Bathroom Makeover

"Plain Jane"

I think everyone can agree that this bathroom needs color like a bird needs feathers. So you can see the before. Now here's the after...

"Hot Mama"


Today, my mother's guest bathroom got a little makeover. I'd mentioned the fabric that didn't work for any of the bedrooms, but fit perfectly for the bathroom...well, this is it my friend.

And this is how I did it.

1. Measure the window and the shower.
a) Window - I measure from the bottom of the ceiling trim to the bottom of the window sill and add 4 inches (2 inches for "turn under" at the top and bottom...turn under is what makes it pretty). For the shower valance I measure the length of the tub (I think it was 58" and the distance between the top of the shower door and the bottom of the ceiling trim and add 4"). Since the valance needs to fold, tucker, etc, I take 58" and multiply it by 1.5 to get ~87". That's just a rough formula I use if I don't want it to lay flat, but want it to have body. Figure out your yardage from there.

2. Whatever yardage you buy in your fabric, buy the exact same amount in your curtain lining. I usually just use an off-white cotton, it's about 3.99/yard at Hancock's. You can also use blackout lining, which I sometimes like in bedrooms if you want it dark, but not in this bathroom which is light and airy.

3. Roll out your fabric and cut it. I started with the drapes. Since this window was so small, only 22" wide, and the fabric was 54" wide, I decided to just split one standard width in half and thereby reduce the panel width/fullness by half...which conveniently is a terrific way to reduce the cost of treating that window by half. After I cut the fabric, I roll out the liner fabric and cut that right over it.


4. For the valance, I knew I'd need to sew two widths together (which is more than the 87" I'd mentioned in Step 1, but I didn't mind overshooting). Since there's a pattern on this and it's not a solid, you must sew them together carefully so there's not an obvious gap in the pattern. As you can see in the first picture, lay the two widths side by side to where you can't tell where one ends and the other begins. In the second picture, pin the two pieces from top to bottom. Sew it up, and then check your work!


5. Next step...IRON the seam! I always just keep my ironing board out and the iron on whenever I'm sewing drapes. My husband always thinks I'm about to iron his clothes, but what fun would that be? Sucka'!



6. Repeat the same step for the lining. This is much easier since there's no pattern to line up. But put like sides together (if you can tell the difference in the sides!) and sew it up! Don't forget to iron this out too!



7. Lay the liner on top of the backside of the fabric. It's time to put these two together! Once I get the liner on straight, I put several pins in place to hold it in place securely since this is such a long piece of fabric.



8. As always, you start on the sides. Fold each side in 1" and pin. Then iron each new pleat. Remove pins and fold each side over again 1". (You are taking 4" total off the total width of the fabric, but it gives it a marvelously finished and professional look). Observe and agree...
* Note that this is only after turning the side over once, I got lazy and forgot to take the second picture, but you can refer to other posts to see what it looks like.



9. After both sides have been turned under and sewn down, it's time to tackle the bottom of the valance. Turn over, pin and press, repeat. Sew.


10. It's time now to sew the rod pocket. It might have been better to do this first, then hem the bottom, but I started this project at my house, but didn't trust my mother's measurements over the phone. So I wanted to complete as much of the project as possible before I went out there.
Excuses aside, when it's time to sew the rod pocket, you need to measure the circumference of the LARGEST part of the rod. I rudely capitalize because I once made the error of measuring the circumference of the shower rod itself, and sewed about 7 fee of stitches just to realize I couldn't fit the rod pocket over the shower rod. The ends were to big, and they weren't like the finials from a curtain rod that can be unscrewed...so therefore I was, ahem, screwed. I started unstitching that beast of a valance and was done two hours later.

Here's the formula for a round rod pocket --> Measure the circumference of the widest part of the rod, divide in half, and add 1/2 inch. Say the circumference is 5 inches; half of that is 2.5 inches, plus .5 is 3 inches. If you want a ruffle, and of course I did, add that measurement too. 3 inches + 2.5 inches (ruffle). Take into account about an inch for turn-under and that's the amount of the top edge you need to fold down.



11. Now, as you are pinning the edge under, you should constantly be measuring from the top of the valance to the very bottom of the valance to double-check that it's consistently the same length. You cannot assume that you cut your fabric perfectly straight, unless you are working with a plaid or striped pattern (which are favorites of mine now, for those very reasons). I typically pin, flatten out the rod pocket, measure from the top to the bottom, then re-pin if needed.



