DIY Tutorial: Make Your Own No-Sew Valences

Recently, I posted the step-by-step tutorial on how to create your own no-sew Pottery Barn inspired linen drape shades.  Up today is something almost identical but even easier! How to make a no-sew valence.  My friend Heather (who has submitted posts here and here) asked me for help in making some adorable valences for her son's bedroom.  Her son is turning 6 this Summer and he's really into baseball, and being a die hard Yankees fan since birth, Heather was happy to oblige and encourage this.  So she found some cute baseball fabric at her local fabric store and we got to work.

The steps are essentially the same as the in the drape shade tutorial above.  

First step: measure your windows and figure out how long you want the valence to hang.  Open mouth and talk the entire time to ensure insane pictures. 

Once you know your measurements, you can cut your fabric.  To account for the "hem" on the sides, you should add about two inches to your side and bottom measurements and about four inches to the top measurement.   

Second step:  create your hem on the sides the the bottom. This is very easy to do: simply place your seam tape in between your layers of fabric, fold the fabric over onto itself and iron.  I've used a bunch of different brands of seam tape, so it's best to follow the instructions on the back, as they are all a little different. 

Third step:  create your pole pocket.  This is where you hang the curtain from.  I find that a two-inch gap is more than sufficient.  Measure and fold the top part over, which will create a two-inch gap at the top, where you insert the tension rods.  It's important to go slowly here so that your top hem is straight and even.   You could even put the rod in the pocket as you iron.  Repeat steps 1-3 with each panel. 

Third step: hang the curtains.  Don't they look great?  

Talk to us about your curtains!  Have you ever tried the DIY route?  


See you swoon,

Jamie's House: DIY art inspired by Crate & Barrel

The past couple of weeks I have been determined to hang art on a wall, any wall.  I need color in my life especially now that spring has arrived and my new pedicure (thanks mom for that over the weekend) will only hold me for so long. 

I was inspired by Shanna's surprise post she had done for me a couple weeks ago, you can see that here.  The symmetry prints really caught my eye so I decided to try my spin on them.  I used the colors from the Anthro curtains I have been eyeing up for months so the dining room and front room will have colors that tie them together. I used a couple different prints I had found online and used one Crate and Barrel print that I loved most.

For those of you wondering, my Anthropologie curtains that my mother bought as an early birthday present will be here tomorrow!  My birthday is not until August but every year I seem to find something I MUST have long before my birthday comes around, thank goodness my mom enjoys buying early birthday gifts!!

I practiced and honed in on my inner artist before I used the real canvas paper I bought and it was well worth it.

This is how it all went down.  First I printed the pictures I wanted to paint:

Then it was time to start cutting, this one was definitely the most detailed to cut.  I did this to all three prints:

Time to paint.  I went a little overboard at A.C Moore but I am sure I will be painting again at some point so the acrylic paint will not go to waste.

After all the preparation and cutting, it was time to paint.  Here was the first go around.  Don't even ask what the bottom picture is all about, that one got out of hand.  As I was doing it I swore it would turn into a masterpiece, that clearly was not the case:



And the moment you have all been waiting for... introducing the first pieces of art hung in my house :)

And all together now:

Hello my lovelies!!  I am thrilled with how this turned out.  Now, on to that radiator cover.  What do you think?  Anyone feel inspired to do this in your home?  Have a great week everyone!

See you swoon,

there's whiskey in the jar ...

errr ... whiskey in the barrel.  OK, this is probably the most random blog post title ever, but the topic today is the whiskey barrel that I replaced on my patio, and truly: when I hear the word "whiskey barrel" I am immediately propelled back to college hearing Pete Papageorge at the Irish Times singing "whiskey in the jar."  Ah, foggy memories.

But back to the post at hand: the whiskey barrel.  We have two of these in our side yard on the patio.  The one is in fine shape but the other ... well ...

