The Weekender: Easy Roller Blind DIY

Window coverings are often the hardest part of designing a room, especially if you're a renter and don't want to invest in pricey curtains that you may not be able to use in your next rental.  So I figured this Ikea Hack by Michael would be the perfect Saturday project for those who are looking for an easy alternative.  According to the instructions on Michael's website, you don't need to do much sewing or use messy spray adhesive, plus it's not expensive.  Didn't I tell you it would be perfect!

Now grab your supplies, turn up the music, and get to work!

Spring DIY: Window Film

To kick off the spring season, I've got the first of many Spring DIY's. The topic: windows.

Most rentals come with those cheap white window blinds. Aside from being ugly, they're also a pain to clean. That's why I finally decided to go with window film.

Window film comes in all sorts of decorative designs (stained glass, mosaic, mirrored, etched glass) and is a great alternative to window blinds. It can be purchased from most home improvement stores and runs about $40 for a standard sized window, though you can buy larger value packs if doing multiple windows.


I tried the Light Effects Textured Window Film from Home Depot ($19.97). The film was non-adhesive which means it's super easy to remove when you move out. It was also easy to install. In about 10 minutes, I went from looking at my neighbor's house (above) to having a nicely covered window that goes well with the rest of my room.

To install the window film I needed:

• 2 packs of the 24" x 36" Light Effects window film (non-adhesive) - $40
• 1 spray bottle filled with soapy water - $1
• 1 ruler - already had
• 1 utility knife - already had
• 1 squeegee - included

First you use the ruler and utility knife to cut the film to the size of your window. If you prefer, you can cut the excess film while it's on the window, using the window edge as a ruler...I found this way to be easiest.

Once you clean your windows, spray them with your soapy water solution (below). Remove the protective paper from the back of the film, spray the film with soapy water, and apply to the window. The soapy water allows you to easily move the film until it's in the perfect position.

Once you have the film where you want it, spray the outside with soapy water and use the squeegee to remove the excess water from behind the film. You'll want a rag around to catch the water. After that you're done! It's quite possibly the easiest DIY ever.

The window film lets in sunlight, blocks the view of the neighbor's house, and eliminates the need for window blinds...pretty good if you ask me. It's also easy to remove: peel from the corner, give the window a quick cleaning, reinstall your blinds, and you're done!

UPDATE (3/27/09) - Just found a great post over at Design*Sponge on window films. Check it out for more window ideas!

Bye Bye Mosquitos!

If you haven't read Domino magazine, head to the nearest newsstand and pickup a copy. Out of the gazillion design magazines I subscribe to, Domino is my favorite when it comes to good, practical, AFFORDABLE advice. They also have great blogs on their website, dominomag.com.

One of my favorite ideas in this month's issue came from style director Dara Caponigro who used DIY retractable netting to screen off her porch. It's a great solution for renters who want to keep out the bugs and add a dose of style.

To snag Dara's curtains go to mosquitocurtains.com. When there you can choose from two options...a metal track or velcro. According to the Mosquito Curtians website, the netting can run you upwards of $400 if you choose the metal track (pictured above). My opinion, hit the fabric store, grab some netting, install curtain tracks from Ikea, and you can do your whole porch on the cheap.

While your checking out the Domino website, make sure to visit the 50 Paint Colors Gallery to see real rooms splashed with bright inspiration.

Finger Cramps

So, I'm buying a sewing machine. After six hours of trying to sell curtains yesterday, I only managed to sew two hems and came away with an aching back and cramped fingers. It's going to take even longer to finish the rest of the first curtain, nevermind starting the other two.

If you have a sewing machine to recommend, PLEASE DO!! So far the Singer® Inspiration 4205 looks like the best machine. It's supposedly great for beginners and is simple to use. Textiles aren't exactley my forte, so basic is great for me!

I'm also going to enroll in a basic sewing machine class at Jo-Ann Fabrics so I can figure out how to use the silly thing. Hopefully I learn quickly so I can finally have curtains!

Extreme Livingroom Makeover, Part 7: Almost There!

