Hung Over

No, this post doesn't have anything to do with alcohol...or a self-induced nausea fest as a result of too much of it (I don't see how that's "fun"...never have, never will).  Anyway, it does, however, have everything to do with valances.  And it all began with a little bit of this:

and a little bit of that:

I know some of you (eh-hem, Farrah) were hoping I'd have a post on a finished loveseat this lovely Saturday Friday (I know, I usually post on Saturdays but tomorrow my world wide web access will be a world wide won't), but alas, it still sits undone.  I'm at the point with it where I need Anthony's help and he's been swamped with school and work so - no Anthony, no help, no loveseat...yet.  But back to the valances.  It's been on Anthony's to-do list for me to whip up some valances to adorn our dining area windows for like a year.  Finding the perfect fabric took me a long, long time...one reason for the delay in said project...but I did find it.  It wasn't as cheap as I'd been hoping (actually it's the most expensive fabric I've ever bought at $17 a yard) but luckily I only needed two yards to get these babies made.

Here's how it all went up:

First I painstakingly cut out the four rectangles that would soon be sewn into valances and laid them out on our living room floor to make sure they'd look okay...a.k.a. to make sure that there weren't two side-by-side that looked too similar.
I could've made each valance exactly the same - the same floral pattern across each - but that would've required about 4 yards of fabric and I wasn't willing to splurge.  Besides, I liked that they would all be different and since I was using a floral, I could do that without it looking off.

Next up I cut the lining that would be sewn onto the back of each valance.  All I did was lay a large piece of lining fabric (don't know the technical term) over the future valance and then cut it to be about an inch smaller.

After everything was cut I went back and forth from ironing down seams, pinning, and sewing until I had five almost perfect valances ready to be attached to the wood beams that would hold 'em up.


We used two, long (8 ft. I think?) pieces of the cheapest 1x2 pine strips at Lowe's but made sure they were straight before we bought 'em...very important!  Enter handy man Anthony, who cut the wood pieces to the measurement we needed to fit each window.  Because of my little perfectionist personality, I also gave the under side of the wood beam (the side that would show if you looked under the finished valance) a coat of white spray paint, you know, so in case anyone looked underneath they'd look nice too (okay, maybe I'm crazy).  Then, Anthony attached some corner braces we picked up for 75 cents for 2 at our local ReStore.
  
In comes the staple gun and newly sewn valances.  First, we stapled the valance to each corner.  Since we wanted the valances to wrap around the entire piece of wood, we did this first to ensure the fabric was centered and that the side seams were straight and would be flush with the wall.

Then, to make sure the valance hung level, I quickly measured along the length of it.  When I had measured twice and was certain of it's perfection, we began the stapling.

I held each valance in place while Anthony did the clickety-clicking.

We didn't use too many staples since the valances were super lightweight - about one every 4-6 inches.

And then, after a tough 20 minutes of holding and stapling, we celebrated our 'hang-overs' with a rousing game of hide-and-seek.  Ten points if you can find Anthony!  :)

 Haha...that was fun.  Anyway, we did get around to putting them up and we're thrilled with them!  While we were staring, admiring our work, Anthony said "They look so good.  I can't believe we went this long without anything up there."  I don't know...how did we ever survive?!  : p



In case you were curious as to what they looked like underneath...


 To get the crease on the corners, Anthony broke out the iron and made his own corner...yep, that's what I said, Anthony used the iron...I know, I'm a lucky woman.

And finally, here's the whole shebang:
We also hung an itty-bitty valance over the window above the sink, but lighting conditions and a not-so-great camera wouldn't allow a good pic.  You can take my work for it though, it's darn cute.  Now I just need to dress up our plain jane table with a runner and decor or something.  And, now that we've got valances up, the wall to the right of the windows is looking a little too blank and bland, but don't worry, I've got a collage project up my sleeve and I'm sure you'll be hearing about it.  :)

.           .           .

Stay tuned in the coming weeks if you wanna see a curb-side rocking chair make-over and painted wallpaper...and, crossing my fingers and hoping for time, an un-antiqued, antique loveseat finito.  :)  That's all.  Have a happy weekend everyone!

10 comments

  1. Wow! You are such a pro! Even though your crafty work never ceases to amaze me!
    P.S. I found Anthony:)

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  2. Girl you are the bomb. I been on your site for an hour soaking in all your ideas. I don't even remember how I found you but you have so many great ideas. This one is one I am going to use soon as I get my kitchen somewhat put back together. It is the perfect solution as to what to do over my garden window. I did not check your pregnancy progress but I saw some of the pictures at the bottom of your posts. I guess when you have the babies all projects gonna come to an end for a while. LOL. God Bless!!

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  3. Yep, I think I am doing this in my kitchen. I love the look!

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  4. I love the valances. What a great splash of color they brought to your room. Please tell me the name of the fabric and where you purchased it. I've been looking for a beautiful floral and yours is just perfect. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks Priscilla! The fabric is by Robert Allen and I purchased it at a local fabric store. Here's their website and link to the fabric itself:
      http://www.buyfabrics.com/p-13325-basquiat-patina-floral-drapery-fabric-by-robert-allen.aspx#.UcIkSzvihIE

      Lucky for you it's on sale right now!!!!!! :)

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  5. Love this. I would never have thought to use a simple 1"x2". Instead I've done the whole wood cornice thing which is a lot heavier to work with, more expensive, since you buy batting as well, and this is so much lighter and easier. So copying this in my office. Thanx for the inspiration and love that fabric!

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    1. Thanks Lisa! I need to update the post with the fabric details but for now, it's Basquiat Patina by Robert Allen. Here's a link to it at buyfabrics.com - http://www.buyfabrics.com/p-13325-basquiat-patina-floral-drapery-fabric-by-robert-allen.aspx#.UcMR0DvihIE
      I'd love to see pictures when you're done!!! :)

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    2. Hi Sheena. Update, two years later, ha! I ended up helping a friend make roman shades for my office. However, I wanted to be sure and tell you that these valances and dining room window area were the inspiration for valances I recently made for my niece. She is what she calls "decoratively challenged". :) so with the help of modern technology via lotsa texts and pics sent back and forth, we decided on valances (the rods are already there.) I am still learning (sewing wise) but offered to make her valances and a table runner for a house warming present. I showed her your dining room valances and she loved the style. She sent the measurements and I made them. I can't wait to see pics and hope the measurements were ok.

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    3. Awesome!! Please send me pictures when you get them! I'd love to see your handy work!

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