As you can see, it's seen better days.  And while we are trying to save save save while we attempt to sell our house, I felt I really did need to change up this whiskey barrel and replace it with something a little less sad and shoddy.  So I ran to Lowe's and Home Depot but the whiskey barrels there were kinda pricey.  Plan B: Target. No dice.  Plan C was Walmart and lo and behold, I found a huge planter pot that looks ceramic but is plastic for only $25.  Done!   The next step was transferring the dirt from barrel to barrel, and in a few weeks, we'll plant some flowers in there as we do every Spring.  What do you think?

What a difference! What about you? Got any yard issues you need to tend to this weekend?  Please do share!

See you swoon,

Diamonds are a girl's best friend?

Well in my case they are, I love them so much. however, my wallet does not feel the same way...and neither does my husband.  So, until I win the lottery and can go crazy in Tiffany's, I splurge over some of the prettiest, most sparkly (you know how I love things that sparkle) CZ and crystal jewelry I have ever seen!  I actually bought my wedding jewelry from this website and if you ask me, I could not be happier with the quality and designs they had available. 

Check out Emitations.com, they have a wide variety of necklaces, bracelets, rings and even celebrity jewelry that you may have seen from movies those celebs star in, kind of fun eh?  My mom compares my attraction to shiny things to that of a  magpie so I thought I would just look that up real quick to see why they have such a fascination, this is what I found (a small piece of the article anyway):

Why do magpies like shiny things? Because magpies are intelligent curious beings that like to explore. Shiny things interest them as toys, play-pretties, or something to stash away. They like to hoard.

Well, I like this reasoning except the hoarding part, after reading this I am ok with being compared to a magpie!!  I do not really hoard anything but if I did have the option, I would hoard shiny things and ESPECIALLY diamonds.  Anyway, I am rambling on now so here are a few things that I bought from this website that I wear every day.

I bought this for my wedding and still wear it every day, McKenzie's Brilliant CZ Pendant:

These studs are awesome!  This 2.5 carat stud is what I have, they look amazing and the size is perfect.  Jessica's 2.5 carat CZ Stud:

Right now I am eyeing up this lovely.  I do not wear gold that often but it is nice to mix things up once in a while!  Cheyenne's gold plated fauna necklace:

Anyone have experience with Emitations.com or any other website that offers something similar?  What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you currently own  or something you are dying to have?

See you swoon,

DIY Tutorial: Chalkboard labels for playroom storage

A few months ago, I posted about my basement playroom.  As promised, up today is a long overdue tutorial on how to make the super easy and super cute DIY chalkboard labels that I use to keep the kids' toys neatly sorted and organized.  

I was inspired to create these by something I saw in Pottery Barn Kids.  I loved those chalkboard labels because they seemed so perfect for my needs, especially because I could easily switch out the contents of the bins and simply erase the label and rewrite the new contents with chalk.  However, I did not like the cost: at 2 for $8, for about 14 bins plus shipping ... it came to well over $50.  I decided to DIY it instead.  Here's the scoop:

For the labels, you will need thin wooden rectangles (or ovals, squares, whatever shape you like) from Michael's, chalkboard paint, and heavy duty Velcro (I also had red fabric Cubicals from Target).  The first step is to paint the wood pieces. I bought chalkboard paint in a spray can -- so much easier!  It takes about two coats to cover the wood completely.  Once the paint dries, cut the Velcro to fit the size of the wood pieces - cut both pieces at once: the part that sticks to the wood label and the part that sticks to the thing you're adhering the label to.  

Then press the wood label onto the front of your bin and it's done!  Describe the contents with chalk. 

You can also do this with baskets, like the IKEA baskets I have in my shelving.  The difference here: I took a drill and made tiny holes in the top of the wood and then used some twine to tie the label to the basket.

Voila!  Super easy and cheap! The total cost for my labels was about $10: I found the wood pieces on sale for about .25 each, and used a coupon at Michael's for the Velcro and the chalkboard paint (and there is plenty of paint and Velcro left over for future projects).  Here are the baskets in their organized glory:

I find the system incredibly helpful and easy to keep a handle on.  Plus, now that my son is reading, he can find the appropriate bin for his toys when he's done playing.  Win-win.  

Need any organizing help or tips?  Let us know! 

See you swoon,