bamboo shades and owls. { yes, very clever }

I'm in need of a pep talk.

Those stupid kitchen curtain panels will ruin me. I will soon say in a loud voice to no one in particular,

I will never ever make curtains again! Ever! Don't let me do it. My TIME is worth more than this. My SANITY -- wait, let's not go there. But my TIME! I want it back!

Especially when working with generous amounts of linen that doesn't want to be measured. So much so, that when I measured so carefully last week I was short TWENTY INCHES on four of the long panels. So. Now I have six panels that need twenty-inch extensions added to them and some embellishment on on the front that makes it look... intentional. Ahem.

So forgive me while I show you photos of the new cordless bamboo roman shades I installed this week.
They are also part of the new kitchen look. And honestly, I did underestimate how long they would take to install. (Including the by-hand removal of 50 screws for the previous treatments, while it is 107 degrees outside and we are facing southwest... ) So we're going to celebrate them.

These windows had 2" faux wooden blinds when we moved in. Blinds that, when closed, did such a good job of blocking out the sun that I felt very, very closed in. I'm not really ok with that feeling, especially in the kitchen, where I spend so much of my time. The new shades allow me to see a little while still blocking most of the sun.

But my favorite part is that there are no cords. Cords that we have to wind up because Fidge will mess with them. Cords that become tangled. These shades just go up and down. Beautiful bit of engineering here.

And, I'm going to tell you, I did not pay an arm and leg for them either. They were even a bit cheaper than traditional blinds. I also took a chance and ordered the 33"-wide shades even though my windows measure 34". Because the 33" ones are stock and, therefore, returnable and not so freaking expensive. And, since curtain panels will one day flank all of the windows, no one is going to see that the gap between the shade and the casing is 5/8 inch rather than 3/8.

{ insert celebration dance here } Woohoo! Yay! Yowza! Yippee! We are still awaiting those blasted panels (and curtain hardware), but we are one step closer.

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So. About the owls. This one is my favorite. It's a little Avon solid perfume holder from back in the day. Your grandmother probably had one. (Mine didn't, because she hated birds in the house. Maybe my mom did, because I do remember this guy.)

He was discounted to 40 cents at a thrift store. Couldn't pass it up. He still had some of the perfume inside, so I put him in the microwave (he IS plastic, so what the heck) and melted it down a bit to pour it out. I even put him in the dishwasher.

He's clean and shiny and so stinking cute on my living room mantle. And, he's kind of like an action figure, since his head swivels (and comes off).

This guy is from the same thrift store, different day, about 75 cents. The eyeliner is kind of heavy for my taste, but who am I to judge? :) The feathers are pretty cool and I like that he is white, perfect for in here. (Rachel just reminded me she has one, too. "Minus the KISS eyeliner," lol.) Fidget, for some reason that baffles us, talks to him. Yes, that is Heather's pretty sunprint on the right.

We're going to pick up a middle school schedule this afternoon. Someone is celebrating upstairs, I can hear her...

So. What are you celebrating today???

ETA: 
Not sure what all the "�"s were earlier.  Some kind of 'fancy' typepad thing, I'm sure. 

Comments

[lera]

I am laughing my butt off about your owl with (KISS) eyeliner! Too flipping funny, girl!

Sorry to hear about the curtain panels. That really stinks. However, the bamboo shades look lovely :-)

[katie]

Love, LOVE the bamboo shades! How wonderful! You're owl addiction is growing on me! I'm starting to dig owls, too!

[kirsten]

i love the shades - i've wanted them for a long time. i was waiting till my boys were old enough not to destroy them. no cords might mean i'm closer than i thought!

we are celebrating a 2nd day of kindergarten, a sleepover at grandma's, and a new dance class that turned out wonderful after all.

[laeroport]

Oh, I'm sure you will make those 20 in. extensions look like the most beautiful bit of serendipity. Maybe some embroidered owls......

I'm celebrating that Aidin's new glasses only set me back 30 bucks.

[Amy Harper]

I like the bamboo. I really do. And the owls are too cute. I am celebrating our road trip coming up this weekend to Oregon with two toddlers in the back seat. Really, it will be fun. An adventure with potty stops.

[Kim V]

Your shades are great! I love bamboo shades! And your owls are adorable! I remember the Avon one too...maybe I saw it in the catalog back in the day...lol!
Good luck with those stinkin' curtains which I'm sure I'll love when I see them on your blog!
Kim

[Lil' d]

I like the shades. We used to have a bamboo shade. One of the dogs ate it...

I'm sorry about the curtains. Still, lots of curtains look great with a contrasting panel or stripe at the bottom. Really.

[Jade]

Loving your owls my dear! :)

[Carrie]

I totally remember that avon owl....that is so funny! It looks nice in your home too. Sorry about the curtains....things like that happen to me too often. I was making one of those Kimono's for the baby and I was short one inch on the sleeve height....I had to squeeze Boden's arm in to get it on him and now I can't use it anymore unless I'd like to torture my kid....a bit too tight. Of course I figured this all out after I cut into my skant 1/2 yard of expensive fabric so I made it anyways!!

[Angie]

Geez, this in one heck of a thrift store :-)

[Jade]

Hey you! You'll never believe what I found while thrifting this weekend. A little birdy to go with your owl. Check my post today!