From this: To this:

After weeks of searching for the perfect fabric to cover my chairs, I found just what I was looking for in the remnant section of the fabric store in Dorchester (more on that tomorrow). It's a retro fabric with several different shades of brown. The colors are nice and neutral and the pattern adds some texture without being too busy.


My first thought was to cover the whole chair in the brown fabric, but after doing a mockup, I decided it was a little too much brown. So I chose to do the top green and the bottom brown, but the green was too much of a contrast against the blue of the chair. Thankfully I had my trusty assistant Jerome there to pick out the blue which blends in with the chair while still adding a pop of color and intrest.


Perfect! Looking back at the old pics from when I first bought them, it's hard for me to believe these are the same chairs...they're so cute now! A dash of paint and a few yards of fabric can really go a long way!

I was apparently on a project high because I didn't stop at recovering the chairs...I went on to hang the new bamboo blinds (Kmart) and paint the pipes a nice shade of orange. Unfortunately, I ran out of steam before I could get to the cutains. I've decided to go with green, though I can't decide whether I want to do a simple fabric-covered cornice box or if I want actual curtains. I'll most likely do the cornice...why make more work if I don't have to?!


After that it's pillow making time. I'm not satisfied with the quality of some of the pillows I first made and I have some leftover fabric so, why not? Once the pillows and a couple odd jobs are done, the room will be officially FINISHED!!


That's right, finished! I can't wait. This room has been my pride and joy. I've found several other cute items that would like nice in the room, but I don't want to be one of those people who just doesn't know when to stop. They start with a few Christmas lights and the next thing you know there are inflatable snowglobes and giant Santa's covering their lawn. Tacky is NOT very becoming!

Bringing in the Outside

Today's design blog find comes from DIYideas.com who gives us the tree branch curtain rod. Not only is this a great way to put a modern twist on nature, but it's super cost effective: all you need is a tree branch and a can of spray paint!

The instructions are simple: grab a tree branch slightly larger than your window. Cut the stems off until it has the look you want. Give it a quick coat of spray paint, then mount it with the same curtain rod holders you'd use for a normal rod.

The one drawback is that you can't move the curtains around once you put them on the branch since they'll get caught on the stems. DIYideas.com recommends buying tie-top curtains which are easy to tie around the branch and then using tie backs to open and close the curtains as you wish.

This gets a big thumbs up from me!

Extreme Livingroom Makeover, Part 3: The Uncorked Edition

Today's project, cork window bling. Who needs platinum and gold when you can go au natural?

The windows in the living room have been looking pretty bad. I decided to go with yellow on the curtains but I was having a hard time figuring out how to jazz them up. I knew that I wanted some kind of print fabric to bring out the colors in the room but after searching both online and in the stores, I couldn't find the perfect fabric.

So, I turned to cork coasters.

I don't remember how the idea came about, all I know is that I'm glad to finally have a funky (and cheap) solution for my windows!

First, I went shopping. The square coasters come 12/pk from Ikea ($1.99) and the circle coasters were 24/pk from Bed Bath and Beyond ($4.99).

After buying a gazillion coasters and explaining to the cashiers that no, I wasn't having a big party, I got out leftover paint from other living room projects and added some much needed color to the coasters. I found it that the best way to get the paint on was to give it a good slathering and then use the paint brush to dab the paint around.

After the coasters dried (it doesn't take very long) I used 1" S hooks to connect them together. Since the cork is rather fragile, you probably dont' want to go bigger than 1" with the S hooks or else you're likely to rip the coasters. Another option is to use binder rings (you can find these at office supply stores like Staples) to connect the coasters. Just poke them through a hole in the cork and you're done!

Since I wanted there to be distance between each piece, I looped the S hooks together and then used pliers to close the gap and permanently link them. Jerome can tell you from experience that connecting 300 S hooks with pliers is NOT fun or easy on the hands. It will probably be awhile before he helps me on another project!



In the end, you're left with this:



Please disregard how bad they look in the picture; it doesn't do them justice. Not only am I horrible at taking pics, but I was trying to make sure the picture didn't show any other parts of the living room since the whole room has turned into one big messy project!

Anyway, I still have to redo the actual curtains and fix some things up in that area, but I'm well on my way!

Tomorrow's project: the blue and green chairs you see in the picture.