What do you think of these?

I mentioned yesterday that I want to get new window treatments for our living room windows. I've never been a fan of the blinds, but it's not easy convincing Jim that they have to go--especially the vertical blinds on the big window, because he bought those himself when he bought the house. I can understand why he doesn't want to get rid of them. They were fairly expensive, they can be adjusted according to the light, and he picked them out himself.

Because I love him so much, I've been trying to figure out a way to possibly make them work with the vision that I have for the room...so far, not much success. I've thought about buying lace trim and adhering it on one side of them, which might work to make them look a little softer, but I'd really like to take them down and start fresh.

These are the curtains that I'm thinking about.

Sure-Fit Curtains

They are from Sure-Fit, and I get get them for a great price on Amazon.com, under $15 a panel.

A dear friend suggested drop cloths, and I have to admit that I am intrigued by the idea. It would be substantially less expensive, and I've found some beautiful examples from other bloggers who have made curtains from them. They really do look nice.  Like these from A Soft Place to Land.  I would do different trim, because although the trim they used looks great, I don't think it would go with our decor.

Drop Cloth Curtains from A Soft Place to Land

I'm still kind of drawn to bringing some pattern into the room, which the Sure-Fit curtains would do. But I also like the simplicity of the Drop Cloth curtains... There are advantages to both.

With the Drop Cloth curtains, I could get some dark roman shades to put under them. I was thinking something like this.

Roman Shade

With Sure-Fit curtains, I could add something like this.

Roman Shades

So what do you think?  Which combination do you like better?