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Framing a window with curtain panels requires you to think about whether the window treatment will involve stationary panels or traverse ones. Learn about framing a window with curtain panels with help from an interior design expert in this free video clip.
Making a ribbon and bead curtain is a great way to inject a little more flair into your home. Make a ribbon and bread curtain with help from a crafts expert in this free video clip.
Hot pink nails are great for summer, or for a party or night out. Follow these easy steps to learn how to paint your nails for a night out or for a fun summer look!
A draping scarf valance is one of the more graceful ways to add a topper to a window. Used with or without other drapery, the scarf valance is sometimes held in place with drapery pegs instead of curtain rods. In this type of window treatment, the pegs are visible. These decorative pegs provide anchors to loop the scarf valance across the span of the window.
Do-it-yourself windows are a suitable option for the handy homeowner on a budget. However, sometimes unanticipated issues arise with DIY window projects, such as the window sliding out of track. This may seem like a major problem, but it can be remedied with simple trim molding pieces that act as sash stops. Select a molding style for the sash stops that will complement the existing window so the entire project is seamless.
Venetian shades and blinds are window coverings that help block out sunlight. They are installed on the interior of windows and the height is adjustable. Horizontal slats placed in a series of vertical rows slant and adjust up and down to provide the user with the most or minimum amount of light. Venetian blinds and shades can be made of wood, vinyl, plastic or metal. This type of window covering is used in many homes and offices and can be made in a variety of colors and styles.
A window well cover offers the ultimate protection for your home. Window wells surround small windows that sit partially underground. This small ditch is large enough for pets, children and even adults to fall into. If your window breaks, it even gives animals and rodents access to your house. A window well cover sits on top of that small ditch and keeps animals and humans out. Making a DIY metal window cover is a fast project that costs less than a commercially made cover.
Stock window molding is the most common material used to fabricate a window surround, but you can trim your windows with ordinary lumber and embellish it any way you like without mitered corners. Window surrounds are not part of the structure; they are decorative, which gives you a lot of freedom. The trickiest part of trimming a window is cutting the materials accurately. Precision is quite important if you will stain the wood, as gaps and uneven cuts will stand out. If you prefer painted molding, latex caulk can effectively fill and disguise imperfections and gaps.
Almost everyone has been caught in a summer thunderstorm. An adjustable patio cover can help protect you, your guests and lunch in the event of unexpected rain. In the blazing heat of summer, even a simple do-it-yourself patio cover can provide some much-needed relief.
"Desktop Defender" is a defense game hosted on Facebook. The goal is to defend a virtual desktop from tiny "Creeps" by building towers strategically. Like traditional tower defense games, you place a tower and it shoots automatically when an enemy is within range. Because of this, you are not allowed complete control over the timing of shots. It is possible, however, to place the towers in such a way that they shoot simultaneously, forcing maximum damage on the invaders.
A simple shade that opens from the bottom has clean lines that suit both a modern room or a casual, traditional room. Choose a fabric that works with both your decor and your light control needs. Use lightweight cotton to filter the light in a living room or line a heavy fabric with blackout fabric to darken a bedroom. The ties can be made from casual twill tape, cheerful patterned grosgrain ribbon or elegant satin ribbon.
Tie-up shades offer a sleek look while giving you privacy from the outside world. Constructing your own tie-up shade is simple enough for even an inexperienced tailor to complete in an afternoon. Making your own shade gives you the ability to customize the fabric and dimensions to fit your living space. To add a bit more pizzazz to the finished shade, add rivets to secure the ribbon ties, taking your shade from something you could find in any home store to a customized piece for you.
If you move, the curtains that fit perfectly in the windows of your old home may not fit so well in the windows of your new home. Instead of investing in new curtains or shades, modify the curtain panels to fit into the new windows. Turn a plain panel into a shade that fits in the frame of the window and can be raised and lowered as needed. Since you are using a premade panel, the amount of sewing is minimal.
Window stools provide transitional seating in front of a window opening. A window stool should extend the width of the opening to make it aesthetically appealing. You can make a custom window stool for a window in your home that could use a seat. It is important to get the dimensions of the stool to scale for the window so that it complements the window. Combine a hardwood seat with metal stool legs for a sleek and streamlined window stool project that will be a timeless and lasting furniture piece.
