Pages

Friday, July 11, 2008

Dawn in a Cotton Dress

But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her,
barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window
in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor.
She will look in at me with her thin arms extended,
offering a handful of birdsong
and a small cup of light.
~William Collins

Rather than a small cup of light, the sun has entered my unadorned kitchen window like a strobe light in the early mornings of the recent oppressively warm days. My beloved window needed a simple cotton dress.

I can hear the handful of birdsong now.

This window is a favorite of mine. In the autumn, winter, and spring, the sun streams in unhindered. I love seeing the trees in the various seasons. I love the bright light it adds to the kitchen atmosphere.

Mid-summer is a different story. Our house has no air-conditioning to speak of. We try to open everything up at night to cool off, closing windows and blinds as soon as the mid-morning heat makes its appearance. The kitchen window is the only window in the house that has (had) no curtain. I realized that the sun was heating up this room much too quickly.

I wanted something temporary, so that I could take it down when autumn comes. I wanted to purchase items that I could repurpose in other areas when not in use in the kitchen window. I wanted something very simple because my kitchen is often more cluttered than I would like, and I didn't want to add to the chaos. I wanted something that would still allow me to peer over the top to keep an eye on playing children and view the trees and birds. I wanted something easy and inexpensive. (Do you blame me?)

Cafe curtains. Tension rod. Clip rings.
White cotton floursack kitchen towels. Perfect.

...Accented with quilted-glass jam jars,
simple flower bouquets,
and milk glass tea cups
I mysteriously found in my husband's office area.

Speaking of mysterious objects in my husband's office space, what do you think of this terrific glass batter bowl? I love it!

It seems he (my unpredictable husband) bought a few boxes of 'stuff' at an auction the other day. I never know what that guy is going to do next. Happily, though, I've made off with another exciting treasure that I can't wait to reveal to you. I know you are on pins and needles, but you'll simply have to wait until Monday. Not to mention that it will be a perfect segue to my guest post over at Simple Mom on Tuesday. For all those who have been waiting, I'll finally be giving you my best tips for hanging things on walls!

14 comments:

Skeller said...

Such a lovely, cheery window :-)

Precision Quality Laser said...

I am convinced you can make anything ordinary absolutely EXTRAORDINARY :) Your window inspires me to do something cheery and light with my patio door. Picture old aluminum patio door. Yeah, not pretty. Anyway, lovely post today! Happy Friday :)

carole said...

Nice! Making your way over to simple mom! I look forward to it. Is the "hardware" available at a Joann's or fabric kind of store?

Heidi said...

Thanks!

Carole~ I didn't check Joann's. The towels I got (really inexpensively) at Target and I know they also have tension rods and clip rings, but not the ones I wanted. I found these at Home Depot.

Susan said...

I just love that look. SO simple but so beautiful too. My friend bought the same hanging lamp for her bathroom at the PG. Her house is 1890something. Fits perfect.
Susan

Anonymous said...

Absolutely perfect!

Anonymous said...

Love it, Heidi! I've thought of using oversized beach towels for shower curtains, but not kitchen towels for cafe curtains. You. are. brilliant.

Amy Jo said...

That looks great! I like that it keeps that area still looking airy and lets the light filter through.

Anonymous said...

very cheery and inviting. oh, and I love your batter bowl, how thoughtful of your husband! Can't wait to see Monday's treasure. Have a great weekend.

Unknown said...

This is beautiful! Ok, this is how pathetic I am...where do you buy the rings to hold the curtains? At the fabric store? They come like that with the ring and the clip? This would be perfect for my bathroom!

How amazing is that batter bowl, too? God's really gifted your family (sister included!) with making this world even more beautiful!

Unknown said...

I just read all the comments and see you got the clip rings at Home Depot...so what department would they be in??? ;)

{marie} said...

i was having the best day ever. i was so excited about your curtains that i went and bought everything tonight....the flour sacks, the rod, the rings....i found it all. but, now they are hanging weird and i am freaking out. do you mind me asking....how wide is your window (ours is 59") and how many towels did you use? how many clips on each towel.....help my melt down! after ironing tea towels for 45 minutes when it is 90 degrees outside, i am at the end of my flour sack rope! LOL!!!!

Heidi said...

I used two towels, but doubled over so they are rectangular rather than square and I clipped them on the folded edge. My window is 55" wide...they just fit. I used 5 rings on each towel. They weren't perfectly square, so the bottom edge isn't perfect. It gives them personality. :)

If my window was wider than two towels, I would go with three and keep them bunched up a little more.

Whew! It *was* warm today, wasn't it. Glad *I* wasn't ironing. ;-)

{marie} said...

thanks heidi. i will take pics to share later. you are the best! :)