Relaxed Roman Valances

I kinda gave a sneak peek of this project to show off my new computer program that I have.  But just wanted to show it off a little more.

This is the beautiful dining area of a gorgeous house I've had the privilege to work in.  The owner just wanted a simple update.

Since the owner never intends on blocking out any of this spectacular light, we just went with faux relaxed roman shade valances.  Doing something "faux" really cuts down on the cost of any window treatment.  We also used the existing hardware.  I just made tabs to slip right the rods right through there.

The fabric was from Greenhouse Fabrics.  The homeowner had great taste!

We also added some gorgeous trim. 

It seriously makes these valances.  Beautiful!!

I kinda feel like "HGTV"

Due to recent successes, I totally splurged on the "Empire" and got a new tool.  It is awesome.  I can go from this:


Before



To this:

 

 

Then finally, to the finished room.

After

 

 

It really helps with visualizing what different window treatments can really do to a room.  I should've made the cute, little dog get back in there for the after picture.

 

Yeah, I'm totally like the "Property Brothers" now.

 

 

 

 

Pillow Love

Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of requests for pillows. 

Sometimes, I tell people to check Homegoods first.   You can find a basic pillow a lot cheaper there than what it costs me to make one.  Heck, sometimes I just go to Homegoods. 

 

 But when you want something out of a certain fabric, or in a certain size, I am your girl.  I love making them.  I’m usually in my happy place while I’m sewing those together.

 

 I just put on some tunes and sit down at my machine.

Usually there’s a little Mumford love sewn into those babies.  Or sometimes,  a dose of Dave Ramsey.  I’ve been on a God kick lately, so a helping of that may be mixed in as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I’m not saying that if you get a from me that you’ll suddenly make sound financial decisions, find Jesus, or develop some unexplainable obsession for banjo playing Brits, but I figure it doesn’t hurt.

Disclaimer:  I have heard 2 songs from Mumford and Sons newest album and wasn’t crazy about it.  Good songs, I just missed the banjo.

M I A

Yep.  It's been almost an entire year since I posted anything.  Good grief.  That's terrible.  Typical me, but terrible.  2014 was kinda a sucky year.  After that post way back in April, I got extremely busy, and then my husband's position in his company was eliminated, and then our house was struck by lightning.  Then we thought we were moving.  Then we found a job here and got to stay.  Phew.  So not sucky, just busy and overwhelming.  But everything is fine now.  I'm back, finally.

So....what have I been working on?  Everything.  I made a kick ass Halloween costume. 




This is what I always wear to work.  It gets a little cold in the basement sometimes.

So now I play catch up.  Thanks for hanging in.

Oh my gosh!

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!  I put these up today and cannot be happier.  When I say "I", I really mean my awesome husband, installer extraordinaire.  He cut, and recut, then cut again.  All with a smile on his face (glad I brought the chop saw).

This ones the biggie.

Yeah, that window is about 82.5 inches wide.  I could not be happier with how it turned out.  Relaxed roman shade valance.  Beautiful.













We then did some very small soft cornices over the windows in her eating area.  I love transom windows.  They let in so much light.  I didn't want to cover them too much so making them pretty short was the key.

Fit like a glove

Matching panels were made for the family's adjoining family room.  This was a great option to minimize fabric cost and maximize the impact.


I don't think I would've like the as much if they were all one fabric.

I absolutely loved this project.  I worked with an awesome designer, Meredith Fox.  She was able to walk in and know exactly what to use.  All I had to do was make it happen.   The client was a close family friend I have known since birth.  I was so glad to leave with her happy.  Score!

New Chair!

Just wanted to share something I got done with yesterday!!!

Here is my chair before:





It's a fine chair.  Green is one of my things.  Not really this green, but I bought it knowing that one day I would redo it.  Or that one day I would take it apart and wouldn't be able to get it back together.  Either way, the chair was not going to last.










But look at it now!!!!

I figured out how to put it back together!  I absolutely love it.  I swear, it brightened the room up.  Not too bad for my first re-upholstery attempt.  It actually took me longer to take the thing apart than it did putting it back together.  I had to pry out eleventy million staples with a flat head screwdriver.  I only jabbed myself with it a few times.  Notice the pillow-New drapes go up tomorrow!  Yay!

Relaxed Roman Shade

Latest project done.  A relaxed roman shade valance.  The final piece to a friend's gorgeous master bath.

This is a great choice when it isn't necessary for the shade to open and close.  Saved me a lot of work and saved her a lot of money.

I absolutely love the tassel trim!

New master bathroom.....Check!

My Home Office....One day it will be done

So, I made a promise to myself to update this once a week.  Blogger fail.  All the same excuses-super busy, school's cancelled, husband's a weekend rock star, etc.  Truth is-I am a slacker.  Admitting it is the first step.

I'm trying really hard to actually finish decorating a room.  I've decided to start with our office.  It's one of the first rooms you see when you walk in our house.  That, and our formal living which we've turned into a play/game room for our kids.  Well, I've kinda had to just accept the fact that there will always be toys out, so I turned my attention to the office.

