How to Hang PVC Window Treatments

Lately, I have received quite a few emails in regards to my PVC window treatments I did back in 2012.  The original post can be found here.  The main question I got was, "How did you hang them?" since this was something I never covered in the original post.

I LOVE my PVC windows.  They are so wonderful, and they have held up so great.  I highly recommend them for a window treatment alternative.  It brings in just enough light during the day and just enough privacy in the evening with the added bonus of pattern.  I love pattern.  :)

So this tutorial is stupid easy.  SO easy.  You will smack yourself for not thinking of this yourself once I show you.

In the beginning, I used heavy duty velcro and placed in spots that were not visible from the inside of the house as well as the outside of the house.  That worked fine and dandy until after a few months of west facing sun constantly shining on them made the sticky stuff melt.

That's when I switched over to the plastic mirror clips.  Ew.  Did I just hear your trendy self say 'ew'?  Well, it actually looks really good, in my opinion.  It blends *almost* seamlessly with everything else going on.  I guess I could have used white screws to make them even less noticeable, but I was too lazy to do that.

So you take a packet of these cheap mirror clips that most people have a tendency to want to cover up in their bathrooms, and drill those into doors.  I drilled mine into the moulding surrounding the windows.  I placed one clip on top and bottom and then one of either side.  Because the PVC is flexible, I can pop them out (carefully) and clean them when I want.  See how awesome these PVC treatments are?

On a different note, I AM taking suggestions for a light replacement in this kitchen, so speak up! :)

I guess that really wasn't much of tutorial was it, but is it really necessary to show you a photo of me pretending to drill these into the moulding?  Ha!  I didn't think so either.  Promise me you won't smack yourself too hard. ;)

[Photo from my Instagram account]

On a second note, some of you may have noticed that the library cabinet that was once in my living room is now in between my kitchen and eating area.  I moved it there so I could hang a design wall for my quilting.  The design wall is temporary but the cabinet's new location isn't. (We are thinking of adding a desk here.) It's all about making a home that fits YOU and your needs, which is something I didn't learn until much, much later.

xx nancy
Connect with me elsewhere : Instagram (this is my jam.  this is me microblogging my crafty stuff) Facebook,  Pinterest 

One year ago: Stockholm in the house
Two years ago: I went black
Three years ago:  DIY Polka Dot Schoolhouse Light
Four years ago: IHOP pancake recipe (they are actually better.  shh.)


My quilting book released Sept. 24, 2015 and is on Amazon.  Check it out!

This post contains affiliate links.  I have to linked to products I personally use.  I receive a small commission, if you choose to purchase anything.  Thank you for supporting owen's olivia.  

new couch || gus modern

Holy crap you guys!  I have a legit blog post for you today filled with new photos, and as a bonus, it has nothing to do with sewing!

I came across the company Gus Modern awhile back on Instagram.  The Spencer sofa, which is the one I purchased, popped up a few times through various handles.  I really liked what I had seen, so when I found out that a local company carried the brand I was excited.

This couch met most of my requirements, and out the year's worth of shopping I had done, this was the best pick.   I mentioned and shared a photo of my dream couch - the Coco sofa by Kim Salmela, in my previous post.  One day that couch will be in my home!  ;)  But I am happy to have this couch living with us.

By the looks of it the comfort level is questionable.  I mean, just look at this photo, right?  So I was really happy to know that a Spencer couch was in a local showroom for us to try out because I did not want to buy anything that I could not sit on.  It was actually really comfortable!   At 84" long, it is perfect for taking naps or watching a movie.  Matt is 6 feet tall, and he can lay on it without his feet touching the arms.   The cushioning is firm with a soft touch, if that makes any sense.  If this was Goldilocks, it would be just right.  There are future plans to take off the chrome legs and replace them with tapered wood legs when I can get around to it.  I was not too sure about those long rectangular pillows, and now that the couch is here with us, we use them all the time!  They are the perfect headrest/armrest.

One last look at what the room was like.  I talked about my feelings and why this room even looked the way it did in this blog post with more explanation here (which have even older photos -hehe).

Jan 2014

Here is where it is at today.  The floral chair is here to stay, at least for a little while.  It is down filled and oh-so-comfy, but yeah.  It totally clashes with everything else.  The color is okay, but the print is not, which clashes (but absolutely perfect for a traditional home!).  I would love to replace the fan as well, but for right now, it is not a necessity.

