I was recently discussing window coverings with my IRL friend Grace. She had some drapes for her living room that she was wanting to alter which of course got me going on our various window covers…or rather, lack there of.

We originally had wooden blinds throughout the house (that were also original to the house) except where the sliding doors are. Those doors had vertical fabric blinds. My dh replaced the blinds in the living room due to his height. The wooden blinds took up more than an inch of space when fully pulled open as opposed to barely an inch thin metal blinds. They obstructed his view too much and so he indeed replaced them with metal ones. *ugh* These blinds didn’t last long in new condition due to children pulling and tugging and lifting to see under them. One set was completely broken within the first year. Another followed the next year and those still remaining are looking pretty beat up.

The fabric blinds in the dining area were gone pretty quickly too…within a handful of years of moving in. They were looking quite worn anyway but I guess they couldn’t stand up to our use of them more than they did the previous owners. 😛

We still have the original wooden blinds in the bedrooms and the fabric blinds over the other sliding door.

My goal after the metal blinds fiasco has always been to replace everything with curtains. We had curtains/draperies in our condo living rooms (blinds in the bedrooms) and I liked them so much better. As I mentioned in a previous post, I really like/want cast iron (or cast iron “look”) rods. So, last fall, when I saw a post on Freecycle for a curtain rod that at least sorta had the look I wanted, I snatched it up. (Dh is going to paint it flat black for me as he did the kitchen cabinet hardware.)

Today, I came across this site and was impressed with the selection of window coverings! So many nice looking things… But, since I’m a DIYer and pretty frugal, I particularly liked that they had fabric by the yard for making your own! I’m not so sure the prices are in our range though…but they are fun to get ideas from. 🙂

As soon as that curtain rod gets a new coat of paint, hopefully, I/we can take another step in this loooong remodeling project that is our home. 🙂

What do you have covering your windows throughout your home? Gimme some more ideas to play with! 😉

Until next time,