Here is my inspiration fabric.

fabric.com

I plan on making grommet topped drapes with these.  It's totally not something I would've picked out a couple years ago because of the big tulip on it.  I saw this one night staring at fabric websites and have become obsessed with it.  I think about it all the time.  Now I just need to find the time to make them.

I just finished this picture today!  I had my friend at Spectrum Design Studio do the numbers for me.  I saw a picture like this on Pinterest years ago and have wanted one every since.  It's all the important dates in our lives.  What took her all of two seconds would've taken me days to do.  She got all the numbers lined up perfectly.  I would've fretted over the "pica" and fonts.  Yeah, I remember that word from my high school typing class.  Impressed?

I wrapped fabric around the mat.  I found the tutorial here.  I stumbled across this blog this morning and have spent most of my day looking at it.  It puts mine to shame, but gives me something to strive for.  It gives me something to strive for with my house. 

I used masking tape just like her.  That way I can change the fabric when I realize it doesn't go with my obsession fabric (I'm praying it does!).  I first used my go-to fabric choice of black and white zebra print, but it came out a little too "tribal" for me.  I thought it needed a little pop of color too.  Now I am just praying it goes with my obsession fabric.

Again, this is fabric I would've never went out looking for.  I just saw this one day in a fabric store and was drawn to it.  I have always loved it.  I still gotta hang it.  I hate putting nail holes in my freshly painted walls.  I've had this sitting on my dining room table for weeks, so it's a step in the right direction.

New Year, New Look, New Neck?

It has been pretty quiet around here so far this year.  I had neck surgery.  I had a herniated disc removed and some vertebrae fused together, blah blah blah.  And, as much as I hate to admit it, it's knocked me on my buttocks. 

Around 4:30 in the morning the other night, I decided that I can either wallow in self pity, or change my attitude about this.  All I've been focusing on all the things I can't do like sewing, playing dance central, tying my shoes, etc.  I should be focusing on the things I'm not allowed to do.  Laundry, vacuuming, emptying the dishwasher, basically all the housework.  I decided to pick myself up by my green Hunter rain boot straps and totally take advantage of all this situation.

There will be some changes here.  Of course, I'm going to spend more time with my kids.  I don't think they're too thrilled about this, but I can only watch so much HGTV.  I need someone to entertain me while I sit....all day.

I'm also going to learn some photography basics.  Granted, it's going to be a little hard since I can't turn my neck, but I can read a lot.  Yay for better pictures!!

Today's project was getting this blog going again (lucky you).  To go along with my new neck brace, I'm giving the blog an update.  It's keeping me from online shopping which makes my husband very happy.

All I got is time, baby.

Big Windows=Big Panels

I love my friends!  They have all been so awesome and supportive of all the stuff I do.  I especially love when they hire me to make something for them.  Here is one example. 

 

Super Duper long panels for my friends gorgeous house.

Here is peak of them behind her beautiful Christmas tree.  I swear, after every install I have house envy.  I always try to figure out why my house doesn't look like that.  Then I remember that sometimes I do not make the best decisions.  Like the one that has resulted in an air hockey table being in my formal living room.  Yes, I could get rid of it, but there is nothing quite like showing your kids who's boss (and in air hockey, it's not Tony Danza).

And yeah, here they are hanging in my front hallway from the top of the stairs.  I had no other place to hang them and get those pleats to hang "just right." 

See that ladder.  It is almost always there.  Yep, right as you walk in our door.  If not there, my family room.  I am constantly changing stuff around.  My husband even commented the other day how a 6 foot metal ladder is acceptable room décor in our house.






These are made out of Covington Fabric's "Bosporus"  and banded on the leading edge with brown.  Next up, matching pillows.  Can't wait!!

Pillows are the new black

What started out as a pretty horrific day, turned good.  I woke up this morning to learn that someone went  on a spending spree with my business debit card last night.  Over $1,000 later, my card has been closed out, but I can't do anything with my account for a couple days.  Someone is sitting with $850 worth of stuff from Best Buy tonight. 
"I hope you enjoy your new TV....in hell."

But.....I did get a chance to take some pics of some pillows I just finished.  Something must be going on with pillows.  I have had so many requests for them lately. 

These were a little tricky.  I'm not going to lie, lining up that stripe on the front and back took a little doing.  The matching welt cord (I never knew what that was called either)  gives it some great finishing detail. 

Can you see the zipper?!? 
Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. 
Let's just admire it for a second longer.
It's the small victories that I have to
take advantage of sometimes. 
This zipper just brightened my day.













I promise I am going to learn how to take better pictures.  Maybe I need to upgrade my camera.  The 3 mega pixels just don't seem to be cutting it anymore (note sarcasm).   I just finally got a DVR, a new camera is way off.

Lovin the Zebra

I was never an animal print person.  My mom is that person.   That was not me.  But lately, I've been trying to find anything I can to cover with zebra stripe, or giraffe, or leopard.  I've even put a bird pillow on my couch.  I have a thing about birds.  Did you ever see the movie "The Birds"?  My mom used to make us watch old movies to teach us the lessons of life.  We learned that she could always be crazier ("Mommy Dearest") and birds are not nice.  I still always break out into a "No wire hangers" rampage in my mind when hanging our clothes.  Anyway, I conquered my fear of birds and got a pillow.  I've also matured enough to realize my mom may have been onto something with the animal print.

