No Sew Grommet Drapes

After weeks of pushing it off, it was time to face these shore kitchen windows head on.

I was on a deadline - we had company coming and I didn't want to be working on this while they were there. Without further ado, here are the no-sew grommet curtains I whipped up on Saturday.



I started with the usual tools - fabric, scissors, fabric glue, tape measure, an iron and some curtain grommets. I should have had 12-16 grommets but I only had 8 - I figured I'd make do and add more later. BIG MISTAKE #1 (more on that later.) The width right off the bolt worked perfectly for these decorative panels so I only had to cut once to make sure there was enough fabric for two panels that reached the floor. I cut so that there would be plenty of room at the bottom to hem in place.



Using the marked ends of the fabric as a guide, I folded over twice (ironing for each fold as I went) to make my left hem. When I was happy with how it looked, I applied a bead of glue to hold it down. When I had completed one side, I flipped the whole thing over and did the other. Technically you should wait until the glue is completely dry before moving on but I didn't wait and it didn't seem to be an issue.




At this point I had one big rectangle with two unfinished sides (top and bottom). Now it was time for the curtain header. I made another simple 1 inch hem with the glue but when that was dry I made a large 5 inch fold and glued again.

At last it was time for the grommets. Here is where I got tripped up. Somehow I didn't realize that I needed an even number of grommets until after I had completed the first drape. DOH!! MISTAKE #2: YOU MUST HAVE AN EVEN NUMBER. I added another grommet right next to the center one and that worked to make them functional but it will be a lot harder to add more now. Oh well, live and learn.





I hung them via the rod I installed a while back (its a closet rod!) and hemmed them in place to get a perfect fit. I was worried the glue wouldn't look as crisp but it looks great.



A very easy (yet extremely tedious) project complete. I think they add a lot to the room in terms of looking more finished and makes the whole seating area much more cozy. Excuse the droopiness - more grommets are on the way.



This room isn't quite done yet but I think its summer ready. I just need to find that marble cutting board several of you sugested (great idea!) and maybe something on the walls. What do you think?

Room Details:
Fabric is Waverly Cross Section
Light Fixture is custom made by Pickett Furniture
Walls are painted Restoration Hardware Silver Sage
Cabinet bottoms painted Martha Stewart Wrought Iron
Countertops painted with custom tinted Rustoleum Countertop

Happy Long Weekend!

Whatever you are doing (or wearing) this weekend, I hope you have half as much fun as this guy.

Feel free to add your own caption.

Ombre Love

I stumbled upon this photo via pinterest and have not been able to get it out of my mind. (original credit goes to this blog)



Isn't it fabulous? I'm torn about whether this will work outside of a kids space. Its definitely whimsical and I love that but it might be just a shade too fun for adult living.

This might be a fun piece to try for the shore bedroom. I just happen to have a hepplewhite like dresser currently in a garish reddish stain that is just dying for a makeover. But would a traditional piece look as good in this style as the more mod style of the dresser above?

Decisions, decisions. What do you think?

Shore files: The bedroom

With summer around the corner, its time to go back to the shore for a summer of sun and fun (at least I hope so). Even though there is still loads to do in each space, I’m feeling a lot better about the shape of the living room and the kitchen. And I already heart the bathroom.




But there is one more room in our little hideaway that has gotten no love whatsoever: the bedroom.


This photo is very old but this is pretty much the gist. Snoozeville, and not in a good way.

Somehow this is the only photo I have of this room. Its probably my sub-conscious shame showing through! It’s a neglected hodge podge right now. Its serves as both office and bedroom so that adds to the problem. There isn't anything terribly wrong with but nothing is quite right either. First and foremost it needs some curtains (mostly b/c we can't sleep in without them!).

I thought I had found my color palette when I spotted this painting but it was already sold (and I have yet to find anything anywhere near as awesome).

The bed is from Ikea where we hastily chose it out of necessity and cheapness. I don’t love it but its not something I need to replace either. And on the not pictured side of the room there is a parsons knock off from Overstock that I think is great. Everything else is up for grabs but I’m always in favoring of reusing what I can. I think I’m going to order one of those Tolix like chairs in white for the desk.

Despite it being a bit of a uphill battle, I love having a mostly clean slate. Its a lot more fun this way, don't you think?

I’m torn about painting the walls. I think it’s a good idea but I’m kind of lazy about giving up an entire weekend to do something that isn’t strictly necessary. So I’m putting that off until I find all the other bits and pieces to complete the space.

So all this to say I’m not quite sure which way to go in here. What do you think? A friendly lighting bolt of inspiration would be very helpful.

Come Scream with Me on the Cyclone

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of seeing your life flash before your eyes as you whip around at lighting speed on a 84 year old heap of creaking wood and rusted metal, watch the video below. Welcome to Coney Island. And yes, that is me screaming.




In case you are having trouble viewing the video click here.

The video doesn't do it justice. Its really thrilling ride despite its age (or maybe because of it.) Unlike the smooth polished and clearly safe rollercoasters found elsewhere, this ride makes you wonder who paid the insurance bill last. And that ultra creepy homemade 'remain seated' sign at the first drop is unbeatable for making you question your own judgement.




While we were there we made a couple of other stops including a spin on this new swing ride at Luna Park, a hotdog at Nathans and a roll around the Wonder Wheel. No better way to start the summer season in Brooklyn.

Steal this Idea: Industrial Light Fixture

Its Friday (yippee!) - time for another Steal this Idea* feature - a tiny show of appreciation for a well executed tutorial.

Today's idea comes from a blogger who has visited before (when she shared this fabulous room redo with one of the best reuses of an old door ever!) - the ever clever Angela of Fixing it Fancy.




