Free Shipping: Sweet Words for Online Buyers

Years ago I lived in Alaska, too far from stores to make regular buying trips. Every few months we’d make a run to town to stock up of  Window Coverings. But what about those times between trips when I needed something? I learned to do a lot of non-food shopping through catalogs. And it didn’t take long to learn the real costs of catalog shopping are in the shipping charges. I’d have given anything to get free shipping to Alaska!

Online shopping is the same as catalog shopping. One of the most important issues facing online buyers today is how much it really costs: most shipping charges add 7 to 20% to the total cost of your purchases. That can add a lot to your bottom line, and savvy buyers know that’s where the real savings can be, especially if they find the jackpot: free shipping on tiki torches.

save over curtain rods

But does free shipping really exist? Yes… but it’s not easy to find. Retailers will sometimes offer free shipping in conjunction with a sale or as a promotional offering to entice shoppers to look their way. It works – the shopper gets a deal even if the products aren’t on sale, and the retailer gets exposure to new customers. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Now consider this: bigger and bulkier products cost more to ship than, say, a pair of shoes or a doll, right? So when a retailer like BackyardBargain.com offers free shipping on their products – tiki torches, curtain rods, fire pits – it’s a really great deal.

Tiki Torches

Almost seems like they’re getting the short end. Makes me wonder how they do it – but they do, and it’s a real sweet deal for you and I. Sure, it’s not on all their products all the time, but hey, it’s worth every dime saved when it is offered.

So next time you’re browsing the Web looking for deals be sure to check out a few of my favorites. BackyardBargain.com of course, TikiTorchBargains.com and CurtainRodBargains.com. They all offer free shipping often enough to add them to your Favorites list.

I’ve got an online order filled out for my holiday shopping this year, and thanks to my favorite online retailers and free shipping, I’m actually saving money. I’ll bet that’s just what you’re going to do too!

 

How is Your Outdoor Decor?

A beautiful yard is like a fabulously decorated home: well thought out, purposefully designed and carefully put together.  If the impression your yard gives is as important to you as the interior of your home like  Furniture as a Curtain Rods, you’ll want to invest time and thought into this outdoor extension of your living space.  You’ll enjoy the rewards of your efforts for many years – and receive many compliments along the way!

Okay, to start: you’re the landscape architect – pull up a chair and let’s get to work!  Let’s start by deciding:

What you want to use the space for.

This can be single or multi-purpose.  Talk to everyone in the house and brainstorm together.  You may want to keep the entire space in thick, green grass just for putting practice (single-purpose).  Or you may want to have a space for the kids and another for adults (multi-purpose).  Do you cook outdoors?  Want a flower bed?  How about an area for your pets?

Curtain Rods

The other thing that goes hand-in-hand with this is considering what you’re working with.

Is your land flat, hilly, rocky or full of trees?

How much sun/shade does each area get at different times of the day – and will it make a difference for that area’s purpose?

Do you have a noisy neighbor?  You probably wouldn’t want to put a meditation corner near them.

Safety should be the first consideration for children’s play areas.  Place them away from streets and alleys, don’t position the slide to end in the pond (unless that’s what you want) and keep Fido’s pooh-pooh area far away from their little feet!

Now get out a pencil and paper – or landscaping software – and map out the spaces, keeping in mind the “lay of the land” and other pertinent factors.  For now just make general circles or squares to mark the space for each purpose.

What style you want to use.

Is it formal, informal, country, eclectic?  And don’t forget to consider what’s already there, like the architecture of the house or the style of existing fencing.  Consider the style of existing structures that will stay and how those styles will fit in your plan.

What color palate you’ll use.

Of course you must consider other existing colors:  siding and trim on existing buildings and fences, landscaping colors, maybe even the color of a neighbor’s garage if it’s butted up to your yard.

My house is blue with white trim, and that’s what I chose to use for the outdoor decor: my chair cushions are a great blue floral, the stone deck is colored blue-gray and I just planted one of those gorgeous blue hyacinths next to the neighbor’s white fence.  Now, I could have gone with a green palate because there’s so much green in the yard already (grass, trees), but that’s just me.

Now comes the fun – uh, I mean the hard part: shopping for everything you need. And color coordinating it. And making sure the styles coordinate. And having friends over to analyze the work (over food and drinks of course). And somehow, somehow managing to hold up under the enormous amount of praise and compliments you’ll receive for your labors.

It’s a tough job. But someone’s got to do it. Might as well be you!

