Curtain Call

We recently bought some curtains from JCPenney. They are called Veratex Manhattan Faux Suede Panels . We got the "cloud" color. It's a taupe-y soft creamy color and it matches the paint in the condo perfectly.

We also got some nice brushed nickel curtain rods and matching brushed nickel finials. (If you don't know what finials are, then you'll probably want to tune out right now - because all I'm going to talk about from now until infinity, is finials, grommets and colors like taupe and mauve...well, maybe not mauve. I mean, it's not 1986 or anything.)

Things were cruising along great until I realized that these beautiful curtains didn't block enough light! (The only thing my eyelids do right is hold eyeshadow - they don't help at all as a dimming agent.) I was talking to a friend about curtains and he described the darkness level needed as "coffin dark". That's a perfect description.

Sooo, I thought these "thermal" panels would be what the doctor ordered. I bought them and took them home and felt this was going to be the answer to my sleeping problems. But when I ripped them out of the packaging I was greeted by BRASS grommets! I almost lost my appetite for the rest of my Dairy Queen sundae that I had picked up in the food court. (I said, "almost".) Aaron tried to console me and say that you couldn't see the brass, but I was having visions of trying to exchange the brushed nickel rods for brass ones...it was like a horror movie preview, except that instead of holding a chainsaw, I am holding a curtain rod and freaking out on a saleslady.

We got the thermal panels up, to see if maybe you couldn't really see brass, but there was no avoiding it. I thought maybe I could get past that if they provided the darkness that I was seeking. After turning off the lights, I was crushed to discover that they didn't block any more light than a non-thermal curtain. Those lying cretin bastards at JCPenney!

Then, just when I was ready to gouge my own eyes out with the blunt end of my MAC face powder brush, Aaron had a brilliant idea. He suggested doubling up the Manhattan grommet curtains. (I happened to have an extra set that I was planning to use for the living room.) So, we gave it a shot. It was the answer to my prayers! Praise the Lord! Aaron is a genius!!

Now we have the best of both worlds: attractive curtains with matching rods and a dark room that even a vampire could love.