Amy's Ensuite

This stuff hangs like a dream. Stay tuned for some pics in the near future of gorgeous ensuite drapery.



Robert Allen Tirso in Sesame

Here is Amy's ensuite

Amy's ensuite RA Tirso in Sesame

Framing the window...


For some reason Faye forgot to get a pic of the whole thing. She's so cute!

High Powered Drapery

Talk about high powered. Recently we had the challenge of motorizing drapery for Chris in his amazing old Ottawa South home. Twenty-two feet of pure window and door, seperated only by a 3.5" perpendicular beam. The challenge was to motorize but also to split the drapery up so the beam wouldn't be an issue. Big THANKS to our installers Richard Burpee and Al Marinier, couldn't have done it without you!

Keep an eye out for this in an upcoming Ottawa magazine that will feature Lori Andrews' designs and also thanks to my design friend Sonya Kinkade of Sonya Kinkade Design for the recommend through twitter. Gotta love Twitter!

Bits and Bobs

My friend Amanda is from England, one day I overheard her use the term "bits and bobs" I loved it. So great a description for a bit of this and a bit of that.

It's been way too long... life got busy and blogging took a back seat. Here's a few things we've been working on lately... some bits and bobs!

Kelly's windows. Kelly is an ottawa area decorator and had found some great fabrics to use for her valances. She wanted to go with an east coast look. You can check out her blog for more of her decorating ideas.

Ripplefold. I'd been wanting drapery in our tv room for some time now and finally got around to it. My family mostly rolls their eyes at me when they see me bring the fabric books home. I chose a fun, modern print from Robert Allen Design called Overpass. I decided to use ripple fold at the top instead of traditional pleat. The result was fun. My kids even admitted that the drapery made the room better, now, we actually like being in the room. Hmmm what's next.

Sky's the limit. Height doesn't scare us! But it can be intimidating. We'll keep you posted with the fun we've been having at Chris' place. It involves scaffold and lots of coffee and bribing for my installers! 22 feet high.

Visit our gallary for more window covering ideas.Get more ideas about ripplefold.
Like us on facebook,  follow us on twitter @fayefortune

How to figure fabric repeat for the mathematically challenged!

Gate in charcoal from Dwell Studio Robert Allen

Math was never my strongest subject (not even close) so this is for any of my mathematically challenged designer and decorator friends and any home owner that is planning a drapery or curtain project to do themselves.

You've found the perfect fabric for your drapery panels but now you need to know how much to order. Use these handy instructions for figuring fabric that has a repeated pattern (don't worry if using stripes or plain fabric, that'll be the next blog post)

I keep these instructions handy, you never know when you might need to figure this stuff out! :)

1. Determine your cut length. (this is the finished length you want the drapery panel plus at least 12" for hemming top and bottom)
Cut length ______ divided by the repeat (take the vertical repeat that the fabric has) ______ = ______
2. Take the amount from Step 1 and round up the # of repeats. This is the number of repeats that will be in each cut ______
3. Multiply your new number ______ by the amount of the repeat ______ = ______ new cut length.
4. New cut length ______ x number of panels needed ______ = ______ total fabric in inches.
5. Add one additional repeat to the total fabric in inches. (this is needed because part of the first repeat will be wasted depending on where the pattern starts)
Total fabric in inches (from above) ______ + ______ one repeat = ______ your total fabric in inches.
6. Divide this number ______ by 36 = ______ the total number of yards.

Here's an example so you can see actual numbers and follow along with yours.

Example: Your finished length is 102" and you'll add 12" for hemming top and bottom (16" if you wish) The pattern repeat is 4.5" vertically and you want 1 width of fabric for each side of your window, so 2 panels in total.

Step 1: Your cut length is 114" divided by 4.5 = 25.33.... so round this up (step 2) to 26. You will need 26 repeats in your cut length. Take 26 and (step 3) multiply by 4.5 = 117" This is your new cut length. (step 4) 117" x 2 panels = 234" add 4.5" (step 5) = 238.5" divided by 36 (step 6) = 6.625 yards.... you can round this up to 6 3/4 or 7 yards.

Remember if you want 1 and 1/2 widths of fabric on each side of the window, this means 3 widths in total and you'll want to multiply (step 4) by 3 instead of 2.

I found the above information from Lydiablogg an eHow member on eHow.com but can no longer locate the original source, the above is my version.

You could also use this handy calculator I found at Wesco Fabrics but sometimes you like to do your own calculations. My math teachers would be so proud I'm sure!

Spring cleaning....what to do with your gently used items!

Most of us in Ottawa have thought about what to do with our homes since having a few nice weather days. Finishing the basement, renovating the kitchen, updating the living room all require a bit of planning and clean up. What are you doing with your perfectly good furniture and household items that don't match your new decor? Looking for a good home for your stuff?

Think about HWF! That's Helping With Furniture, a volunteer-run charitable group that provides gently used furniture and household goods to refugee claimant families struggling to start a new life in the Ottawa area.

I recently spoke with Natalie Maione, one of the co-founders of this incredibly generous and necessary charity. She gave me some great information about what's needed and how people can get involved.

What can you do for Helping with Furniture?

Give gently used household items: Currently the biggest needs are lamps, blankets, sheets, kitchen items, small appliances and window coverings. If you have furniture that's in sets or matching, this is great, as it allows Helping With Furniture to give a family items that work well together in a room. The volunteers are concerned with helping new Canadians feel at home and inspired.

I was surprised to learn that lamps and window coverings are desperately in need and go a long way in providing a safe and secure feeling for these refugees. Many of the people come from unsafe surroundings and feel vulnerable in a new country. If they're able to turn a light on at night or close their blinds, this makes for a peaceful feeling at home. 

