Easy DIY Galvanized Outdoor Curtain Rod

By the end of last summer we had finally finished re-screening and painting the back porch. Let me tell you it was one long and tedious process, but in the end well worth it. To furnish the space I used some free wicker furniture cast-offs I had received, of which I promptly painted white, and Mr. Rosemary Lane built a new tabletop for an old farm style table base we had in the basement. New cushions were purchased as part of Pier One's summer clearance along with a couple of cute clearance lamps from the Christmas Tree Shops. That was as far as we got, which was pretty good considering how late it was in the season. But I never had the chance to look for new curtains or decide on just how to hang them. 

This spring, once the weather started getting nice, it was time for me to revisit the whole curtain thang! I decided to do a little web surfing and almost instantaneously fell in love with the idea of grommet top curtains with a more industrial looking rod. What a great contrast to my traditional wicker furniture. Galvanized steel...the way to go if you want to keep cost down and you know I am all about that! 

I started by measuring the length of the 3 walls which were going to hold the curtains, and figured I need roughly 50 ft of electrical conduit pipe. I made my way over to our local Lowes and picked up these items.

The total for all materials came to just under $50 before tax. Although I had a full 50 ft. of piping I ended up purchasing another 5 ft. pipe. This is because the remaining lengths of pipe after cutting ended up being shorter than the 5 ft. I needed to finish the rod system. 

Lineny white grommet topped curtains were purchased at Walmart. At first I thought $20 per panel was a wee bit too pricey, but after looking around the Internet for a couple days I realized that $20 was actually a pretty good price for curtains with a lining. I made sure these were machine washable before I brought them home.

The pipes were then threaded through the screw hooks. (Note: the screw hooks I used are by Hillman. On the front of the pack it has #0 x 4-15/16 in. The 3/4 inch pipe fit perfect in this hook) I screwed the hooks in to the wood frame about every 4 to 4 1/2 feet and slightly closer at the corners to provide a little more support. Coupling was used where ever two ends of the pipe needed to be attached.

I am really happy with the way the rods look and how easy the entire project was to do. To be honest the toughest part was using my hack-saw to cut two of the pipes. If I had it all measured out before I went to Lowes I would have totally had them cut the pipe. Oh well...you live and learn!

There are a couple more screened-in-porch projects in the works that I will be sharing with you in the next couple weeks so please stay tuned!

In the meantime have a great weekend!!

XO

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Share Your Style Link Party #63

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the Share Your Style Party!

I'm Des at Peeking Thru The Sunflowers and I'm your host this week.

I'm so glad you stopped by to join us for another week of great inspiration!

Here are our co-hosts.....when you link up it will be displayed on all  five of the blogs.

Last week there was soooooo much great inspiration!

It is always so incredibly hard for me to pick just a few to share.

Here are the features for this week:

What Rose Knows shared this incredible farmhouse style painted table and chairs transformation.

Poofing The Pillows shared the steps in building a pond in her back yard.

Design Enthusiasm shared her foyer for the one room challenge.

If you were featured be sure to grab the button below to display on your blog.

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Uncommon Goods ~ Fabulous Spring Gift Ideas

(This is a sponsored post written by me in cooperation with Uncommon Goods of which I have received compensation in the way of payment or product. All opinions are 100% my own.)

Wow Spring has really sprung and with this beautiful season comes a bevy of celebratory events like Mother's Day, bridal showers and weddings, Father's day, graduations and oh the list could go on. For me when it comes to purchasing a gift for any of these wonderful occasions, this process will often prove to be a daunting experience, sometimes to the point of absolute dread. I suppose this is because I really do love giving gifts that are not your mundane, store bought, run of the mill type of present. I adore unique and handmade items, you know the ones that make a bit of a bold statement. But alas, I typically end up having a difficult time finding such special gifts. 

Enter Uncommon Goods. UncommonGoods.com is a "privately-owned retailer that endeavors to feature unique jewelry, designer décor, tabletop items and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment without harm to animals or people". The Brooklyn based company operates out of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal and their mission is "to support and provide a platform for artists and designers". Handcrafted and unique gifts...oh baby this could not be more up my alley!!! Actually I spent hours at my computer just scrolling through the almost endless collections of incredible products Uncommon Goods has to offer. Here are a few of my faves from this remarkable on-line store.