Most heater ducts are hidden inside your home’s walls so you don’t have to see them. However, in some cases, especially if you live in an older home with new ductwork, some of the ductwork is out in the open. While the ductwork is an important part of your home’s heating system, you can downplay its appearance to better blend in with your décor. When hiding heater ducts, be sure to use materials that are heat resistant to avoid fire hazards.
The Division Suspension set is a curtain rail for four panel curtains. The rail hangs from the ceiling or the wall using brackets. The curtains move back and forth along the rail with one curtain in front of the other. Installation requires only a few steps, but the annotated instruction manual contains confusing pictures and no written steps. While the instructions are universal for any language, they still may be confusing for consumers to understand without written words.
A Kabuki drop is a system that is designed for the theatrical release of a curtain for plays or other types of productions. These systems can be electrically operated or mechanical. You can make your own type Kabuki drop system by using quick-release clamps. To do this, you need to plan for the location of each clamp based on the type of curtain that needs to be dropped.
Patios provide an area for enjoying a cup of morning coffee or unwinding after a hectic day while the sun sets. If your backyard doesn't have a patio, it's time to get one built. But don't worry. You won't have to spend hours digging out the space, building a form and pouring cement when you build a patio made from flagstone set in pea gravel. Shade the patio with a canvas roof.
Box pleated curtains add elegance and style to a window treatment. To line the curtains, the original pleats must first be removed. Pleating tape, found at fabric supply stores, allows you to repleat the curtains and pleat the new lining at the same time. Lining fabric, which should be chosen in a color that coordinates with the curtains, is also found at fabric supply stores in a variety of weights.
Patios are outside areas used for recreation, and usually are paved with a cement slab outside the back door. This versatile structure can be fixed up into a quiet corner out of the way of neighbors and traffic noises. The basic patio is a bare area that is exposed to wind and sun. Creating a shaded patio cove takes some hard work, but the enjoyment of the refurbished area lasts a long time.
A sturdy tripod is one of the most useful accessories for any photographer or videographer. The adjustable legs can be manipulated to provide a level, steady platform on almost any terrain. This allows the photographer to concentrate on getting a perfect shot, rather than simply holding the camera steady. Modern carbon-fiber tripods and older aluminum tripods are both lightweight and easy to handle. Some photographers like to pad their tripods' legs to protect them against damage and provide a better grip for carrying.
Flat panels are one of the simplest, most versatile window treatments you can make. They can be sewn in less than one hour, depending on the curtain's size and style, and lining the corners is no more difficult than sewing the rest of the panels. Use drapery clips, O-rings or tabs to secure them to a curtain rod. Add a tieback feature to the wall to pull them back during the day, or simply push them open and allow them to hang naturally.
Shading creates a three-dimensional quality to two-dimensional drawings and paintings, and this is no different in tattoo artwork. It forms tonal gradients by adding lighter and darker variations of color. Modern tattoo shading is often made by a group of tattoo needles in a tattoo machine. The large needles, called mags, are commercially available, but some artists prefer to handcraft their own. Handmade shading needles are customized to your own spacing and width and can easily be made with some practice.
The traditional Roman couch is a flat, low surface covered with a thin cushion or piled with thin blankets. The distinctive feature of these couches is angled sections of the couch that jut upward at each end. Presumably, these angled sections are suitable for lounging with your head against them while someone fans you and feeds you grapes. These sections are the most difficult part of the project, but can be made easier with a miter box or miter saw.
Window treatments can give any room a stylish look. A jabot curtain is a softly folded or pleated drapery that hangs from the outer edges of the curtain rod, either as part of a longer swag or a shorter valance. Jabot curtains also provide an attractive way to hide unsightly drapery hardware from view. To ensure proper placement of your jabot curtains, you must measure very carefully. Unless you are doing a simple valance treatment for your window, you will need to hang a jabot curtain from a double curtain rod in front of the longer drapes.
Window beds are convenient seating places that take advantage of the natural light that comes through a window. By building such a bed into the wall space below a window, you can sit or nap while having the refreshing rays of the sun warm you. Though the process may seem complicated -- and may be so for some designs -- you can construct a simple rectangular bed into a wall with ease.
