MBR Update

This is going to be pictureless, I'm sorry. There's still so much to be done and I'm never home when the light is good for taking pictures.

Here's how the to-do list is shaping up:

• Brutally clean out closets and donate approximately 143 bags of clothing
• Order/alter* Circles duvet and shams from Smart Bargains.
• Procure/Make red-theme printed king pillowcases
• Procure/Make green-theme printed king pillowcases
• Procure/Make green-theme cover for throw pillow
• Line silver poster frame with khaki-theme printed fabric
• Order bossy artwork for fabric lined poster frame**
• Brutally clean out closets, again, with an eye toward getting rid of IKEA wardrobe and (haw, haw, haw!) consolidating our crap into the single built-in closet
• Build a floor lamp***
• Measure and order supplies for Evil Closet Door Plan****
• Scour Craigslist for a wall shelf

* I have a problem. When I find a duvet cover or comforter or whatever on sale online, and all of the sizes are the same price (this happens a lot on Overstock and Smart Bargains)--I feel morally obligated to buy the largest one, even though we have a Full/Queen comforter.  It's extra fabric for the same price, people.  This is the second duvet in a row that I've "taken in"--and it's just one seam, yo.  I opted to leave the extra fabric in it, this time--it's there, if I ever need extra coordinating fabric, but I haven't made any cuts if the thing needs additional adjusting in the future.

**This is a reference to my incredible inability to get up before 8am.  This poster reads "imperative" to me. In my mind, I add "...you complete SLUG." We'll see if it helps.

***I'm gonna write a big post about this.  The gist is that I wanted a certain kind of floor lamp for the "new" bedroom that's ridiculously expensive just about anywhere you can find one. We're gonna DIY one for about $50, but as it's still in pieces... stay tuned.

****This'll probably be another post too. If we follow through with our plan to share we're gonna need every inch of space we can get from our one (not very big to begin with) closet. The bifold doors take up four or five inches on either side of the opening even when pulled back as far as they go. I want to take 'em out, and install curtains on a center-split traverse rod.  That way, we can open the closet with a yank of a cord, and--if I can mount it like I want to--the fabric will move completely out of the way to either side of the closet opening.

I bought the red pillowcases and some fabric to make the green ones; I plan to use this tutorial.  That's about all for now: more pictures in the next one, promise.

AAAAAIGH OVERLOAD

This isn't really a news post, but I just wanted to say.. Fabric.com has a "design wall" feature that lets indecisive sorts like me trip merrily through pages and pages of fabric swatches and end up with something like this (click to view full-size):

My quest for fabrics to support the new master-bedroom-color-scheme has come to a standstill here. Now what? I WANT THEM ALL.  ALL!  MUAH, HA-HA HA. HA.



Okay. Seriously though. I need a curtain fabric (more on that later... I have evil plans for the closet doors), and I'm thinking of making some pillowcases in fun prints.  There's actually not a lot of opportunity to coordinate things--it's a small space--and I figure the pillows are sitting there on the bed anyway, so... might as well.  In addition, I'm thinking of doing some weirder things (matting some artwork with fun fabrics... wrapping drawer fronts... etc.), which I think would be good outlets for the more graphic/expensive prints, since I wouldn't need much.

I did order the duvet cover from my "inspiration" post, and would like to take a moment to thank the Mr.. This will be master bedroom duvet number four, I believe (don't fret: I'm an Overstock/Smart Bargains/IKEA fiend), and thus far he's demonstrated incredible patience with my bedding schizophrenia.  This one's the one, folks. I can feel it.*

*By this I mean both the man, and the duvet.

Thanks! (Curtains update)

Okay, so an update on fabric choices (thanks for the suggestions!!) I have now learned that there is a Waverly outlet within reach (I love me a discount). Thanks, too, to my mother-in-law for the positive identification of our Roses (Knock-Out?) and for assuring us that they are, thankfully, of the easy-care variety. I just wanted to share some things I found via the suggested links. First off, HEE. "Seagull," by Jenny Lee-Katz:

Next, beautimous: "Avalon," by Daisy Janie

I also really like this one of hers: "Maxie"

LOVE, but probably too dark: "Hydrangea Blue," by Cicada Studio

and, "HEE," all over again: "Chicks-a-dee"

Ah, so many great things out there. Thanks to my sister for restoring my faith in online shopping. Be on the lookout for pictures of the Mr.'s brand-new garden!

The Search for The Perfect Curtains

Ah, internet, you are failing me. Anybody know of some swanky boutique fabric shop online that sells tastefully mod yet understated large-scale prints? It's going to be hard to describe what I'm looking for, which is perhaps part of the problem (who..am.. i?) The back room has two big windows plus big french doors with no mullions. When we're back there, in the daytime, it's lovely. There are times, though, that it's not; like, when we're not there and the sun beating in drives the thermostat crazy, or when it's dark, and the entire wall amounts to a large, dark, light-sucking void. (This is especially troublesome when you're home alone after your dog has tried to make a snack of a baby bunny in the back yard and you're convinced that said baby bunny's mother is going to come after you, Bunnicula-style, for continuing to fraternize with the beast.) Right. Anyway. The point is, there are good reasons to make curtains. The windows already have some really nice roman shades on them, so I'm concentrating on the french doors. I'm envisioning an oversized drapery rod with finials, and those big rings with clips on the bottom to hold up the fabric. C.f.:

They shouldn't be too fussy, because most of the time, it won't be pulled across the doors. Just when we need it, to, you know, hide us from angry rabbits. So.. the fabric. After searching (fruitlessly) I realized I was envisioning something kind of similar to a binder I bought at Target. Unfortunately, the company that makes them isn't in the business of drapery fabric. (I checked.): They're all pretty fun. I have the one on the bottom right--the wavy orange/green/blue-gray--which, coincidentally, are pretty great colors for what I need it for. Anyway, the search turned up some possibilities: Retrodepot's "Looped (Citrus)": (probably too bright, but I like the scale and the pattern):

Totally different, but I like it (Waverly "Chippendale Fretwork"):

Hmm? (Waverly "Garden Lattice"):

And another: (Waverly "Pindot"):

Anyway. I'm not super excited about any of them. It can't compete too much with the orange plaid couch; the roman blinds are pretty neutral, so I'm not too worried about clashes there. I'm open to suggestions. It may be worth mentioning that I got a lot of leftover orange plaid back from the upholsterer--I could imagine using some of it as a stripe, or something, but don't want it all to get too match-y. Thoughts?