 

Curtain Rod Rings: Useful Helpful Delightful Things You Need to Know About

Curtain rods rings… you know, there are many things in life you can go a long time, maybe forever, knowing nothing about. They’re usually the littlest things, the awful-est things, or the most mundane things.

curtain rods

But then there are those things you wish you’d known about years ago because they’re so useful-helpful-delightful. And that’s the category for curtain rod rings.

Now, don’t be mistaken – even though some of you will think so,  window Curtain Rods really don’t fall into the I-don’t-need-to-know-about-this-ever category. They’re actually amazing, and for more reasons than you can hang a curtain on.

Why, you say, should I be interested in these, uh, ringy-thingys? Because, we say, your life will totally improve in useful-helpful-delightful little ways. Yes, curtain rod rings. Want proof? We’ve compiled a short list of uses for curtain rod rings, just enough to feed your own inspiration.

 

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Curtain Rings

In the kitchen.

Recipe holder. Yes, you read that right. Clip that recipe card or magazine page to the curtain rod ring and hang the ring on a cabinet door knob… and Window Coverings Pretty cool, huh?

How about hanging a hand towel the same way? You can have it right where you need it while cooking or baking, and remove it when guests arrive!

For fun, use a curtain rod ring to hold cloth napkins for diners – you can clip them to the tablecloth, chair, glass or whatever makes you smile!

In the bath.

Shower: on the curtain rods to hold extras: loofas, wash cloths, sponges, razors, etc.

How about a Don’t-Knock-I’m-Busy sign on the door?

Of course there are always those little affirmation note cards – now you have an easier way to keep them in view: clip one to a curtain rods  ring and hang it on anything around the mirror.

Curtain rods

In the bedroom.

In the closet: curtain rings are perfect to hold scarves, necklaces – why, you can hang them right next to the outfits you love pairing them with!

In the closet: let’s take that first tip a little farther: some people actually have matching lingerie for outfits – really, we’re not joking – and a curtain ring would be a perfect way to keep them together. Easy to grab and no searching required.

Again in the closet: how about those trouser socks? Since they’re so easy to lose in the sock drawer, why not hang them from a curtain ring in the closet?

Still in the closet (yes, we know it’s not funny…): have an item that you just can’t fit anywhere, like that belt with the gigantic buckle?

Nickel Curtain Rings

In the hallway.

Kids’ mittens, hats, scarves – even the kids if they’re light enough! (Just kidding, of course!)

What about that collection of green save-the-earth shopping bags you’re always forgetting to take along? Need a place to keep them where you’ll actually remember to grab them?

And, of course, those fab designer handbags – now you can hang them in the hallway closet on a curtain ring so they’re at your fingertips when you’re ready to switch bags.

In the car.

The great thing about curtain rings is they hang easily on small knobs – and most cars have an abundance of those.

Things you can hang from a curtain rod ring in the car: phone cords, travel tissue boxes, maps (almost things of the past), notes, grocery lists…

Other ideas.

Hang your curtain rod rings on chairs and clip balloons to them for birthday parties.

Don’t forget the obvious: to hang curtains!

So now you know all about the double life of curtain rod rings – one of the true useful-helpful-delightful things you need to know about!

 

How to Buy Curtain Rods

Are you finally replacing those dated window coverings? Don’t forget to replace that curtain rod too – with so many styles, materials, colors and decorative hardware available today, you’ll have a great time picking out your new curtain rods! just like follow.

DRAPERY PANEL 96INCH POLYSILK MOSS

Maybe you’re moving into a new place and get to decorate. Don’t overlook the effect a great curtain rod can have on your room. If you haven’t noticed the selections today in curtain rods you’re in for a real surprise.

What are your options? You can choose from standard rods, spring-loaded rods, traverse rods, decorative rods, adjustable rods, magnetic rods, double and triple rods . . . made from brass, chrome, ivory, graphite, mahogany, teak, walnut, plastic, metal . . . . And we haven’t even mentioned color or style yet!

DRAPERY PANEL 96INCH POLYSILK SAGE

So how do you narrow all these options down to the perfect curtain rod for your window? It’s not as hard as it sounds. Like most projects you’ll need to have a plan, so start deciding – -

Do you want your curtain rod exposed or hidden by the curtains?  If it’s exposed it should match the room’s style and décor, so look around the room to figure that out.  (A lot of you don’t have to do that; you just know your style.  But there are others….)

Now consider what kind of curtain or drape you’ll be hanging.  Will it be light and billowy, heavy and insulating or something in between?  You guessed it: the weight of the coverings will be instrumental in choosing your rod.  Maybe you want a layered look, so you’ll be considering double or triple rods.

