A Soft Spot

We have a new soft spot in our bedroom, and I got it for a deal. Oh how I love a deal! Did you know that Lowe's clearance price is not necessarily their final price? That's right. If you see one of those little yellow stickers, you can often talk them down from that price. I was looking for a rug to replace the one I had Craigslisted because it didn't really match. Brennan and I were walking through Lowe's one afternoon, passing time and giving him a chance to practice his driving skills, when I spotted this deal. It was rolled up by the other area rugs but had a hold ticket on it. The ticket had a clearance price, and an even better price that someone had haggled. It also said that the rug would be picked up by, let's say, Mary at 5 p.m. It was a few minutes after 5. I asked a worker if it was really still on hold and they said yes. The deal Mary had haggled was the same amount I had sold the other rug for, and it was the exact rug Mike and I had just talked about looking for. I really felt like this was suppose to be my rug. For a second I considered being Mary and walking out with the rug, but soon decided better of it. A couple of days later I decided to stop back by just to check. The rug was still standing there, just waiting for me. After talking to a couple of Lowe's associates, it was mine. Sorry Mary, I hope you didn't come back looking for the rug. But thanks for working the great deal! The plush cream shag is a great contrast to the brown mingled concrete floors. My feet welcome that luxury when they hit the floor each morning.

Another One Bites the Dust

The dust is cleared from our master bathroom. It's still small, it's still not perfect, but it is a little more stylish I think. I wish I could find the before, before pictures. When we moved into the house this bath had a short brown toilet, a dingy pedestal sink, a Hollywood style light fixture, a brown blind, and some type of medicine cabinet (I actually don't remember it). To be able to close on the house, we had to have a few repairs done in this bathroom. At that time we added a new toilet, sink and vanity, and painted. That was about a week before we discovered the problems in the master bedroom, and evacuated this whole area for two years. Here is how it rested for those two years:

This go around we put in new flooring, new lights, a mirror, a white blind, and a linen cabinet to replace a laminate one that was in a little nook. I also made a white curtain to hang in front of the shower doors since they are not my favorite. I had plans to take out this shower and the little wall beside it. It would have been replaced with a tile shower and frameless glass enclosure. I think that would really open up the room. Unfortunately, those glass enclosures are a little too pricey for the budget right now. We opted to keep the shower as is, and come back to this room once again later on. It's a little frustrating, but then I just remind myself that I have my dream job right now. It pays even less than my previous dream job, but is a once in a lifetime opportunity so these sacrifices are worth it. Who knows, by the next time we work on this bath we may have an even better plan. I'm pretty pleased with our spruce up. The chandelier is by far my favorite part. I think it turned this bathroom into a sweet little Cinderella.

Sources:
Paint: Martha Stewart Rainwater mixed in Valspar Kitchen and Bath paint
Vanity: Home Depot
Storage Tower: Target
Mirror, Mirror Light, Faucet, Toilet: Lowes
Towels: T. J. Maxx
Chandelier: Sweet Annie's Antiques
Framed Print: vintage from my great aunt

Hanging Around

Finally, a little update of the bedroom! We have moved in, and are still getting everything into place. One of the first accessories I added were window treatments.

I knew these were going to add a little excitement and drama that I was looking for. I needed ten panels to cover five windows, so something economical was a must. I also needed them to be long since the ceilings are 9 feet, and I'm a big fan of hanging any window treatment high to expand the space. After an unsuccessful trip to Sir's Fabric, I decided to give paint drop clothes a try. I had seen the idea around Pinterest and liked the look. They have the look of linen, but at a fraction of the cost.

I bought 6' x 9' panels for about $10 each. These were some of the easiest panels I've ever done. The drop clothes are already hemmed, so I just made a rod pocket and was done. You could skip the sewing all together and just use rings with clips. I'm very happy with how they turned out.

I did learn a few things about drop clothes in this process. First, the clothes sold at Home Depot do not have seams through them. The first one I bought at Lowes had a seam running horizontally through it. (Sorry Lowes--I like you for most things.) Second, they are not exactly 6' x 9'. They turned out to be a little smaller in reality. If you have 8 ft. ceilings this shouldn't be a problem at all. I had two that were a little short, but because I was using a wire across the bay window that didn't need a very big rod pocket it worked out ok. Third, as I had already read they do wrinkle a lot. I washed and dried them before sewing in case they shrank. I actually kind of like the wrinkles and don't plan to get them all out. Last, they are just meant to be drop clothes so they were not perfect. One edge was a little ragged, and some of the hemmed edges were a little rough. Overall, I'm fine with all of this and plan to use them for other projects I think.

