ORC- Gallery wall and a curtain trick

This is such a fun party, Linda! If you aren't sure what I mean check out Calling it Home to see the past two week's One Room Challenge on Wednesday and the linking party on Thursdays.
You can also recap my week one and week two.
Be sure to check out all of the great work going on in other people's houses.
I am trying to visit them all!

First I have to show you the curtain trick. I think I have a sign on my back that only drapery workrooms can see and it says "Make the rod pocket whatever $#%%^& size you want. She won't send it back"

Mr. Designdumonde came up with this trick after I spent $1000 on curtains in the family room and the rod pockets were too big. You'd think I would stop using an out of state workroom. Nope, it happened in my daughter's room too. Here is the fix.

 Start with a zip tie.

Loop it around the rod. Slide the curtain back to the position you want the panel and tighten the zip tie. Cut off all but 1/2 inch.

You absolutely can't see this when its done and your curtains don't flop down the rod.

That man is a genius.

My daughter had several strings hung on her wall like clothes line and she use clothes pins to hang her artwork. This was over about five nail holes from things I had hung and she removed. I was really sick of the weekly change on the walls so I bought something designed to change often.

This hanging system from Stas was only $65 for all of the components. Its ala carte so you can really customize it for your needs. I chose the lightweight clear cords because that was all that was needed. There are heavy duty cords and hooks available too.

The idea was to hang framed items that she wants to keep ( I use the term "keep" loosely because it could disappear at her whim) coupled with her Etsy shop artwork hung with bulldog clips.

This isn't the final gallery wall setup. Its going to require a bit of trial and error to get everything how I  how she wants it.

Make sure to stop by next Thursday. I hope to have a cool DIY for week four, plus its Spring break so I am pretty sure week five is going to be tricky pull something out of my hat to show you.

 

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Let there be light...and fabric

Thanks again Linda of Calling it Home for hosting this ORC linking party.

Fill your coffee cup this is going to be a long one.

I felt bad for the lame update last week and promised a two-fer this week with lots of meat...er, light and fabric.

This darling vintage number was an Etsy find with no lampshade or working socket, I discovered. I went everywhere around here looking for a shade. I finally remembered Commonwealth lighting in Old Town Fred and hit pay dirt. The nice man found me a shade and replaced the socket for $15.

The funny part is that I really wanted a vintage brass lamp. I looked online and in antique and vintage stores locally but had no luck in getting the right thing for my budget. I went down to my basement yesterday to put something away and there was a vintage brass lamp, laughing its brass off saying, "You don't know what you haaaave"

It was my husband's and I feel OK about it because I think its too big. Just let me think that, OK?

The ceiling fan had to go. I got the semi-flush mount at Home Depot. 

Here is my rant for the day:

 Builders, is it too much trouble to paint that last inch around the hole before you hang that fugly ceiling fan? Apparently it is. That is why I had to buy the medallion. It was either that or paint the ceiling. Like that was going to happen! I think this was a happy ending problem because I like it better with the medallion than without. Yes?

Last is this cutie on the desk from Homegoods. No story, just chrome and Lucite goodness.

Here is a sneak peek at the bed. I will post all sources at the end but I just want to talk about this awesome Kantha quilt.

I love it! I found it in this Etsy shop. It was a bit of a splurge for this room but worth every penny.

Set backs this week? Why yes, just a little one that had me ironing for days.
Can I just talk about the sheets for a minute? You know the ones you can't even see *sigh*?
I have quite a few very nice quality sheet sets for this bed but none just the right color and after ironing not just the bedskirt (12 inch drop very hard to find), the duvet cover, curtains and one set of wrong colored sheets, I decided I needed different sheets. I did have a older set of white sheets that were about to be retired to the drop cloth pile but the top edge was fine. Out came the iron again and I realized that they were sheets made before mile thick mattresses and were too small to even tuck in. So I panicked and went shopping. After ironing more sheets, turning down the quilt and top edge just so and placing the pillows, it dawned on me that they could have been pink with purple elephants. Crap. Next week I am going to fold them down real far.

