Custom Curtains

I am linking up today with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It. 

After I post this Monday Made It, I am off with my daughters to see what we can get into for my last day of summer break!!  

There really are few-- if any-- tasks that are more fun than moving. I mean, possibly visiting the doctor for your annual exam, or being audited by the IRS-- but really-- there isn't much that could top the list. We moved this summer, and for weeks leading up to the move and weeks following the move, our lives were totally consumed with moving in some form or fashion-- from actually finding the house in the first place to purging and packing to unpacking and organizing....on and on it went.

To be fair, there are some bright points involved in a big move though-- and decorating is definitely one of them-- IF you aren't like me and too overwhelmed or exhausted by said move to even think about one single design element. I think my problem is that when I move, I want to wave a wand and have it all done...yesterday. And when I say, "done," I mean that I want all boxes unpacked and broken down, every corner cleaned, pictures hung on the walls and the family lounging together watching a movie or playing games like the move never even happened. Unrealistic expectations? Totally.

So, it has been about six weeks now that we have been in our "new" house. I joke that we should hide the stones since we now live in a glass house with lots of large windows. We love the windows, of course, but prior to owning this home, I had never furnished my own window treatments. I decided right away to go with panel curtains to minimize the view obstruction. But, after a lot of searching, I just didn't see anything that I would want to look at day in and day out for the next few years. My teenage daughter, who is taking fashion classes in high school, rescued me from indecision when she volunteered to MAKE THE CURTAINS FOR US. Can you visualize me buying fabric before she knew what hit her?  'Cause that is exactly what happened! Over the next few weeks, I learned A LOT about sewing from her. The first challenge of this project was to measure and cut the fabric. We were dealing with a window that is 100 inches in length and 142 inches in width. This step sounds simple enough, but it was a little nerve-wracking because of the pattern I chose:

We knew that we had to cut the fabric just right or the pattern would not line up on the finished panels...and that would be a drapery atrocity. So, we measured and pinned and measured and pinned again...and then cut the fabric. We decided to make three panels, and cut one panel in half, so we would end up with a panel and a half on each side of the window when the curtains were pushed open.

The next step involved a lot of measuring and ironing. My daughter loves to sew, but she hates the measuring and ironing. Surprise, surprise. Suffice it to say that I watched a lot of Netflix while I was doing all of this measuring and ironing. Grin. Along the length of the panels, I measured and pressed a seam that was 2.5 inches, then opened it, folded and pressed another half inch, and folded it again on the original pressed line to create a seam. I pinned the fabric at the top, the bottom, and about every foot or two in between the top and bottom. For the width of the panels, I followed the same process only the starting seam was 1.5 inches. For the panel that we cut in half, I pressed the seam at 1.25 inches for the length (half the thickness that I measured for the full panel). And then, my daughter worked her magic on the sewing machine!

Because the window is so wide, I was worried about finding hardware that would accommodate the width of the window as well as accommodate the confines of my checkbook. Ikea to the rescue!! Meet my Swedish friends: Betydlig, Hugad, Syrlig and Blast.

As my husband drilled Betydlig and Hugad in their respective spaces on the wall, my daughter and I spread the panels out for a moment of truth: Would the crazy pattern actually line up as we had hoped? Was my measurement of all the seams accurate and my ironing precise???? This is what we found, and we were pretty dog-gone pleased:

We attached the Syrlig clip rings to the tops of our curtains and popped the Blast fixtures on the ends. Here is the "finished" product:

Truthfully, the project is not finished because I want to take the curtains down and add additional Syrlig clips to the top. And, in retrospect, I wish that we had not divided the middle panel in half because it results in too many gaps between the panels when they are closed. If I were to do this project again, I would make four full panels and push two panels to each side of the window. My perfectionist daughter is not happy with the results, and she is trying to determine a proper solution. I am okay with the results because when the curtains are open (which they most always are), they look great. The problem of gaps between the panels is only apparent when the curtains are closed taut. One possible solution would be to use these curtains in another room of the house where the window is not quite as wide. Another solution would be to eliminate the half panels and sew two full panels as replacements....ugg, but that's a lot of work and I am just not sure that we are up to it since the start of school is imminent.

Clearly, this was my first attempt at anything of this magnitude, so I am definitely a novice in every sense of the word. I am sure that many of you have much more experience and can help me solve this problem!! What are your thoughts?

Rainbows!!

