Friday, June 19, 2015

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:

17 comments:

  1. Wonderful changes! It's funny to me because we've all had colorful toppers on our windows at one time or another. When you change them out it makes the room so much brighter. I love what you did to the chandelier too. How smart!

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  2. Kelly, Kudos on the new look. I love it. Hope you can find more time to keep blogging. Blessings for a great weekend, xoxo,Susie

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  3. Love the bamboo shades, they look great! I had them all installed in my last cottage with liners and just adored the look and would get them again. Have a great weekend.

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  4. The bamboo shades and the chandelier look awesome.

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  5. I know what you mean about those mini-blinds! Sometimes you are stuck with them, but they are so bad! The bamboo shades look great with your simple drapes! The chandy looks great, too!

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  6. The new blinds and drapes are fabulous and so is the chandy. Great job. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me.

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  7. Kelly! Those changes made such a huge difference! Thank you for sharing. You are one of the features at the Round-Up from the Before & After Wednesday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link so you can check out your feature. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/06/the-round-up-from-before-after-wednesday_29.html Hope to see you again tonight at B&A Wednesday! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  8. What a wonderful upgrade. The love the bamboo shades, they add such a great look to the room.

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  9. The Weekly Feature Series is live which you are a part of! Here is the link to the Series. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/07/weekly-feature-series.html Thank you for joining The Dedicated House. Have a great weekend! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  10. This is an awesome look and the whole scheme is very inviting. There are several things to keep in mind when using this type of technique to uplift a space. One of the main ideas that I have noticed is how the window treatments open up the entire area of the room and this is in comparison to the before pictures.

    Bob Ward @ Allure Window Treatments

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Sweet comments make me a happy girl!
I love and read each and every one!
I do my best to respond to all of them...even though it may take a while...questions I try to answer right away.