Oscar Night Dresses For Doors & Perfect Lighting

(No I didn't watch, I just looked up some galleries of what the women were wearing.)

I have an obsession with fabric. I become more obsessed when I see things like curtains so cheap and Tuesday Morning is my downfall:


An odd application to be sure and I am lucky that previous tenants here had painted all the doors and trim white because other apartments here (that I have seen) have the original stain (medium oak brown similar to the kitchen cabinets) but I am still hating the louvered door to the laundry room.

I shortened the valance that came with the 99¢ curtains by about 6 inches and I like it now. I don't see curtains used in this manner very often but it softens up the space tremendously.

Also, though I do have the overhead light on in the kitchen for this picture, I grabbed one of my canister uplights and placed it on the microwave temporarily so I can leave it on at night and reduce the need to turn the overhead light off and on.

I plan on getting the innerds for the other lamp I bought last August (the one on the left via the link) and putting that in there, painted black with either antique gold or bronze Rub N Buff. I already have a lamp shade I can use with it. I am totally loving the idea of putting a small lamp in a kitchen using only a 15 watt CFL bulb. Saves on energy and my eyes because that kitchen lighting is so institutional.

Anyhow, between projects that I show, I often go through a process before I decide what to do. The most recent project in the works is the awkward patio door in the living room:



Those are three curtain panels (identical fabric to the one in the kitchen), hung up on little rods that hang close to the wall because of that monster of a headrail for the vertical blinds.

Well, when the vanes (the vertical blind panels) are fully pulled back, you can see all kinds of nasty with the curtain tabs and the cheesy rods. So here I am in the process of deciding what type of valance to create. This is going to be a project that may not get done until next month but with the help of some fabric (black napkins from Target to cover pillows and the tan valances from Tues Morn I got several months back as a backdrop for the shelves to the right of my computer) I can start a process to see what my minds eye is thinking.

Thoughts:

Use the tan valances and put a black ribbon along the bottom. Tehe, I have electrical tape on it right now for the "feel".

Look for some basic black fabric.

Definately go from the 12" down to 9" in length. I can't raise anything because of the apartment's vertical blind hardware so doing much of anything else is out of the question. Move the blind rail back over to the left again so as to eliminate the overhang on the right side.

Note to anyone who decides to do something like take vertical blinds down from your rental, don't take the vanes out with the stem. You will find little plastic pieces called worm gears strewn about. Whoops.

Luckily I am very mechanically inclined but holy crap replacing each stem, vane along with the worm gears is going to be a tedious task. It's already an awkward project because the vertical blinds are meant for a 9' patio door and that door is 7' and some change. In all the years I sold windows and doors, being around the industry it's just a stupid, stupid door. They should have just put 6' doors in and called it a day. Anyhow, those vertical blinds are too wide for the stupid door making for a decor challenge.

The curtains truly soften the space and are much better than the 90s forest green panels I've been sporting. I've had them hung up for a while because I wasn't sure I was liking it because of the odd way it's set up to begin with. I had contemplated taking them back for a couple of reasons including financial but, I am going to attempt to stop smoking on the 15th or so. I don't have a choice unless I take those curtains back so...I am weighing my options here and I think having a cozy home is far better than (pardon me here) shitty lungs. I've done it before, let's hope I can do it again and I can look at my silly valance-in-progress to remind me why I am stopping.

I have other financial obligations I need to take care of too so the smoking's gotta go. I still need projects to do to keep me out of trouble but I do have friends that have helped me in the past that need to get repaid. The honeymoon is over with redecorating so the smoking needs to go and I can still repay debt yet keep myself from going insane. Besides, house stuff is much more fun than what I had been doing with my money in the past, drinking.

Okay then. Hope everyone has had a fine weekend.

My kitchen window is now a dapper fellow

His day look as he heads to the office:


He believes in simplicity for an evening look. And women think they are the only ones that can make a simple day look to an evening look in a manner of steps:


What he really enjoys is that his look was only $2.50!

(doesn't include the curtain rod though - that was $3 - the foam board was on hand and this time I used a combo of tape and hot glue.)

Here's a reminder of the before-before and before...haha!





Links:

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch (Messed up my link over there. The link is correct, the title's all kinds of wrong.)

Casually dressed canopy and dollar store finds

Sheer panels from Tuesday Morning at $3 each!

Here's the before-before:



Then there's the newer before:



Finally, here's the after:



They look a hundred times better in person though.

Before:



After:



Two more afters:





In the pics they look more yellow than they are in person.

The main part that is bugging me is the space between the mirror and the canopy rail. For grins I put up the two remaining napkins from my pelmet box to try to envision it with a shortened valance but it wasn't working for me. They had another one of the sheers and though it appeared the same, the color of it was off just enough in the store I just couldn't bring myself to getting it. Even if it hadn't been off, I don't have a sewing machine and that's not something you want to hand sew for many reasons (slippery fabric, etc). Plus you know the thread would cost as much as the panel so it wasn't worth it.

