Curtains...
Last week I concentrated on hanging curtains in a few windows.
I have a “list of things to do” but it is still pretty cold outside. I need to paint the trim in the office, master bedroom and laundry room. I am using oil base paint and as you know, cleaning brushes with mineral spirits can take a bit of time outside. I want to do some trim work in the entry, but again, outside work. I may tackle the pantry this week but not sure exactly what I want to do…I ordered some jars and labels.
I have Raynaud’s which is this stupid circulation thing with my hands and feet. No biggy except whereas a “normal” person could probably work out side for short periods of times when it is below 65 degrees, I can not. It causes great pain and distress and is frustrating as heck!!!
I’m still adjusting to being “semi-retired.”
For those of you who grind it every day like I did for years, the idea of “retiring” may seem appealing. If you like waking up on Monday morning with little purpose for the week, go for it. If you like sitting around reading or binge watching 10 year old TV programs days on end, go for it. If you think you are going to volunteer, forget it. They don’t want you during a pandemic. If you think you are going to garden all day or project outside, make sure you have a library ready for the three or four months out of the year you can’t get outside.
The highlight of my entire week was the little warm up we had. I was able to get out and reorganize my garage.
Seriously, that was the highlight of the ENTIRE week.
I knew finding a “purpose” would take time….it’s still taking it’s time…lol!
Enough of my pity party…on to the curtain adventure!
So as you may know from my last house, I am not a big “curtain person.” Every single window in this house has 2” mini blinds…which are nice but they are just so….”mini blindish.”
One of the really awesome things about this house is that no window gets direct sunlight, so no window really needs to filter out hot sun. Also, no window is really “open to the public” so privacy is not a huge issue.
The windows in the living room and den adjoin the all-season room.
The windows in the breakfast room adjoin the side screened porch.
The windows in the dining room face west…
… but are shaded by the covered front porch and the large trees in the front yard. There is a bit of a need for “privacy” since they face the street…but not much. You would have to be on our front porch to see in and truthfully I am rarely in a state of “need for privacy” in my dining room!
So basically the need for curtains boil down to aesthetics…I look at curtains kinda like lipstick. You don’t HAVE to have it but it kind of dresses things up a bit and finishes off the “look.”
For the record, I rarely wear lipstick either!
But since I want to really make an effort on this house and since I have WAAAAY too much time on my hands, I decided to tackle a few windows…put a little lipstick on the rooms so to speak.
So off to the home decor store I went.
Again, I don’t really NEED curtains in the dining room but I found a set I really like.
(I notice I need to make some adjustments…especially to the curtain on the left.)
I decided to leave the blinds in place for now just incase we do need privacy or to block the sun…eventually I may do something different but not sure what. I do love the curtains and they work well with the “glitter/monotone” vibe I am going for in this room.
I did have a debate as too where to hang the curtains…above the transom or between the transom and the window. I looked on Pinterest and decided I actually like the look of curtains above the transom…so that’s where I hung them.
My plan is to make this table my “seasonal decor” spot. Since we rarely use this table, it is the perfect place to go all out…kinda of like I did for Christmas….
I plan to do this for every holiday. I picked up a bunch of stuff for Easter but can’t find anything I really like for Valentine’s Day so right now it is kind of bare.
I am a big fan of Pinterest. If you are looking for inspiration…what color or how high…just search and cruise. I promise you will eventually see a pattern to what you do and don’t like.
Went with simple for the den and breakfast room…I removed the blinds and added plain ole’ white sheers. Neither of these windows need shading or even privacy for that matter and I thought this simple look was like a bit of lip gloss. Simple and understated.
I found curtains for the office but still have to get another curtain rod…another project for another day!
So I made an effort and I like the little changes. The major change will be the living room windows. I tried just removing the blinds…I like it…Brian doesn’t. I thought about shutters but when I looked at “shutters” on Pinterest I realize I really didn’t like the look. I may try tall curtain panels across the entire wall but then the big question becomes “what fabric…what color…blah, blah, blah”
I may have to save that for another week…between the afternoon of rearranging the garage and my eye appointment on Tuesday I am plum worn out.
