The Simple, Subtle Way to Work a Home Bar Into Your Space

In my mind, a gracious home always includes a cocktail area.

This doesn't mean an enormous vinyl-covered wet bar,

but a chic little display that functions as a serving spot

 and provides an interesting vignette.

source

D and I are former bartenders,

(and certainly got over-indulgence out of our systems way back when!)

so we rarely drink unless we have company,

and then in moderation.

The last thing we want is to have the focal point in a room be the bar.

So how to incorperate this space subtly and easily?

Pop over to my guest post at Project Gadabout today

for some GOR-geous examples.

x am

The Blinds Are Finished!

If you've been reading for a while, 

you know that I've been working on my home office/craft room.

After organizing the craft supplies a while back, it was on to the next project.

          

This room faces west, and although it's partially shaded by the roof of our front porch,

the afternoon sun can be overwhelming some days.

It needs a window treatment.

The fabric I planned to use was the end of a roll -

three precious metres!

I searched for a way to make it work back in this post, 

and you all encouraged me to make roman blinds,

thank you!

I looked into Martha's instructions for sewing Roman Blinds,

and although they would have been perfect, 

it began to seem a bit daunting 

(her projects are always done properly and always have a million steps, don't they?)

I admit it, I was looking for they easy way out!

Jennifer from Rambling Renovators had suggested roller blinds..hmmm..

using roller blinds and laminating my fabric on top,

a la Design Sponge, seemed simple enough and I liked the clean look.

A little research, however, revealed that the narrow width of the windows

would have required custom roller blinds to the tune of $60 each.

Onward.

Amanda of {Re}Cycled Cosign and Design had mentioned mini-blinds diys,

so the googling began.

Found the Little Green Notebook tutorial, which seemed to be the original,

and has spawned heaps of copycats.

That must mean it works, right?

Off to the store to buy mini blinds for $1.80 each (how do they manufacture them for this price?)

and fabric glue, which I have never used before, being a sewer.

All set to begin cutting, I realized each blind needed to be 21" wide,

and my pattern repeat was only 17", and the print would not be centred.

So what, you say?

This is the window that I look at every day as I work at my desk,

and I knew that would drive me bananas... 

(trying to overcome mytype-a tendencies!)

so off to the fabric store to buy navy linen,

which was going to serve as a liner and border,

which, as a bonus, also meant these would hold up to the sun a bit longer.

Now, the original tutorial is super-easy -

but of course I made it more complicated with this lining/border business..

I measured the window, adding 8" to the width

(3" for each border, 2" for seam allowance)

and 5" to the length

(3" for the bottom border, 2" for seam allowance).

Cut the navy linen fabric, 

using a framing square and chalk to make sure everything was cut straight

(there's that type-a again :)

Then cut the suzani fabric,

17" wide (pattern repeat) and the length of the window.

Ironed all the seams into place, 

using a guide cut to the border width,

and mitring the corners.

This took the longest of any step, but DON'T skip ironing,

this is how you get that crisp finish that makes your finished product looks professionally made.

Placed the patterned fabric inside and sewed them up.

The Little Green Notebook tutorial has all the additional steps,

which involve removing the majority of the slats from a set of miniblinds,

and literally gluing the remaining few to the back of the fabric.

Because I used two layers of fabric, there was A LOT of glue used, 

so that it not only adhered the mini blind slats to the fabric but also to each other,

ensuring they would hang properly.

They dried for a day and, voila - 

Perfect little spot for sewing now, isn't it?

This is a great method to create some more attractive window treatments

 if you already have those dreaded miniblinds in place.

I know that the sun will take it's toll on these and I will be replacing them every few years, 

so I didn't mind doing it the easy way -

 but if you are making roman blinds to last a long time,

 I would say bite the bullet and use Martha's method.

1 project down, 3789 more to go :)
next I'll be tackling a desk update, and a really cool wall display...


Hope you all have a wonderful weekend,
and please pop over to Project Gadabout for my
Glamorous Gadabouts bits.

I can never get over how gorgeous Poppy's blog is!
Yesterday she created a fantastic post with my
Secret Cheese Fondue recipe
(D. and I are fondue junkies! Even the kids get into it now, lol)
So many people have tried to get that recipe from me over the years,
and it's yours for the taking!

Two Exciting Tidbits..

Exciting things happening around here these days!

First of all, because I am off to Florida at the end of next week for two weeks

(can you see my smile?!!!)

I have something really special lined up for the blog.

I asked six of my favourite design bloggers if they would consider doing a

guest over here, and they ALL said yes!

What fantastic ladies, I am so blown away.

Their posts are going to kick off a new series around here,

called.. drumroll please..

The posts will centre around their favourite color, or color combo.

I always feel like someone is revealing a bit of their secret self 

when they tell me their favourite color, don't you?

I'm not going to tell you who all will be posting but let's just say you won't want to miss a single one!

The second big news is that my week as a Glamorous Gadabout 

over at the dee-lightful Poppy's Project Gadbout has begun!

When Poppy asked me if I wanted to be a part of this series, 

I thought it was going to be a single post - 

turns out it was five (!!) plus a guest post.

So I'll be there in bits and pieces all week, til next wednesday, lol!

Project Gadabout is one of my favourite reads.

Poppy's goal is to entertain and inspire,

and she certainly does both.

This is one you'll want in your blog roll, ladies, I promise!

The Roman blinds for the office went up today -

so glad you all encouraged me to go for blinds, I love 'em!

pics to follow shortly :)

destination friday: absolute sanctuary in thailand

We haven't had a Destination Friday in a while,

and so here is a lovely one for you.

Absolute Sanctuary is a wellness resort in Koh Samui, Thailand.

The perfect place for a little cleansing and rejuvenating of mind and body.

Spa, yoga centre and healthy fare.

Think my time would be spent right here :)

(the color - look at that luscious color!)

ahh, the spaaaa.. how I love that word.

find a sliver of namaste...

the Love Kitchen menu is tantalizing.. and healthy!

Afternoon naps are a holiday must...

how wonderful are these rooms? 

I love white bedding - it always feels crisp and cool,
here it provides great balance to all the color.

Think leaving the computer behind may stretch you a bit thin?

If you must :)

I can feel my muscles relaxing...

hard to leave this one, isn't it?!

imagine a whole week...

It's been crazy here for work, 

spring is on the way and everyone is beginning to get that

"let's freshen up the house" itch..

Here's hoping we all find some moments like these this weekend...

although they definitely won't be beside an gorgeous infinity pool,

immersed in the warm sea air ... sigh :)

**just a quick note - next week I will be over at Project Gadabout,

the fabulous Poppy has done a series of posts about her fellow bloggers 

and generously invited me to take part - pop over if you like! 

Since Poppy's blog always makes me feel like

 throwing on some red lips and dashing down to the beach in a convertible,

 I am going to have Palm Beach Week on the blog :)

Eye candy galore! You're going to love it - x ***