I will rest on it a few days to see if I am liking it more or not. But seeing as the other ways I have done sheer fabric on the canopy in the past just isn't going to work for this go around (the room is too small, placement of the TV and the dresser just make it too cramped), that was my only option really. Plus they only had the two. If the room weren't set up like it is and if it were bigger I probably would invest in 8 panels and put two in each corner similar to this but without the tabs and not wrapped around the bed posts.

It really does look better in person. I don't know why they look a honey color in the pics...I adjusted the contrast a bit because they looked very washed out and since it was later in the day, the light was pretty diffused as well. They look nearly perfect at night.

If I don't like it, I will keep them and put them up in the bedroom patio door when I take down the panels I have behind the vertical blinds after the main part of heating season is over. They can be used to let in light but help with a bit of privacy during the day. But so far I may just keep them as they are.

Oh and after I put them up there, the regular bed pillows seemed so blah so I added the pillows that came with the duvet. I need to get plain black fabric and cover them all. But it adds a much needed dimension on the bed after putting the sheers up.

Today I made a run to the Dollar Tree and picked up several hard backed rugs. The little rugs I had in there (I think $2-$3 each at Home Depot in May) had seen better days.

Here's Sonny sprawled out on one of them back in the summer:


Believe me when I say, they don't look anything like that today. Between me, the dog, the cat and the fact they shrank after several washings (though I did wash in cold and air dry them per the instructions) they're just pitiful.

So, they had several black rugs with the cloth banding. Shake and vacuum, works for me:


Oh how I miss the wood laminate floors of my old kitchen. That vinyl flooring is just dreadful but better than some of the other apartments in this complex.

They really make the greens, yellows and pumpkin-oranges pop in my kitchen.

I replaced the one in the laundry room that is placed at the laundry room door to catch kitty litter so Sonny doesn't track it around the house. I had a multi-color dollar store rug there and the colors were driving me batty. I also got two for the front door (inside and out) to catch the dirt and salt.

Oh and a while back, I added the valance from the kitchen curtain on the door to the laundry room. I am one of those that if it's there, I try to find a place for it. It helps hide the shelving a bit when I forget and leave the door wide open. If I can find a cheap full length curtain, I will do that instead. I just have to leave the door open so the cat can use the litter box. At least with a curtain he can come and go as he pleases and it keeps the air circulation going (gas water heater is in there).

Okay. Hopefully everyone had a fine weekend. I probably will link up to a few link-a-thons this week so see you around!

Link-a-thons:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch!

What's on the 99¢ Menu?

Please see previous entry to learn more about this curtain set.

Before:



In progress:



Hand sewing (but you can't see the stitches unless you look hard):





Now to buy a real curtain rod (like the one in my bedroom - cheap double rod) and find something to make a valance to break up the pattern a bit and have it feel a bit more finished. Also, it needs to be trained (as I have seen in other blogs)and perhaps a couple of fishing weights to help them from getting a wild hair.

Not bad for 99¢ by golly!

EDITS:

PS The cobalt blue votive holder came from my hallway table.

It's Tuesday and that means it's DIY day at A Soft Place to Land! Check it out.

Thursday already?  Time for Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage!

It's fffffinally Friday and time for Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous!

OTHER EDITS:

I ended up getting a gold cafe rod from Target because the other rod requires some height in order to put the rods on the brackets and it was the cheapest of the cafe rods. So, no valance unless I make a pelmet box with only one side and somehow attach it to the ceiling.

The window is in a tight position because the duct work runs over the kitchen ceiling making it only 7' high. There is only 2 1/2" to the ceiling from the window and 4" to the corner which is not much room to work with. Oh well. It's completed for the moment. I might get creative and hang a valance from the ceiling in such a way you don't know.

Before the Blues Comes the Cheap

Ross is still having their home stuff on clearance and since they are next door to Safeway I decided to see what Ross had on their deep clearance items, so check this out:


That's just on top of the bedroom curtain (outside rod) so I could get a full shot of it.

Anyhow, it's called "window in a bag": the valance, panels and the tie-backs are all included in the package.


Kind of a neat pattern. Thing is, it's super thin material (not like a sheer though) and the smell that came off it when I ironed it, reminded me of the fabrics in my grandmother's house (my mom's mom). I don't think she did much redecorating after I was born in 68!


What you don't see is the valance is integrated into the entire thing. Not separate, all one piece!

No bother, look at the price close up:

Just in case you are wondering. Hehe.

So what in the gods' names do I have in mind for that?

Ladies and gents, I have finally resolved the issue with this:

My ugly kitchen window with apartment issue mini blinds that look like they are 15 years old or more.

For 99¢ + 07326¢ tax.

