardening, Plants & Flowers , Julia Original , Rip Off
Houseplant Bling, Part 2 in the Houseplant Series
Who’dve thunk I could stretch out a topic like houseplants to 3 posts? But that’s exactly what I’m planning to do! Today’s topic represents a collaboration between Martha Stewart and I. It’s one part Martha Rip Off and one part Julia Original. Let’s begin with the Rip Off.
Remember how in my very first post I told you I was reading Martha Stewart in my early 20′s? We’ll here’s proof. I’ve been toting this idea around with me since 2001. Behold Martha Stewart Living’s March of 2001 Find of the Month. Silver Pot Saucers!
You can click on these images and get more of a close-up if you want to read about this straight from the Martha’s mouth. But the concept is pretty easy to grasp and pretty elegant once executed. Use flea market silver plate platters with pretty edging as your plant saucers instead of those ugly, flimsy, plastic plates. You’ve got to have something to protect your furniture. Silver plate is cheap and if it’s flawed it either won’t show or won’t matter. It’s available in abundance at flea markets and yard sales and with a little polish and some stick-on felt surface protectors to keep the silver from scratching your furniture you are good to go. Here’s what it looks like in my house and I’m not even using old clay pots (which for the record look fantastic in the top picture above, IMHO):
You might have noticed the silver plate under the tulips from my roman shade post:
And also under this very same orchid on my mantle in my last post. I keep several of these little gems on hand to embellish any house plant that needs extra sparkle. In the case of my orchid, you get all of the texture of something organic like cork dressed up with the jewelry of a little silver pedestal. Beautiful and simple. Thank you Martha, for the fantastic idea. Consider it stolen.
But that’s not where the Houseplant Bling extravaganza ends. I’ve got a few tricks of my own to share. The first is … drumroll please … moss! I firmly believe that adding a little moss to cover the dirt of your houseplants makes them look infinitely more finished. And it’s totally easy. I get my moss at Michael’s. It’s $4.99 per bag. This is what it looks like:
And this is what it looks like when it’s tucked around your houseplants ….
Valentine’s tulips with ugly foil wrapper (and gift of diamonds lotto ticket from hubby attached) BEFORE:
Valentine’s tulips with red foil removed, plopped into a silver cachepot that’s not even the right size, and moss gaps filled in looking VERY fancy AFTER:
Take note! I did not plant that tulip in this pot. I just dropped it down in there and covered up all of the terra cotta colored plastic and the gap between the ovular cachepot and the round plastic pot with moss. Easy.
And here’s a close-up of another of our plants. Just a plain old plant, looking WAY more finished and thoughtful with a little moss tucked in there:
And this little guy on my living room coffee table. I had received a basket of mixed houseplants and over time several of them just got gangly and crazy looking. This little one stayed small and pretty so I repotted it and tossed the rest. I originally planted it to the side thinking that I would put another type of houseplant in with it. But now with the little carpet of moss, I’m looking for a little embellishment of another sort. Maybe some little mushrooms made of organic material or a few robin’s eggs or a couple of sticks of driftwood. Too much? Maybe. But I’ve got an eye out for something that would look interesting right there and at the end of the day, it might just be another plant. Check it out that fabulous, organic, mossy texture:
But forest floor moss doesn’t fit every plant. I have this awesome little aloe plant that my friend Brandy gave me for Christmas. The little lady was calling out for a bit of jewelry of her own but my usual moss selection just wasn’t cutting it. Well luckily on the same aisle at Michael’s is Spanish Moss. Spanish Moss is a great choice for cactuses, succulents, and anything that has more of a desert feel (ironic since Spanish Moss is a mainstay on the Georgia Coast). Check out my little lady aloe:
Pretty, right? Looks like it was purchased at a nursery, already all dressed up for a night out. Not so! Totally DIY dressed up. (For the record, she was dressed for the holidays when Brandy gave her to me … adorable but looking a little neglected now that March is upon us … wardrobe change!)
Bling out your houseplants! It’s cheap, easy, and makes things look so finished and fancy.
Decorating , Gardening, Plants & Flowers , Julia Original
The Perry Orchid Rotation, Part 1 in the Houseplant Series
Am I turning into an old woman? I think I might try to cultivate orchids. At the first of November, my colleagues sent me this beautiful orchid:
Would you believe that this beauty only stopped blooming at the first of February? 3 solid months of BEAUTIFUL purple blooms. I, for one, was totally shocked. Of course, I’ve never been known as a green thumb so my shock might have come purely from inexperience. Regardless, I think I might have found a new favorite website and maybe even a new hobby. The American Orchid Society offers lots of great advice on how to successfully grow orchids at home and to be honest, it doesn’t seem like it’s that hard to do.
