Recent Home Updates

RECENT HOME UPDATES

After I completed my leopard living room curtains, I kept feeling the itch to check more things off of my summer to-do list. I decided to start with the kitchen curtains.

Breaking Out the Sewing Machine

For these curtains you’ll remember that I was planning to use this fabric.

I am not very well-versed in the use of a sewing machine, but I got one for Christmas a few years back and busted it out for this project. I have to read the directions every time I get it out, and sometimes I have to search a YouTube video or two. I thought I was ready to go so I took my picture expecting my next one to be of something complete. And then something just didn’t seem to be going right and here’s what I managed to accomplish:  Oh boy…..

So, I regrouped, reread my instruction guide, and tried again. I also put my camera away at this point and decided to just focus.

New Curtains

I sewed the curtains, hung them on a tension rod and hated them. They were gathering like Granny’s old kitchen curtains, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the gather at all. My original plan was to hang them from hooks like I did the leopard curtains, but I did not like the look I was getting. The fabric, to me, looked better when it was flat. I decided to cut them to fit the width of the window and hung them on small tension rods. They just add a little bit of accessory to the white kitchen. I have enjoyed having them up. And enjoyed even more that I didn’t have to ask my mom to make them for me. 🙂 She was probably glad too.

I just love this fabric, and I recently saw it in black as upholstery on a chair. It was beautiful. The above picture doesn’t do it justice. My camera and editing skills are not up to par at all, but you get the general idea. I think it’s better than the before that you can see below.

Another Rug Switcheroo

I also switched a few more rugs around this week. You can see in the picture above the old orange rug I’ve had for way too long. It doesn’t really “go” anymore and, honestly, needed to be retired.

I think I have enough room for a runner along this stretch of cabinets, but I just can’t pull the trigger so quickly on rugs/runners. Plus, “shopping” my house is much easier on the pocketbook, so that’s exactly what I did.

If you remember my first post that shows the entry foyer to our building you’ll see that I had a rug at our door. Since we don’t use this door much anymore, I decided I would bring this rug inside and put it at the back door. I took the rug I was using at the back door and put it in front of the sink to replace the old orange one. 

Not a major transformation, but something different to enjoy. Always shop your house first! You’d be surprised at what you actually have that works in new ways and in new places.

I Tried to Better the Painting

A few posts ago I showed you an abstract painting that I did to go in our dining space. But if you remember, I didn’t love it. So I decided to add a bit of gold brush strokes around the edges to help it look a bit more like it was “framed”. I didn’t want it to be perfect like I was trying to actually frame it, but I just kept thinking it needed something. I am still deciding if I like the changes. I like it better than before, but I’m still not sure if I love it.

BeforeAfterLike I said, I don’t know if I love it, but I definitely like it better than before.

Anyone else crafting or having fun playing in your homes this summer? Share them with me in the comments.

Sometimes I think something as simple as switching a piece of furniture with another from a different room or rearranging your bedroom furniture is just as much fun as a full on room overhaul/makeover. I encourage you to do that! Especially for your kids. I was always asking to rearrange my furniture when I was little. Putting my bed on a different wall or in a corner. It gets your creative juices flowing and inspires you to make your home a place you truly love. And bonus to you moms who find it keeps your little ones occupied in their rooms while you get some downtime. 🙂

As always, my point here on this blog is to encourage you to make your house a home, a place that you loved to be, a space to express your creativity, and a safe haven for you to be yourself and make mistakes along the way. That’s part of the fun. Lord knows I’m making plenty of them, especially in the way of decorating, but I’m definitely having fun doing it.