Archive for November 2010
Faking It: Custom window valance
There are times in life where you just have to fake it. Like when you find the almost-perfect valance curtain at the thrift store.
In case you don’t remember, my kitchen window originally looked like this:
The empty space between the cabinets bugged me. I tried some floating wall vases from CB2, but wasn’t thrilled with the result. After that disaster, I planned to make a valance for the window . . . but hadn’t gotten around to it.
Then I found three green and white handmade valances at the Goodwill, for only $2 a pop. Knowing that my kitchen colors were supposed to be citrus (orange, yellow, green) – how could I resist? It wasn’t exactly the pattern I’d have chosen, but frankly I was happy to find something already made. I have enough sewing projects on my hands right now.
Valances usually hang on rods that come out from the wall and then across the front, creating a boxy shape. However, the wall surrounding my kitchen window was tiled, and since I rent, I didn’t want to drill any holes in it. Also, the curtain was much wider than the window. It’s a bit tricky to explain, so I’ll make a step-by-step list of how I created the custom-fitted look for the window. Here’s how I took the super easy way out:
- I found a spring-loaded curtain rod in the basement and adjusted it so that it was exactly the width of the opening between the two cabinets.
- I centered the rod into the pocket of the curtain, so that there was an equal amount of excess curtain on either end of it.
- Holding tight to the curtain & rod, so that the rod didn’t move in the pocket, I sprung the curtain into place in the opening.
- The curtain looked great, stretched taught across the opening, but the excess fabric on the ends hung down behind it, looking all shabby.
- I contemplated cutting the ends off, and re-hemming the curtain. But I liked the custom look created by the fabric wrapping around on either side.
- Enter the painter’s tape. (See, I told you I took the super easy way out!) I taped that sucker to the side of each cabinet. I also taped up each bottom corner (see below) so that you couldn’t see my cheat unless you bent your head and looked directly up at the curtain.
Ta-dah! A $2, super-easy-lazy-style kitchen window update. I am so happy with the result. And because I used painter’s tape, there’s no worry about messing up the finish on the cabinet.
I have two more valances (I bought the whole batch) and was going to put them on the other kitchen window, but I think that it would be a bit too classic for my modern taste. What do you think?
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‘Tis the season: To learn a lesson
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I sure did. Two, in fact.
Thursday was spent at my brother’s house with his lovely wife and my absolutely precious 7-month-old niece, my parents, and my bro’s in-laws. Then my mom and dad and I worked all day Friday, getting ready for what Ryan has dubbed “2nd Thanksgiving” on Saturday. That was the big day. Our family hosted our good family friends, as always, but with one new addition – Ryan’s family. It was the first time our families met, and I’m pretty sure it went well. 
The business forced a break from technology and sewing, which turned out to be a good thing.
On the long drive home to Virginia on Saturday night, I had time to think. At the thought of spending all day Sunday sewing, as planned… I shuddered. I’d been working so hard all through October and November, sewing test projects, making lots of mistakes, refining patterns, and thinking constantly of sewing and product ideas. Coupled with an exhausting 4-day holiday, my brain was fried.
I realized that – in typical Jane fashion – I dove head-first into reaching my goal, and didn’t exercise any restraint. I wanted to bring every idea to life immediately. I wanted to launch my online shop with not one, not two, but a gazillion products. And in trying to reach that goal, (which didn’t happen), I feel like I missed out on Fall, on all the good November festivities leading up to Thanksgiving. I felt blindsided by the holiday, and no where near ready for Christmas. My goal was never to exhaust myself – mentally and physically – with this project. It was supposed to be fun! Doing something I love.
With all that in mind, I took a step back. I decided to spend Sunday catching up on things around the house, like the cleaning that we’d sorely neglected. Get Fall decor put away, and get ready to embrace the Christmas season. So I did just that, and let me tell you -
It felt so refreshing to just clean the house. And organize. And make a few updates to the house which I will blog about this week. Oh, bloggable home projects – how I’ve missed you!
Starting tomorrow, I’ll be back to work – and at night I’ll work on sewing some products for the shop. But I’m going to take things slower, so that I have a more healthy (and enjoyable) balance of sewing, blogging, and enjoying the Christmas season with my beloved Ryan (who, by the way, dubbed our Thanksgiving-day 2-yr anniversary our “Turkiversary.”)
So I guess I’ll just chalk the month of November up as one big lesson learned. Here’s to December!
Whew – My shop is finally launched!
Whew. I’m tired. But Flourish Pets and Home is officially launched.
When I set the goal of opening a fully-stocked Etsy shop by the day before Thanksgiving (today), I had NO idea what I was in for.
It’s been a tiring few weeks, from making, trying, and remaking patterns, to sewing demo products and testing them to find their flaws, to finally sitting down and creating a bunch of products to sell. I achieved my goal, sort of.
