I Would Rather Lick A Toilet Clean Than Hang Window Treatments

There! I said it! I HATE HANGING WINDOW TREATMENTS! I suck at it too, as you can see from the swiss cheese that grows around my windows.

I dread doing that more than anything else in the world. When I switched around everyone's rooms it took me 6 months to work up to changing around the window treatments. When I repainted the living room though I wanted a different look. Wood blinds. I got my blinds at Lowe's, they are by Levelor. I mean how hard could they really be?!

They came with instructions! Not really detailed instructions. In fact, I even tried to read the ones written in French and didn't understand them any more. Probably cause I can't read French. Why is it when they write instructions in a foreign language they put a whole lot more words than the English version? I mean the French instructions had 4 lines of instruction. The English version just said "install bracket".

The first step was to install that there piece on the window sill. Sounds easy right?! There were two packets of parts and screws that I ripped open and didn't find those pieces. Now the smart person probably would of looked a little harder. Me? I ripped open the other 3 boxes thinking that maybe I had a mutant box with no brackets. Oh yeah AND tore open all the parts and screw packets too. After an hour of searching, cussing, screaming and crying, my oldest daughter found them.

"Aren't these them Mom"? No..... maybe..... go see what your sister is doing! Yeah, I thought they were covers for the rollers or something. They totally do not look like the little cartoon picture on the instructions! Now here is a little tip. If they say you need a drill, you need a drill. Don't try to "predrill" your spots with a hammer and high heeled shoe. That only consumed another hour of digging through the garage to find a drill. The same drill that I couldn't find for the last 2 years that my hubby SWORE he didn't have. Liar! But I digress, first I had to get the old mini blinds down.

I was whipping on through, taking down all the blinds and it never fails. Half of the blinds down and one stupid freaking screw has to screw me. It wouldn't come out! Try as I might, I couldn't get it out either! After an hour of monkeying around with it, I took a chisel and just lobbed off the part that was sticking out! Take that stupid screw!

I did eventually get the brackets installed without falling off the stool. That was a feat in itself. Nothing would complete this project more than a quick 8 hour trip to the ER. Now that the brackets are up and your arms are wore out, you just lift the 85 lb blind contraption made out of wood and steel up onto those brackets.

Thankfully, I got them all in the right spot and didn't have to redo any! I did have to take down the first one though. They didn't say in the instructions, English or French version, to put on the valance clips. See the wood part that is covering the metal part? I know, I get so technical sometimes! Anyways, there are plastic clips you have to put on to hold the wood part up there.

Don't forget the end caps either! They just pop on the bottom slat. The hole in the middle is for these other little plastic brackets that will hold the blind down. I didn't install those so I can easily raise the blinds and open the windows if I want to. They also give instructions on how to remove some of the extra slats, but since I understood those less than the installation ones, I didn't do it.

So there ya go! I got the wood blinds up. Now to find some panels and hang them. I also should patch all the previous attempts at hanging window treatments. This took almost all day to finish, I wonder how long that will take?

Posted @ Silly Little Sparrow's Toot Your Horn Tuesday