Tonight, I learned a couple of key things:
1.) Looks like I have a Phalaenopsis (fail-eh-NOP-sis) or Moth Orchid. They are pretty dang common at grocery stores and such and apparently are treated a bit differently from other orchids. The upside? It’s super easy to keep them thriving. If you are wondering what kind of orchid you picked up on impulse, check here.
2.) They like bright, indirect light. I had my orchid on the dining room table where indirect light was aplenty until I decided that it was too gorgeous not to put on my mantle. It thrived there for about 6 weeks so it must have been pretty content, right? Well it turns out that this rich, dark green color on the leaves is actually a sign that it’s not getting enough light. Orchids leaves should be a lighter shade of green. Interesting given that the last time I saw a yellow-green on the leaf of one of my houseplants, I was putting that sucker out to pasture in no time. Not so with orchids!
3.) They really do need a good soaking, as long as they are ready for water and allowed to drain well. This depends a lot on the pot you use and the humidity in your house. But really all you have to do is stick your finger down in the soil. If it’s damp, you are ok. If it’s dry, it needs water. If you can’t decide, wait another day and then water.
4.) Fertilize weakly weekly. The AOS recommends diluting any orchid fertilizer that you get from your local Home Depot down to 1/4 and using that weekly on your orchid plants. Even I can handle that!
Even if you do all of that, your orchid is probably only going to bloom for 6 – 10 weeks a couple of times per year. That is just not often enough for me. So I decided to institute the Official Perry Orchid Rotation. Here’s my plan … I want tall, graceful, blooming color on my mantle at all times. So, when my orchid fades, like this one eventually did ….
I will prune and place in a sunny location and continue to water and fertilize as above. Then I run out and get a blooming one for the mantle. Nashvillians, Creekside Nursery on Harding Place near Harding Road was running an awesome special on orchids – just $14.99 for BEAUTIFUL ones earlier this week. Run over there and see if there are any left!
How to prune:
Off-season orchids are going on my filing cabinet in my office. This way they’ll get plenty of morning light (according to the AOS, this is perfect). And I actually think a grouping of non-blooming orchids will look fabulous here the more I collect. Those dense beautiful leaves are just spectacular, and see how I pruned it down just like the video taught me?
Stay tuned to see if these puppies actually bloom again! Ever tried to cultivate orchids? Have any tips for me?
Move over, Salma Hayek and Uma Thurmon. I shan’t be jealous of your european love affairs. I’ve got a Roman in my life. A shady Roman … a Roman Shade!
And move over Martha Stewart! ’Cause I didn’t buy these shades at Pottery Barn nor from Etsy seamstress nor from Nashville curtain maker. Sure didn’t. I MADE THEM. You read that right, folks, I made 2 roman shades totally from scratch for my very favorite little breakfast nook. And I think they look quite lovely, if I do say so myself.
I don’t know what it is that makes me want to pull out the sewing machine every so often. Sometimes I imagine there is this huge wad of creativity inside of me but there’s some part of my occasionally overly practical brain that keeps it from flowing free. Sewing is the right balance of creation and structure to keep my twisted self smiling. Or maybe it’s just because I’m Southern. Whatever the reason, I find it super gratifying to sew something up every now and then. And this time I might have just made myself a new full-time hobby since my hubby Will LOVES how this turned out and now wants Roman shades for practically every room in our house. He even took all of the measurements this morning! We’ll see how far I make it with this sewing thing.
But first, dear readers, lest you be thinking that it’s time to abandon this blog because “Julia has just gotten WAY too complicated for me”, I’d like to enlighten you on how totally easy this is. If you have a clue about how to use a sewing machine, you could do this project. There is no pesky welting to cover (that is a pain in the a$$), no perfect corner to achieve, no curved line, no complex measuring. Below I’m going to hit the highlights of just to show you that this isn’t that big of a deal. If you decide to take this on for yourself, I recommend buying Sewing for the Home which runs you through all of the detail on this project and many others.
Step 1: Measure, Plan and Gather
As recommended by Sewing for the Home, I measured the inside of my window and sketched out the finished product, calculating both the finish size and the cut size of my fabric. I wrote down all of the notions I would need and the amounts and took this list with me to the fabric store. My first tip to project success? Let the store associates calculate the fabric repeat and resulting total yardage. They will do a much better job of this than you could and you’ll be sure you have everything you need before you start sewing. Then, start gathering up your supplies.
