DIY Life

Curtains can change the entire feel of a room. Much less expensive than furniture, you can have fun with them and use bold patterns and colors that you might regret if it were on a $4,000 couch instead.

Aside from the decor aspect, curtains serve a purpose. They can block out the sunlight, important in a child's room unless you enjoy getting up at the first hint of daybreak. They can insulate the window, saving you money on your heating costs in the winter and your cooling costs in the summer. They can provide privacy, sparing your neighbors the view of you in your pajamas.

Depending on your particular needs and decor, you can choose between long draperies, valances, sheer curtains, either alone or behind drapes, cafe curtains -- a personal favorite of mine for little girl rooms -- or any combination of these. Whichever you choose, you'll need to hang curtain rods.

Hanging curtain rods really is no more difficult that hanging picture frames.

Measure the width of the window. You want to have the curtain rod be at least five inches longer than the window. You can attach the curtain to the window frame but generally it is more visually appealing to move the rod outside the frame to the drywall. Drywall is also easier to fill and repair than wood should you decide to move or even change the style of curtain rod.

Exceptions to this are if you are hanging long dramatic draperies and want to alter the perception of the window size. By attaching rods just below the ceiling molding and hanging long curtains, you can make short windows look longer. For long skinny windows, extending the curtain rod out on each side of the window a foot or more will make the window appear wider.

Using your tape measure, measure out from the side of the window frame. Make a light pencil mark. Now measure up from the window frame. Two inches is the standard measurement for both of these, but as discussed above, you can do whatever feels right for your decor. (Note: two inches out is standard for where the bracket should be installed. The rod itself extends beyond the bracket.)

Once you have measured the location of the curtain rod hardware on each side of the window, get out your level and make sure that the marks are level. This is especially important in older house where settling can cause houses to be wildly unlevel.

Using your drill, drill a small hole on your mark. This is called a pilot hole. Never, ever, ever just screw something into your wall without making a pilot hole first. If you hit a wood stud behind the sheetrock you are loving life and should do a little dance around your window. You can just screw your bracket in with the hardware that has been provided.

Most likely though, you will not hit a stud. You are going to have to use sheetrock anchors. What are sheetrock anchors? They look like tiny plastic projectiles. Once you tap them into the wall they spring open behind the Sheetrock and anchor in your screw.

You are going to need to drill a hole that is the exact same size as the anchor. This is not as difficult as it seems. And remember you can always go larger if the hole you initially drill is too small. Drill your hole. Gently tap your anchor into place with your hammer. It shouldn't slide in too easily,nor should take brute force to try and muscle it into place.

Screw in your curtain hardware directly into the anchor.

Repeat the process on the other side of the window.

Hang your curtains.

Step back and admire your work. And grab a glass of wine. You deserve it.