DIY Window Framing and Box Molding

Before:

Please ignore the ghetto kitchen- baby steps people:-)

During:

I taped off horizontal boxes first, then vertical boxes to decide which shape  I wanted to do. Usually I like the look of horizontal boxes.  However, I did a higher chair rail and so the vertical boxes looked better proportionally.    I think they were about 24h x 22w, we just did the math to find out how many would equally fit on the wall.

After:

First we cut all the boxes and then used wood glue and clamped them together.  Then I took each box out to the garage and spray primed each one a couple of times.  Once they were primed we tacked them to the wall with our nail gun.

This is what the room looked like for a few months....

(1 coat of primer on the walls)

Then I finally got my rear in gear with the help of my awesome step-dad, and when he's around, things get done:-)   (and thanks mom for watching the kids too:-))

The window we framed out earlier, light fixture needs replacing,  not crooked in real life. This is a good shot of the builder blinds,  see how I transformed them into cute roman shades here.

I used Behr's Pure Ultra White paint for everything.  I would normally recommend a satin finish for trim, but I decided to go full on glossy finish since eventually this is going to be a more modern room, (even with the traditional box moldings) I love it.  

So now that the moldings are done and the roman shades are in, the next phase of the plan is painting the walls and putting together some art I got for the walls and some new fabric ordered.  When I'm done there will be no more red in this room.  TTFN.:-)

Roman Shades from Big Blinds

My dining room transformation is moving a long.  My latest project was making these roman shades using my blinds.   I have to admit, when I first started cutting the strings for this I was worried!! Once you start there is no turning back.  I felt the pressure of getting it done before my husband came home and saw everything dismantled:)

****Edited to add: The fabric I used was Windsor from Lewis and Sheron Textiles.

Here's the window BEFORE: excuse the crummy pic of the ghetto room!

AFTER:

I followed this tutorial for shades our of mini blinds, but used my larger blinds.

First I removed my blinds from the window.  I cut all the little slits and took off the bottom, and removed the extra slats that I didn't need.  (leaving intact the pull string--don't cut that one!)

 Second, I rethreaded the slats that I needed.  I put one about every 8-9 inches.

Then I lined up my fabric, left 3" on each side of the slats, then glued each slat down on the fabric with a little bead of FabriTac glue from Micheals.  Then I folded the edges over and glued them onto the slats.

After I put it up on the window, I decided to add some lining to the shade.

So I cut out lining pieces and glued the rectangles onto the fabric in between the slats.  It would be better to do this first, before you glued any slats on.  Oh well.

I also left about 6 inches on the bottom of the shade, and then I just hemmed it by folding it over and gluing it into place.  

Then I hung it back up into the existing hardware. 

Drumroll please....!

(please ignore the wall color--that will be attacked shortly:))

Woila!

And it goes up and down just like the blinds did.  I love it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Update:  On my second shade I glued the slats to the lining first, and then laid that on top of my fabric and glued the lining to the fabric in the same place the slats were laying.   I think it turned out even nicer:-)

Dining Room Preview

Here's one view of our Dining Room before.  Pretty boring* with the builder beige walls, red curtains I brought from my last house, and don't get me started on the el-cheapo builder standard chandelier (but it does give off tons of light, I'll give it that).   The room has some nice newer furniture going and crown molding we put up shortly after we moved in.  

BEFORE:

Enter the same wall,  in the process of the room redo.  I told my husband I was going to paint the new chair rail white and then do the panel boxes underneath, and paint them white.  Then he came home from work and looked at it, and said, "I thought you were just going to paint the boxes white and leave under the chair rail the beige to match the top?"  HA!  Little does he know there is going to be nothing to "match the top" because that builder beige is PAST DUE  for a makeover. After I get all this painted, and the boxes added, I have some fun things in mind for the rest of the room.  Now if only I could work as fast as my little brain can dream!

DURING: 

**I feel I should add a disclaimer:  I hope I'm not offending anyone when I say that builder beige makes me want to puke. :-P  Our homes should be about what makes us happy, and how we feel when we are in them.  Whatever color makes you feel calm and happy, that's wonderful.  Unfortunately, the colors the walls in my house are painted are not doing it for me --Don't even make me bring up the 'mental institution gray/green' in my family room!  (but that's going to take a whole lot of arm twisting with the hubby, since it was 'professionally painted' by the previous owners.... then I remind myself Rome wasn't built in a day). 

Until then, I'll be up to my eyeballs in putty dust and paint.