How will your rods be hung – inside or outside the window frame? For outside the frame – on the wall: the idea here is usually to cover the window completely.  Measure 2-5” out from each side of the window trim. The total curtain rod length should be about 12” longer than your window width. And don’t be fooled: measure each window in the room – they may look the same size, but they may not be!

If you’re hanging a curtain rod inside the window frame (typically spring or magnetic rods) measure at the inside point of the window.  Again, measure each and every window – you don’t want any surprises later!

Don’t get scared off and quit yet – this is all easier than you might be thinking.  You’ll probably just know what rod is right when you see it.  After all, it will probably catch your eye because it‘s your style. So hang in there ‘cause now’s the fun part: shopping!

Today you have the option of buying a pre-packaged curtain rod set with all the parts and pieces you need.  That can save you time and energy, and easily meet your window covering needs.

Or you can individually select each part for your curtain rods.  Thanks to our access to online stores today you can easily customize your curtain rods. Just mix and match rods, finials, rings, pinch clips, brackets, holdbacks, tiebacks. And don’t hold back (oops!) – go for it all!

Whoa – what are all those things?  Well, the finial is that decorative thing that attaches to the end of the rod.  You can get them in pretty much any style, size and color you want.  Be sure to match it to the rod size, room style and color scheme.

Rings and pinch clips are similar: they slide on the curtain rod and attach to the curtains.  In other words the rod and rings or clips are visible, sort of like some shower curtains.

Buy Curtain Rods

Black Curtain Rod

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Brackets are used to hold decorative rods on the wall.  They come in every imaginable color, material, style . . . . You won’t have trouble finding a pair to fit your room.

Holdbacks and tiebacks serve the same purpose: to gently scoop up your curtains and hold them at the side of the window.  Holdbacks are attached directly to the wall.  Tiebacks are often lengths of cording, some with tassel ends that tie around the “belly” of your open curtains to hold them back.

Black Curtain Rod

So here you are then, ready to make that plan, Stan, for creating a room you’ll love – all by beginning with the perfect curtain rods . . . Who’d a though?

 

How do I Hang Curtain Rods

If you’ve ever hung a picture you can hang curtain rods – same principles, mostly the same tools.  Really – you can do this!

To hang most curtain rods you will need a pencil, measuring tape, hammer, drill, screwdriver, curtain rods hardware and a level. Having an extra pair of hands is really helpful too. You can follow the instructions the come with your curtain rod or just follow these general guidelines Remember how you measured to buy the rods? You decided how far out from each side of the window you want your curtains to hang. For most windows you’ll want the curtain to start about 1½ inches above the window trim.

curtain rods

Now look at your curtain rod. For standard hidden rods measure out from the window 3-5” (whatever you decided on) and up from the top 1½”. Mark this spot on each side of the window Coverings and make sure it’s level, even, straight – whatever you call it, it’s important! Now just follow the instructions that came with your curtain rod for hanging that particular type of hardware.

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For exposed like today’s popular decorative curtain rods, you’ll want to determine where to hang the brackets. Follow the above directions for a hidden rod, except you’ll be marking the spot the bracket hangs – which may a different distance from the window.

A Great Look After Install

Here’s some really helpful information: find out where the “cripple studs” are located. They’re wood studs right around your window. Find out how far out from your window they extend and you’ll have an easy-breezy time hanging your rod – you won’t need anchors or cussing or lots of beer later.

How do you do this? You’ve gotta have a stud finder. It’s an electronic gadget you can get at a hardware store for $10-50. You really only need an inexpensive one if you’re just hanging curtain rods and the occasional wall hanging. Follow the instructions to find your studs and then mark your spots.

If you’re not going to mess around with a stud finder, be sure to attach your rods very close to the window trim – you’ll more than likely find a stud there.

(It’s also handy to know about the window’s header. It’s a solid chunk of wood right above the window that spans the length of the window. It usually doesn’t extend much past the window so you won’t be screwing into it for most rods, but you never know when this kind of info comes in handy!)

Whatever you do, don’t waste your time by using screws too short to do the job. You’ve got to get that screw through the drywall and into the wood so it doesn’t loosen later and fall out!

If you’re hanging a rod inside the window trim you don’t have to find any studs – you’ll be screwing right into solid wood. You’ll also be using special hardware called inside mounting brackets.

What happens if you can’t find any studs or any solid wood to screw into? You’ve still got options, and they will work well for you. Go to your hardware store and ask for toggles or anchors. The EZ toggles and anchors work great, and guess what? They come with instructions and . . . they’re EZ!

Now, at then end of the day, just sit back, relax and enjoy the view of your work and the new curtains decorating your room!

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