In the midst of all the cleaning, packing and decluttering, I made the time to do something fun today. You should probably be warned that ‘fun’ for me usually includes decor and/or creating something. While my kindergartener was at school this morning, I drug little man {our 2-year-old} out to JoAnn’s in search of some springy fabric to turn into simple curtains for the kitchen. {He always enjoys making elderly lady-friends at the craft stores.} The window above our kitchen sink has been naked for the last 3 years just because I kept waiting for the perfect fabric to slap me in the face. I figured prepping the house was a good excuse to just go out and make myself pick something even if it wasn’t perfect. Surprisingly, I found a great home decor print that was on sale at 40% off. I took home a yard for $12. Before actually making it home, we took a detour through Target {walking not driving} to pick up a pack of curtain clip rings for $5. I was going to make this project as easy as possible, so no curtain rod pocket sewing for me. Back home, it took me about 30 minutes to measure, sew and hang the new panels. Take a look.
They’re airy and simple with a shot of green in them. They’re my attempt at coaxing spring to make an early appearance.
Normally, I’d prewash the fabric before making curtain panels but since this project was all in the name of fun {and since the curtains will be staying with the house} I skipped prewashing. {Note to self: remind future homeowners that the kitchen curtains should be washed in cold water only to avoid shrinkage.}
The 7-piece pack of curtain rings and clips was plenty to hang these slim panels. They’re only ~18″ wide. Solely for decorative purposes not for shutting out light or peeping Toms.
Which is fine because we installed custom light-filtering shades that are mounted inside the window frame and block the setting sun’s rays every evening. The sun sets at the back of our property, so we had to install something early on to avoid being blinded while doing dishes after dinner. Man, I’m going to miss that sunset. It’s gorgeous.
I also took time to sand down and re-oil the butcher block countertop on the island. I used regular ol’ mineral oil that you can buy at any drugstore {yep, the kind for poopin’} and it usually takes about 24-48 hours for the wood to absorb it all. It’s amazing how the wood bounces back after a rub down like this.
During lil’ man’s naptime, my kindergartener helped me pick up and clean a little more to take pictures that will be included in our for sale by owner listing and sales brochure. He was like a frog hopping around trying to stay out of the view of the camera. In fact, he opened the front door just as I was taking a picture of the front of the house. That one got deleted. I’m definitely feeling a little sad and guilty about possibly moving Layne {that’s my kindergartener} to a new school and neighborhood. I’ve started dropping hints about moving to him and his responses have surprised me. He said as long as his new room has a ceiling fan, he’ll be happy. He’s been asking for a ceiling fan in his current room for 3 years. I promised him he’d get a ceiling fan. Sometimes I think I’m making this a bigger deal than it should be. Kids are resilient, right? As a child, I was lucky enough to attend school in the same school district from kindergarten all the way through to high school graduation. I always felt bad for the new kids. But I keep telling myself that Layne would be attending a different school {albeit in the same district with familiar faces} next year anyway even if we stayed here because the school he’s at now is strictly for kindergarteners. Still, it’s a little heartbreaking for a mama.
So, anyway, I sort went all tangent on you there, didn’t I? Oops. Well, that’s how I had fun with $20 today. I felt good to be decorating again and to get my creative juices flowing. It makes me antsy to start thinking about designing and decorating for another smaller, probably more challenging home. Antsy in a good way. Excited antsy.
images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor, DIY