The Connecticut Colonial – Reno Story UPDATES

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So much has happened! But still so much to do!

It’s been 8 days since we closed on our beautiful colonial in Connecticut and things have been quite hectic! In the last 8 days we have:

  • Removed all the carpet from the upstairs and the family room
  • Pulled up the engineered hardwood in the sun-room
  • Removed wallpaper from every nook and cranny of the dining room
  • Pulled down the wallpaper border in the office
  • Had hardwoods installed in all the areas we pulled up flooring
  • Had the existing hardwoods refinished to match all new hardwoods
  • Painted all 4 bedrooms upstairs
  • Painted the formal living room & the formal dining room!

Sheesh. I’m tired just THINKING about all the work that we’ve done to the house.  But we’re not even close to being finished!

What we hope to accomplish this week:

  • Paint the office & hallway downstairs
  • Paint the upstairs hallway
  • Paint the foyer, kitchen, and breakfast area
  • Take down the backsplash in the kitchen
  • Prep the kitchen cabinets for paint (sand and de-greaser)
  • Prep the office built ins for paint
  • Tape down plastic on the floors and walls to prepare for the paint sprayer in kitchen and office

And the moving company is coming on WEDNESDAY!! Yikes. Trying not to stress… I know it will get finished. Just hoping it’s done on MY schedule. HAHA!

Here are some pictures of the progress so far:

 

And I know you REALLY want to see my design picks!

Tile & Countertop from Floor & Decor, Paint samples are Behr from Home Depot

My favorite part of every project is choosing the new finishes! It’s when I get to truly envision what I want the space to look like. It takes a lot of thought (and shopping) and browsing sites like Pinterest and Houzz before I decide on what I want to implement. One of my favorite stores to shop at is Floor & Decor, they have an amazing selection of tile, marble, granite, hardwood, and countertops! If they have a store near you, I totally recommend checking them out, their prices can’t be beat! (Seriously… and they aren’t paying me to say that!)

I have also found it’s cheapest to buy many home improvement supplies online. For example, I buy all of our lighting through stores like Amazon and Houzz. I also purchased all the new hardware for the cabinets and door handles online. The bottom line is… shop around, find the best price before you fall in love with a design choice!

Here are some of my lighting choices:

Foyer Light:

I bought this gorgeous semi-flush mount light for the entry foyer because the ceilings aren’t vaulted, they are just standard 8 foot ceilings, and I knew that I couldn’t go with something with a chain that hung too low. My brothers are all over 6 feet tall and I didn’t want people hitting their heads! BUT, at the same time I wanted to bring some elegance into the entryway, it’s the first room you see when you walk into the house and I want it to make a statement! I found this great light over on Amazon.

Kitchen Island:

I also picked these beautiful (and economical) pendant lights for over the kitchen island over on Amazon! They are 2 for $60!! Pretty excited to see how they look when they get hung up! Honestly, I was between these and some pendant lights with chrome shades…. but those were more of a farmhouse look. I like to blend styles, but using too much of one style can make your house style feel completely different than what you were going for, and I’m not going for farmhouse, I’m shooting for transitional, so those we’re out.

Office Light:Crystal Chandelier, White

For the office, I knew I wanted something romantic that would evoke a relaxing feeling and pair well with the transitional vibe I’m going for. I will have sheer curtains and a lovely built in window bench in that room, so I thought going with a little crystal couldn’t hurt. Haha!

 

Dining Light:Effimero 5-Light Chandelier, Brushed Nickel

Originally, I was looking for a linear light that would hang symmetrically with the dining table. I knew I wanted a modern look to balance the traditional light I’m doing in the breakfast area, but I couldn’t find a linear light that wasn’t $700 or $800. So I opted for this beauty and only paid $190 for it over on Houzz!! I can’t believe I got such a steal! I can’t wait to see it up in the dining room!

Round Contemporary 12-Light LED Chrome Finish Clear Crystal ChandelierMaster Bedroom Light:

I may have cheated a little bit on this one… this is the same master bed light I put in the Plano house. But, I loved it so much I had to buy it again! And luckily, this time it was on sale!! YAY! So I actually saved $150 over what I paid last year.