The two panels are 27" wide by 78" long from where they attach to the valance. Cut the valance off each panel, fold in half, using the hemming tape (hopefully it's not stiff) attach at the top, do a quick stitch by hand up the long end edges if there's not enough tape, put on either a cheap rod ($1.57 at Target) or using the copper jewelry wire I've had for ages, fashion a few lengths of the wire across the top of the window with push pins and call it mostly covered...surely a tweak or two will happen...perhaps some ribbon detailing at the top or if I can find a small solid thing of fabric to make a real valance...ideas, ideas and more ideas.

99¢? Diggin' that!

I love to have where I am living being as complete as possible but putting much more money into making this my home with these ugly windows, although temporary, is not a good idea. For 99¢ though, I am not going to worry too much about breaking the bank for a solution for a temporary problem.

EDIT: Took out the seam ripper and the little thread scissors I have and the two panels are now detached from the valance part. Now I have a 55" x 17 1/2" valance that doesn't have a place to go. Not sure what to do with that. I guess I will think on it while I figure out how to complete the two panels.

Injecting Some Blue

I've decided that I am going to expand upon the cobalt blue I had started to collect and put it (cobalt blue) in other places in my home. In order to do that without making drastic changes and to keep my finances under check yet still have quality, here is my thought process:

First we had this weird set up over my sink:



I don't know what I was thinking. I already had two more of the trivets I purchased from Hobby Lobby (all 50% off back in summer) so switched them up to this:





So, enter in the introduction of cobalt blue (with Photoshop as my partner here) without blue taking over:



Two 6 1/4" talavera tiles. Maybe two different tiles but I liked this particular design because it does incorporate some of the yellows I have around the house...so I am thinking this:



Or this:



We'll see. It's just a vision I have and whether or not I get around to doing it is another story all together. I love talavera tiles, always have. I just never liked them in a large display...the installations with using them as accent pieces or as a border work for me. In my case, since this is an apartment and I have a horrible space above the sink, I rent, this is a solution that is doable for now.

Well, off to veg out to the news. Hope it was a fine Sunday for all.

A wee bit of extra

I was able to get close to my asking price for the fridge yesterday (which was more than I had budgeted for to get some things paid) so I stopped at Hobby Lobby on the way home. Yeah, I know, I shouldn't have but I wanted to take advantage of the sales they have on fall decor because they are the colors that I am decorating with year round anyway...50% off on all their fall floral works for me:

Desk with the Goodwill vase I got but the filler needs something better. I put tissue paper in there for now to secure the stem of the floral spray:





I will worry about the filler when I see what I think I am looking for (the vase is a pretty cheap and thin glass so no glass beads, that'd be too heavy) and hope it's cheap. I may line it with a white fabric as I have a white pillow case in the storage unit that I can cut up...

So the big pitcher got its own pretty too at 50% off:



The oranges and the yellows are almost perfect matches. Not apparent in the picture is it brings out the brown in some of the design and the lighter greens in the floral stem pop out a bit too with the green of the pitcher.

The little pitcher in the kitchen was adorned with a floral spray too:



While it doesn't have sunflowers in it, I like it. Never mind the very ripe banana, that's going to be consumed with lunch here pretty soon.

But I like the additions. Granted fake flowers and greenery from Hobby Lobby isn't exactly magazine worthy, I am liking the completeness of having them and it's my house and not for House Beautiful - hehe.

Oh and two last pictures of a couple of items I pulled from the storage unit:





The "tile" looking thing is an item my dad and step-mom brought back for me from a trip they were on but I don't recall where. I suspect Mexico but it's not one of my step-mom's bro's pieces (he's an artist in Mexico). But funny that, it goes with my current colors! The yellow matches and the rusty orange goes with other oranges in the house. Funny that, the outline before the "frame" part is a colbalt blue glaze. Interesting.

The cat figurines are part of a ton of cats my mom had collected. I got rid of many of them and kept the best of the best and those two were up there along with the Egyptian one she had brought back from well, Egypt in the very early 80s.

So, I spent a little extra dough that I probably should have saved for something a bit more logical. But I did do a bit of shopping with some of the stuff I already have so I guess it kind of balances out.

Have a great weekend!

EDIT 1:30 pm: Ah, I am going to post this for: Frugalicious Friday with Jane @ Finding Fabulous! Go link to your fabulous not-full-price find today or over the weekend!

EDIT x2 2:30 pm: My first, only and last "Hooked on Fridays" link.

- I've been reading Julia's blog for a loooong time but never posted a link in her McLinky on Fridays. I figured since it's the last of her "Hooked on Fridays" link-o-rama, I'd go ahead and join in. Lots of fun stuff to see on her blog on a regular basis.

EDIT: Monday 10-12: Oh yeah, my favorite thing on Mondays (well in my daily blog cruising) is Metamorphosis Monday on Between Naps on the Porch. Lots of great ideas to be had from places all over the blog world!

Apartment Tour: In one post!