Wednesday, May 18, 2011

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming...

of the mommy and me mix 'n match spring skirt combo:


To bring you breaking news.  Ok, not really.  Really, I just don't have that last tutorial quite finished yet.  And this here is something easy shmeezy I just did that I thought I would share - just in case someone out there want someone like me to tell them the obvious.  Because this project here?  It's not really a project.  It's a "that-was-way-too-easy-to-call-a-project-so-I-Can't-Really-Call-This-a-Tutorial-Can-I?" kind of tutorial.  Maybe, somewhere, this is someone like me who sat around for too long not doing this.


Ready?  Here we go.



True story.  mr and I spent more time discussing and agreeing on curtains for the main floor of our house than we did on the house itself.  This is why he should simply hand all decorating decisions over to ME.  But I digress.  Formerly, this sliding glass door, like most sliding glass doors, had those unattractive plastic blinds.  Can you see them pushed to the side back there?

Blech.  Because I couldn't stand them, I ripped them down.  Then I thought... hm.  I need to put something up out there.  I'm not really a voyeur.  So we went curtain shopping.

Had I been a bit more crafty back then, maybe I would have done something amazing with those blinds.  But I didn't.  I kicked 'em to the curb and said good riddance.

And I bought those little rings with clips to hang our curtains from a rod.

Which is cool in theory.  But not practical in a high traffic area.  When you have kids.  Who hide in the curtains.  Curtains are like kid magnets, did you know that?

And then grommeted curtains became all the rage.  And I thought, "That's it!"  However.  I didn't want to spend all that money on curtains again.  We just got these.  An even more compelling reason to avoid curtain shopping was the prospect of more debate/compromise/decisions.  

But I now have the answer.  And I'm sharing it with you.  

Get yourself some of these.  One package per curtain panel.  I just got mine at Walmart - I know, right?!  But I wish I had read it more closely, because though they look metal they are plastic.  Should have known.  You can probably find higher-end grommets somewhere...


Lay out your grommets along the top of your curtain - measuring the spacing to ensure accuracy.  I had 8 grommets per panel and they were a little over 4 inches apart.  See that plastic piece on the top of the curtain there?  That's the template they provide for you to trace some circles.  You don't even need to make your own template!  

So, use that to trace circles where you need them.

Now, cut out all of your circles.  It's a bit unnerving to see holes all over the top of your curtains...

Lay the first panel you already cut on top of the uncut panel.  Trace the circles.

Cut them out.

There are two parts to the grommet.  A ridged side and a prong side.

Stick the ridge side in the hole in what is the FRONT of your curtain.  You will need to turn the curtain over and center the hole over the ridges.

Now, place the prong-y side over this,

And push - fairly hard - until you hear a click.

It's really that simple.

Do this to all of the circles

and in about half an hour you'll have lovely grommeted curtains!

Hang them on the rod and admire!

Now you can easily slide those curtains all over.  To the middle...

to the sides...

And the best part is that they don't drag anymore!

Try pulling THOSE off, kiddos!  Bwah ha ha ha!




*Be sure to check just below for all the fun parties I link to!

1 comment:

Michelle L. said...

I love how they look - I LOVE grommets! And I think your big plastic ones are cool looking for this project. Nuthin' wrong with plastic! (Have you met me?) Thanks for the excellent tute, so clear and easy.

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