shower curtains turned custom panels

Apartment Therapy

I had been trying to find some fabric for my daughters windows in her room to coordinate with some existing fabric. She has somewhat of a bird theme in her room, (click here to see her room at our old house.) I had come across this bird fabric before from Thomas Paul, called Aviary, I love this fabric and was thinking about getting it and had the windows all measured out.

Thomas Paul fabric

But I had happened to be out getting something at T.J. Max the other month and out of the corner of my eye I spotted these shower curtains made out of the same fabric- well I did a little quick calculation in my head knowing how much the fabric cost per yard. I knew that I needed 9 yards and lining for 2 panels- so we are well over $200 bucks. Of course it was a no brainer, I purchased my two shower curtains at $14 a piece- so $28, plus about $30 for lining was a great deal. With the money I had saved I also bought some pom pom fringe and jumbo rick-rack. But, of course for those of you who follow my blog know that I do not sew but very fortunately I have a mother who can.

She did a great job. I love how the trellis fabric, that I had left over, was used to match with the fabric in her chair, the jumbo rick-rack and fringe really give the panels a very custom look. The shower curtain fabric has  a little different feel then the fabric by the yard, but it looks exactly the same, and I'm really not bothered by it. I do have to get a better rod to hang the panels, so they are a little long at the moment and that is why I am not showing the whole window. But when I get her room all put together I will post better pictures.

I was very happy when there was enough fabric left over to make two pillow shams, which was nice surprise.

Custom curtains can be very expensive when you add everything up, especially when you tack on the labor, (I am very lucky when it comes labor-big savings there). So, if you are able to find some fabric to use that can cut back on costs, it can really make a difference. Shower curtains and sheets are a budget friendly way to be able to get a custom look without spending a fortune. There are so many fabrics out there that fits with every type of budget. Overall, I am so happy with how the panels came out and love the money I saved.

I am linked up over at Jennifer Rizzo, and French Country Cottage

creative ideas to keep kids busy in a storm

As my kids just said, "Go away hurricane Sandy, we want candy!" We are bracing for this storm to come in as so many people are up and down the east coast. Schools are closed and will be for a couple days at least, and of course my kids are worried about Halloween being cancelled. I guess as a kid I would be really worried about that as well! But as parents now we have to worry about all the bad stuff. I'm sure across much of the area where we will most likely loose power, those of us with kids know how dependent they can be on all our gadgets, (did I just say kids?) So we already have the tent set up in the living room, loaded with stuffed animals and sleeping bags, flash lights ready to go for hide and seek. 
But here are a few other creative ideas to do with your kids when there is a storm. I found a bunch of great ideas at, Busy Bees kids crafts, here's one that is really cute, paper pumpkins, but there are a lot of cute, pretty simple crafts on that website to keep them busy.

Busy Bees

Another cute idea that will keep them busy for hours, find a box they can decorate, then cut out a hole in the front.  You can help them make some cute puppets with paper and whatever else you can dig up in your craft supplies, they can make up stories with their puppets that can entertain them for hours.

Martha Stewart

So, what would be more appropriate right now then leaf art. Maybe in my area I wouldn't send your kids outside to collect the leaves, you could gather some and let them dry off. This is something that I will definitely be doing with my kids this afternoon- how fun and beautiful is this creative idea with colorful autumn leaves.

Parentables

Kids these days

Wild singapore happenings

BHG

mnn.com

blogs.babble.com

I love this beautiful mask. If you go to the website it will tell you how to make it, I think they glue the leaves on a card stock mask, there are a lot of other great ideas for fall crafts on the site too.

But whatever you and your kids make, have fun. It may help to get through this storm a little bit better, without hearing them say, I'm sooo bored! Would love to hear what creative things you do with your kids, post comments if you can, I'm sure we can all use some more ideas and it would be fun to hear how you all get through storms! 
 Hope you all make it through the storm without too much trouble, stay safe!

Upcycled Home Decor Series: Part One {clocks}

I am so excited to be hosting a new series. A very talented friend of mine will be a guest blogger and doing a post every other week or so. Her name is, Liz Ohsiek and she will be writing a featured series all about upcycling. She has a great website, blog and an Etsy shop, make sure to check out all the great things that she is doing. So, here is a kick-off of the first series, I hope you enjoy it and make sure to follow along for more of her upcoming posts on upcycling!

Upcycled Home Decor Series: Part One {clocks}

Guest Blogger: Liz Ohsiek from Liz Ohsiek Designs

Hello readers of Rebecca Lukens Designs! I am thrilled to be guest posting a series about upcycled home decor. 