You know Mother's day is just around the corner!!!

1. Elephant and Her Little Peanuts Necklace (love this piece...hint hint Mr. Rosemary Lane!)
2. Gardener's Tool Seat
3. Farm Fresh Spa Experience Tin
4. Birdie Yarn Bowl

You can find more gift ideas for mom and grand-mom by clicking here. And for you men out there...if you are looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift for your wife, you will want to check out the Uncommon Goods website for some gorgeous items she is bound to love.

'Tis the season for spring romance and special occasions like weddings. Wouldn't you just love to give the happy new couple the most perfect and unique gift on their special day?

1. Intersection of Love ~ Photo Print (what fabulous idea for a wedding gift!)
2. Row Boat Serving Bowl with Wooden Utensils
3.  Solar Tealights

4. Reclaimed Wood Cookbook Stand

Are these great ideas leaving you wanting more? Then simply follow this link for other fantastic bridal shower and wedding gift possibilities.

June is not really that far off, and for many of us that means Father's Day and Graduation celebrations. (For me it also means a Happy Birthday gift for Mr. Rosemary Lane)

1. Sailboat Desk Clock (so sleek)
2. Wooden Gear Lamp
3. Bicycle Bookends
4. Wooden Beer Caddy with Bottle Opener

In my opinion these items are way off the charts with regard to unique and versatile gift ideas for the man, or men, in your life. If you'd like to check out more great home and office items for hubby, dad or grad, visit Uncommon Goods for a wonderful selection of manly gifts. 

I really hope you may have found a wee bit of inspiration for gift giving this spring. And speaking of inspiration, I just might have to accidentally on purpose, email my hubby this post to give him one or two Mother's Day gift ideas for yours truly!

Wishing you all a marvelous week!
XO

Uncommon Goods is a company well noted for excellence in customer service and was the recipient of the 2015 BizRate Platinum Circle of Excellence award.

Share Your Style Link Party #62

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the Share Your Style party!  I'm Kelly at The Essence of Home and will be your host this week.

I'm so glad that you could join us for another exciting party.  This party is displayed on all of these blogs at one time!

Last week was full of great inspiration.  Here are just a few that I thought I would re-share with you.

Gates of Crystal shared her new barn doors in her master bedroom.  What a beautiful bedroom she has.  These barn doors are the perfect finishing touch too!

She Saved shared a delicious looking vanilla pear smoothie.  This would be so tasty this summer and it looks easy to make.

Living with Thanksgiving shared her friends amazing gardens behind her house!  I was so impressed with all of the beautiful statuary among the mature trees and plantings.  It was very nice.  

Adirondack Girl at Heart shared a fun project to make for Mothers Day.  It would make a great gift!  

If you were featured, we would love for you to copy and paste this button on your blog!

Now, are you ready to party?  Please add a link back to this party on your blog post that you are sharing.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Sneak Peek at 2 Upcoming Projects

Hi everyone and Happy Tuesday. Yeah I know I am a little late in the day to be wishing you a happy day but you know what they say about being late vs. Never?  So today I am sharing a quick little peek into two projects I am working on primarily for our back screened in porch. The first project is going to be refinishing this little road side find cabinet into a storage/bar area for the space. Lucky me, this afternoon I took the sander to the top and it seems to be solid wood.

Not sure what look I'd like for it to have so I did a little internet  searching. Here are a couple ideas I liked.

I know this one is not exactly like what I have but I do like the clever display of drinks at the bottom.

The next project is to do something with this horrible entry to our house that we never use.

The ugly and filthy screen door has to go and I would like to create some sort of an eye catching vignette by painting the door in a pretty fun color.

This first door I thought was super cool with the way it has been distressed. Love that chandy!

The painted glass and bold blue color on this next door really caught my eye.

Still have to figure out where I want to go with both these projects but am kind of excited to see what I'll end up with.

Hope your Tuesday has been a great one and don't forget to stop by tomorrow evening for another Share Your Style Link party! Should be loads of fun with tons of inspiration!!!