Inspired by a $1500 uber chic light fixture (gulp!), she made her own version for less than $20 smackers. I love how she paired it with the rustic vanity and branchy mirror for a serene, balanced look.

Pop over to Fixing it Fancy all about this and loads of other great ideas ideas for every home.

postscript: *When I say steal, I really mean borrow nicely and give proper credit!

**If you have an idea/tutorial you would like me to consider for a feature, email me. I'd love to see!

Oh the elusive skill of portrait photography.

I like to consider myself a decent photographer most of the time. That is until I stumble upon an image so striking that captures not only personality but a storyline all in one glance.

one of annie liebovitzs amazing shots. her book is full of these.

There are loads of skills Im constantly trying to improve while snapping away but non so elusive as capturing people in a beautiful and meaningful way. There is something intangible about that ability and since I have an uncooperative cat and no children, I am serious bereft of practice subjects.

Anyone have some success with this want to share some tips for capturing a good (even if not great) shot?

The perfect travel bag?

In the long list of subject matters I have a serious deficiency, fashion is one of them. I’m a terrible shopper. I endlessly hem and haw and then finally buy something that I may or may not ever wear (while making passerbys wonder if I only have 3 outfits because I keep repeating the same old stuff constantly). I’m old enough now to realize this isn’t a phase I’m going to grow out of – I will just never be good at dressing myself. For this reason and my personal pennypinchyness (yes, that is a word!), I tend to shy away from buying anything that I deem too expensive. Instead I browse endlessly to search for the perfect item and never find anything. Enter my current quest: the perfect travel purse.

It needs to hold my camera but I don’t want a fug padded camera bag that screams ‘I want you to think I’m on assignment but really I’m taking pictures of cats’. It also needs to be able to hold my airplane essentials like a book and some magazines without it being so large as to be seen from space. And finally it has to be something that I can comfortably carry around all day without being the purse equivalent of mom jeans. On a personal preference level, I much prefer a single strap bag that can put on my shoulder comfortably. You see how I paint myself into a corner?

So I’ve been going round the interwebs to compare and contrast but nothing has really won me over. The closest thing I’ve found is this Kelly Moore bag which looks cute but at $170 seems like a lot for a fake leather bag. Plus I’m not sure if I really want all that padding.



Another option is this Epiphane bag. Also pricey for a plastic bag but kind of cute. Im not crazy about the color options with this one but I could get the black.



So what do you think? Anyone have either of these bags and want to chime in? (I’ve read some online reviews which seem to be mostly positive).

Or maybe I shouldn’t bother with the slr specific bags and go for something more generic? I’ve never used a camera bag before – why start now?

Edited to add: It doesnt need to have inserts. Im open to having a regular non camera bag provided it was large enough and had some handy dandy pockets. The problem is that I can't seem to locate a nice bag that fits the stuff I need and isn't too cumbersome. Im very open to suggestions if you know of one.

Is enough enough?

I consider myself fairly ruthless when it comes to decluttering but I'm struggling right now. I know many of you are expert flea market shoppers, travelers and collectors of all kinds so I figured I'd turn to you for advice.



Our collection of travel books is kind of getting out of control. I don't want to throw them away because while they grow impractical for their original purpose with each passing day, they are a little reminder of where we've been. Right now they are looking a bit garish on my bookshelf but I think they might be extra cool in 30 years or so when we are all traveling via jet packs to outerspace.



So the question is - do I continue to hold on the every growing pile? do I say goodbye to the lot? can I repurpose them for something cool? Anyone have a clever way of storing/displaying old books that might work for these?

Generally what are your thoughts on hoarding something so impractical as old paper? Discuss.

G'day Sydney

So back to Australia to wrap up my trip recap. We had already stopped in Melbourne and Hamilton Island and were finishing our down under adventure in Sydney.


view from my airplane window. see the tiny opera house and harbor bridge?




We had a mix of good and bad weather here but we didn't let that spoil our fun too much. We just mucked around in the rain. On our first full day we spent a lot of times in the Rocks area - exploring the weekend market and taking a formal tour to learn more about the history.



The next day we scheduled a full day tour to the Blue Mountains to see the three sisters, have morning tea in a cute little town, visit an old mining site turned tourist attraction, etc - all the must do sites there. Honestly it was a bit cheese but maybe the drizzling weather put me in the wrong spirit. Regardless of the fact it wasnt a wow kind of day, we still had fun and I'm glad we did it.



The latter part of the tour definitely was my favorite. For one it brought us to Featherdale Wildlife Reserve (I'm sure you know by now I can't pass up an opportunity to see funky animals) and take my favorite photo of the entire trip.



Come on now people. Does that 'roo look like he is yelling at me or what? (Im sure native Australians are just rolling their eyes at my excitment over animals that are clearly run of the mill there but I can't help myself!) More animals!




And the last bit of the day was returning to Sydney on one of their regular ferries. The skies cleared just for us and we got some gorgeous views of the Harbor Bridge.



Our final full day could probably be relabeled "not pictured" As in we did multiple things I was not allowed to photograph (Boo-hiss!!) including shopping in some of the fun boutiques around the city, seeing the Annie Liebovitz show at the Musuem of Contemporary Art and climbing the Harbor Bridge. If you are wondering, we did the twilight climb, had amazing weather and got to see what seemed like a bazillion bats start their night hunt from the most amazing vantage point. Expensive but totally worth it.

So that was our trip in a nutshell. We had a wonderful time. Australia was a lot less exotic than I imagined it to be which means it was a lot easier to feel comfortable and relaxed right from the get go. Aside from the bats flying around in downtown Sydney and the fact that Australians call raisins 'sultanas', it felt very much like home.

If you are still reading, thanks for letting me ramble on. I hope you enjoyed reliving the trip with me.