Friday, March 11, 2011

Yes, I'm Talking About Curtains

When I was looking for a house to rent, I forgot about all those extras you need - you know, like curtains. I seriously have not worried about curtains for, oh, five years or more? And now that I've been consumed in the curtain world for the past week, I've discovered a few things:

1) More often than not, you can only buy one curtain panel at a time, even though you really need two to make your window treatment look right. So when you see a pair of curtains in the picture, you're not actually getting a pair - you're just getting one panel.  I do not want to pay outrageous prices for two panels, especially when each room has at least two windows. That means I have to buy four panels. This is madness, and needs to stop!

2) Curtains are expensive unless you get the curtain sets for $15 that look like some two-year-old put them together and are made from paper-thin fabric. I found that out after succumbing to the price tag, and now those sets are back in the store where they belong and not on my windows. I really am trying to be thrifty with my money, but when it comes down to it, do you really want to buy something that looks cheap and hang it in your room for how many years to come and make the entire room look cheap? Me either.

3) Vintage curtains are not hard to find. However, the perfect vintage curtains that fit the extra large window in my house are, indeed, nearly impossible to find. I spent a week - yes, a week - looking for vintage curtains at thrift stores and online (I particularly love Etsy!). Last night, when I'd all but given up, I opened Etsy and searched just for the heck of it. And then, the heavens parted. A pair of '50s vintage curtains popped up. They'd just been added to the seller's shop and they were exactly what I wanted. I snagged them up immediately.

4) There are cafe curtains. And valances. And priscillas. And thermal curtains. And then there are drapes. The list goes on. But, you must have the proper hardware for each type of curtain. Cafe curtains require a special rod in addition to the valance rod. You can go with the cheap, metal rods or you can get fancy with all sorts of funky metal or wood rods. Then there are curtain clips. And tiebacks.  I never knew there was so much to-do about curtains! Truth be told, in the houses I lived in before, they either already had curtains up or blinds and I didn't bother to replace them. In short, I was young and I was lazy. Now, however, I'm older and hopefully wiser, and I want the right curtains for each room.

5) I cannot decide on the kind of color and style for each room (except my kitchen) to save my life. I wanted vintage cafe curtains for the kitchen, and I found them. However, I have a living room, a bedroom, and an office yet to do (my daughter wanted purple paneled curtains for her room - I found them on sale for $6 each! Bargain!!!) and I do believe I have succumbed to a version of curtain hell. Do I want thermal drapes for the living room to help with heating costs? Do I need a valance or do I want to use a draping scarf? Too many decisions!!!

I decided yesterday that I could never build my own house. There would simply be too many decisions to make - counters, counter top, paint, curtain, types of fixtures, and the list would go on and on and on.

And of course, in the midst of all this, I have only packed four boxes, which leaves me with approximately 2,785 boxes yet to pack. Hubby has been painting all week, I cleaned carpets the other night, and have to finish that this weekend.

Oh yes...and then yesterday, my tooth started to hurt, and not one of the teeth that I've had fixed, but a new one (and it doesn't have a cavity, so that isn't the problem!). So now every time I take a cold drink, I about shoot out of my chair. The dentist isn't available today, so I am getting antibiotics and pain medication to get me through the weekend.

I don't have time for tooth pain! I've got curtains to buy! And apparently I don't have much time for blogs, either, as I've been woefully inadequate at visiting you all this week. Forgive me!

Now I'm off to look for those bedroom curtains...

8 comments:

  1. Bless you sweetie-I know what you are going through! I bought curtains for this house-only to realize that only one panel per package was the norm.
    I can't wait to see your Etsy curtains-I bet they are wonderful!
    I will email you soon-I promise:)
    Hugs!

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  2. I forgot to tell you that I love the picture of your new home! So exciting! And what??? Curtains don't come as a set, you have to buy two to get both sides? Sigh. Okay, I'm learning!

    Good luck with them! So naet that you found Vintage ones!

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  3. Re: Your tooth. You might be grinding your teeth with all this curtain stress ;)

    Seriously, it sounds like you're really customizing the look of your home to really suit your personal tastes, and that's what makes a house a home ... Happy shopping!

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  4. You have far more patience than I! (Which means your house will look far more fabulous than mine, too.) Good luck on the curtain search!

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  5. I feel your pain! I spent MONTHS researching what curtains to buy for my house and I'm only happy with half of them.

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  6. I know exactly what you mean. The curtain/drapery racket is just that....a racket. It's ridiculous the prices they charge for a piece of material to hang over a window.

    As far as thermal drapes go, we have them in our living room and it makes all the difference in the winter; but we live in a house built in 1935 that still has the original windows. Read: drafty!

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  7. Ooh, now I do like the sound of vintage curtains!! Good luck with decorating, sounds like hard work - but still, fun right? ;-)

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  8. Valerie - I plan to post a pic of my curtains as soon as I put 'em up! They are SOOO cute!

    DK - I get all excited and think I can buy a pair of curtains for $10 only to find that it's only ONE panel. Outrageous, I say!

    Joanne - I think this is the first time I will really have the opportunity to customize a house to this extent - i.e. paint, curtains, etc. It's a lot of fun.

    Christine - The patience level depends on the hour. ;-)

    Tana - I keep telling myself not just to go the cheap route and get curtains I hate. I have to live with 'em, so I better like 'em!

    Betsy - Hmm. I may have to check into the therma drapes, especially for the living room...

    Talei - Oh, it is definitely fun!

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