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.

Perfect!  And so easy!!

Can't wait to see them hanging on her doors!!  Now, what can we do tomorrow morning?

Outdoor Spaces

Ron and I have spent a lot of time outdoors in the past year.  We like camping and hiking and kayaking and running.  But, we also like to just sit outside and relax.  This spring, we worked hard to fix up our fire pit area, although it's been too hot this summer to actually enjoy it much yet.  But we have enjoyed being outdoors on the deck---especially in the mornings or late evenings.   The only problem (besides it being really messy), is that the late evening sun shines directly into that area from the west, making it pretty uncomfortable at times.  Ron has remarked several times that we need curtains on that side.

Well, this weekend, we did something about it.  I measured the length of the span and did a little research online  at my favorite DIY spot, Pinterest, before heading to Home Depot.  

                                

I picked up two 6' x 9' drop cloths and some eye bolts to be fastened to the metal.  I found the best price for curtain ring clips at WalMart.  Ron went to Lowe's with me to get the pipe that we used as a curtain rod.  We planned to use conduit, but it doesn't come in 12' lengths and they were sold out of the 1/2" diameter.  Instead we decided to use actual threaded pipe---it came in 6' lengths, so two of them made it the right length.  We bought a coupler for the middles and two end caps to keep the curtain rings from sliding off.  The threaded pipe was more expensive than conduit would have been, but it is also much stronger and looks better.

Ron drilled holes in the metal roofing rim and inserted 3 bolts, along with locking nuts.  Because the roof slants, he screwed the first bolt all the way in and kept the bolt at the other end fully extended.

(By the way, drilling into that metal caused tiny metal flakes/splinters to fly everywhere, so Ron had to be very careful and wear protective eye wear).    I slid the curtain clips onto the rods and we slid it through the eye hooks.  I folded the drop cloths to the appropriate length and clipped them on.

I want to live with them for a little while before I decide if I am going to cut and hem them---at this point, the flap doesn't really bother me much.  

After cleaning up the deck (those pictures above show just how messy it really was!!), and letting them hang outside a bit so the wrinkles could fall out, they really look pretty good.    It's really pretty amazing how much shade they provide!  And while not necessarily the cheapest option, it is much more affordable than actual outdoor curtains and does the trick quite nicely.