The other main fabric is the linen curtain from Ikea.

The quality has vastly improved on these since I first saw them five or six years ago.

They are actually hemmed now. I think I would like to shorten mine but its fine for now.

The curtains have a generous rod-pocket and back tabs but also gathering tape.

If you pull and tie these gathering tape strings you can achieve an even gather that will stay gathered.

The curtains are a nice weight and slightly sheer.

Got a ton of stuff done this week. Next week...ART!

To do list:

1. Throw away box of Mike's Hard Lemonade empties in the closet and scrub everything including carpet.
2.Paint walls
3. Source vintage furniture and accessories
4. Move Queen bed in
5. Install new light fixture
6. Trick out the bed with cool pillows
7. Hang curtains
8. Hang art including 2 custom paintings
9. Final zhush and fold down top sheet so the pristine ironing can be enjoyed.

You can catch up on my previous posts HERE and HERE 

and HERE 

 

This is a post in which I wish for all of my kind and savvy readers to agree with me.

 

First, let me explain. 

My 15 year old, and alarmingly fickle, daughter comes to me every so often with a new plan to decorate her room. A mere one and a half years ago she was given a choice about the color we would paint her walls. She opted for white. "Really?" I asked several times. "Are you sure?!"

So the latest and greatest idea to to turn her bedroom in to a bordello is cheetah curtains.

I did not waste second saying no. I later had the idea that I would let her choose a bargain fabric on fabric.com and have something at least colorful to help out the room.

She has this bed and bedding but not in this room. There is other dark antique furniture... sigh... against white walls. I should have taken charge while I could.

So I found Fabric.com's under $7 a yard page, and let me tell you, I don't even want to spend that much. I am so glad I took the time to look first because it was animal printapalooza! 

She changes her mind every few weeks and I go into her room and stuff is rearranged and the pricey pillow is on a shelf in her closet. Arrgh!

I know animal print is super trendy, but curtains?

Please confirm that this is a ghastly idea.

Mystery solved

Well, I moved in 13 months ago but my books and magazines are still boxed. It doesn't stop me from rifling through them once in awhile. This is mostly because the library is still not built. It is a huge project that my husband insists on doing himself. When he is going to do this is not the mystery that I solved. 

It is the fabric over my sliding glass door.

I just found a special BH & G "Window and Wall ideas" from 2005 and the first image was in a spread featuring Washington D.C. designer Stan Kelly.

The fabric is Robert Allen toile on linen on his window and mine.

The annoying part is that I bought it at a local retailer of discount decorator fabrics called Fabrics Unlimited and they are funny about telling you the manufacturer of some fabric sbut not all, go figure.

Don't get me wrong, I've gotten some great deals there, like the fabric for these chairs for $3. 20 a yard!

It just bugs when they are secretive about some fabrics and others have the name right on the selvage. They even had the fabric content wrong. It was listed as cotton but I knew it was linen. 

Anyway, I just had to have it,  at $20 a yard I suppose it was a bargain.

It was exciting to see it in a magazine even if it is a 7 year old magazine.

A Friday trip

On Friday morning I had the urge to purge ... my closet. 

I also thought of a few other things that I was on the hunt for and a quick trip to neighborhood stores turned into a minor trek to Ikea.

 Ikea is about 40 minutes away without traffic.

So, armed with my camera and lollipops (they buy a lot of 2 year old time) I headed out.

 It must have been the blue words and yellow arrows that confused me. It's not like I've never been there before but I went the wrong way. Not only did I skip the second floor showroom but I grabbed a weird and totally wonky wheeled cart.

The plan was to look at and feel a LACK side table to guess whether it could be painted.

I also wanted storage solutions--remember the urge to purge.

In all of my brain dead, seriously dumbass stupor, I forgot my camera until I got to lighting.