Tonight I finally listed my first four items – all different patterns of handmade Christmas stockings – and while it’s less than I envisioned initially, I’ve realized it’s the best I could do, what with a job and all that. But it’s only the beginning. I’ve got a ton of other items I’m working on, from the practical yet pretty reusable cloth grocery and produce bags, to cute and modern dog and cat beds, and a few more special home decor items made from repurposed materials – but those are going to have to wait.
It’s almost Thanksgiving, and I’m ready to take a day (or three) away from my sewing machine. Today was the first day I really started to feel tired of sewing – and I don’t want to take a chance of getting burnt out. Not when I have this many ideas, and so much motivation.
Go figure – WordPress is acting up on me, so I can’t include links in a pretty way. Here is the link to my shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/flourishpetsandhome
PS: And if you northerners are looking for a good giggle, be sure to check out Sunny’s response to my Winter Prep Steps post from earlier this week.
EASY Chem-free microwave cleaning. Really.
Here’s an insanely quick and easy way to clean the microwave – without using a drop of cleaning detergents. Yet again, I forgot to get a “before” photo. But after I tried my inspired cleaning idea, and it worked, I did it again so that I could take a few pics for you all.
- Take a folded rag and wet it with water. Just water. Not soaking and dripping, but pretty wet.
- Place it in the microwave.
- Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
- Open microwave door, and watch the steam pour out. Can you see the steam? It’s the blurry white areas:
- Using a rubber glove or oven mitt to protect your hand from the heat, grab the steamy hot rag (that sounds funny, but do it anyway) and wipe down the ceiling, walls, floor, and tray of the microwave. The grunge should come right off.
See this rag that I’m holding up? That chocolatey-brown stain is, in fact, all the grunge that I wiped off the base of the machine after steaming it. And see how clean the rest of the microwave is? Only minutes earlier it had been splattered in spaghetti sauce, chocolate, soup, and a million other things. Trust me.
It’s really that simple. And if it worked on my grunge-encrusted microwave, then it’s sure to work on yours.
Do you have any cleaning cheats that are almost too easy to be real?
6 Winter Prep Steps
Does the coming Thanksgiving holiday have you making some changes in your house? It does in ours – and I don’t mean fall decorating! The crisp (not like white paint) air and the crunch of dog’s feet on the fallen leaves means it’s time to switch out the wardrobe, find the flannel sheets, stock up on firewood, and more. Here’s six ways we’re getting ready for winter at The Borrowed Abode.
1. Whip out the winter wardrobe
You can sneak a large wardrobe into a not-so-large closet if you pack away your out of season clothes. A few weeks ago I pawed through my closet and my dresser, packing away all the shorts, sundresses, bikinis, sandals (sigh) and filling their spots with my warm fuzzy sweaters. Even my summer pj’s got switched for my flannel winter ones. My storage bin of choice is a large Rubbermaid tub with a sturdy lid. If I can’t fit all my out-of-season clothes and shoes in there . . . well then I think I have too many. And when it’s time for me to make my winter weekend migration to Miami , no problem – I just pull the tub out to get to my skimpy summer clothes.
2. Break out the cozy bedding
We’ve changed up the sateen sheets on our bed for cozy flannel ones. To avoid clutter in the closets, we only have one set of summer sheets and one set of winter sheets – and the out-of-season set gets stowed in a decorative bin on the closet shelf. I’m also getting all the extra comforters and blankets drycleaned so that I’m sure to have enough clean, warm, and pet-hair-free layers for any and all guest beds.
3. Clean up the coat closet
This is an organizing project I’m dying to do. We need to spruce up the coat closet and make better use of the space so that we’re ready for organized usage of hats and mittens and dog coats. I’d like to move the hanging rod in the coat closet back by a few inches to make better use of the space. This may have to wait until my Christmas break, though, because right now I’m pretty busy.
4. Stock up on firewood
We’re stocking up on firewood so that we can continue to enjoy long nights around the firepit with good friends. It’s amazing how much a simple firepit can warm things up, making even the coldest night cozy and enjoyable.
5. Prep the pantry
Stock the pantry and freezer with cold-weather must-haves, such as soups and stews, mulling spices, and s’mores fixins. You don’t want to go hungry in a snowstorm!
6. Drive safe!
You can never be too safe on the roads. Especially if you’re elderly or have kids, make sure you tires have good treads, and pack and stow a winter emergency kit in the trunk of your car – for use just in case you get stuck in some horrible emergency. I’ve got the tires covered, since I replaced all four of them the day I left for my fall vacation. But I still need to make the emergency car kit. It should include:
- Several bottles of water
- 1/2 dozen hand warmer packs
- Several emergency heat blankets
- Hat and gloves
- A flashlight and extra batteries
- A small shovel and an extra ice scraper
- A towel and a blanket
- A bag of clay cat litter or sand (for traction on ice)
Well that’s it for us, but what about you? Is there anything we’ve left off our list? (And if you’re thinking hot cocoa, don’t worry – we’ve got plenty of that in the pantry!)
