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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Burlap Curtains and Galvanized Steel Pipe Curtain Rods

This project is not quite complete... I still have two more sets to go, but I just couldn't wait to share it!  Plus I thought it would be nice to share a little preview of what's been going on in the family room.  I got the idea for the burlap curtains from Jessica's tutorial at Four Generations One Roof.  The project was so cheap so I figured I had nothing to lose trying it out.  It came out awesome and was so easy.  All I needed was three yards of burlap per curtain (with a 50% off coupon for Joanns it came out to $6 per panel!) plus some stitch-witchery and an iron.  I had never used stitch-witchery, but that stuff is awesome!  Here's how the first two sets turned out:



DIY-Burlap-Curtains
DIY Burlap Curtains

DIY-Burlap-Curtains

I really wanted these curtain rods from West Elm but at $100 per rod, I could not justify spending $400 on curtain rods for one room.  So of course I decided to try to make them!  I took my measurements and then brought my dad along to Home Depot since I had never been down the plumbing isle before.  (I'm glad I did because I got some flack from the pipe-cutting-guy and some other random guy... the two of them and my dad had a 10-minute conversation about how Martha Stewert is the devil.  lol).  They cut the pipes to size and thredded them right there.  I also needed some flanges and some street elbow joints:

The actual construction of the curtain rods was simple;


...it was the hanging part that got a little tricky.  The galvanized steel pipes are quite heavy, so we tried several different types of hardware before we got it right.  In the end these are the products that worked the best:


Some tips if you are interested in making these yourself:

1. Burlap kind of smells funny.  I cut the panels and left them outside for a day or two to air out.  Then I ironed each one on the steam setting.  It really helped lessen the smell.  Leaving it outside also helped get rid of some of the little dusty pieces that come with burlap.
2. Pay close attention to how they cut it at the store when you buy the burlap.  There's a technique to cutting it straight and making sure it doesn't fray.
3. You definitely need the steam setting for ironing on the stitch-witchery.  My iron setting wasn't working at first and it didn't work at all without the steam.
4. DO NOT try washing burlap!  I tried this with the first panel to try to get the smell out and I wound up with a piece completely frayed with wrinkles that would not budge (and it didn't help the smell).
5. I'm not sure how I'm going to wash the curtains when the time comes.  I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it :).

What do you think??

Monday, May 20, 2013

Family Room Progress

We have made lots of progress on the family room since the beginning of the year!  So far this is what we have accomplished from our original list:
 
...decided to do the gallery wall instead of the fake fireplace for now.
We got two of this gray couch from Ashley furniture (just a little over $800 for both couches!).  I also want to get two of the armchairs from that set.  I think that will be my next big furniture purchase.  We also bought this coffee table, which I am in love with 1. because I love the look and 2. because I don't worry about using coasters on it since it's already "distressed".  We also got a matching (cheaper) console table for behind the couch and an end table from a thrift store.

I have completed/am in the process of completing several DIY projects for the room.  The gallery wall was my first project.  I also made some art for behind the sofa, but I think I want to add something more to that, so I won't count it as complete just yet.  I am in the process of making curtains and curtain rods right now... that's almost finished so I'll be sharing pictures soon!  I also have plans to refinish an old dresser from my grandmother, which I started sanding about 4 months ago, realized how annoying sanding is, and haven't touched it since :).  It will really look nice in the room, so I need to get a move on, but sheesh, sanding furniture is a pain in the rear!

We have also gotten a lot of painting done!  Two of the walls in the family room we did in Martha Stewart Potters Clay and we did an accent wall in Martha Stewart Slate.  We painted our kitchen and hallway in Sharkey Gray and the morning room will be this color as well.  The only room I did not use Martha Stewart on so far was the powder room, which I just finished painting in Behr Harbor.  For all of the paint, we used the Glidden Duo (paint + primer) base in eggshell and I could not be happier with the quality of the paint.  We chose this because it ranked very high in Consumer Reports and it is one of the cheapest paints out there (about $27 per gallon).  Another painters tip... spend the extra few dollars on Frog Tape... it really is so much better than the regular blue stuff.  Oh and we did a small chalkboard wall between our kitchen and family room.  So much fun!
 
So the main things we have left for the family room are crown molding (which my dad informs me is a "winter-time project"), a mail/message center, and the dresser.  I will be honest, I did not expect myself to get nearly this much stuff done by now!  {...patting myself on the back...}.  And painting some more rooms and essentially finishing the deck are added bonuses. 
 
The next room I plan to finish is the powder room, which should be an easy one.  I'll be back with the plans on that and pictures of the completed family room shortly!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Landscaping Upgrades


Greg and I took off from work last Friday (Greg's birthday!!) to do some landscaping.  Greg's mom came over and helped us too.  We went to a local nursery and picked up 3 leyland cypresses, one burning bush, one "fluffy evergreen" (that's a technical term), four bushes for the side of the house and an oak tree for the back yard.  We still have a long way to go, but even just these small upgrades made a big difference.

Before:

Before
 After:

After

We still need to plant some flowers and lay some fresh mulch, but I think we made good progress!  Just filling out some of the empty spaces and adding some different height bushes makes it look more interesting.  Next we want to do a big landscaped peninsula with a paver retaining wall on the right side of the house and an island with some more landscaping next to the driveway.  We are holding off on doing anything near the street until we find out what the deal is with the 10+ street trees we are supposed to be getting (long story :/).

Big thanks to my MIL for all of her help... we really put her to work!

 
Greg and Mom on his Birthday!
Happy Birthday Gregory!!!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Deck Update #6 - The Homestretch (plus sneak peek of the garden)

The deck is sooooo close to being finished!  We got the remainder of the railings up this past weekend and my "fancy steps" are about 3/4 of the way done.  I am lucky my dad loves a challenge because the wraparound/cascading steps are proving to be quite the design challenge.  There are a lot of geometry calculations and 3-dimensional thinking involved.  They are coming along great though!

Fancy steps being laid out for concrete landing pad.
Some custom stringers and Dad admiring his handy work.
First step is complete!
All of the railings are done!
Some temporary furniture.
Back view.
We also scored this sweet outdoor dining set from craigslist for half the price that it's going for at Target!  I'm so happy with it!  Now I just need to find a reasonable "conversation set" for the lower level.  We might just want until the end of the season to get something on clearance if I don't see anything on craigslist that I really like.

 

And finally some pictures of the veggie garden!  Greg assembled the boxes and built the fence about a month ago and we just planted our first crops: broccoli, potatoes and carrots (for Peter, of course).  This weekend we are going to plant peppers, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, basil and citronella.  Greg is the champion of our garden... I can't even keep our houseplant alive.  I'm very excited to reap the benefits of his hard work though... There's nothing better than a fresh Jersey tomato straight off the vine!

Just need to finish painting and put the fancy tops of the last few posts.
French door gate!
Lots of room for veggies!
My lone contribution to the garden... painted rock identifiers.  :)
And... Greg and Dad finally got the riding mower working.  No more push mowing for Greg!!