Adding a valance to a window treatment can transform a mediocre window into a striking focal point. Bustle swags -- so called because they resemble the bustle in a woman’s gown -- can sit alone at the top of a window or can be added over drapery panels. If you possess basic sewing skills, you can make a bustle swag valance to create an attractive window treatment.
Energy costs continue to climb, making it more costly for you to keep your home comfortable. Square footage, type of insulation, window treatments and cooling, and heating equipment combine to create your home's energy usage. The U.S. Department of Energy states that properly installed window shades can be among the simplest and most effective window treatments for saving energy. Light- absorbing window shades are typically even more energy efficient because of their unique design.
Swing arm curtain rods are versatile, decorative and functional. You can use them on windows or doors, or as coverings for bookcases and closets, and typically require only a small space for mounting. The drawback to these rods is that they are difficult to find for odd-sized openings and they can be expensive. Unless they are custom made of high-grade material, they tend to bend under the substantial weight of a lined curtain. However, the savvy homeowner who is comfortable using tools, knows her way around the big-box hardware store and is armed with a swing-arm design from a drapery…
A swag valance is loose, flowing fabric draped in U-shaped drops over a curtain rod. It is one of the most elegant forms of drapery and you can incorporate it into any decorative scheme. One common way to hang a swag valance is to drape the fabric in a pattern, with the two ends hanging and pulled to the side in knots. You make these knots by pulling the fabric though itself to create a pouf.
Valances are window treatments that are typically hung from the top of the window frame with a curtain rod, or fastened to a board that holds the swag against the ceiling to hang down over the window area. Swag valances are made so that both ends of at least one area of the valance are attached to the top of the valance every few inches. This causes a natural fold in each portion that is attached to the top of the valance. Kingston valances create a smaller swag effect because the ends of each swag portion are sewn into the…
Some of the admirable decorative elements of Colonial homes originally made a virtue of necessity. The shutters that make the exteriors of Colonial houses once closed against the weather. Mullions made large windows possible when glass was shipped long distances in small sheets. Wainscoting came from such necessity. The word "wain" originally meant "wagon," and the word referred to the long planks that covered the wagon sides. Colonial architecture remains a strong force in American design.
Your window air conditioning unit keeps you comfortable and cool in the hottest months of the year. The biggest problem with the unit is that it doesn't coordinate well with any decor, no matter how you've decorated your home. If you can't remove the air conditioner from the window when it gets cold outside, you face a winter full of drafts and poor insulation. Sew a simple cover for your ugly air conditioner to make it good-looking when you're not using it, and keep the heat inside during the winter.
One way to instantly revitalize an entryway or foyer is to make custom curtains for the front door and its accompanying windows. Depending on your fabric choice, this project can be as affordable or as glamorous as your style dictates and adds a tailored look to your home. Making your own curtains can even be a practical venture as thick fabrics can help block light and winter drafts, reducing fuel or electricity costs for seasons at a time.
Dress up a window with your own double pleat or pinch pleat curtains. Depending on the width of your windows, you may need to sew fabric together before you measure for pleats to attain a full curtain look. Pleats can be added to any fabric, including one with a design on it. The finished curtains can be hung alone, with blinds or with a valance made from the same or a different fabric. Experiment with pleat placement to achieve a variety of looks. Make tie-backs with fabric remnants or use fabric in a contrasting color.
Curtain rods hold curtains, drapes or valences, and while it is simple enough to acquire a straight curtain rod for a standard window, a bow window, also known as a bay window, is another story. Ideally, the curtain rod for a bow window should have two bends in it that allow the curtain rod to stay snug to the wall. Make your own curtain rods out of PVC pipe, allowing you to mount the window dressings of your choice to your bow windows.
Cornice boards offer you a way to cover up a curtain rod in a decorative way. Home decor stores offer premade boxes, and interior designers will create a custom piece to fit your window size and home design style. However, either option is expensive. Make your cornice out of pieces of foam core for a quick and lightweight project you can complete in an afternoon for a fraction of the cost of a store-bought model.
