Is it a napkin? Is it a curtain? It's both.

Several months ago I found myself in a HomeGoods store, which is never a bad thing. Upon combing the aisles, I stumbled upon the perfect set of napkins, made with a blue and white ticking-esque oxford fabric. Since I cannot walk away from anything ticking-related, I picked them up, all the while knowing that I did not need and probably wouldn't use four more cloth napkins.

Fast forward a couple of months....I'm in my kitchen, still lamenting my lack of suitable window covering options. I ordered bamboo shades from BB&B, but didn't like the way they impeded (is that a word?) my view. I'm tall, you know. I didn't like the fact that they covered some of my prime gazing territory. Plus, they looked a little...brown.

Still, the bare windows looked unfinished.

But, would cafe curtains look fussy?

And yet, I would love the opportunity to bring some fabric and pattern into the mix.

(These are the things I wrestle with late at night. I am not up late eating pizza or watching horror flicks...I'm tossing and turning about curtains! What are your thoughts about my crazy dreams, now?)

I'm not completely sure when it hit me, but thank my lucky stars, it did.

They were the perfect length. I just clipped them right up. An indesputable kitchen miracle.

No sooner was I patting myself on the back, celebrating my own utter brilliance, than I remembered that the other window is much larger. Now what?

I'll tell you what - "slipcovered" curtains.

I cut up a Lowe's drop cloth (so perfectly nubby and neutral) to size, then waited patiently for the next month, until my mama could come up for a visit and thread my sewing machine.

(That's right, I have one. My pal Lindsay gave it to me in a fit of unbridled optimism pointed right in my direction. I quickly stashed it in the train room and tried to muster the courage to make friends with it...but it took some time.)

At last, Mom arrived. She sewed the first one and I sewed the next. I sewed!

I. Sewed.

I've got the picture to prove it. Do I look excited, or what?

After stitching around the raw edges, my mom was kind enough to hand-sew these cool hooks and eyes. I cannot get enough of their metal-y goodness. Ticking + nubby beige + black metal = my new trifecta. And I'm sorta kicking around the idea of stitching up a set of "slipcovers" from an amazing white eyeletish tablecloth, also purchased the very same day at HomeGoods. Can you imagine - two amazing and distinct options at my fingertips!

The moral of the story: Never doubt a HomeGoods purchase. Tell your husbands that I said so.


To check out some more thrifty ideas, go here.