DIY Yellow Curtains for the Playroom

<div style="text-align: justify;">There are only two bedrooms on the main floor of our house, the master bedroom and a large-ish room at the front of the house. For the first few months that we lived here, I used it as my office space, but it just didn't really work for some reason. Then I had the idea to move my office to the big space above our garage on the other side of the house and make the old office our playroom.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 16.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/16.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I had been a little worried that toys would end up migrating all over the house with this set up, where the playroom is right by the living spaces, but really, it's been so great. I love both the studio space and this playroom, which we only very recently decided to quickly decorate in time for the Domino shoot. We had been planning on doing Evie's room as the kid's space in the spread, but the playroom ended up being the easier space to photograph in the end, so we threw this room together in about seven crazy days! These yellow curtains were our jumping off point.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wanted this room to feel girly and playful, and I thought pretty curtains were a great place to start. We had no time and really no budget to make fancy curtains though, so IKEA came to the rescue. I had actually picked up three packs of these white cotton Ritva panel pairs a couple months before (when the room was still an office) and I just hadn't got around to hanging them yet.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5541.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5541.jpg" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I almost didn't use them because I wanted the walls to be white, and I wanted the curtains to be a fun color to pop off the white. This image kept coming to mind when I was brainstorming colors. I only wish I had the budget to recreate these exactly!</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><center></center></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo PaulCostello1.png" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/PaulCostello1.png" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I figured it wouldn't really be a wasted effort to try and dye the IKEA panels because I wasn't able to return them at that point. So I picked up four bottles of RIT dye - two each of Golden Yellow and Lemon Yellow. It's not for everyone, or for every tub, but I felt comfortable with dying the panels in my bathtub. I tested the dye beforehand and there was no staining on the fiberglass, so I felt good about moving forward using my tub. It made the project and clean up about a million times easier than using a big tupperware tub (and I have a front-loading washing machine, so that wasn't an option).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5550copy.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5550copy.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I got three of the panels wet in the shower first (which helps the dye soak up more evenly) while I filled the tub with about six or seven inches of the hottest water I could get out of the tap. I added one bottle of each of the two yellow colors and about half a cup of salt. Once that was all mixed, I put in the three panels and while wearing long gloves, moved the fabric around in the dye bath for a good 20-30 minutes until the color looked bright and even. I turned on the faucet again, to cold this time, and let the dye bath drain and the cold water run on the panels until the water was close to clear. I moved the panels to a laundry basket and took them to the washing machine for a cold water wash on the delicate cycle.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5548.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5548.jpg" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I made a hanging station and let the panels air dry over night. And then I started again with the second batch of three panels and two more bottles of dye.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5601.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/IMG_5601.jpg" /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Then we ironed each panel well before hanging them over white fabric shades from Lowes (which were less than $20 for the 48" size!) and white wooden rings and rods, also from Lowes.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 18.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/18.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I love, love, love how these curtains turned out. Because I had bought the IKEA panels so many months before, it practically felt like a $12 project, where I just had to buy the dye. :) And I think the color combo of the lemon and golden yellow colors really worked out perfectly, which was sort of a lucky break.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 17.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/17.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I think when I have some extra time I'll add a thick or even black out lining to these to add some weight and a clean white backside view from the front of the house (though the white roman shades help a bit with that for now).</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 15.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda014/15.jpg" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Have you had any successes with dying big projects like this? Have you used your tub or a tupperware container?</div>

DIY Yellow Curtains for the Playroom

There are only two bedrooms on the main floor of our house, the master bedroom and a large-ish room at the front of the house. For the first...

Read more »

Linen Curtains in the Library (and a Loom Decor Give Away!)