{Re}Fashion: Vintage Fall Skirt
Last winter I got this crazy huge skirt at a vintage store in Philly. I loved the pattern, but the longer-than-floor length size of it was just too much to handle. I mean, really, how did ladies in the 70′s wear these huge long skirts? They must have had some badass high heel platforms.
Anyway, I love the colors and pattern and fabric, so I finally chopped it off and hemmed it into a nice knee-length skirt. I totally forgot to get a “before” photo.
It’s still a bit crazy full, with tons of pleats, but I was so excited that I found a way to make it corporate-appropriate, or at least borderline so, by pairing it with a buttoned-up blazer. I’m just tired of wearing boring black or tan pants and a professional top to the office – and I definitely don’t want to spend any money buying newer, more trendy office clothes. There’s a little black in the skirt, so I think I can also wear it with a black top and black blazer, as long as I pair it with black hose and black boots.
My coworker pointed out that when I took off the blazer the outfit was totally ready for a night of cocktails out on the town. In theory that’s awesome. If only my life were so exciting . . . ha!
This is one refashioning that anyone can do. Even if you don’t have a sewing machine, and you want to change the length of a skirt, just buy some Stitch Witchery – it’s iron-on hem tape. Just be sure to carefully measure the length of the skirt on all sides, so that you don’t end up with it lop-sided.
Skirt – vintage. Top, Boots, Jacket – all thrifted. Necklace – Target. Haircut – DIY’ed.
Etsy Christmas Spotlight: Our Humble A{Bowe}D
Throughout the holiday season I plan to spotlight different Etsy shops that I’m really loving for potential Christmas gifts.
I recently discovered the Etsy shop of Amanda at Our Humble A{Bowe}D – and I love it! She makes some sweet and sentimental prints and cutout paper art. Of course, as the Borrowed Abode-r I’m also loving how she used the word Abode in her blog and shop names.
But back to the art. While I’m digging everything in her shop, I especially love her customizable pieces, all of which would be perfect for a newly married couple:
In addition to the initials, you can even customize the number of birds in the above print – how fun is that?
So don’t waste any more time sitting here, when you could be over there purchasing one of these prints for only $15, or perusing the rest of her shop! And while you’re at it, visit her blog to check out the fabulous dining table she built herself!
Are there any Etsy shops that you’re especially loving right now? Do share, because I plan to only give handmade gifts this Christmas!
I’m Trashy
Why am I so trashy? Why do I corral clutter with old glass jars, and used cardboard boxes covered with fabric? Why do I scour thrift stores and flea markets for used goods? Why do I long to build furniture out of wood reclaimed from trashed shipping pallets?
I do it because it’s free. I do it because it’s easy.
I do it because it beats sitting in DC traffic to go to The Container Store any day.
But most of all, I do it because it’s better for our planet, and the people who inhabit it.
Most of the furniture, decor items, and organizing goodies in stores (from WalMart to Target to The Container Store to West Elm) are made overseas in third-party factories that aren’t eco-friendly, and do not provide fair working conditions or a living wage.
In our society, where more for less is better, we’ve been trained to shop without questioning how the items we purchase were made. We want cheaper prices so we can buy more, and big box retailers give them to us so that sales can soar and stockholders can grow richer.
I didn’t used to think about how we got “always low prices” at Wal-mart when I lived one block away in college. I loved to buy the cute new candle holders at Target, fun decor items, and every organizing bin on earth.
In 2007 and 2008 I read a ton of news reports that kids in China were being kidnapped into basically sweatshop slavery. . . and their local government turned a blind eye to it. I didn’t change all my shopping habits immediately, but I started to think more about the products being sold. Are we really so desperate for a cute and cheap little desk caddy that we will ignore the conditions in which it’s been produced? Do we really believe that cheaply decorating our home is more important than the way human beings are treated?
Today, two years after that realization, I do think long and hard before purchasing a clothes or decor items. Like a rug for my living room. In the end, if I decide to buy something – like the little dish soap caddy from Target – it’s only after a long time spent thinking about if it’s really worth it.
I get it: This may not be a battle you can afford to wage right now. I do not judge. The economy’s in the tank, and chances are you’re just as worried about saving money as the next family. We’re all doing different things to leave our mark on this world. Heck, you’re probably doing more than I am, whether through volunteering, through your work, at your church, or by trying your hardest to raise good kids in this crazy world.
In case you’re curious, I’ve saved a ton of money. I haven’t been to Target in over a month, and haven’t been to the mall since April. I’ve investigated labor conditions in factories used by companies like Anthropologie. These are the choices that I make, and they are the right choices for me.
Here’s a few recycling/upcycling/simplifying/repurposing examples from fellow bloggers:
Mikalah at Posy the Porcelain Pig
And of course Sunny at Life in Rehab, is overflowing with examples. (That’s why there’s a recycling box at her home that her kids named “crap mom can make stuff out of.”)
Sidenote: if you’re curious to see how I negotiate even better deals when buying used furniture, you can hop over here.
