Window Blinds that Work Better than I Do

A couple of weeks ago I had the world’s easiest and fastest shopping experience picking out blinds for my new kitchen. Then it was all downhill from there. Not the blinds – they’re great. No, the problem unfortunately is me. I got them picked out, custom cut, and then home, all in less time than it takes to cook a pan of brownies. Then what happened? They sat on my laundry room floor for two weeks. Unfortunately this is not unusual for me.

Finally, I got motivated to hang them up.

I removed the old blinds easily by sliding the header piece out of its brackets. My husband had the bright idea to see if the new blinds fit in the old brackets, noting that they looked similar. We held them up, and were pleasantly surprised to find that they would be able to slide right in. No installation! Yay!

Except that they didn’t slide right in. They were too long to fit my window. You know that saying, “Measure twice, cut once”? Well, I didn’t. Instead I measured once, and now would have to cut twice. (Sadly, this is also not unusual for me.) My husband narrowly avoided rolling his eyes at me, and we loaded the blinds back in the car for another trip to Lowe’s. At this point, I was just happy that they were too big and not too small!

So that you don’t make the same mistake I did, check out this worksheet from Lowe’s and Levolor about measuring for blinds.

The good news is that it was just as quick to cut them again as it was the first time. And the associate didn’t even laugh out loud at me when I told him I was back for a re-cut. Score one point for Lowe’s customer service!

Back home again, we lifted the blinds and slid them right into the old brackets. They fit! I was feeling pretty good at this point because, aside from the multiple trips to Lowe’s, this was the fastest installation project ever. Then I realized I really needed to shorten them, so I wouldn’t have a big chunk of extra blinds at the bottom of the window. Easy enough, right? Well, not if you’re me.

This is a big window, y’all. And it’s behind my kitchen sink. Which means that I had to wrestle several pieces of blinds, cords, and scissors, all while sitting on my counter, leaning over my sink! Thankfully, I had spent a good amount of time reviewing the instructions on how to shorten the blinds, and managed to do so correctly without cutting the cords that raise and lower the blinds. (I really didn’t want to make a third trip to Lowe’s!)

Finally, they are perfect! They look beautiful and work better than my old ones ever did. Plus, I can raise them with just a light touch.

Since this is a big picture window on the front of the house, and near the front door, I wanted something that provided good privacy, as well as light control.Here’s a quick shot of a few different levels. When they are closed, there are no holes to see through, giving me complete privacy to do dishes in my super-comfy, super-unflattering PJ’s.

Other than being my own worst enemy a few times along the way, this was a great process from start to finish, and I’m so happy with my new blinds.

Be sure to check out Levolor’s Custom Size Now Cordless blinds for your own windows. Let me tell you in all seriousness that if I can successfully replace window blinds, I promise you can too.

And remember – measure twice, cut once!