I always struggle getting proper natural light into this particular section of the house, and it has been mostly overcast for the week, which was not helpful and why this post was late.  But this lighting will suffice for now.  After checking out this photo above with fresh eyes, I want to move the bench over to the left more.  I can't help but to have everything look off-centered in this room from this point of view because the windows are off-centered, so I just try to deal with it.  :)

 Did you notice the new wall color?

If you are like my husband, your answer is no.  But to me, I can see a big difference!  It is Snowbound by Sherwin Williams.  I actually splurged and bought name brand during their half off sale over the holidays.  It is hard to find a perfect white, but I have found that a warm white works best in our home.  I believe the color on the window frame is the basic white that comes in the can off the shelf at Lowe's.

But I am pretty sure you noticed the addition of the wall shelf.  This is the exact same shelf we used in Owen's room a few years ago.  They are holding up great, so I placed one in our living room.  I also stained it walnut to help give it a little warmth and contrast to the cold walls.

 After finishing my book, I congratulated myself with the painting I talked about in this post.  It was originally intended for the dining area, but I had my eyes on this for a long time that I decided it needed to take center stage.  Very, very happy with that purchase and the shelf.  

You may have also noticed a big black thing in our living room that was not there before.  It is a new chair I got from West Elm.  I had been eyeing it for a while, and when I saw it on clearance in the store, I snatched it up.  I love it so much.  It's comfortable, kid friendly, and has the perfect place to rest your head.

The curves on it are pretty sweet too.  If you are interested in seeing close-up photos of my wall hanging, you can find that here in this post.

I'm loving it and loving it all.

HUGE progress, no?

xx nancy

One year ago: Unconventional way to remove Water Stains
Two years ago:  #7 quilt finish
Three years ago:  Fabric Silhouette Tutorial

Find me on Facebook and Instagram.  Come say hello!

couch shopping

BDDW Grane Sofa- one of my dream couches

For Christmas in 2013, Matt gifted me living room furniture.  It was such a great present!  I do not really want to delve into too much of my couch shopping history.  It is pathetic and can induce eye rolling.  Let's just say I started off with a brown couch.  A brown living room for that matter.  Everything was so brown and neutral.

Since I have not blogged about the interiors of my home in awhile, let me speed this up.  Owen ripped out the right side of the curtain rod (thank goodness), and I sold my cream rug.  I found a black and white rug on Craigslist.

Christmas 2013

I sold couch and moved chairs in its place.

Hung a quilt and moved in a long bench opposite of the chairs.
These photos are from my personal Instagram account. (@nancy_purvis for my personal life // @owensolivia for my sewing life)

All the artwork from under the couch was now leaning up against the wall.

And then I painted my walls white about two months ago, which is not pictured in any of the photos above.  Those three simple changes made a big impact for my living room, in my opinion.

We kept our living room like this for almost a year.  It worked just fine for our small family, but I soon felt the need for a couch to lounge on.

I looked at so many couches before choosing one, and I will share with you the top picks.  I wanted a single cushion with a tufted back or a single cushion back to avoid that sloppy, slouchy pillow look that seems to happen after years of use.  I also preferred to have a couch that was at least 90" wide, but I believe the standard is anywhere from 80"-84".  At least, that is what it seemed like when shopping.   I didn't realize how hard it actually would be to find something within my criteria, and when I finally felt like I found the dream couch, it was way out of my price range.  

I narrowed it down to these choices.

West Elm  Crosby Sofa

Pros:  It was comfortable and long.  Customer service is great.
Cons: Two back pillows and their gray color was just okay.

Thrive Furniture Jefferson Sofa

Pros:  The right length and one seat cushion and back.  They had a good gray color.
Cons: Cannot test it out to check for comfort and didn't want to deal with return shipping if it didn't work out.

West Elm Ainslie Sofa

Pros:  Good color, tufted back one seat cushion.
Cons:  Cannot test it out for comfort.  Return shipping.  Too short in length.

Kim Salmela Coco Sofa

This was my dream couch (and still is).  It has everything I wanted, but the price tag was just too high.
Pros:  Very comfortable, handmade in the USA, long, tufted, and one seat cushion.  Legs can be customized.
Cons:  price

So what did I pick?  I actually chose none of these, and I will share my new couch in a different post.  It's okay.  I would scream and kick and hate me too for doing that to you.  :)   But it already took me  an hour to write up this short post, and this mama has a home to attend to!