Once you've turned under your raw edge and sewn it, you need to a parallel seam for the ruffle. I wanted approximately a 2.5 inch ruffle, so I pinned it and then inserted the rod just to make sure I was ok. As you can see, there's plenty of room.


12. Sew your final seam and hang that beauty up.

Nuggets

Got my hands on an Anthropologie catalog today, and fell in love.

First things first, every woman loves purses. They always fit and they're never snug.


I tend to stay away from strapless dresses for the most part, something about turning 26...does that make me old?? Anyways, they paired this with a grey cardigan (I think) and it looked marvelous!



Does this remind anyone of Audrey Hepburn's outfit in My Fair Lady - the scene where her hair is up and she and Professor Higgins get into a huge fight? And she's singing "...and they march Henry 'Iggins to the wall? And they king will say 'Eliza, sound the call?!" Anybody? Anybody????



The model that had this on had perfect arms and a pristine tan. What doesn't look good on that?




Then, in my latest Lucky magazine, I saw this dress. I must have it. Will, are you reading this???

I will even be so kind as to include the link! (http://www.andrewmarc.com/marcnewyork/index.php/dresses/newarrivals/marcie.html)

Terrific Christmas Gifts for Kids

I will digress from home decor for a while to talk about my absolute bar-none favorite hobby/interest/calling, and that is being a mom to my one year old son. He is intelligent, zany, witty, hilarious, thoughtful, intense and hysterical - and he's only 1! He's just getting started. Hopefully he can be humble as he grows up, despite the sweet nothings I tell him all day long.

Now that Christmas is over, the dust has settled, and my husband and I realize we need to move to accommodate all of these toys, I thought I might share some of the really terrific gifts we got that our 1 year old son has loved playing with. Whether you have children or have a niece or nephew's birthday coming up and aren't sure what to get that is impractical and fun (because who wants socks for their birthday...but what 1 year old could have enough?), these are some that have worked for us!

The Tickle Monster Laughter Kit is my favorite book now. There are some books that get a bit boring to read, but this book has really clever and funny rhymes, and I haven't gotten tired of donning my tickle monster mitts and tickling him yet!




Another favorite has definitely been the Little People Animal Farm. Our little boy got this Christmas morning and fell instantly in love. Plus, as you can see from the second picture, the little sheep (and the pig!) are so fat and rotund, you can't help but love them too!



Last but not least, his Aunt Ginny gave him Pound a Peg. He loves playing with the pegs and takes personal offense when they are actually placed in the holes (where they should be). He also is intolerant of blocks being stacked on top of each other, or the goat from the Little People Animal Barn being put on the roof. He has his quirks, but he gets them honestly.



And finally, the Radio Flyer classic spring horse is a must have (space!) toy for any boy, right? Well, that's what my mom believes, and now our kiddo is a proud owner. By the way, that is not my child on the horse. I think it will be a while before he has the coordination to ride, but until then, it looks really cool.

No Bathroom is Complete without a Valance and some Drapes

Now that I have covered every window in my house, I kindly informed my mother that she needed window treatments as well. She's lived in the house she and my dad built for over 10 years, and they've given every indication they'll never move, so to me it's worth the investment of some drapes. Mind you, I'm not the one "investing," but my labor and 2 cents are free and I haven't pulled out my Bernina in over two weeks...and she's gettin' lonely!

So after going to the fabric store and picking out about 10 fabric samples, I drove them out to my parents' house and held them up against the wall. I recommend always(!) doing this, because even though you think you remember what shade of yellow that guest bedroom is, it's usually a bit off and fabrics are weird about not wanting to match, even though you try to convince them they're destiny is to be cut up, pinned, needled, ironed and hung for the rest of their existence in your bedroom. What fabric could resist such sweet talk?? So I made the 30 minute drive with 3 "for sure" fabrics that I'd already picked for each room. I made my sister hold them up against the wall so I could take a "step back" and soak it in. To my utter shock, almost none of them worked! I then had my mother hold them just in case it was my sister making the master bedroom's tan walls a little too peachy, but alas, I am back to the drawing board and am going back for more samples.

However, this is your golden nugget for the day.... "If you are going to spend them money and the time sewing (because it's surprisingly not cheap), you don't just need to like it, you need to LOVE it!"

That is my rule. Otherwise, the $100 bucks you spend making 9 inch drape panels is for naught, and you'd be better off saving it....wait, that's not my rule...you'd be better off going to Hobby Lobby.

