| Mommy's Treasures

This summer, my office will be under construction. In fact, most of the school will have some sort of remodeling project going on (finally!!!), so we have to pack up our things in preparation for the dust and drills. Friday is the last day of school for teachers, but in my office, we've already had to turn in all of our folders, important paperwork and pack up all of the materials and office supplies. That leaves us with a bit of time on our hands. Time for a project or two.

While Gwenn kept herself busy with the garden outside our office, Danette had the perfect craft project for this morning.

She brought her sewing machine and supplies to school with her today and we set to work constructing roman shades for her front doors. She found this on Pinterest as inspiration:

Johns Journal

Recently, she bought new drapes for her living area and ordered two extra panels in a smaller size to be used for this project. She found bamboo shades in the exact size she needed at Home Depot for $15 a piece and some beautiful trim at the fabric store.

We discovered that by cutting the drapery panel in half lengthwise, it was the perfect width for the shade. I measured and pinned, while she sewed. First she sewed under the raw edges, then sewed the trim to the bottom of the panel.

We opened the second panel and cut off the top to be used on the shade "flap".

Next came the fun part. Gluing it all down. Just as we got started spraying, a train began rolling by on the tracks.

This is nothing new and we paid no attention at all until children and parents began pouring out of the auditorium and running to the fence.

It was the Barnum & Bailey Circus train.

Of course, we went to the fence as well, hoping to get a glimpse of circus animals or perhaps a clown.

There were no animals or clowns to be seen, but the train was long--a myriad of passenger cars, air-conditioned freight cars (presumably where the animals were) and flat-beds with equipment.

After the kids went back to their classrooms, we continued with our gluing. We were skeptical at first as to whether or not the spray adhesive would really be strong enough to make this fabric stick to the shade, but by spraying each piece---the shade and then the back of the fabric, it made a permanent bond.

Once sprayed with the adhesive, the top of the panel did not reach all the way to the top of the string mechanism, but that part will be hidden by the flap anyway.