Apartment Tip # 1 - There's never enough room! The best you can do is be organized and make sure everything has a home and goes to it at the end of the day.
Apartment Tip # 2 - Don't try to reinvent the wheel, just make the wheel work for you. Remember there are many others in your same situation and learn from their triumphs as well. There are so many great blogs, articles, pages, and Pinterest to act as inspiration for your next project.
Apartment Tip #3 - Live in your space for a while so you can get a feel for how things work with your routine and what requires immediate attention. This applies no matter where you live. Realize what your biggest annoyance or problem is and tackle it first.
Apartment Tip #4 Don't be afraid to take a risk. Mo matter how organized you try to be or are, there will always be another possibly even better solution out there. There are so many things I've tried in my home that have been re-tried down the line because either because the needs change or an idea comes along that hasn't been attempted. If you are like me and the thought of sitting still during a 3 day weekend scares you, then you will share with me the realization that I never want a project free home.
Apartment Tip #5 You don't have spend a lot to get a lot. Many of my projects have cost under $20 and there are soooo many other DIY'ers out there whose life goal is to design on a budget. It does however take time planning and searching for the right pieces for most budget friendly projects. I've found that I can cut cost the most if I buy materials and reuse them for other projects down the road like: my trusty staple gun, paint, brushes, painters tape, stain and glue.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
DIY Grommet Curtains
Making a new space feel like home can be a challenge. A great way to start making the apartment feel more like MY space was to put up curtains. In my broke college apartment days, I never even thought about hanging curtains, and why not! It's a great way to liven up those white walls and above else is functional! I really like the look of grommeted curtains but didn't want to foot the bill for something pricey when we thought we wouldn't be in this apartment very long (ha! they are hanging still 5 years later). At this point in time I did not own a sewing machine and did not want to purchase one. I had a handheld quick sew device that was pretty much worthless, so my curtain endeavor ended up being a combination of hand sewing where the quick sew device failed, and hem tape. If you have never heard of hem tape, go right out to your local craft or fabric store and buy some! It's a cheaters method to so many fabric crafts that I've done pre-sewing machine days.
To make my curtains, I measured the window in our bedroom and added an extra inch or two at the top to allow room for seam above the grommet (which you can use hem tape or sew for a clean hem). I purchased a neutral fabric, a remnant piece that I was able to get a discounted price. I also purchased a grommet kit which included plastic grommet pieces (front and back that snap together) as well as a template to mark your fabric where the holes need to be cut to insert the grommet. The instructions were clear and easy to follow and left me with inexpensive and useful curtains and grommets I could always reuse down the line.
These were the first curtains I put up in the apartment, and have since hung every window and even our sliding glass door with either DIY or bargain found drapery. My goal is that since I may not have a use for these items in our next living space, why spent a money on something that I may not get the longevity out of?
My FAVORITE curtains in the house are the clearance mark down that I found at Target for just $12 a panel! This is probably one of my favorite Apartment tricks that make a pet peeve something I now enjoy. Yes, I'm talking about vertical blinds! I hate them! They rattle, fall down, look chunky and are not ascetically pleasing at all. BUT I have to live with them because I don't own the space. To mask the hideous creature that is our vertical blind, we installed a drapery rod directly on front of the bracket/track that the vertical blinds hang from. Then, I hung the curtains over the blinds (notice they are also grommet style - I know what I like!) I just make sure that the vertical blinds are pulled back as far as they go and keep the curtain pulled over just enough to hide them and I forget they are even there! Mission Defintiely accomplished!
To make my curtains, I measured the window in our bedroom and added an extra inch or two at the top to allow room for seam above the grommet (which you can use hem tape or sew for a clean hem). I purchased a neutral fabric, a remnant piece that I was able to get a discounted price. I also purchased a grommet kit which included plastic grommet pieces (front and back that snap together) as well as a template to mark your fabric where the holes need to be cut to insert the grommet. The instructions were clear and easy to follow and left me with inexpensive and useful curtains and grommets I could always reuse down the line.
These were the first curtains I put up in the apartment, and have since hung every window and even our sliding glass door with either DIY or bargain found drapery. My goal is that since I may not have a use for these items in our next living space, why spent a money on something that I may not get the longevity out of?
(The above photo was snapped before I hemmed the bottom seam to hit just on the window sill)
My FAVORITE curtains in the house are the clearance mark down that I found at Target for just $12 a panel! This is probably one of my favorite Apartment tricks that make a pet peeve something I now enjoy. Yes, I'm talking about vertical blinds! I hate them! They rattle, fall down, look chunky and are not ascetically pleasing at all. BUT I have to live with them because I don't own the space. To mask the hideous creature that is our vertical blind, we installed a drapery rod directly on front of the bracket/track that the vertical blinds hang from. Then, I hung the curtains over the blinds (notice they are also grommet style - I know what I like!) I just make sure that the vertical blinds are pulled back as far as they go and keep the curtain pulled over just enough to hide them and I forget they are even there! Mission Defintiely accomplished!
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