• Your curtains can be "normal," too--but with a broom or branch as a curtain rod.through the curtains image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
  
  The curtains covering the windows in your home help tell the story of your family. The perception of how people live is reflected in the decorations they choose as an expression of their taste or flair for life. When the norm doesn't fit your lifestyle, step outside the box and try something unusual with your curtains.
  
  

Blended Wallpaper Curtains

• Make your windows virtually disappear by creating curtains from wallpaper. This idea requires that the room be redecorated with heavy, cloth or embossed wallpaper. If the paper is already in the room, you will need extra rolls. Find a straight curtain rod, preferably flat, as opposed to round, that hangs close to the wall. Fold the top of the wallpaper around the rod and glue it to itself to create a curtain panel. The number of glued panels you need depends on the width of the window. Match the pattern of the wallpaper on additional panels to the first panel, as you would when papering a wall. Cut the panels at the bottom to skim the floor. Add weights the bottom of the panels on the side facing the window. Use small magnets or other flat, heavy pieces as weights. These curtains are not meant to be opened and closed on a regular basis. Keep this in mind before implementing the idea.
  
  

Zipped Up

• Forgo the plain divided curtain for one with a zipper up the middle. Sporting-good outlets sell heavy-duty replacement zippers for tents. Before deciding on the length of your curtains, inquire about the lengths available to you. Create two curtain panels, leaving the inner edges raw. Use solid colored fabric to emphasize the zipper. Use thick material or choose vinyl. Sew the zipper to the two panels. For top-to-bottom zipping, use a separating style zipper. For bottom-to-top zipping panels, a non-separating zipper is usable with the end placed at the top of the panels.
  
  

Unusual Hanging

• Diversify your curtains using an unusual method of hanging. Use a a long tree branch, stripped of bark and treated with varnish or paint, to hang your loop or tab-top curtains. Hang the branch as evenly as possible, but allow for the natural flow. This will add to the unusual look. For a nautical theme, use a boat oar for a rod. Refinish older wooden oars in colors to match or complement your room. Oars work with loop or tab top curtains or panels with larger rod openings at the top.