Bathroom makeover

Once the holidays settled down, I was ready to tackle a big project that I have been thinking about for a while.  

The hall bathroom that my kids who are 18 and 21 use was in dire need of updating.  When my husband and I built the house in 2000, I wanted to have a clean palette to work with, so henceforth, white cabinets and white tile on the floor.  It's hard making so many decisions during a selection meeting when building.  Over time I have grown tired of all the whiteness, if that is such a word.  The bathroom needed some color for warmth.

Here are some before pictures.

Sand colored walls with a blue checked shower curtain from Pottery Barn Kids needed to go.

I removed the large mirror 2 years ago and had the mirror cut at a local glass shop to fit in these 2 frames.

Having seen so many beautiful rooms with gray walls, I set out on a search for the right shade for my bathroom.  It gets morning sun and some light from a skylight just outside the bathroom in the hallway, so in other words, it is not flooded with lots of natural light.  

I decided on Chinchilla by Martha Stewart at Home Depot.  Then off I went in search of a rug and shower curtain.  I had seen a rug at Target that caught my eye so to my amazement, they still had it.  Next I took the rug to the shower curtain isle and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a perfect curtain with gray and more.  

Here is what I am working with including the picture I made of our dog, Molly!

Now the fun begins!  To start off, I removed all the caulking in the tub area ~ it needed to be replaced.  Because it could be paintable in 30 minutes, the task of painting began.  I gathered all of the tools I needed to prep and paint.

Paint  - gallon of Chinchilla by Martha Stewart
roller and tray
Wooster Shortcut 2 in. Nylon/Polyester Angle Sash Brush - love this brush!
paint stirrer
screwdrivers to remove towel bar, switch and outlet plates
painter's tape
newspaper to sit open can of paint on
straight edge knife
paper towels for clean ups!
sandpaper
not pictured: spackling paste and putty knife; paint edger for ceiling line

Now the fun began!  I edged the entire room with my brush and used the edger tool to edge out the ceiling. I prefer to not use painter's tape to edge ~ I just go slow with a steady hand. I emptied the closet to paint it as well.  Next I rolled the rest of the walls.

The contents of the closet are now in the hall waiting to be gone through.

Painted and fresh.

Now all is organized.

The next morning, I began the task of "polishing" the room ~ adding the finishing touches to the room. Painting the closet also made me go through everything prior to putting things back. As a result I now have a pile for Goodwill and a pile to post on hanoverfreecycle.com.  Everything in the closet has its own space.  

Now here is the finale!

The bathroom came together better than I could have ever imagined.  My son says he will try harder to keep it clean ~ thanks Ian!  I was able to reuse the framed print, baskets, and towel rack to help keep cost down. I did pick up a ceramic flower pot for $2.25 at Goodwill that I spray painted "granite gray" to hold my son's toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.

I am very pleased with the final product, yet I have 2 more things I wish to accomplish.  The door knobs are brass so I want to replace the closet and the knob on the back of the door with chrome ones.  Also, I am toying around with the idea of painting the cabinets a warm brown color.   Hmmm... snow day????

Do you have a project that you are anxious to start?  Do you have an inspiration piece to get you started on a project?  Go for it!

:)

Happy winter!

I love subway art and like to have a have one framed for each season near my front door.

Here is one I made up!

Keep your fingers crossed for snow!

:)

No more boring pillowcases!

Have you ever looked at your bed when it is all made up and the shams and pillows are fluffed just right and think, "Something is missing - just not right."  

I have! I love winter time when I break out my red velvet/silk quilt and shams to add an additional layer to the bed.  Winter is my favorite season because I get to dress in layers and dream of snow!

Okay - back to the bed.  With my 2 shams placed in front of each pillow, the pillowcases just seem to be there ~ don't seem important.  After reading this post by Centsational Girl, where she stamped tea towels, my thoughts went back to my pillowcases. As a child I had such sweet pillowcases that my great grandmother had embroidered the ends of and tatted on the edges of some  ~ I cherished them.  So the next thing I knew, I grabbed a set of my white pillowcases and a few supplies.


1 - pillowcases, of course

2 - fabric medium by Martha Stewart

3 -paint of chosen color by Martha Stewart (I love her paints due to their consistency and coverage.)

4 - some cardboard - to put between the layers on the end of pillowcases as I stamped

5 - roller brush and small pan as well as a small paint brush 

6 - a damp paper towel - I always have them handy!

7 - scrap paper to test the stamp with paint on it first


First of all, I placed a piece of cardboard between the layers at the edge of the pillow case where I was going to start stamping.  Next I mixed the paint and fabric medium according to the directions on the bottle with the small paint brush in the roller pan.

Once I rolled the little roller in the paint, I rolled it on the stamp and tested it on paper to make sure the coverage was correct.  I also tested to make sure that I applied the correct amount of pressure on the stamp to get a clear stamp impression.  There aren't second chances in stamping!

Starting at one edge of the pillowcase, I stamped the impression on the fabric, rolled a new coat of paint on the stamp, then rotated the stamp.  I do this since the design lent itself to having the image snug against itself.  I continued with this pattern - a b a b a b ... until I reached the end.  Oh - I did have t move my cardboard in order for it to be under the stamp at the other end.

Last, I pulled the cardboard out and moved the pillowcase to dry while I started the next one. Here is what I ended up with:

After I let them dry overnight, I ironed them to set the paint.  (See the directions on the bottle of fabric medium.)  Now look at my bed ~ it now looks finished.  My pillowcases stand out and complete the look.

Have you ever thought about trying something like this?  Maybe the corner of napkins, the edge of a tea towel, or around the edge of a napkin to be a bread basket liner?  

Sweet dreams from my home to yours!

:)