Burlap My Window

With this bamboo blind as my inspiration, I decided to Burlap My Window.

First, I cut a strip of MDF and a length of PVC to fit perfectly inside the width of the window.I measured around the PVC pipe and added an extra inch or two. Then I measured the height of the inside of the window, added the two measurements together to get the overall length I needed to cut the burlap.
For the width, I chose to keep the original width of the burlap and just make extra large hems on each side---partly because I wanted the extra weight, partly because I wanted to keep the finished edges in tack, and partly because I'm not much of a seamstress.Instead of using my sewing machine, I chose to make the hems using strips of iron-on fusible webbing.Then, I hot glued one end of the burlap to the MDF strip. Stapling would have worked too, but I already had my glue gun ready for the next step.I measured and pinned black webbing in place, covering the hem edges. Ribbon could be used instead of webbing. I just had a bunch of webbing on hand and liked it's more masculine look. Once the webbing was pinned, I ran a strip of tape along side as my guide for gluing. I took out the pins and glued down the webbing, working from the center to each edge.Next, I sprayed a little adhesive on the PVC pipe and rolled it onto the burlap end opposite of the MDF until it was to the length needed to fit inside the window. I hot glued it in place and then added two small lengths of webbing round the roll to match the existing webbing.Now all that was left was to adhere the MDF strip to the header inside the window. (Actually it hasn't been nailed in place yet because I still need to paint the window sill---which is why it doesn't look quite as tailored as it should). And that's how I burlapped my window!

Linked to Kimba's DIY day.

The Cover Up

Did you see the window
in my downstairs bathroom?Yes. I know. It's hideously ugly.

One reason---it's the cheap aluminum clad, original to the house.
The second---it's a ground-level window that gets hit continually with sprinkler water.
For the past several years I've used shutters to cover it. They were a pretty solution to an ugly problem. But because we have neighbor children who find it amusing to peer into our ground-level windows, the shutters were always closed making the room very dark.

I've come up with a better cover up.
It involves MDF, PVC, and burlap.
Are you curious? I'll give you the how to's tomorrow.

Lemons or Lemonade

A few months ago our sons reported that "something strange" was happening to the wall behind their toilet. I sent hubby downstairs to investigate. He discovered what can only be described as "blisters" on the walls, and being the manly man that he is, he popped one and found that it was full of water. Blistered, sagging walls meant only one thing, we had a leaky pipe somewhere above or behind that wall. Fortunately we found the leak without having to tear out the entire bathroom. The leak was repaired and we treated the ceiling and walls with a mold blaster and then we waited and waited and waited. Would the repair hold? Would we find another leak? How were we going to repair the ceiling to match the existing texture? Would we have to tear the walls off down to the studs? Would we let our misfortune drag us down to the depths of depression or would we rise to the challenge and meet it with a truckload of creativity?We choose the latter.

We covered the hole in the ceiling with inexpensive tongue and groove paneling.The original plan was to cover the damaged walls with strips of plywood, but when we found subflooring for two dollars a sheet we went with plan B.Sure it resembles a sauna right now, but wait until you see it with a few coats of paint.