According to Helping With Furniture, the people that are helped have often fled from conflict and life-threatening situations and arrive in Canada with little more than hope to sustain them. Those who can find housing often spend months with little or no furniture.

Give monetary donations: There is no paid staff at Helping With Furniture. To transport, store, deliver and insure the furniture, costs money. Occasionally they buy items that they're short on. There is a cost to this and any donation you make can go a long way.

Attend the annual gala: April 20, 2012 is the 6th annual Helping with Furniture Gala. This is their yearly fund raiser, silent auction.  

What will Helping with Furniture do for you?

Pick up: If you live within these Ottawa boundaries, Helping With Furniture will arrange to pick up your items. Check here to see if you live with in the mapped area. If you don't, they do have a drop off facility also.

Recycle: No one likes to see household items and furniture that are in perfectly good shape go to a land fill site. By sending your gently used items to Helping With Furniture you are contributing to the greening of Ottawa. That's for all my friends who don't see themselves as being green! You can be!

Provide Volunteer Opportunities: If you've been saying to yourself, you'd like to get involved in the Ottawa community, now is a great time. Helping With Furniture is in need of movers, volunteer-coordinating team members, drivers, drop-off volunteers, fund-raisers, data bank organizers and donor contacts.

Students looking to do their volunteer hours may also be able to do so through Helping With Furniture.

On top of these great benefits, you'll know that the simple act of giving something you have little use for now, will have great value for someone else.

We were recently able to help a refugee family ourselves, in a small way. They weren't looking for hand outs, they appreciated everything and are actively looking to better themselves and their kids here in Canada. 

When you're cleaning out your closest.... think about HWF!

Visit Helping With Furniture, their Facebook page and follow them on twitter @HWF2005

Covering arched windows

Yes, the elusive arch window. So pretty, so frustrating to cover, for most homeowners and some designers too! Here are some ideas to keep in mind when covering arched windows. Consider if you need sun protection, privacy or want something completely decorative that doesn't need to function.

Options to consider are nothing, drapery, shutters, blinds and cafe style.

Nothing is an option, if you don't need sun protection or privacy and your arched window is a piece of art itself. Look at this picture and think about what you might do. Would you choose a blind and if so where would you mount it? Would you choose a fabric shade or drapery?

mediterranean hall design by atlanta architect 
Thomas Thaddeus Truett Architect

contemporary kitchen design by new york
 general contractor 
Michael Robert Construction

Draperies are a great option. Mount the rod above the arch or at an obvious break in the window. Keeping your budget in mind, the higher you go, the more fabric that's required.

traditional family room design by atlanta interior designer sherry hart

contemporary living room design by toronto interior designer 
Chic Decor & Design, Margarida Oliveira

contemporary living room design by other metros 
window coverings Heather Williamson

Shutters are a custom option for sure. Templates required! If you have a local craftsman, like we do (James Hill of Shutters Direct) wood shutters are a gorgeous option. James' shutters come with a 10 year warranty. Take shutters part way up (see bottom shutter picture) and leave natural light coming in. Shutters are a great option for this window because they're mounted on the sides with hinges, no worries about where to put the brackets.

traditional bedroom design by atlanta architect Summerour Architects

traditional bathroom design by boston general contractor 
Mitchell Construction Group

Blinds like silhouettes (Hunter Douglas style) part way up, don't need a center bracket if the window isn't too wide so you can mount with end brackets at the height that works best. If you're window is really wide, another consideration would need to be made. Woven shades, bamboo style look great also, depending on your style. Most blind companies will make specialty shaped blinds that fit exactly.

traditional bathroom design by philadelphia 
design-build Echelon Custom Homes

Cafe style is a good option if you have a fabric that you want to display, need a bit of privacy and want to add some interest. You can use a tension rod inside the window or take a decorative rod across to the outside as long as your fabric's not too heavy to be supported by 2 outside brackets. (not always a place for a center bracket).

traditional living room design

Arch windows don't have to be so elusive, take some time and think about your options, style and function.

Have fun! Visit our website for more ideas on covering windows.

Inspiration for house and home decorating....Houzz!

Home owners: If you're looking for amazing interior pictures and ideas to use for your house and home decorating. I'd like to suggest Houzz! Pronounced House.

Professionals: This includes anyone that works in the residential interior or exterior field. Home stagers, architects, interior decorators, window covering specialists, general contractors, landscape designers, closet and home storage designers and photographers. These are only to name a few. If you're looking to make connections in your local area, promote your services and showcase your work, I'd like to suggest Houzz to you too!

traditional living room design by baltimore interior designer Elizabeth Reich

Houzz is kind of like the Pinterest of the residential interior and exterior design world. On Pinterest you'll see lots of pictures that came from Houzz.

What can you do on Houzz? Lots! Glad you asked.

Create Ideabooks: Like Pinterest you can create ideabooks. When you come across something you like, you add it to your own ideabooks. You can create multiple books and comment on what you like about the picture. Keep them for projects you plan to work on and get your creativity flowing!

Ask Questions: You can ask questions of professionals that upload their pictures. This is a great way to learn about projects you can do yourself.

Tag items: If you see a picture and know where an item came from, you can tag it.

Create Profile: If you're a professional you can create a profile for your location, upload your professional pictures and show what you have to offer.

Browse pictures: There are thousands of pictures to see for every room in the house and outside the house.
You can also search pictures of products. There are different styles to choose from depending on your taste.

Embed pictures: If you have a blog or website, you can embed photos and ideabooks into it. This makes blogging really easy.

There's lots to see and do on Houzz.com, try it, it's free.