Mini transformation + Updates 4/17/11

Happy Sunday! My husband has been on vacation so I haven't had much time to blog lately! That and all my crazy projects. Here is a mini transformation I did recently;

 Above is the 'before.' I found this sad little stool at Goodwill for $6.99 and it just begged for me to take it home. And here is the after;

What do you think? It's not perfect, but it was the first time I did this kind of project and I think it turned out pretty cute. Legs were sanded, primed and painted black. Next, the old fabric was removed and the new fabric (bought with a coupon from JoAnn fabrics) was put on with a staple gun. I haven't decided for certain where it will go, but it has been floating around and has been quite popular with cats and kids alike.

As far as updates go;
Nursery: Nothing much new here. I have one project left, unless I come up with more, but will need a little help from my husband. I also need to get a couple furniture pieces and then the room is set!

Girls Room: After the major cleaning overhaul, the room has been staying pretty nice and clean. There are a few things to hang up and a couple other little odds and ends. I did do the major project in there that I was not looking forward to. I went through ALL the clothes, pulled out the stuff that doesn't fit, went through buckets of clothes from storage, and got everything arranged and put away. It took a looooong time, but I am relieved it is done and over with. There is still a large overflowing box of clothes to get rid of. My husband said he will get them all nicely boxed and taken to a resale shop for me, but I am not going to hold my breath on that. I will wait a couple days just because I can't bear to look at any more clothes right now! I think we may also hold a rummage sale, but if I can get the clothes out of here before that, I am not waiting!

Playroom: Also spent some time cleaning/organizing in here as all the toys previously in bedrooms needed a new home. I removed 4 large bags of toys. I am running out of places for all this stuff!

Bathroom: Not much here either. I believe all the boards are cut for the board and batten, but I need to do a little more painting before the boards can all go up.

Living room: Decided to repaint and have begun the primer to cover all the dark red paint! Stay tuned!

Weekend Update

Happy Sunday! The weather here today has been dark & gloomy - even a brief hailstorm! The above picture was an ugly pail from a thrift shop that I spruced up with some paint! I mostly spent my weekend with the family : ), but there are some exciting things to note on some things I have been working on.

* Nursery- With the tree complete I moved on to finishing up another nursery project. Stayed tuned for details/pictures.

*Bathroom- Remember how I said I wasn't going to paint the bathroom....um, oops. Maybe I changed my mind. Changed it big time. Since I last mentioned the bathroom...I painted the lower cabinet a color called hand cast pewter which is a charcoal gray color. I had thought about painting it black, but chose this instead and I am so glad I did because I LOVE it! The top of the walls and ceiling I painted a beautiful soft gray called partridge gray. The upper cabinet and trim is being painted a white color called cream mist. I absolutely love moulding and was recently inspired by two awesome blogs, Infarrently Creative & Thrifty Decor Chick. They had both done board & batten spaces. I am attempting board & batten in my bathroom space and hoping it will turn out! I have run into a small problem which is that my walls are slightly bumpy which may give me a different look than what I am after. I have a couple ideas so maybe I can correct this problem! I will keep you posted on the progress- keep dreaming design!

The Pictures I Promised

Camera is back in service so here are the pics from yesterday. : )


A 'before' pic of the bathroom.



Another 'before' pic. The cat did not want to move. Note the blue formica counter and laminate floors that I'm fairly certain previous owners installed incorrectly. Also, if you know where I can find a replacement vent like that PLEASE let me know!

'Before'

'Before' The cabinet over the sink looks roomy, but in reality only one side opens!'Before'

'Before'
The door knob I spoke of.

This is when I made the final decision on paint staying.

New shower curtain and rug.

The cabinet after I started painting it. Not finished, but so far I like it. I don't know why it is so shiny in the pictures.


The wall in the nursery that is 'in progress.'

Oops! One more before pic.

Ok, so there it is! Until next time, keep dreaming design. : )

No Paint?!

Well, last night was long and I suspect tonight will be, too. My two youngest are really having a hard time with daylight savings and I got almost no sleep last night. On the bright side, they were groggy today so I was able to get more done than usual. I took lots of pictures......but, then my camera battery died mid picture, so will have to add those later. Aside from boring dishes, laundry, etc., I did make a little progress on projects. One thing in the nursery and some things in the bathroom. First, I got it all cleaned up. Next, I took pictures. I did this for two reasons. 1. To show you 'before' pics 2. I like to take pictures of rooms before I redo them sometimes. Why? When you see a room day after day you grow used to the way it looks, sometimes bored or indifferent. Taking a picture and looking back at it makes me able to look at it a little more detached, as if it is not my space.
I had decided I wanted to keep the purple accent, and today I decided to add a bit more. I have a small white wall cabinet above the toilet. It has two shelves and small closed area underneath. I painted the back part behind the shelves in the same purple as before & I love it! Not quite finished with it, but already a huge difference. Next, I was worried about the rest of the wall. I had some leftover paint from another project that was a light beige called cozy neutral, and I had thought about using it here. However, the color already on the walls was looking really nice in the pictures, so I couldn't decide. I took previously mentioned cabinet down and painted the wall behind it to decide for sure and ultimately kept the existing color. I put new rug in which is black. Next, I put the new shower curtain up. I was kind of apprehensive about it at first, but someone had already removed the packaging so I figured I might as well try it out. Pretty nice for $5 I must say. It grew on me after a bit and both girls love it, so it is staying for now. Hopefully in the next couple days I can find something to replace the wall art and get my husband to hang all the things mentioned yesterday. For now, I need sleep, so keep dreaming design!

