Bye Bye Mini Blinds and a Chandelier Makeover

Hello...hello...is this thing on?

Remember me?

I'm that girl that used to blog here.

I was recently looking back at another post where
I was joking about being AWOL for 3 weeks.
That seems like nothing now.

I haven't stopped DIYing or decorating...
I just haven't had time to share any of it with you.
Insert sad face here.

But...TA-DA! I totally changed the look of my dining room with a few simple updates.
I hate those cheap white mini blinds...as necessary as they may be sometimes.

When we had our dining windows replaced after a storm damaged them,
I knew I wasn't putting the blinds back up.
Here's how it looks now:

And here's how it used to look.
I searched and searched and couldn't find any decent before pictures.
I was so sure I had some...

But you get the idea...even if it's a little Christmasy.

I found the bamboo shades on clearance at Bed, Bath & Beyond for a sweet price.

They were lighter than I really wanted but couldn't pass them up.

I fixed that problem with some Minwax spray stain.

I probably could have done a wipe on stain, but these shades
have a liner and I didn't want it to seep through.

I found a good spot in the garage to hang them and
stretch them all the way out and sprayed away.
It worked beautifully.

I love them because they are cordless and they add
some nice, warm natural color to the room

The next step was to make some straight neutral curtain panels.
Seriously, straight off the bolt...cut, hem sides and ends.
Add a little fusible web at the top for sturdiness. Done.

Once again I used some Onasburg fabric.
It resembles the popular drop cloths but is much easier
to work with and has a super low price.

Once I agonized over the curtain rod I wanted,
then I found the clip rings on clearance.
Bonus!



Now the fun part...
You can see from the inset that this light fixture used to have globes.
I was so over them, but didn't think it made sense to get a new light.

I removed the globes, added some pointy light bulbs...

...and needed something to cover the ceramic bases.

My quest yielded no suitable base covers so I had to improvise.

I'll give you 3 guesses and the first 2 don't count.

Okay, okay...I kinda loathe crafts made from TP rolls...
but in this instance I had no other choice...and they're not handled ever.
I cut them to the size I wanted then spray painted
them with some Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze.
Did you guess correctly?

You can't even tell. :)

I love it! It's like a whole new chandelier!

I love the lightened up look and it will go so well with

the kitchen if I ever get those pesky cabinets painted. :)

I still love red, but prefer to accessorize with it rather than have it be the focus.

See? I haven't been a total slacker.

So what do you think?

I like my new job...it's just really different and when I go home

I don't have the umph to sit down at the computer and work on the blog.

Not to mention all the other craziness of life...and taking the girl to

New York  to settle in for a summer program on Broadway.

Really. (Miss Awesome Pants!)

But I miss you...really.

And I do have other projects that I'm working on and

hope to finish soon...and share eventually. :)

All my love till next time...

Sharing here:

Crafts a la Mode

Craft Dictator

AKA Design

The DIY Village

The Answer is Chocolate

Happy and Blessed Home

Bloom Designs

Sincerely, Paula

I Heart Naptime

Reasons to Skip the Housework

A Simple Pantry

Crafty Allie

The Turquoise Home

The Dedicated House

From My Front Porch toYours

A Stroll Thru Life

Stone Gable

Thrifty Decor Chick