(Maybe I will find inspiration for one of my projects...keeping my fingers crossed.)

See you there!!

XO

Mantelscape Design 101 ~ Creating a Vignette

One of the things I was thrilled about when Mr. Rosemary Lane built our custom mantel a few years back, was the fact that the depth of my mantel was now going to be a full 10 inches. More surface space to decorate...YES!!! It also meant that now I could create far more interesting mantescapes implementing a layering technique that so many designers use in decorating.

First like anything else in decorating, select a theme and a color scheme which will tie in with what you already have in your room. Then go around your home collecting like items in complimentary colors. Today I chose a garden theme for spring which is pretty neutral in color but is loaded with different textures. Items I corralled include plant pots, faux greens, a book on gardening, a few naturally textured orbs, wood candle holders and some empty picture frames I picked up at a thrift store a couple years ago. Place everything you have found on an empty surface like your coffee table, for easy access. 

Now clear your mantel of everything and you are ready to create.

Step One:

Decide on an anchor item for your mantel display. It could be a picture, mirror, platter, large vase of flowers, or what I decided to do was to place a boxwood wreath on the large mirror we already have hanging above the mantel.

Step Two:

Next find a couple items you can use to layer. I incorporated the two empty frames but you can also use  smaller framed pictures, a couple of vases that are like in color but not necessarily shape, books, plates...I think you get the picture. Now when placing items on the mantel you don't have to make it symmetrical, however both sides must strike some sort of balance. You may have noticed that I placed a book under the frame on the left. This adds visually both height and weight to that side of the vignette.

Step Three:

Place items in front of what you used in step two to create more or less a third row of your display. On the left side of the mantel I placed two candle holders, but instead of using candles I chose to add a little texture in the form of two spheres wrapped in a natural material. At the base of the larger holder I placed a small grapevine wreath to add not only contrast and more texture, but it also worked to raise the height of the picture frame just a little bit more.

On the right side are two cute flower pots I found on sale at Michael's and added some faux greens to them for texture. Then their height was varied using three books placed perpendicular to the mantel. I placed them perpendicular because I didn't necessarily want the books to stand out but just to add height to the right side of the display. 

Now even though different items were used on either side of the wreath, the display is balanced both height and weight wise. 

Step Four:

The final step is to add an item or two that departs from the rest of the display with regard to color and texture, but is still pertinent to the theme of the display. I chose a pretty mercury glass pear and placed it slightly off-center.

And for a touch of nostalgia, I decided to place on the right side of the vignette a little photo of my parents on their wedding day.

And my finished mantelscape...

If you notice the overall shape of the arrangement looks something like a triangle.

Placing items in a triangular configuration is a good rule of thumb to use when putting together a display which is centered to the mantel or any other flat surface.

Hope this little tutorial proves to be helpful to anyone who struggles with how to create an interesting and pulled together vignette.

Wishing you all a wonderfully beautiful spring weekend!

XO

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Share Your Style Link Party #61

Welcome to Share Your Style! I'm Julie from Little Farmstead, 
and I'm your host this week. So glad you are joining us!

When you link to our party, your post will be seen on all five blogs below!

Recently on Little Farmstead, I've shared our new lab puppy, Ford...

And an easy "Farm" sign...

Now on to the party!

Thank you for the inspiration that you linked up with us last week. 
Here are some features that I really enjoyed...

Adirondack Girl At Heart  turned an old vintage frame into the cutest farmhouse chalkboard. (Love the added character and practicality of the chalk holder!)



Twelve on Main revealed her DIY Industrial Pipe Shelves. And wow. They look great!



Whistle and Ivy provided a free crochet pattern for this simple (and adorable) chevron headband. What a sweet little one too (those eyes!).

I am a huge fan of pesto. And asparagus. Pasta. And Chicken. So, you can see why this recipe from Good In The Simple got my vote!



If you have been featured please grab our cute little "Featured" button before you go.

And now it's your turn to share what you've been up to this week. Please remember to add a link to the Share Your Style party somewhere within your post.

Thank you and have a great day!

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