The saving thought was that I needed to run a few options by my husband.

Duuuuuuh.

Right about here I stopped idiot drooling and woke up.

I liked this pendant but have concerns about keeping it clean.

Love but not enough light for my kitchen table.

I looked at so many things and went away with thoughts on...

these ready made linen curtains that would work in my bedroom for $50 a pair.

Interesting aside-- for us "hang 'em high drapery snobs" Ikea  finishes the tops of all curtains (most bottom out at 98 inches) but leaves the bottoms undone. Also for the non-sewing folks they include iron-in hem tape.

Still a tad short for those that prefer a proper 4 inch doubled hem, but it beats the crap out of useless 84 inch curtains.

I also found many lighting ideas that need to be revisited with the hubster in tow.

I recalled O'verlays but could not recall which items they were compatible with.

Double DUH!

It was rather tiring.

But here is what I came home with.

An array of containers to liberate my closet from "dreaded droop" or my name for stacks of clothing and unmentionables that begin to slide about after a week or two and appear droopy.

Tell me this candlestick isn't groovy! I just wish it were orange.

This huge 21 x 21 frame. I used it to frame a vintage Vera scarf.

It was meant for the 2 year old's room but it has become a happy welcome when coming in the garage entrance.

I have another scarf I would like to frame too.

Ikea has frames and then there are real Ikea frames. The former are suited for and displayed in store as a great way to frame giant kid art. The latter are more on par with something you might buy at Bed,Bath and Beyond.

My 21 x 21 frame was only eight bucks but I wanted to make sure I liked it before I went hog wild.

I bought these for the 14 year old girl's room. Two windows at $14.99 each. Yay!

 I neglected to buy hardware there. 

Stupid. 

Here is the one very smart purchase.... drumroll...

Somehow in the midst of all that yellow and blue signage I missed the kid area that I promised my little miss.

In my drooling search for LACK tables in the warehouse before the checkouts I saw this cutie for $14.99!!!!!

Santa should be so smart. 

She hasn't stopped playing with it but to sleep or eat.

Bonus for me, it folds flat in literally 2 seconds so I can stash it when I want to be all cool,  like I don't have kid stuff in my house.
I think I am headed back today.

Curtains on the brain

I am always thinking about curtains. I mean, really hardly a day goes by that i don't ponder what would look best or better here or there in my house. Sometimes I "fix" other people's drapes in my head.

It's a problem I know.

Let's take a closer look at this affliction.

Curtains with inverted pleats (as seen above) are something I would love to have but they require 3 times the width to make one panel. 

That equals beautiful fullness and a price tag to match.

They remind me of old-fashioned couture dresses.

Adding some great trim like this would be even more fabulous.

These have a Parisian or French pleat that is much like a standard pinch pleat but joined at the top rather than the center.

Standard pinch pleats are fine but lately they bore me.
All types I have talked about so far can go on rings or a traverse rod. There are also decorative traverse rods that are made to look like rings and function like a traverse.

This smocked top is so girly and brigs a lot of attention to the top of the curtain.

These rod pocket panels are the least expensive and easy to make. The photo illustrates how they are constructed but they really don't have to look that crappy.

Tab tops are my least favorite.

Or maybe grommet tops are. Either way I don't like either.

They just don't seem tailored enough.

I have been dreaming of white linen panels just like this on rods just like this in my blue bedroom.
That means I need to get out the sewing machine, take a few deep breaths and get it done.

Do you have a favorite?

Style study: Lambrequins, cornices and pelmets.

Lambrequins, cornices and pelmets are structured top treatments on windows often above other "soft" treatments.

Lambrequins go farther down the sides of the widow frame and can go to the floor if the window does.

There is little difference between a pelmet and cornice. They can be painted or covered in fabric.

I think this shaped cornice is charming and works nicely with the angles of the ceiling.

I am racking my brain trying to think of a room to incorporate a chinoiserie pelmet like one of these.

Happy Monday!