Okay, I'm back! This is my bow window from the outside - excuse the very ugly aluminum storms, removing them is another project for another day. Here are a couple of inspiration pics I want to "frame" the window rather than dress the inside, it's not that deep and with five rows of panes I think it would look too fussy. I love the look of panels over woven wood shades. I figure finding a shade sized to fit across an almost 10ft long span would be problematic and very expensive. Also I don't think I'd ever want to drop it all the way down/open. I was at Target today and found these beautiful placemats on a clearance shelf for $1.49 each. They had the exact neutral tone colors (cream, khaki, brown and green) I was planning for a whole living room redo. I grabbed all 16 that were there. My idea is to attach them together with maybe a band of ribbon to hide the seams if necessary, baste in some "folds" running lengthwise and staple the whole thing along a piece of 1"x2" lumber and mount it over the window up close to the ceiling. I did a quickie mock up by taping the backs of two of them together and then to the rod: I need to play with the proportions of the folds still. This shows two of the pieces of ribbon I could use if I think I need to cover the seams I'll flank the window with simple panels of either a heavy twill or nubby linen on big rings. The rod will run in front of and at the same level as the top of the "blinds". I'm not sure what color yet but probably either khaki or chocolate - I think the green would be too much. I'd like to use a double rod to keep the sheers that are hanging now layered under the panels to have some flexibility when I want the window completely covered - a choice between light filtering/opacity or room darkening/insulating. Anyway ... that's my idea for dressing a big honkin' bow window!

I really like the look of the shutters that Beverly mocked up. Some people are sticklers for shutters needing to at least look like they could close, but shutters in so many cases are just "window dressing" like hanging stationary draperies to the interior of windows. They don't have to be functional or even look it and add some interest and a place for color. What a lucky man your son is that you can help him and his daughter have a suitable home. I hope they are happy there.

Those original lamps are now split between the kitchen lounge and the living room. I think these old lamps are passé now! I had a similar-sized chest on that side and since I had to pull it out to get the ladder in place, I tried this small table. I'd like to find a matching pair of lamps for my master since I like those others in so many places! What about these since they're the same color as my overhead fixture and rods. Modern drum shade? I'm concerned that they're too tall at 31" with shade. These are metallic in color on the base and 27" high: More bookmarked lamps to come...my web has slowed down

I agree with sleevendog and Annie about using canning jars. I start with something that was stored in the food storage room in a 1/2-gallon wide-mouth jar, and as the food item is used, down-size the contents to a quart, pint and 1/2-pint, and they all use the same wide-mouth jar lid (I use both metal rings and lids and the plastic screw-on lids for jars, and metal lids I have spray-painted with chalkboard paint and use chalk pencils or liquid chalk markers to mark the contents on the lid.) For dry storage in the pantry, the quart to 1/2-pint jars I use take up the same amount of space since I store my jars on their side with the lid showing the contents of the jar. I have my shelves adjusted so they are the same space as a 1/2-gallon jar between them (and have between 75-80 jars in my pantry holding dry-goods). I stopped and counted 15 canning jars in my refrigerator. We also use a number of glass Pyrex storage bowls with plastic lids (1-cup and 2-cup). Hubby takes them to work in his lunch - so they are filled with leftovers from previous meals and stored in the freezer. They go from the freezer to his lunch bag, and then microwaved when he eats lunch. A plastic container I like to use are Ball Freezer Jars - the 8-oz. size often used for freezer jam works great for single-servings of soup/stew/broth, and they also come in 16-oz. size. I like the screw-on lids. These plastic jars stack nicely and the lids nest together. -Grainlady