If you want sometime more unique than a curtain rod to hang your 
window treatments (you are my kinda woman! Or man!), there are 
many everyday household items you can use instead. Make your own 
wonderful and unusual window hardware with:

1. Coat hooks. Brass or metal coat hooks can be attached above 
   your window to hold curtain panels. Attach curtain rings or 
   fabric ties to the top of the curtains and place over the 
   hooks. Decorative touches such as bows or silk flowers can 
   also be attached to the hooks for a finishing touch. Just 
   make sure you have a couple of extra hooks to hang your 
   coat on!

2. Glass or brass door knobs. Scour antique shops or thrift 
   stores for old doorknobs (It doesn't matter if they are 
   mismatched!) Attach them above the window. Tie curtains to 
   the knobs with fabric ties. (This idea is also great for a 
   coat rack - just in case you used all the coat hooks for 
   your curtains! Just attach the knobs to a nice sanded, 
   stained, and sealed wooden base, and hang on the wall near 
   your door!)

3. Spoons. Have you ever bought spoons or forks which bent while 
   trying to eat ice cream? Well, here is your chance to use 
   those misshapen tools. Bend the utensils in the shape of a 
   hook! They will make great hardware for kitchen curtains!

4. Cup hooks. Plain cup hooks painted a bright color can also 
   be used. As with the coat hooks, simply attach curtain rings 
   or fabric ties to the curtains and slip over the cup hooks! 
   They look great and they are very inexpensive!

5. If you are a horse lover or have a rustic home, why not try 
   horseshoes? Attach to the wall with a horseshoeing nail 
   (anyone know what those are called?) and use the nail to 
   hold the curtains rings. You can also use the horseshoes 
   as tiebacks!

6. Clothespins. How about trying old-fashioned clothespins? 
   Simply attach the top of the curtain to a cord or thin rod 
   across the top of the window. Paint the pins with colorful 
   acrylic paints or leave the wood natural.

Just look around your kitchen or bathroom for dozens of items 
you can use for hardware. Be creative, but I would draw the 
line if the males in your family suggest holding up the curtains 
with knives! Or staples! Or darts! After all, a woman has her 
standards, doesn't she? Hmmmm... How about holding them up with 
5" stiletto heels attached to the wall! They have to be good 
for something!