French windows consist of two casement windows installed in a single opening. They open into the room from the center, like a pair of double doors. Curtains mounted above the window frame interfere with the in-swing motion, but hanging them on the windows blocks the light and the view. Making curtains that hang from swing-arm rods solves both problems. Swing-arm rods pivot, so you can open and close them like shutters. Because you’ll see the curtain backs when you swing the rods into the open position, make your curtains reversible by lining them with a decorative fabric.
A bay window is a special architectural detail that adds interest to a room. It can be a nook that contains a chair, table and lamp, or a window seat that can make it a place to sit back and dream. The window may cause problems, though, when it is time to buy hardware for the window treatment. Bay window hardware kits do not fit custom-sized windows, but the savvy DIY-er can make a rod that fits the window, is paintable and is cost effective.
Take a peek inside a professional drapery workroom's bag of tricks for tips and instructions on making a bay window treatment board at home. Spend the money you saved on some snazzy trim or some fantastic tie-backs and wait for the compliments when you tell them you made it yourself.
Whether your trellis supports vine plants or provides a simple decoration on its own to your yard, hanging a swag wreath above the trellis finishes the look. Both a swag and a wreath consist of an assortment of flowers or greenery arranged in an ornamental fashion. Wreaths are generally circular, while swags hang horizontally or vertically. Include common wreath greenery like evergreen branches and make a swag above a trellis.
Front doors featuring side glass windows allow plenty of natural light into the home. However, if the front door faces south, the strong sunlight that streams in through these windows can fade woodwork and fabrics. Privacy is another issue for many homeowners, especially if you live on a busy street. Front door shades combat both of these problems. They are surprisingly quick and simple to make and not only offer privacy and shade, but also transform the interior of your home.
A cornice the width of your bedroom is actually easier to build than a shorter cornice because it is only two-sided. This style of cornice is designed to work with window walls or walls with full-width curtains. The cornice hides the curtain rods and the tops of the draperies. It is often trimmed with padding and the same drapery fabric or a fabric that plays well with the drapes.
Add character to your kid’s room with heart-shaped valances. Valances are a great way to add height to a window while you coordinate colors in the rest of the room. With a few hours, tools and ideas and there is no limit to how you can dress up a room. Try heart-shaped valances for your kids and be the envy of friends and relatives.
Making sheer curtain panels is a simple way to dress up a window. Typically used for window coverings in kitchens and living rooms, sheer curtain panels help add an extra layer of privacy, provide eye-catching style and mask unattractive views. Triple pinch-pleated curtains, which are fabric panels with multiple small pleats, are ideal for a drawstring curtain rod. Using a traverse curtain rod operated by a drawstring also saves curtain fabric from everyday wear and tear.
Having a replacement gazebo cover around is wise, as gazebo covers are often exposed to the elements and can fall into disrepair. Buying a gazebo cover can be expensive, costing upwards of one hundred dollars or more. A more frugal gazebo owner may want to consider making his own gazebo cover out of canvas and thread. The time it takes to make your own cover can be expedited if you still have your old one around to mimic the measurements.
Repurpose a discarded window as an indoor canopy for your home. Use several small windows as a whimsical, eye-catching addition to your living room or dress up a single window to add a touch of romance to your bedroom. Whatever your style, with just a couple of hours of your time and an ounce of imagination, you can create a window canopy that stylishly transforms any room in your home.
A small room tends to look even smaller when it contains a bed, particularly if there is no window behind it. Windows open up a room by adding a sense of depth and dimension. A window behind the bed would soften its effect with light and with space just beyond. Although it is relatively easy to create a faux window with a poster or mural, it is even simpler to create the illusion of a window using curtains. Mount a low-wattage fluorescent light behind the window valance for added realism, as if sunlight were peeking through.
Leather-covered desks have a gentle and smooth finish that can feel softer and more welcoming than a stark hardwood desk. But they can be expensive. However, you can replace the leather on an old desk or put leather on any tabletop to make a leather-covered desk yourself. Purchase heavy-grade leather intended for use on tabletops to get started.
Pinch-pleat curtains almost look like segmented curtains, but they are not the same. The curtain is actually one sheet of fabric that's been pleated to look textured like an accordion. Knowing how to accomplish this look with a set of homemade curtains only requires the use of fabric tape, which is versatile and eliminates the need for needles and thread. You don't even need to start from scratch to complete this task. That's why it's ideal for home-design emergencies in which you have very little time.