Thanks for stopping in!!  No, seriously.  You are amazing, and I love you.  Are any of these your favorite?  Which one would you have picked?  Do you have hard time finding the "perfect" couch?

xx nancy

One year ago: The EM quilt
Two years ago:  A look at my vintage sound system
Three years ago: How to paint chevrons

currently || home + sewing

i thought i would poke in, and let you know what's currently going on in my life.

 . . . . on the home front

+ happy mail day!  it's amazing how this box will turn into something awesome like that photo on the right.  but it's true my friends, and i am stoked.

+ i finally got owen a bed!  i'm still thinking about paint colors.

and yes, it tested positive for lead.  boo!  i took it by a sandblaster who quoted me a minimum of $300 to take it off.  another boo.  fortunately, there is the internet and good quality air control masks you canwear, so i might be tackling this job myself away from the home of course.  if you have pointers, i would love to hear your thoughts. [you can purchase Lead Check at Lowe's Home Improvement]

+ matt and i celebrated our 6 year anniversary last weekend, and owen crashed the party.

+ a project that from here on out that will be referred to as: Project "TIMESUCKBUTTRULYGRATEFULFORTHISTIMESUCK."

so, that's not really me, but i swear i feel like i am swimming in a sea of papers right now.

+ there are also some other time sucks going on around here at the house.

via reel foto via Jill Greenberg

okay, that's not my son either, but this captures the true essence of motherhood and what I experience on a daily basis.

via buckets and bows

okay, this is not my real laundry, but that's a real time suck.

via my real life

okay, this is a real photo of my sink.


+ Young House Love did it again by sharing the love.  thank you for the wonderful feature! [you can see the room reveal here.]  [source list here.]

 . . . . . in the sewing room


+ i shared this fabric pull on instagram [you can follow me here + i am private but just request to follow and i'll accept.].  i turned it into pluses, which will never get old for me.

+ a modern cat block i made.  actually, i made about 25 of these.  i don't even own cats, but i know many quilters do.  i'm thinking about sharing the tutorial for this super easy block, if there's any interest.

+ art gallery fabrics sent over minimalista and a few pure elements for me to play with.  [thank you AGF] i'll be working on this for the next few weeks.

+ and if you are interested in joining a modern bee, my good friend Danny, from Mommy For Reals, has some openings for her Stash Bee.  so check it out!  she's awesome, and you will love her.  you can get all the information here.

so what has been sucking up your time lately?  are you preparing for the holidays?

have a great weekend!

xx nancy

Find me elsewhere:  Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Bloglovin'

the six degrees of Paola Navone

While taking a little quilting break from unpicking lots of topstitching (gag!!),  I opened up October's issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  My jaw dropped when I stumbled upon an ad insert from Crate and Barrel, one of my favorite big box chain stores in America.

Well, that marketing trick worked like a charm C&B.

Basically, I drooled while browsing online, and after stuffing myself silly with design candy, I am barfing it all up in this post.   You are welcome.

Who is Paola?

C&B wrote:

Now let's take a look at some of things I really like from her collection.

Mallorca Grey and White Side chair, which you can see the back view from the photo above.

Como Loopy Candleholders

Mallorca Oval Platters

Riviera Large Red Pendant

Riviera Low Windsor Chair.  I enjoy this modern take on a classic.  

Mallorca Serving Bowls.  You may remember from this post that I have a thing for white bowls, and I will definitely be picking up one of these.  How cool is that zigzag edge??  For us sewing enthusiasts, I could see this working nicely in a sewing room to compliment our pinking shears.  ;)

Como Grey and White Dining Chair.  Hello houndstooth!  This is actually like a plastic-y woven material that reminded me of those friendship bracelets we use to make in 5th grade.  And don't even get me started on those amazing leopard looking legs.  

Como Pendant Lamp

Then something funny happened.  

You know that whole thing about the six degrees of Kevin Bacon?  Google it.

Well, I googled Paola, and sure enough, there was a home tour.  A gorgeous home tour.  And then I stumbled upon this picture.

Um, hello!  I pinned that photo long ago because let's face it.  That chandelier rocks my world.   Little did I know that I already "knew" Paola.  So I'm cool like that.  And that, my friends, is the six degrees of Paola Navone, although it's not technically six making me even cooler.  ;)  

Interested in her home?  You can see the full tour here.

So what do you think of this new collection for Crate and Barrel?  I noticed some items were limited in number, so once they are gone, they are gone.

xx nancy

*All photos were taken off Crate and Barrel's website and Trendland.