We get very bright, full sun in the library for the first half of the day, so I've know for a while that we were going to need to invest in black out curtains and shades for the front rooms.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo nIMG_7603.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/nIMG_7603.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo cIMG_7702.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/cIMG_7702.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I've held off and held off (because I knew they were going to be an investment and I wanted to be really, really happy with the color and fabric). Then I started to notice a little bit of sun damage on the mohair sofa and that was enough to get me moving. Plus, I felt like I had made enough other decisions for the adjoining rooms (new paint color for the music room, new rug for the library and music room) that I knew what color direction to go in for the curtains.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_7418.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/IMG_7418.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I ordered the curtains from <a href="http://www.loomdecor.com/" target="_blank">Loom Decor</a> and I seriously could not be more happy with how they turned out. The fabric I chose (<a href="http://www.loomdecor.com/pale-seafoam-slubby-linen-custom-euro-pleat-drape-oh24" target="_blank">the Lush Pure Linen in Dew</a>) was an in-stock fabric, so it only took TWO WEEKS for the custom curtains to ship (and shipping was free!), which was such a huge help with the Domino shoot deadline looming. My local seamstress had quoted me five weeks (which seemed pretty ridiculous - it meant I basically I would have picked them up, like, today! yikes.) I told the Loom Decor people I was in a rush and they were so, so happy to get me everything asap. So nice of them! It was pretty much like Christmas morning when I opened up the carefully packaged curtains. The panels were perfectly constructed and the fabric has a really great color, weave and weight.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5481.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/IMG_5481.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I decided to go with black out lining and <a href="http://www.loomdecor.com/custom-european-pinch-pleat-curtain-panel" target="_blank">two-finger Euro pleats</a> for the curtains. I like fan and Euro pleats the best - I think they are formal looking without being too fussy, and they help the fabric fold beautifully.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_7604.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/IMG_7604.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />It is so nice to be able to close the curtains at night so we have privacy and then sun protection in the early morning. We hung the curtains on these brass Restoration Hardware rods that I got on sale a few weeks ago at the outlets. I love how simple they are.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_7681.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/IMG_7681.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_7623.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/IMG_7623.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I alway have curtains made at least an inch or two too long, so they puddle just a bit. I wanted these to be a little more puddled, so I went with a 2.5" addition to the finished length.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_7614.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/IMG_7614.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />It's crazy how much the curtains help this room feel finished! I loved the open look of the windows before but now I can't imagine living without these curtains! Big game changer.<br /><br />Loom Decor, which offers up all sorts of beautiful soft goods like pillows, poufs, bedding and window treatments in all sorts of gorgeous fabrics usually only available to the trade, was really excited to offer up TWO $100 gift certificates for LGN readers today! <a href="http://www.loomdecor.com/little-green-notebook-giveaway" target="_blank">Just click here to enter</a>. Good luck! (and thanks, <a href="http://www.loomdecor.com/" target="_blank">Loom Decor</a>!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo image003.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/image003.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div>

Linen Curtains in the Library (and a Loom Decor Give Away!)

We get very bright, full sun in the library for the first half of the day, so I've know for a while that we were going to need to invest...

Read more »

Shades and Sputniks

<center></center>I really love a good woven shade, but I prefer them in lighter tones with lots of tortoiseshell mottling in the pattern. Home Depot used to carry a really beautiful version that was discontinued a couple years ago and I've been feeling the loss ever since. I wanted warm-toned woven shades for my studio and all my usual sources were coming up short. Then one day when I was buying lumber at Lowes, I took a turn down the curtain aisle, headed for the check out, when the clouds parted and there they were. The perfect shade in the perfect color. A decent price. LINED. And most exciting of all - customizable!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_3284.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_3284.jpg" /></div><br />They're by <a href="http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=110358-978-LWWCDL2406096D&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3365452&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=rel&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1" target="_blank">Levolor</a> and they're not terribly expensive for as well made and pretty as they are, especially considering the custom sizing option. They have a machine in the store that can cut the shade in super exact widths on the spot. It's pretty amazing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_3274.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_3274.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I like my shades to hang 1.5-2 inches wider than the window casing on each side. So these ones were cut four inches wider than my windows. I also hang the little fork thing for twisting the cord around up very high to keep it well away from little hands.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_3278.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_3278.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think it's worth it to pay the little extra for these shades for the white lining alone. The white looks so much more clean from the outside of the house, and it helps to smooth out and filter the light as it shines through the slats.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_3289.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_3289.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Also, I wanted to mention that the sputnik we hung in the studio was a redo of <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2011/05/diy-sputnik-chandelier.html" target="_blank">this DIY from a few years ago</a>. The people who moved into the loft after us asked to keep the light, so I gave that one to them. I had used clear cups that time that had sort of a soft green-ish hue.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_3280.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_3280.jpg" /></div><br />This time I wanted pure white cups so I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y1LL24/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007Y1LL24&linkCode=as2&tag=littgreenote-20&linkId=PEL3BKPTS6HRWZNC" target="_blank">these ones from Amazon</a> and they worked beautifully. I did the same basic technique of cutting down the paper flowers a few inches and glueing them to the cups. I spray painted the base this time, which was way easier than brushing on the gold paint. (there are some things about apartment living that I don't miss! :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_3153.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_3153.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I took down the old light and installed this chandelier by myself because both were pretty lightweight and I knew it would be an easy project. If the new fixture had been super heavy I would have paid for an electrician to come out or asked for help, but something like this could not be more simple because I was just installing the wire and bulb part. You add the spokes and arms after installing the light. Smart IKEA designers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_3775.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_3775.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I love how the gold looks against the crisp white amuse bouche cups! They sort of look like milk glass in person.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_3069.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_3069.jpg" /></div>

Shades and Sputniks

I really love a good woven shade, but I prefer them in lighter tones with lots of tortoiseshell mottling in the pattern. Home Depot used to ...

Read more »