On a positive note, the 30 minute jihad to the country was not entirely for naught. I realized one of the fabrics I'd chosen, while not right for the guest bedroom, was simply made for the bathroom. To give you an idea of what I am planning on, here are some pictures of drapes (with trim, of course!) and a valance I made for my guest bathroom. Please excuse the pink tile, but by the time I can afford to replace it I plan on moving! :)

Upholstered headboards

After reading several websites, Amanda and I decided on relatively simple designs for our headboards (http://www.ehow.com/how_2042635_make-custom-upholstered-headboard.html). First we measured the width of our mattresses, added about two inches, and then estimated how high we would like the headboard to go over the wall. I found it helpful to make the bed and then arrange the pillows and shams and add about 6 inches to that height. I wanted an arched headboard, so I calculated how high I wanted the apex versus the top corners. Amanda wanted a simple rectangle (lazy! :) and so her calculations were easy.
We went to Custom Bilt Cabinets (CBC), ordered our 1/2 inch plywood, drew out our shapes and measurements, and left the rest to them. It was a little more expensive than we'd originally estimated. (I later realized that we'd gotten a luxurious kind of birch wood, and any old plywood would have worked since it would be covered anyways. But we should have asked before we ordered; lesson learned.) Still, it's so nice to work with the guys there, they're extremely competent and friendly and have done a terrific job on three projects I have entrusted to them. Plus, I had no desire to cut my own plywood; the outsourcer in me drew a line at that.
http://custombiltcabinet.com/

That afternoon, we returned to CBC to retrieve our headboards and unloaded them in my carport. We laid down the 2 inch foam we'd bought from Hobby Lobby (always print out their 40% off any regular item coupon because it can be expensive, ~$23 before the coupon) and then laid the headboard on top of that. We got a marker and outlined the headboard and cut the foam. We then layered some batting to hold it in place and put our desired fabric on top. We stapled until our hands hurt and this is what we got.

I have a terrific friend who is a remarkable handyman! Say hello, Wade!

Sewing is Coping

I have a friend, Amanda, who can do just about anything she puts her mind to. She's smart, funny, generous with her time as well as her money, and all around a good friend. She proposed using my sewing machine one afternoon to make a drape she'd bought from Pier 1 into a valance. I pulled out my Bernina Pearl that I'd received from my mother-in-law, used in one and a half sewing classes (I couldn't stick out the second one!) and had since been delegated to the front bedroom closet I mentioned in my first post, a fellow castaway among items I wasn't sure just how they would fit into my life. Say hi, Amanda!


So I set the machine up for Amanda and watch while she sews her valance, and I remembered a towel that I'd been meaning to reseam for months. I went and grabbed it while she made her final adjustments. Within minutes I'd sewn the bottom seam and the towel looked like new. That moment changed my life (yes, perhaps I am being a bit dramatic, but perhaps I'm not). From that moment on, I felt like a new person. A person who could set her mind to something, and make it happen. The power of creation from my own hands was empowering in a way I hadn't felt since I'd painted canvases during Artbreak. I felt alive! I will come back to sewing in a future post, but for not I am going to follow, chronologically, the projects we pursued that helped me morph into someone who outsourced into someone who saw something and knew she could do it.

From that point, I told Amanda I thought we both needed headboards for our beds, which were currently on a box frame, unadorned. I'd researched it a hundred times online, but never tried it on my own. Amanda was game and so we set our sights on our next craft project.

Getting Organized - It ain't sexy...but maybe it is....

There's something about the close of a year and the start of a new one that has made me go a bit crazy on cleaning. Not the cleaning that I need to do, mind you, like dust off all the blinds or wipe the baseboards or dust, etc. The kind of cleaning that makes me go to Target at 8 am on a Saturday morning, grab a Starbucks white chocolate mocha, carouse the house decor aisle, and then spend $75 on a variety of 30 gallon clear plastic storage bins (clear eliminates the need for labeling, naturally) that will solve my problems, eliminate the clutter that has been mocking me for the last year and a half, and set 2010 off in the right direction; a more methodical and Real Simple style of ruling my domain. (Speaking of clutter, I fortunately grabbed 60 gallons worth of storage paraphernalia to house the newly acquired Christmas decorations that I had to have this year.)

After cataloging my Christmas purchases, I attacked the front guest bedroom that has become a harbor for all things I didn't have time to deal with, such as half-completed art work for the nursery, a smorgasbord of fabric remnants, ribbon and wrapping supplies, a sewing machine, paper shredder, etc. Let me just say, two storage bins later, the bedroom looks organized, almost like it belonged in someone else's house. Exactly the point.