Window Treatment for $10

The window over my washer & dryer was a single pane slider.  Very inefficient and cold!  I had it replaced with a nice new double pane slider and my contractor put some gorgeous white trim around it.  I'd like California shutters for a window treatment, so I didn't want to spend a lot on a temporary fix.

I had a brand new curtain rod in my shed, courtesy of the previous home owners (but you can get an Ikea Irja curtain rod for $2 or the Beskada curtain rod for $10 if you don't have a curtain rod).  It took two packages of curtain rings with clips  from IKEA ($8) and a twin sheet from a clearance bin at Superstore ($1.97).

I folded the sheet in half and used fusible tape all around the edges, and presto - quick, temporary window treatment that looks pretty good!

Linked to:

 Frugalicious Fridays on Finding Fabulous for Less 

The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday

Freckled Laundry Air Your Laundry Friday

Snowy Winter Days

The snow this winter has been so much nicer than other years, very powdery, light and lots of it!  My dog and I have been walking the local trails and enjoying the fresh air.

 This day we were the first to hit the trail.

         The snow was thick on the tree branches creating lacy patterns

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 Those clouds mean more snow on the way...

 Sheer joy!

 Anyone for a picnic lunch??

So pretty.

Sharing with Funky Junk Interiors 

Kitchen Reno

My New House - the Kitchen Reno to date!

These photos are from the week I moved in.

and this is what the kitchen looked like...  there's a door to the bathroom to one side of the stove and a door to the back porch on the other side, very few cabinets and next to no counter space.

And below is the (mostly) finished product.  I had a strict budget to work from and I stuck to it.  I really wanted white cabinets with dark grey countertops and a slate backsplash, but I didn't want MDF doors so I opted for the cider coloured maple with a granite look countertop that had flecks of the cider colour in it.  The walls are painted in BM Sundial but I'm thinking I need a paint colour in a shade of taupe rather than a yellow.

I sealed off the two doorways and created a galley kitchen.  The previous owners had walled off the one window in the kitchen when they decided to build an addition.  To compensate for the lack of view, I knocked two rectangular holes between the studs to break up the wall between the kitchen and back porch and let some daylight into the space.  I decided not to install upper cabinets on this wall to keep the kitchen feeling a little more open and spacious.

The opposite wall has upper and lower cabinets.  I'm still considering either exposing the chimney brick or taking it out completely to allow for more cabinets and counter space.  I painted it with chalkboard paint to add some whimsy.

          

The kitchen window used to be centered on the wall in the photo below.  I'd love to cover the wall with a clay brick veneer to give it some more architectural interest & warm up the space. 

 

 So, it's not quite finished but so far, so good cause I absolutely love it!