Lowe's Levolor Cellular Shades & My quest for Darkness

Somehow I've gotten it in my head that Baby will cooperate much more with mid-day sleeping if I can totally blackout his room and create a cocoon like, nighttime effect even when the brightest sun of the day is blaring into the nursery. In reality, he will probably prefer to sleep in his car seat on the washing machine while it's on spin cycle but I digress...

I've already covered the start-and-stop progress we've made on this blackout quest. My first choice was to use blackout shades of some sort, but after measuring my window and exploring my options, it became clear that I was going to be looking at a custom solution for the room (read: $$$). Adding blackout material to a roman shade was also considered but that would require dangling cords which I was trying to avoid. Enter the blackout drape from IKEA. Hung on a double rod system, I thought this was going to be the best option. I proceeded to sew 4 panels into 2 and considered the project complete before we left for Boston to celebrate the 4th.

BUT THEN!!! I walked into my Mom's kitchen which is notoriously sunny during the summer months (in an "I can't stand in here without sunglasses & sunscreen on" kind of way) and checked out her snazzy new cordless, cellular blinds. I was sure they were custom until she told me she got them at Lowe's in the plain ole' off-the-shelf blinds aisle. HOW DID I MISS THESE?!

These Levolor shades come in 4 colors and in sizes ranging from 18" to 72". They will cut them down for you in the store to whatever size you want between those 2 widths. And best of all, they come in a blackout option! I could hardly wait to get back to NC and see if I could make these work. They went up pretty simply (even simpler when your husband does it for you and you just sit and watch) and the result is EXACTLY what I was hoping for. Check it out!




They fit totally snug with an inside mount and the tiny bit of light peaking through on the edges will disappear once I hang my IKEA hacked curtains. Thank you Lowe's (& Mom!)