So I've lived in my home for 7 and a half years and we have a great view of our lake and woods so I've never wanted to cover it up with drapes, blinds or curtains. Until now. I am tired of it looking like I'm getting ready to move. The edges look hard to me and pokey. ha ha I guess that is a word. These pictures are of my kitchen where I'm lucky enough to have 10 windows! Not so lucky when you figure up the cost of window treatments.
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| Pokey |
For all these years we've suffered through the sun coming in and blinding us during this time of year when the sun is low all the way through spring. Our kitchen table is along the long wall of windows that are south facing and it gets hot, too. Since we have our big meal at noon, the sun has always been a problem during this time. I've finally had enough. Maybe it's the added aggravation of the
twin kittens! (Which one by the way peed twice on the floor last night and once in the box that has trash bags in them!!! arrgh!!!) So this photo is what I've come up with to be a makeshift sun block for the 30 minutes we sit there and eat. Pretty sad.
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Make shift tacky
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less tacky but isn't working
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Ok, so here it is a little prettier, but when the sun is coming in, it only shades the chair on the right. I absolutely love paprika color and I think it looks fabulous especially with the sun coming in gently right now, but my walls are very close to this color so I want more contrast. I have touches of black everywhere and a dark sage-y green and black countertops.
So I've been looking online and found
a valance from JC Penny and I think I really like it and want to commit to it. I can hide a shade under it and pull it down as needed. Here it is.
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| Love this!! |
I think I'm in love with the black and white, it's just a tad French-y looking and I kinda like that. I really love this fabric and I want it!!! Unfortunately, it is not big enough for my windows plus they are $29.99 each, and that is on sale! Normally they are $55. Oh boy. I cannot afford that. That would be $160.45 which really isn't that bad for the whole room, but it doesn't matter, because they are too short by 10".
This is Waverly fabric called Bluebell I think from what I read on the valance description So I thought to myself I could just buy the fabric and make some myself. I've made several sets of simple curtains for myself in the past. So I've been on a mad search for this fabric and cannot find it! Could it be Waverly made this fabric just for Penny's? Surely not! I hope not! Has anyone got any ideas on what to do next??
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| Long wall of windows |
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| still pokey but cute with kitten on couch ;) |
speaking of kittens, here's my attempt to keep them out of plants (below)
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| foiled! |
If anyone has ideas on how to get ahold of this fabric, I'm all ears! I may have to settle for something similar, but I really want to try my best to get it. I may even try to make my own fabric with some fabric paint and a brush or maybe stamps? I'll take all the ideas I can get... HELP!
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That is a lovely view!
ReplyDeleteI would make something. since I am printing now I would probably use muslin that was washed and dyed giving it a very crepe-like appearance and print a design on the bottom. It would look awesome, and be pretty inexpensive. Or, at the very least I would say I was going to do that but never get around to it!
Oh boy... can I relate to this posting!! We have the same problem in our family room only it's the late afternoon sun but I can certainly sympathize. That's a great price for window treatments, really super and they're gorgeous too!
ReplyDeleteAlso, the kitty issue... we actually use different diameters of chicken wire and cut it to fit inside the top of the containers and around the plants ~ it's worked really well ever since we tried it.
♥Sharon
You have a gorgeous house! Love how it looks with all your plants :)
ReplyDeleteYour home and view are lovely! Window coverings are so dang expensive, I try to make my own when I can but even then it can be spendy. A valance is a nice idea. Here is a similar fabric to the one in the photo at a great price http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=SW4737,
ReplyDeleteI have ordered from them once before with good results but ordering fabric online is always a risk.
What a lovely view, I can understand your reluctance to cover it up.
ReplyDeleteThe valances seem like a good price and you know the time involved making them in that design would be fairly time consuming.
Window treatments are always so darn expensive esp.. if you have to have multi layers, I guess the thing is if you are staying in the home for a long time you get to enjoy them for a long time too and it ends up being worth it.
Sometimes companies will design a line exclusively for a company esp. if they are a big company.
Hope you are able to make a decision and I will look forward to seeing the finish result.
Have a lovely evening, T. :)
I would love to have all of those windows, Jaime...and the natural wood that surrounds them. Your view is awesome. I have the same deal with my windows in my house, mostly because of the lack of sunshine we have. I have tried a few different types of window coverings. I'm not much of a style kind of gal, so my opinion or recommendations may not be the kind you're looking for but I have some tiny window toppers and basic blinds that I can pull up/hiding them behind the toppers when I want my full view. The cat, stinker, chewed two of the layers on one of the blinds...but he only did that once (he learns pretty quickly, usually with a loud NO) - wish the boys learned like that :)
ReplyDeleteThat view is so beautiful- I can totally understand why you woundn't want to hide it! Personally, I think the price on the valances is pretty good- the fabric (if you can find it) would end up being a little less, but then you have to invest the time into making them- and that's a LOT of windows to sew for! I wonder if Penney's still has a lay a way plan? That might be worth looking into....
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!