 

Breakfast Room Light:Safavieh Sharon 5 Light Chrome 21-Inch Dia Adjustable Chandelier
The light I’m putting in the breakfast room is evocative of the traditional style of the house, with a modern twist (the chrome color). Also, super affordable, I found it for $100 on Houzz.

Hallway Lights:Savoy House Penrose 3-Light Semi-Flush Mount, Polished Nickel

In the hallway upstairs I am again going with a light I loved from the Plano house. (Why fix something that’s not broken, right?) I think what I love the most about this light is the glass surrounding the bulbs, and that it’s a flushmount. It is SO hard to find a pretty flush mount light! They all look like they belong in my grandparent’s house.

Garrett 4 Light Flush Mount, Polished NickelIn the hallway downstairs, I wanted to do something a little different, but still tie into the open glass and bulbs of the upstairs light. So I found a similar light that was square! I’m not sure which one I love more!! AHH!

Looking Ahead!

Looking at all of our lighting selections in one place has me really excited to get this renovation finished! I was looking at the calendar today and we have about 2 more weeks of solid work left before this house starts feeling like a home again! We have family coming in about 2 weeks so it’s really crunch time! HAHA.

I’m definitely looking forward to being in a house that we intend to stay in for a while. I was talking to Brandon about this the other night, but we have moved 3 times in the last 4 1/2 years. And that is WAY too many moves. Ready to focus on staying in one place, and just buying rental properties when we need another project!

I hope this post gives you some great ideas on where to shop for great prices! Let me know your thoughts on how you think the reno is coming along!!

~Happy Renovating~

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DIY Flat Panel Lined Curtains

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*This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase by clicking on the links. All opinions and recommendations are my own.*

Saving Thousands by Sewing Your Own Curtain Panels – A DIY Tutorial

Sewing seems to be somewhat of a lost art. But, I know many women my age who are picking up the needle (or sewing machine) again, and taking an interest in crafting and creating themselves over buying mass-made clothes/draperies and decor.

“I got quotes upwards of $1500 a panel. A PANEL! I’m sorry. Say what?”

My mother taught me how to sew over 20 years ago, but I haven’t really taken much interest in sewing, outside of making some quick and easy curtains for my classroom. Then I priced the panels for our living room a few months ago! OH. MY. GOSH. When did curtains get so expensive?? We have 20 foot ceilings in our formal living room, and 12 foot ceilings in our master bedroom. I got quotes upwards of $1500 a panel. A PANEL! I’m sorry. Say what? (Yall – I’m talking custom made panels here – not the cheap store bought ones – they don’t make those for 20 foot ceilings).

That’s when I decided it would be well worth my time to renew my interest in sewing. So I went about picking a fabric from JoAnn’s. (They didn’t have an upholstery fabric I liked in store so I special ordered.) With all of the special order fabric (which was pretty expensive), the new sewing machine, and the thread and supplies needed, I spent approximately $2500. So far, I have made curtains for the formal living and dining room, and the master bedroom. And I have enough fabric for the front bedroom and game room left. That’s a total of 13 total panels completed, and fabric for 6 additional. Let’s do the math here for a second … 19 curtain panels multiplied by $1500 is $28,500. Yea… I would say that savings is well worth my time.

The Brother CS6000i. This amazing machine can do 60 different stitches, has an extendable table for wider fabrics, self winding bobbin, self threading needle and it comes with tons of accessories.

So, if you’re like me and want to save some serious cash, and love to create things, pull out your trusty sewing machine, or buy the one I bought.

Some other supplies you will need:

  • Fabric
  • Liner (We used a blackout)
  • Thread
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape
  • Curtain rods
  • Curtain clip rings (We used the ones on the left)

The hardest part for me was picking a fabric that I loved. I knew that if I was going to put in the time to create the curtains myself, then they needed to be so beautiful that I would love them for a long time.