I should put a bunch of design pictures using animal print here, but I'm new to this blogging thing and don't really know the rules about posting other people's pictures.  One day, I will have to figure that out.....or tell my husband to figure that one out and explain it to me.....while I play Candy Crush.

The other day my mom brought me over two cushions she had taken off two stools and asked if I could recover them.  I really want to start upholstery so I jumped at the chance.  Here is what they looked like when she dropped them off.



 

Tattered corners and all.  And oh so uninteresting.

 

 

After much fabric hunting, we settled on something I had in my fabric closet the whole time.  Yes, I have a fabric closet.  I swear, it is like a sickness.  I'm getting much better though.  The first step is admitting you have a problem.  Here is the after:

 

Yes, she has a pink flamingo on her deck.  She has a pool.  It works.

 



 

 

As soon as I got the cushions done, I called her and told her to paint the legs black.  The were a nice 1980 oak.  What a transformation!  The fabric we got from Joanne Fabric for $9.99 a yard....and I had a coupon!  She just spray painted the legs.  I kept trying to talk her into some pretty expensive fabric since we didn't need much, but I am so glad we didn't go that route.  Just goes to show you that you don't have to spend a lot to get an amazing result.  Lesson learned.  And...since we didn't spend to much on the fabric, we're not married to it.  We can change it when she gets tired of it.  Spectacular.

One Huge Pillow

Lately I have been bombarded with orders for pillows and cushions.  I love doing this stuff.  It kinda breaks things up.  It's also nice to get some projects done in a day.  In the past week, I have done a box cushion for a window seat, recovered to square cushions for stools, and a huge bolster for a king size bed. 

I have to admit, the circular shape of this pillow kinda threw me at first.  I seriously had to times things by pi.  What the heck?!?  I was never a big fan of geometry.  I always thought the only time I would really use it was pool and mini golf.  I gotta say, I was pretty much right until I started doing this stuff.  Ironically, my high school geometry teacher did work at Putt Putt.  In fact, he still does.  I think he owns it now though.



Invisible zipper.  Yay!



Let's just admire the zipper for a minute.  The pillow was 60 inches long, so it was a pretty long zipper.  I impressed myself with this one.  And the fabric is Clarice Dove by P Kauffman.

 



 

It was so cool to take it over there and put it on her bed.  She has been working on this room for a long time.  It all started with the buffalo check drapes I did for her last year.  She seriously should have a decorating blog.  Her style is epic.

 

 

On a side note, I broke my own rule today and went out without straightening my hair.  I was going for the natural "messy" look.  Is that still in?  Anyway, I think I just ended up looking like a mess.  Hair fail.

Sad to say Goodbye.....

A little while ago, I made an awesome roman shade for a friend.  I love making stuff for my friends.  It lets me try out some new ideas without too much pressure.  Here it is:

 

 

One day, I'll figure out how to space these artistically. 

 

Anyway, we used banding because the window was so wide and we didn't want to have seams in the shade.  I also used a clutch system for the first time.  That allows the roman shade to go up and down easier.  I will never go back to the old way.  Plus, it's child safe.  Safety first!

 

Well, she is now moving and alas the shade has to stay with the house.  I wanted to give her something so that she'll always remember when she and I were standing on her counter together putting this huge shade up.  And to remember how excited I was that the clutch system actually worked how it was supposed to.  But maybe forget how I had to raid her husband's screw stash because I forgot the teeny tiny screw for said clutch system. (duh)

 

So....I made her these.

 



Don't really know if she's going to have this in her kitchen.  She can keep them in a drawer if she wants.  I loved making them.  I started out making kitchen aprons and accessories, so this was like going back to my roots.  I added some of my new skills though such as micro cording.  I love it.  It's amazing how it gives things a little extra "umph."  I've been adding it to everything.






We are going to miss her and her family so much.  Jobs move all of us so many places.  And hey, she is building a new house.  There will be lots of naked windows needing to be dressed.  I feel a road trip coming on.



First Post

Okay....so here is my first post.  Has any other blogger ever had this problem?  I've been trying to write my "first post" for almost a month.  There is just way too much pressure.  I guess the best thing to do is to just set your expectations way low so I it won't take much to impress you.

My name is Beth and I've had this crazy idea to start my own business.  A few years ago, I discovered that I had this incredible passion for sewing.  I really wish I would figured this out a lot sooner, but oh well.  It would've saved me a lot of money spent on music instruments (when I thought maybe I was musical) and hot yoga classes (when I thought I was healthy).  Sewing it is.  Through great blessings in life, I started making window treatments and have just kept expanding.  I hope to get into upholstery one day.  I'm just waiting for someone to give me a chair to take apart.

That's about it.    Phew.....big sigh of relief.  I am so glad to get this one done.  I'll try to not make the rest of my posts so lame.  I can't promise anything though.