Bathroom Update

I am all over the place lately with designing, etc. Every time I start doing spring cleaning I want to start changing things... Of course it doesn't help that I have been exhausted. My husband's work schedule changed temporarily and I am having a terrible time adjusting. He really has been no help. He also was supposed to be on vacation this week, but that got bumped till next week. My oldest is almost finished with cheerleading, but her Irish dance has been very busy with St. Patrick's Day approaching. Friday she performed at a Fish Fry at a nearby college and Saturday she was in two parades. Today was church, followed by an hour and a half dance practice for their St. Patrick's Day show. I..am..exhausted. I also am being very indecisive with the bathroom.

What it is now: While we plan to eventually add at least one more bathroom this is currently the ONLY bathroom in our house. It is also fairly small (about 8x5 though I may be slightly off. The cabinets I painted a cream color which in the very least I need to touch up. The countertop is an ugly blue formica (courtesy of the lovely previously owners.) I had painted the walls a tan and there is a section around the vanity I painted in a color called wine frost. I painted this probably about four years ago. Tub and shower wall are not in the greatest shape.

The plan (tentatively): I think the cabinets can be kept if I sand them and repaint them. At this point I am still happy with the cream color, but if it doesn't work with other choices I am open to change. I would like to leave the purple accent. I plan to purchase new knobs for the cabinets, but have not found anything I love just yet. I plan to replace the beat up old door, but plan to salvage the awesome vintage glass doorknob because I just can't part with it. As for the wall color, it is neutral I suppose I could leave it, but I really want to paint it a nice soft gray. I think. I looked at Home Depot for tile thinking I wouldn't find anything, but fell in love with some beautiful marble hextile. It was a whitish with grays with black tiles mixed in. However, I am very apprehensive about using marble in such a high traffic location. Any one with experience opinions in this?

What I have purchased so far: Oddly, I have purchased quite a bit from Target. My two year old diva had loved this black & white shower curtain they had there. One day we had run in there to pick something up after a dr. appt. & started browsing...they had one of the shower curtain left, on clearance for $5. I finally caved and let her get it. I also purchased shower curtain hooks that are from their 'Simply Shabby Chic' line. I liked them because they mimic the style of my door knob. A couple days ago I bought a towel ring, tower bar, glass shelf and tp holder from there also. They have polished chrome finish and are from the corbin collection. I also got a Pottery Barn bud vase for $10 at a thrift shop, but not sure if I will be able to use it or not.

The picture above is of the purple wall color (sorry I know lighting is bad) and the wall sconce I think is going to go. Keep dreaming design!

Back to the Bathroom

Okay, okay, that title does sound pretty bad. I will explain. Awhile back I wanted to do some work on the bathroom, but a leaky window lead me to the kitchen. Window is repaired and I am back to fixing up the bathroom! Stay tuned for my new room designing checklist challenge!

Getting it Clean: The Bathroom

We are into June now, how is your spring cleaning coming along? I am one of the crazies who looks forward to spring cleaning. I love spring, everything coming awake and alive from its winter slumber. The first fresh warm breeze I feel I am popping open the windows, picking up the first cleaning product I can reach and getting down to business. Ofcourse, I am aware that the majority of people do not feel this way. I am going to walk you through some cleaning tips to get you on the way to a fresh clean bathroom.

Let's get started!

1) Set aside time for this project depending on how messy the space is and if you have more than bathroom you plan to tackle. It is always better to overestimate so you can ensure the project will be completed.

2) Take a look at your bathroom in general. What does it look like? How does it make you feel? Also, get some supplies together such as garbage bag, cleaning products, etc.

3) Remove all visible garbage.

4) Remove all visible dirty laundry.

5) Take a look in any cabinets you have in the bathroom along with anything sitting out that is not part of the decor. What products are being used on a regular basis? Which items have been sitting for a long time unused? If its been awhile it is likely there are even expired items. First, throw out expired products. Next, sort through what is left. Remove unused items that are wasting space. Throw them away or give them away when applicable. Next, I highly recommend going to a local WalMart, Target or even the dollar store to find small storage bins to organize what is left within the drawers so it stays clean and accessible. Put away everything. If it does not all fit you may need to eliminate more items or find another place to store some items.

6) Next spend time thoroughly cleaning the sink/vanity area, mirrors, toilet and shower/bathtub areas.

7) Sweep/vacuum and wash the floor.

8) Next is the detail work. Clean light fixtures and replace missing light bulbs, wipe walls and baseboards, clean/dust artwork and decor, put out fresh towels, etc.

9) Take a look at your work! The bathroom should now be clean! If budget and desire allow, you may want to go further. For not too big of investment you can replace a shower curtain, towel, rugs or even accessories. You could even try painting cabinets or walls or switching out hardware. These are fairly easy, inexpensive changes that can make a big impact.

10) You don't want all this work to be for nothing! Make a plan. Choose one day a week for deep cleaning the bathroom. If you stay on top of things you shouldn't need more than 15 min for a small bathroom, slightly more for grander spaces. On 'deep clean days' you can empty the garbage, clean shower bathtub, wash floors, etc. On a daily basis, every time you enter the bathroom, clean anything that can cleaned under a minute. Put away/remove any items left out that don't belong, quickly wipe away that blue toothpaste your kids love sticking to everything. It will save you time and stress later. Enjoy your clean bathroom and keep dreaming design!