Thursday, April 8, 2010

Stage Coach Valance

I recently redid my daughter's bedroom when I converted her toddler bed to a full size bed. She wanted a "purple bed" and I found a beautiful lavender coverlet and pretty flower sheets to match. However, I couldn't find any nice looking curtains or a valance. So, I found some lavender striped fabric and made a stage coach valance.


I first saw this idea in model homes when we first bought our home. I liked the look so much I made them for my kitchen windows with regular curtain panels that were 84"x41" and attached them to a mounting board hung with "L" brackets, instead of a curtain rod.


I'm not a great sewer. I can only sew straight lines so these are pretty simple to make if you're not an expert sewer! Just takes a bit of patience. I made the lavender valance in just a few hours. I only have pictures of the finished valance, but I included some photos that should help. Here's how you do it:

1. Measure the window. You want the fabric to be about 2" wider than the window on each side. This will give you enough fabric to hem the sides and hide the window edges. Determine the height you'd like for the valance and then triple that for the amount of fabric you need. So, if your window is 36" wide, then you'll need the fabric about 40" wide. If you want the valance to be about 24" high, then you'll need about 72" of fabric length. No need to prewash the fabric since you won't be washing the valance, unless you prefer to do this. I find the fabric looks nicer if it's not washed.

2. Sew a 1/4" hem along both sides of the valance (I fold my hems under twice to give it a finished look and iron it in place before sewing - this uses 1/2" total of fabric).


3. Next, you'll need Wonder Under, or any type of fusible web. This will be ironed in between the fabric at the bottom portion of the valance to hold the fabric together and keep it from sliding when you roll it up. Fold the fabric in half, right sides facing up. Where the two ends meet, you'll place the fusible web in between here from side to side. You only need to apply it to about 1/3 of the fabric height. The is only for the rolled section of the fabric - you don't need it for the area that will be seen after it is rolled up. Once it is in place, iron the fabrics together following the fusible web directions.

4. Sew the fabric ends toghether (not the sides). This part doesn't have to be pretty since it will be hidden in the roll. This will be the bottom of the valance.

5. Next you need to sew a pocket for the curtain rod. You will sew this at the folded end, which is the top of the valance. Add about an inch to the rod size to allow it to slide nicely without being too tight. So if your rod is 1", make the pocket almost 2". You can place the rod in between the fabric then pin it so you can see if it's big enough.


6. Now you're ready to roll the valance. I use pipe insulation foam you can buy at a hardware store. It comes in pretty long lengths and is only a few dollars. It's light weight and has a slit on one side that is perfect for tucking in your fabric. Cut this 4" shorter than the width of your finished valance. This will allow it to hide in the roll and not show. With your valance laying flat on the floor, start with the sewed end (the bottom) and tuck in to the foam slit. Then start rolling until it's the height you want.




7. I used 1.5" grosgrain ribbon to tie my daughter's valance. You can also sew your own ties if you're up to it (I did this for my kitchen valances). Simply slide the ribbon under the valance pulling up to the top and then back down. Then tie it at the bottom. Do this for each side. You decide how far in from the edge you want the ties. Just make sure they are even!

8. Slide the rod in the pocket and hang!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Potato and Broccoli Cheese Soup


So, I love to cook, most of the time anyway. I'm always looking for new recipes and love to share the ones I find that are easy to fix, but most of all yummy. This is a yummy Weight Watchers recipe I got from a friend and made for years, but I thought it was lacking something. So I tweaked it recently and it is perfect! Creamy and rich, but still low fat! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1/2 bag of frozen hashbrowns
1 T vegetable oil
2 cans chicken broth
1 can fat free evaporated milk
1 packet of white country gravy mix
1 cup frozen broccoli florets, defrosted (or fresh broccoli)
1/2-1 cup 2% Velvetta, cubed

Directions
In a non-stick skillet pan, add oil and hashbrowns. Stir occasionally until golden light brown. Meanwhile, add chicken broth, canned milk and gravy packet to a separate pot. Wisk the gravy mix until dissolved. Add broccoli and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add hashbrowns and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

*If you want more or less of an ingredient, simply change the quantity. Add more broth if you want more soup! If your kids are picky about "chunks" in their soup like mine are, just chop the broccoli into small pieces.

Learning to Blog

I never was interested in blogging. I mean, I have no time as it is, and to find time to write about my family? Just didn't interest me plus I didn't really understand it. But I came across a blog today while I was searching for ideas for our bathroom mirror and really loved this person's blog. She shared a few make-overs she did with her house and it inspired me to do the same. Not that I have lots of make-overs to share, but a few that I get excited about.

I also started my own little home business making handpainted signs, mainly for kids, but also no soliciting signs for the front door and signs for kitchens, kids' bathrooms and fun initial plaques and frames. I had my own little shop on Etsy called Sassy Signs by Andrea, which is a site I absolutely love http://sassysigns.etsy.com/. But I've decided to take a little break to catch up on other things, mainly keeping up with the house and the kids. But I still make signs when I get requests. And if you're a friend having a baby, you can count on getting a sign from me! I'll be posting samples of my favorite signs and plaques.

Also, I occasionally come across something I question that makes me laugh, but don't really know who to share it with (except my hubby Mike who laughs with me), so I think I'll start a little "quirky corner" to put these things!

I'm slowly learning how to do all of this blogging stuff. So let's see where this whole blogging thing takes me!