Bamboo blind source / crazy affordable and basically custom

 I've been trying to work on this post for a week now but we lost our computer charger and didn't find it till over the weekend, hashtag blogger problems. But you guys, I have found the best source for bamboo blinds that are super inexpensive and basically custom. DAY MADE RIGHT? 
Let me back up. In our new house we needed blinds for at least 10 windows of various sizes including a couple of 16" width windows and super large windows as well. That is almost impossible to find in stores that isn't custom, aka expensive. I looked everywhere. Trust me, I did the research so you didn't have to. This gave me a headache for weeks. 

(image from little green notebook, designed by Jenny Komenda)

This was the look I wanted. Light and tortisehell and custom and cheap. Too much to ask? I know that Jenny from Little Green Notebook got hers at Lowes and they were custom cut and I think around $100 a window but that was way too steep for me when I had 10 windows to do. You do the math, ouch. 
Well I searched and I searched and BAM, in comes Overstock. Available in any size and cheap. But lots of options and you can't tell anything from the stock pictures. So I ordered a lot of different ones and the winner is MANDALIN BAMBOO SHADES that come in 54" (link) and 74"(link) lengths and widths from 16" to 74". We paid about $25 to $35 a window! Slow clap here.  Very well made, and I ordered 10 shades and crossed my fingers on the measurements and every single one fit. WIN. (see bottom of post for other ones I ordered but didn't look good in person)

Our bedroom has this wall of french doors and windows and the blinds fit perfectly. Here they are down and up so you can see they still let in a lot of light during the day but still provide privacy. At night you can see through them though, and we knew that. I wanted the light to come through so chose not to line them knowing we would do curtains for privacy at night. But do know that going into it. Here is a great tutorial if you want to blackout line the shades yourself though!

So you can see the girls room we already have panels up so I can pull the panels at night for them but it still lets in daylight during the day with privacy. 

 IMPORTANT. I found the perfect mandalin bamboo after lots of searching and lots of ordering and returning. Here is what I learned.

1. Home Depot
Has great options but their shades are available only in select widths, normally every other inch like 23" and 25" but no 24". That didn't work for us because of the weird widths.

2. Overstock.
Mandalin bamboo is NOT green or brown but that perfect tortoiseshell.
I also ordered Tuscan bamboo which came in SO brown and heavy. Not very much variation at all in the color and felt way to blah and I felt like I need variation to add some interest to a whole wall of blinds. 
Rustique Bamboo came in GREEN. like WHOA thats green. 

So there you go! Let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them in the comments!