What to do when it’s raining and you can’t garden? Find cute botanical prints for a project! After several years of sharing my mornings with the group of neighborhood children and parents who stand in my front yard waiting for the school bus, I’ve decided I need curtains. (The greater issue of how to get them off my lawn will be solved at another time.) There are two 40-inch wide windows above my corner sink that face the street. Love the setup, but not the view.

I’ve seen a bundle of cute bright and LARGE botanical prints recently. It’s a fresh take on “old lady” botanicals.

My first wish was the Serafina shade from Pottery Barn (before I saw the $100 price tag). Too much for something I might ruin with a wild dish washing session. It’s also a little too red for my kitchen.

Then there’s the new Cecilia fabric line from IKEA I’ve been gawking at. There are several different patterns – all involving flowers, nuts or birds. My favorite is the Cecilia pink and orange print.

While not quite the bright look I’m going for, there’s something I initially liked about this large print Damask panel curtain from Target. It seems too trendy though… and after looking at it for a few seconds I decided it reminded me of some note cards I had a few years ago. A true sign the Damask trend is on it’s way out.

Back to the curtains. I purchased the Cecilia fabric and decided to create a simple cafe curtain for the perfect combination of privacy and light. I said “No thanks” to Martha Stewart’s detail-less post on creating a simple cafe curtain, and went my own route. It wasn’t too difficult to measure and sketch out a pattern idea. After sewing a set of curtains for each window, I realized the kitchen door looked lonely and made a matching set for the window.

I love the way they turned out. Perfect for spring and so easy I’ll be able to replicate them when I get tired of the print or find a new fabric I want to try.
–- the soybean

One of my finished cafe curtains