Curtain Ring Clips – These work like a charm! They have a great clip that holds even the heaviest fabrics! I was doubtful at first – but no more!

For the formal living and dining areas, I selected a shiny silver threaded fabric that goes very well with my decor and is elegant enough to elevate our formal rooms, while not outshining the rest of the decor. For the bedrooms, I picked a fun patterned fabric that coordinates well with our rugs and bedding.

So, after checking out samples, and bringing them home, I held them next to the walls and other decor to make sure the patterns wouldn’t clash. I also waited to purchase until the fabric was on a great sale. You’ll notice it says $59.99 a yard in the picture on the right! Oh. My. No, I did not pay that. They were running a 40% off sale on special orders, plus I got 15% with my teacher card! So, with all the discounts I paid a little over $30 a yard. Not bad for a fabric I really love!

After getting all my fabrics in, I tackled the unlined curtains in the formal living and dining room first. The lined curtains for our master bedroom took a little bit longer because you have to wrangle two fabrics, but the end result is so worth it! No light in our bedroom at night! Woohoo!

Easy Lined Flat Panel Curtain Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions for how to sew your own lined flat panel curtains:

  1. Install the Curtain Rod.
  2. Using a measuring tape, measure from the bottom of the curtain rod to the floor.
  3. Add 8-10″ to the length you measured depending on how large you want the hems to be.
  4. Roll out your fabric on the floor (You need it to be flat, so roll it in a large hallway or open space).
  5. Use your measuring tape to measure (in inches) the height you need (Don’t forget to add for your hem).

    Sew with the backside facing up. As you can see the decorative side is facing down.

  6. Cut the fabric in a straight line using very sharp fabric scissors.
  7. Start your sewing machine. (Not sure how to get started? I will upload a quick start for the Brother CS6000i soon!)
  8. Select a simple single stitch.
  9. Hem the side of the curtains by folding over the fraying edge by 1/2″. (Sew face down)
  10. Sew a single stitch down the length of the curtain.
  11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 along all other sides.

    Flip the frayed or rough edge over by 1/2 an inch and sew a simple stitch to to hold in place.

  12. Roll out your Lining.
  13. Cut the lining to the original length you measured (No need to add for a hem).
  14. Lay out your curtain fabric face down.
  15. Layer the lining along the back side of the fabric – be sure to lay it out flat with no wrinkles.
  16. Pin about 1″ down each side of the curtain, folding the decorative fabric over the lining and inserting the pin. (Do not pin the top or bottom)

    Pin the sides of the fabric over the top of the lining by about an inch. This will create a nice even hem along the sides of the curtain panel.

  17. Sew a zig zag (or any sturdy stitch) down one side to hem the fabric removing pins as you go.
  18. Lay the fabric flat again on the floor. Make sure the pins still have both fabrics laying flat (If not readjust them).
  19. Hem down the second side of the curtain removing pins as you go.
  20. Lay your panel flat on the floor.
  21. Fold over the top of your fabric until it covers the lining by about 1/2 an inch. Pin in place.
  22. Hem the top using a sturdy stitch like the zig zag.

    Make sure you have a large enough area to lay your fabric out completely flat.

  23. Take your panel and hold it up right underneath the curtain rod. (You will need another person here).
  24. Fold the bottom until you have the curtain just barely dusting the floor. Pin in place. This will be your bottom hem. – When you add the clips, the curtain will hang even lower creating a beautiful pooling effect.
  25. Hem the bottom at the desired height.
  26. Add the clips to the top of the curtain panel and hang from the rod.
  27. Repeat for however many panels you need to make.
  28. Sit back and enjoy your hard work!

I think it goes without saying, but making something like this by hand, just gives you such a sense of pride at what you have accomplished! I LOVE the way my curtains have turned out so far, and I can’t wait to make more with my new sewing machine. Like I said above, I have 2 rooms left to finish and then who knows… maybe some throw pillows!?

What are some fun things that you have sewn?? Put your pictures in the comments!

Happy Sewing!

 

 

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