Un-Do-It-Yourself

You know how you stare at something for so long that you don't notice it, anymore?

Or, maybe, you stare at 'it' so long that it just always seems "fine."

Well - I was sick and tired of my kitchen window (the one over the sink).

The more I thought about it, I realized I was tired of the other window, too!

So, I took down the curtains. (I made the toile curtains 10 years ago when we first moved in - so they were due for removal. -as in - "I will not feel guilty about this.")

Background: My kitchen "building" was built in the 1800's, so it is actually just a large room with a wall in the middle that someone added in the 70's to have a place to hang more cabinets. The entire kitchen is 20'x15' and probably used to have a stove/fireplace at one end.

My whole point in explaining the kitchen layout has to do with the center wall. You cannot see one window from the other window. Ideally, I want my kitchen to look like this.............

...........But am currently lacking the funds necessary to tear down the wall, buy and install new cabinets, and purchase the white marble counters. (And also pay for a kid to go to college in 2 years, AND get a newer car, AND continue to buy shoes for the 10 year old with the fastest-growing feet EVER, AND buy groceries, etc.....)

Therefore, any changes I make must be low-budget changes.

Window #1 above the sink: I started with the storm window and curtain - removing both of them. WOW! What a difference! I am LOVING the sunlight coming through that window in the mornings! The storm window and curtain blocked ALOT more light than I would have imagined! I LOVE using my sink, now!

On to Window #2 by the table: I removed the old toile curtain and actually cleaned the windows. (shocker! for anyone that knows me). Then I moved all of the art in that area to one wall to make the window less 'bare' and the kitchen less 'busy' and to draw the eye to the one wall (instead of sending the eye into a panic "which way do I look? which way do I look?")

Problem: We have to have a curtain of some sort on that window, because there is a sidewalk and street just outside that window and we don't want the entire world watching us argue at dinner.

I went to our local Wal-Marché and bought some burlap and bias tape and made quick window treatments with a hot glue gun (and NO thread). (Also known as a Nester window mis-treatment).

The burlap lets the light through AND lets us have privacy while we eat our breakfast in our pajamas.

I actually made the curtain in two parts, althought it looks like one curtain. That way I can let more light in, during the day (when we are all behaving). I used the selvage side of the fabric in the middle, because it doesn't need the bias tape to keep it from unraveling.

I just kept adding the art fairly high along the wall (these are 11.5' ceilings) - art this high may be too high for some -but I like to have things look a little different than expected. (On second thought, I am now thinking I may place art up to 11.5' - and just cover the whole wall -even above the window.)

Here is a picture of both windows.

In the above picture, you can see "the wall" I referred to earlier -- the one that divides the 20'x15' kitchen area into two parts.

Ta-da! Out with the old! And for almost nothing ($7 for burlap and bias tape at Walmart) - I have a much brighter kitchen and can make it a little longer without my dream kitchen!

Participating in The Shabby Nest blog party and It's A Beautiful Life blog party at.......