Below you’ll see Sewing for the Home, my sketch and measurement paper which I referred to all the time, a cardboard cutting and measuring board (INDISPENSABLE!), decorator fabric and black-out lining. I chose black out lining because when my decorator fabric is held up to the light, you would most definitely see the ring tapes running up the center of it and I didn’t want that distraction. Smaller windows wouldn’t require ring tapes up the center so regular old lining would do.
You’ll also need (starting from the upper left) drapery cord, 5″ ring tape, and sharp scissors. I actually found my rolling cutter to be pretty worthless for this project so I didn’t even use it!
Next up, the hardware. You need as many eye hooks as you have rows of rings. For me, it was 4 per shade. Home Depot only sold small ones as hook and eye combos (think screen door latch) so I had to buy that. You’ll need awning cleats to fasten to your window frame to keep the shades in place when the are pulled up. And you’ll need corner brackets to hang the shades.
You’ll need a weight rod for each shade (the book spells out the diameter and your fabric store can probably custom cut them to the length you need – mine did!), and a mounting board for each shade (cut to length before I even left Home Depot). And for heaven’s sake, get yard stick. It makes life SO much easier.
Step 2: Cut
You’ll cut decorator fabric to match the inside dimension of your window + seam allowances (all spelled out in Sewing for the Home – no math required!) and you’ll cut lining to match the inside dimension of your windows with no seam allowances. Then you’ll cut a strip of fabric called a facing that’s 5 inches tall and 2 inches wider than your finished shade. That’s all the cutting you do!
Step 3: Pin Together & Sew Facing
Next you’ll pin your side seams in place and press them with an iron. Then you’ll take the lining and slip it under the side seams and repin. You can see a few little pin heads down the left and right sides of the picture below. You will sew on the facing strip, turn under a seam, then sew 2 straight lines to make the rod pocket. Your weight rod slips right in there.
Step 4: Pin and Sew Ring Tapes
Next you’ll measure the position of your ring tapes and use your yard stick to draw a line for where they go. You want to make sure the rings are perfectly in horizontal line. This is another spot where the cardboard measuring tool and yard stick are insanely helpful. You’ll want to pin the heck out of those suckers because they are squirrely little things and if you don’t they’ll move around all over the place under your sewing machine presser foot. But if you pin them at each ring and in between each ring, the sewing part is really easy work. Check out all those pins!
Step 5: Prep and attach the mounting board
Next you’ll mark an X above each row of ring tape and drill a little hole for your eye hook in your mounting board. Then, you attach the mounting board to the decorator fabric and lining with a staple gun. Now you are ready to screw in your eye hooks and get to threading!
Step 6: Thread your cords and hang!
Now all that is left is to thread the cords and hang your curtain. The threading part is very well explained in the book. But in a nutshell, you thread one column at a time, starting by tying off the cord at the ring closest to the weight bar at the bottom. You go all the way up the row, and then across each eye hook at the top. You’ll want to decide which side of the window will hold your awning cleat in advance and thread the cords to end in that direction. It’s so crystal clear in the book.
La voila! Let’s close this post with a few more beauty shots. Yay!
Nashville has just experienced a crazy bout of cold weather. Although it seems to finally be passing, I’ve been dreaming about the lake house for just about 2 weeks straight. I put together this idea book on a new website that I found. Houzz is totally an idea thief’s dream … you have got to check it out if you love looking at pics of interiors.
As I studied the photos that I loved as lake inspiration, a theme emerged. Can you figure it out?
I’ve decided that nothing says “lake” like a painted plank. It’s great for walls, floors, and porch ceilings. The texture and interest that it adds makes a place instantly feel like it has a history … WAAAAAY more exciting than drywall.
But remembering that we are aiming to build our lake house on a major budget, will we be able to achieve such style? I let my fingers do the walking (or typing as it were) and enlisted my trusty friend Google to see what I can learn.
After several faulty clicks, I finally landed on this gorgeous link from Southern Living. Here I learned that pine planked walls can also be called Shiplap. Ok 2 useful bits of information: pine and shiplap.
Additional searching brought me to this video from my old friend Bob Vila. Bob’s got a useful albeit maybe a little boring video on installing Shiplap where he mentions that it costs under $25 for a 4×8 sheet of paneling – or under $0.70/board. This still seems a bit pricey to me consider that drywall costs between $9-$15 per 4×8 sheet. So maybe we reserve the shiplap for interest up to chair rail height or maybe just for a single wall in a room like a bathroom.
Can’t wait to get our plank on!
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