First on my list is clocks. Did you know that you can make a clock out of just about anything? Craft stores sell the hands & battery box mechanism. They probably intend for them to be used on a wooden disc or in a cuckoo clock. I say, "Bo-ring!" Why not use a game board, vinyl record or hubcap for your clock's face? Create an instant conversation piece for your home… Here are a few gorgeous examples I found via Etsy.com (THE place to buy handmade items). 

Recycled Bike Wheel Clock by pixelthis 

Colorado License Tag Clock by StarlingInk

Yellow Tupperware Clock - Upcycled Lid by RecyclingTime

Fall nesting, staying in the season

I think I about had a melt down the other day in Kmart when I was suppose to be looking for Halloween candy only to find the Russell Stover Christmas chocolates instead and Santa's work shop set up! I know that it seems that the decorations are pulled out earlier every year, but could they at least wait until after Halloween! So I think that I am stuck on seasonal colors at the moment. Here are some ideas to keep you in the fall season.
Below are some great ways to inspire you to decorate with orange - ideas that will last all year long. Some are subtle but others are very bold, bringing that pop of orange into a room can add that unexpected bit of fun.

BHG

BHG

I love the mix of the browns in this room with the beautiful blue walls and accents of orange.

BHG

Even with the bold orange sofa above, the room still seems well balanced and earthy with it's neutral brown tones.

Canadian House and Home

This definitely makes a statement for an entry way with the orange runner

Martha Stewart

With the orange painted inside the shelf, it acts as a great back drop for your Halloween accents.

Martha Stewart

 Love this bold orange in the foyer, the botanical prints stand out beautifully against the bold color of the walls.

Martha Stewart

I love this room above the choices of colors together are beautiful and seem so soothing.

Martha Stewart

Love this chair!

BHG

These chairs are very bold and vibrant. I love how they stand out against the white walls and draws you into the painting.

BHG

The fabric on the chairs are so bold but still look very traditional at the same time.

Traditional Home

Love the simplicity of the kitchen with the pop of orange on the window treatments.

Traditional Home

This room transitions so nicely from the kitchen above with the touches of orange they choose to bring in.

BHG

Love the soft orange tone on the walls.

Hope that inspires you to stay in the season a little longer!

Check out the other Fall Nesters over at The Inspired Room

Design Challenge winner

First of all I want to thank all of you who participated in the design challenge and left your comments, and also signed up on my blog, I hope you will continue to follow my posts and check back to see the results of the transformation of the winning challenge. 

Now, onto the winner! I read through each one of the comments many times and it was a hard decision. I decided to pick one that I believed would have that most dramatic transformation for the amount of time invested. The winner is...the challenge of Liz Moffet's living room! It sounds like a great challenge to take on and I am very excited to see the room!  I liked the fact that the room has some issues with paint, a problem with the entry into the room, but also issues with furniture arrangement. So by redesigning the floor plan with what is already in the space, it will make a big difference. Here is what she had to say about her living room;

"Our living room is a problem design wise for us for 2 major reasons. First, one entire wall is wood- built in shelves, real wood paneling, and a wood fireplace and mantel. I can't for the life of me figure out how to break that space up or what color to paint the room because of that whole wall being wood. The second issue is that we use a door from the outside into the living room as the main entrance of our home, so we need entry way living, along with a clear path to enter the rest of the house. Can't figure out how to set up the furniture in the room to do that. The room drives me nuts considering it's the first thing I see every time I walk in the house."

I will post the pictures of her space as soon as I get them and will do follow up's of the progress, hope you follow along! And thanks again to all of you for your time! 

Design challenge.. time is running out

Design Challenge

Only a few hours left to go in the design challenge (click on the link to look at the post) It's not too late to leave a comment with your design problem, you have until midnight tonight. I've gotten some great comments so far, it's going to be a tough decision! But I would still love some more. Check back tomorrow to see which design challenge was picked.

fall mantels

Fall mantels can be so colorful and fun to decorate, we are given so much to work with that makes it easier on us. Here are a couple pictures of my mantel.
 I love ornamental kale and how organic it is. I mixed in some kale with some mini pumpkins and Osage oranges. The colors of the greens and oranges give such a great contrast.

Here are some other fall mantels that I love. The one below, is so simple with the white and greens used, which is a nice contrast with the wood tones.

BHG

BHG

How fun are these framed silhouettes? It looks great as a background with this fall mantel, it's very simple but makes a huge statement.

BHG

The orange just pops out against the white fireplace and light blue walls in both the image above and below.

BHG

You really can't go wrong with what you put on your mantel, keep it simple and have fun.

Make sure to check out my design challenge
Also check out the other Fall Nesters over at  The Inspired Room