If I asked you to tell me a story about a time when you saw a rainbow, I bet a vivid memory would leap to mind immediately for most of you.  There is truly something memorable...something magical even... about witnessing a rainbow.

In my opinion, that unique feeling of awe and wonder is inspired by the promise God made after THE Flood. For me, the explanation of the rainbow can be found in Genesis 9:13-- "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."  

Call it egocentric, but when I see a rainbow, I feel that God is communicating a message specifically to me.  And, the message that I sense from Him is always very clear and very simple: I am God, and I am still here.  Whether I am experiencing hardship and need that gentle reminder, or whether everything is cheery and sunny in my world, it's still the most reassuring message I could imagine.

Yesterday, on a routine run to the grocery store, my daughter and I caught a glimpse of a rainbow.  Like each and every other time when that unexpected surprise has appeared in the sky, it was a joyful moment and I slowed the car so she could snap as many pictures as possible.  "I bet there's a pot of gold, at the end!" she shrieked.

As we turned onto a different street, the rainbow was behind us and only visible through the side mirror of our car.  For as long as we could, we savored the sight of that colorful stripe in the sky.  It occurred to me once we turned that first corner that drivers in other cars traveling in the westerly direction may not have had any idea that the beautiful display of God's promise was lingering just behind them.  That thought made me realize how many times I have missed blessings that God had prepared for me...simply because my eyes were not open or I was not looking in the right direction.

Just because the other drivers didn't recognize the rainbow certainly didn't make it any less THERE.  Oh, it was there alright-- there was no denying that. And, that realization reminds me that even when I don't FEEL God with me....when I don't see the rainbow to remind me that He is with me....He is indeed still with me.

I hope this week that each of you may experience your own rainbow moment...whether you actually see a rainbow or not!!

What's Your Motto?

Miss Jackson is in the house!  Today I am linking up for the very first time for Made It Monday with 

Tara from 4th Grade Frolics!!

 SO EXCITED!

I am a complete summer insomniac!  During the months of the year that I teach elementary school, I struggle to even STAY AWAKE until 8 p.m., but once school ends, I guess my brain just doesn't receive enough stimulation during the day and I am WIDE AWAKE into the wee hours for the months of June and July! That's kind of a bummer for me because I am also a morning person.  I love to run and swim early in the day, and then start knocking things off my daily to-do list while my children are still asleep.  It's kind of hard to get that ball rolling at 6 a.m. though if I spent the night tossing and turning!  But, it is what it is and I do believe there is a season for everything.  Right now, I'm in the restless season...soon enough it will be the time of year when I simply can't get enough rest!

I wish I could say that I have something ultra productive to show for all those extra waking hours in the summertime.  But, I really don't...I usually end up spending my time aimlessly strolling around the Internet...under my covers-- where I try to conceal the light from my phone so I don't disturb my sweet husband....who is blessed to sleep like a rock no matter what time of year we are enjoying.

On really gloomy nights, I research medical conditions...and I have myself diagnosed with the scariest of scary before dawn breaks.  But, on happier nights, I stumble across projects that inspire me!  On one such lucky sleepless night recently, I ran across an incredible blog and a really cool idea!!  Andrea, of Life. Love. Larson, created these colorful silhouettes of states that her family has lived in over the years:

Aren't they super adorable?  She has a TON of enviable projects on her blog...but, I also LOVE that Andrea lives in my hometown!!  Her idea inspired me to research mottos of the states my family has lived in, type them up, and display them in our new house!

And, this is what I ended up with....

I am really excited about it!  Most of my house will eventually be decorated in black and white, so I think these will really complement the big picture.  I have invested approximately three whole dollars in this venture.  I purchased the background paper at Michaels, and of course, I just typed and printed the mottos. I rescued the simple frames from my teenage daughter, who had sentenced them to the trash receptacle! Can you believe it?!  

We actually have two additional states to feature, so I left room on the wall at the top and bottom of this column so I can add those states' mottos later....when I find the perfect frames!

Do you know which three states are represented by these mottos?  That's what I plan to ask my new crew of fourth graders to determine when we return to school in a couple of weeks.  I think it will be a great activity to use to teach them some basic Internet research skills....and a little bit about their new teacher as well. 

I have also created an activity on my Teachers Pay Teachers store to accompany this idea....

Check it out here!

Please comment to let me know what your state motto is.....you know I will need something to occupy my time when I can't sleep tonight!!!