Monday, September 12, 2011

Champagne Drapes on a Beer Budget: Pottery Barn Inspired Window Treatments

In light of yesterday's chat about being poor for the moment, I thought it was high-time I did another post for all the bargain lovers out there.  

When I first saw these drapes in the Pottery Barn catalog last summer, I felt inspired.  I wanted them for our brand new living room.  They were the drapes of my dreams.  And I did dream about drapes back then because our house came complete with spider-ridden, threadbare, filthy drapes from the 70's that smelled even grosser than they looked.  And they didn't even cover the windows.

We needed something to shield our pajama-clad kids from the outside world during the night time hours and back then 

And these were calling my name....
source
In fact, when I saw them, my entire living room, the one I didn’t have yet, flashed before my eyes.  I knew exactly how I wanted it to look. 

My husband may or may not have said something about how I had lost my mind and didn’t I know that everything should be beige and that beige is the only color in the world.  But if he did say something like that, I’m sure I ignored him.  Because I was ready for some color! 

Do you know what I was not at all ready for, though?  Yeah.  Spending hundreds of dollars on window treatments.  Because when you only spend $27,000 on your house (I take this money saving business seriously, folks!) you DO NOT spend hundreds of dollars to cover the windows inside it.

No.  Not ever.

So what was this thrifty gal to do?

Well, first I pored over and thumbed through and almost shredded that poor catalog.  Before I did a minute of shopping, I had to decide exactly what it was I was looking for.  Finally I realized they didn’t need to be from Pottery Barn and they didn’t even need to look just like the magical ones in that photo.  They just had to be right.  And “right” meant red and green floral against a pale background in a floor-to-ceiling length for a price that would make my bank account initiate the all-important Fist-Bump of Savings. 

Then I measured my windows, brewed a pot of coffee, ate some raw eggs (not really) and put on my game face.  I had a whole internet ready to be scoured!


Nothing.


Nothing. 

But I would not be deterred.  I was a woman on a mission! And then it hit me.


Oh Ebay, you’re always there for me in a pinch.  User’s manuals for old appliances.  Extra buttons for coats long past their prime.  That Laundry by Shelli Segal dress for $0.99.  And oh yes: my drapes
The perfect drapes, inspired by Pottery Barn but made possible by Ebay for the low, low price of $7.99.  You read that right: seven dollars and ninety nine cents.  And, wonder of wonders, even my beige-loving husband approved.

What was that?  Oh why yes, Mr. Bank Account, thank you for asking.  Your Fist-bump of Savings is gladly accepted!
post signature

14 comments :

  1. I love how you're so resourceful, scoring bargains like that! You could write a book about this :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. So, when you searched for these on eBay, what where your search parameters? Just curious, as I'm tending to come up dry on a lot of my more obscure or specific searches.....

    ReplyDelete
  3. *were, not where. Yes, I'm an idiot today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, I always search title and description because often people are not good about putting the right information in the title. With drapes specifically, they have a search option by main color, so I just checked the main colors that I'd be willing to accept (tan, white, beige, etc.,) And then a LOT of scrolling!

    ReplyDelete
  5. They're beautiful! Doesn't it just make everything even prettier when you decorate on a budget... and find exactly what belongs... AND beat the budget's big old bullying butt? It makes you walk into your newly decorated room and sigh with pure satisfaction, every time! I LOVE that you resisted the siren song of Pottery Barn and found something even more beautiful!!! They're perfect Dweej! :)))

    ReplyDelete
  6. Way to go girl! I always forget about Ebay. I did snag a Laundry dress at a thrift store once though for about $7! I should have sold it on Ebay...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good for you! I LOVE scoring fun things like that! It's like the $17.50 coffee table we bought the other day. woot!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Might just be my personal opinion but I think the drapes you found on Ebay are way prettier than the ones from Pottery Barn, the pattern is much more delicate...the ones from Pottery Barn make you go "ooooh" but the ones you actually bought make you go "aaaah"....and everyone knows an "aaaah" is much preferable to an "ooooh"...and well...then there's the price...don't think there is a sound for that kind of bargain...think that's more of an excited rumble in the pit of your stomach!! I love Ebay! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is beyond impressive. I have been making some of our curtains and I thought I was being thrifty doing that.

    I'm sure they look lovely in the room.

    Please come to my house and make my decorating dreams come true for under $10.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Awesome find! Man, I feel like you and I could flea market/garage sale like pros together. I bet they are going to look great up in your newly made over living room!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You have inspired me, because I am facing the same issue: what window coverings to put on the two bedroom, one office and living room picture windows that were replaced this past winter. I refuse, also, to spend hundreds of dollars for window treatments. Up until now, cardboard cut-outs cover the windows every night. (We live along a busy, busy street.) I can only imagine what my neighbors and passing motorists are thinking of my decor.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Do it for less is sometimes as good as do it yourself, don't ya think? Love the new curtains.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...