Roman Shades...Check them off the list!

Yay...we are no longer the neighborhood fishbowl.  Roman shades are up and completed.  Here is a brief description of the process of making the shades.  For a step by step tutorial and video directions, please visit http://www.terrelldesigns.com/.  She makes it clear on how to assemble your shades. 
I took the Ikea panels that I purchased for the bay windows and deconstructed them based on the size of the roman shade I was making.  The panels came with the front fabric layer as well as a second privacy panel which I reused for my roman shades. 

I cut the shades to the size that I needed.  Because the Ikea drapes had a pattern in the center, but tapered off at the sides, I made sure to cut the center portion for my shades. 

Once cut, I sewed the front fabric to the back privacy panel so that it resembled a big tube.  Then, I glued the wood battens to the back of the front panel.  Once the glue dried, I turned the shades right side out and sewed on the lift rings to the back of the shade around the battens. 

I created a mounting board out of firring strips that I had on hand left over from from studding out the mudroom.  I used eye hooks to run the cords through.  (mounting board not shown here...I must have forgotten to snap a separate photo of it). 

Once I strung the cords through the lift rings that I hand sewed on the fabric around the wood battens and up through the eye hooks, I then drilled the mounting boards into the top of the window frames.  They fit nice and snug.

I really love the way they turned out.  The only downside is that they do cover the arches in the tops of my windows. 

Bay Window Dilemma

We have been living in a fishbowl since we moved into the house in August.  We have a wonderful bay window in the front of our living room that needs some window coverings.  I have been going back and forth on what type of window treatment I want to put up.  I love the woodwork and arches at the top of the windows, so I want to try and keep that exposed.  But, I don't want fabric hanging where toddlers can yank on it and pull it down.  I love the look of Roman blinds, but they will surely hide the arches. 



Bay Window after it was painted - Photo of Nana with the boys.

After thinking about it for some time, I decided to go with hanging panels and a bay window rod along the top.  Here is an example of what I was thinking about...


Image is from
 http://furniture-showroom.blogspot.com/2011/09/kitchen-bay-window-treatments.html

 I picked up the bay window hardware on Saturday from JC Penney.  As soon as we got home I ripped open the box and was ready to install it right away.  Unfortunately, the hardware was too wide for the fabric panels that I chose.  So, I was on to option 2.

I returned the hardware to JC Penney and headed to Ikea to pick up the DIGNITET wire curtain hanger.  It mounts on the wall and then there are two additional corner pieces pieces that I purchased to string the wire through along the corners in the bay window nook.  It was pretty easy to hang.  It took a couple of hours because I measured wrong...twice.  I hung my panels (see above photo for the idea) and was pretty happy with the result.  As a bonus, we were no longer viewable to anyone who walked by the house at night. I started to tidy up the space, tossed a blanket into the corner where one of the panels hung and suddenly the wire popped and all the panels crashed to the floor.  Ugh.

Sooooo...now I am rethinking the whole project and leaning toward roman shades.  The drawback is the loss of the arch, but I think I will prefer the look over the hanging panels.



Making Roman Shades isn't that difficult, but it requires exact measurements and a good diagram.



Diagram of the shade.  I use Terrell Designs website to calculate the dimensions. 
They also have an excellent tutorial for anyone interested in taking the DIY route.

 I am going to use the fabric panels that I purchased already and will just deconstruct them for the roman shades.  Hopefully, I can squeeze time in this week to get this project completed. 


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Paint Color Paralysis

I was pretty confident in my color selections a couple of months ago, but I realize now that I made a rookie mistake.  I didn't live with the colors on the wall first.  Paint chips only tell a very small part of the story, not to mention the changes in light from room to room and time of day.  The dining room and living room were in my mind a soothing blue gray color, the dining room a slightly deeper shade then the living room.  I am afraid that the rooms will be a bit cold with the cool blue tones, but really want something that will compliment the rich floors which I thought that tone would do well. 

So, I went and got samples (under $3 a piece at Home Depot), lots of samples.  I have applied them to the walls in each room to live with for awhile.  I also grabbed a few warmer shades in the yellow family to see if I prefer a warmer wall color.  Here is where we are at - your thoughts and opinions are very welcome!

Dining Room Back Wall - My blue/gray selections. 

Dining Room Side wall under stairway (ignore the clutter - still unpacking!)

Living Room - Warm and Cool Palette

Living Room - Warm and Cool with Deeper Accent Colors
that will be used in a special project involving book cases

My initial thoughts are that the yellow colors too similar to our furniture color and there won't be enough contrast in the room.  I'm thinking that the warmer fabrics will offset the cooler wall color if we stick with the blue tone.  As a side note, that horrible trim color is getting painted a white semi gloss.  You can see where I started around the door frame.

Tomorrow



 Tomorrow is the big day.  We close on our house at 1pm, and then we will officially be home owners.  We already have our laundry list of things that we want to do to the house.  Here are some of the first projects that we are going to tackle in the coming weeks.

1. Refinish the hardwood floors in living room, dining room, 3rd floor.
2. Paint the entire interior
3. Paint kitchen cabinets
4. Lay tile on kitchen floor and backsplash
5. Install powder room on first floor
6. Install bookshelves in living room from Ikea - but doctor them up so they look custom
7. Address mud room ceiling, paint, add storage/countertop

It is going to be a very busy month for our little family. Once we close tomorrow, I will be at the house prepping for the hardwood floor refinishing job that I will be doing on Wed and Thurs this week.  I'll post some before and after pics of the hardwood floors, as well as details on the job.  So far, I have picked up all the materials from Home Depot except for the drum sander and edger which will be rented on the day of.  This is what I have so far...

Minwax stain - Dark Walnut 2 quarts
Polyurathane Fast Drying Gloss 1 gallon
Pole Sander
220 Grade Sand paper for sanding in between poly coats
Mineral Spirits to use after sanding the floor
Roller to apply stain
Paint tray for stain
Rags to wipe up stain (old t shirts)
Lambs wool applicator for Poly
Ventilator mask to wear throughout the process (only $24 at home depot) 
Exhaust fan for the window
Plastic to tape off doorways

I also purchased the Dremel 3 pack which basically has a million uses.  I know that this little tool is going to prove very handy for all of our little projects.  The main purpose I picked it up yesterday was because it has a sanding attachment that will help me reach areas that the edger wont get to.  I also am going to be sanding down some outdoor patio furniture that I picked up at a garage sale a few weeks ago and this will come in handy for that project as well. 

So, the next time I post, we will officially own a home!