There's more to come on the bedroom, once I get all the tools put away and maybe a new light or two up.

A Little Glimpse

Here's a glimpse of what I've accomplished on the bedroom and bathroom projects over the last couple of weeks.

 Bathroom before new paint and floor and decluttering

After

Bedroom before painting

After

 I had hoped to be sharing a finished product, but it's been a slow go. This lovely brick wall took up a good part of one day to paint.

 I have marked several items off the to do list though:

1. paint bedroom including the brick wall and trim
2. paint bathroom
3. hang chandelier in bathroom
4. hang mirror light in bathroom
5. hang mirror
6. hang chandelier in bedroom
7. purchase and hang new fan in bedroom
8. purchase and schedule install of new flooring in bathroom and closet
9. purchase storage cabinet for bathroom
10. finish paint treatment on bedroom floor
11. sew window treatments and pillows for bedroom
12. purchase new bedding
13. purchase blind for bathroom
14. purchase and hang barn door track and door on bathroom 
15. stuff and fluff with the pretty stuff
16. hang new light in closet
17. move in!

I want to paint a second coat on some of the trim in the bedroom, and then touch up a few places. Next will be finishing the floor, and sewing while it dries for a few days. Mike's trip for next week was canceled last night, so I think a few more honey do items may get knocked out as well. It shouldn't be too much longer! Of course this little guy takes precedence, so his naps and social schedule kind of dictate how fast it will all happen. 

Updates On Our Updates

Yes, I'm still here! Working away on two bathrooms and a bedroom now.

The guys had the work on our bedroom and bathroom done in two days. They did a fabulous job, and I'm in love with our new windows. They replaced two windows, reconstructed a wall, took out our bathroom door, and fixed up several spots of drywall and trim. Now the real fun begins for us. Our to do list:

1. paint bedroom including the brick wall and trim
2. paint bathroom (walls only)
3. hang chandelier in bathroom
4. hang mirror light in bathroom
5. hang mirror
6. hang chandelier in bedroom
7. purchase and hang new fan in bedroom
8. purchase and schedule install of new flooring in bathroom and closet
9. purchase storage cabinet for bathroom
10. finish paint treatment on bedroom floor
11. sew window treatments and pillows for bedroom
12. purchase new bedding
13. purchase blind for bathroom
14. purchase and hang barn door track and door on bathroom 
15. stuff and fluff with the pretty stuff
16. hang new light in closet
17. move in!

No, that's not the order it will all happen in. I'm sure some of those purchases will happen soon, and many others over the next few months. So far I've lucked up on several great deals, like a $20 yard sale chandelier. My next step is painting. Hopefully, I'll have some progress pictures next week.

As for the downstairs bathroom that I started a couple of weeks ago, it is almost done. I've finished painting, found a mirror, and put it all together. I just have to finish putting down the new flooring, that had been sold out at Lowe's ever since I found it. The floor has turned out to be a bigger job than I expected. So far I love it all! I think that Jacuzzi tub may get more use now that the room is so inviting.

A reminder of before: large mirrors, brown wallpaper, worn out floor, brass knobs on cabinet, and if you look closely through the mirror reflection you'll see a hole beside the light switch.

After: clean grey/tan walls, beige stone vinyl tile floor, brushed nickel knobs, the hole in the wall is drywalled over, one modern mirror, and a few fun accessories. I still want to add a few more accessories once I get the floor done. It isn't perfect, but so much better for so little money.

Welcome to the 21st century little bath! 

Walls: Lowes Valspar Kitchen and Bath in Oatbran
Floor: Lowes vinyl stick down tile in Beige Stone

What's Going On?

Guess what's going on at our house today? Progress has finally started on our master bedroom! If you've ever wondered what termite damage looks like, here you go:

 And the whole wall looks that way:

We found this damage soon after we moved into the house, 2 1/2 years ago. It started with a leak and realizing that the drywall was mushy. Mike decided to tear the drywall down, and found all this. During our closing on the house, we had been handed documents saying there was evidence of past termites on the outside of this wall. These documents were a surprise to us all, even the previous homeowner I think. It was a little late then to ask for more information or have it checked ourselves, but that little document cleared anyone else of responsibility. Nice huh. There's more to the story, but long story short we are just getting around to finishing the room again. They will replace the two windows and put up all  new drywall. After that a little more work will be done in our bathroom. Then we will finally be using every room in our house for its intended purpose. I can't wait for everything to be in it's place.

These two had a tough time waiting out of the way while the supplies were moved in yesterday. Maeleigh said," But we can't see anything from here!" Ha Ha!

Bathroom Update

I have a whole list of projects I want to get done inside before the weather gets nice outside and I'm super busy out there. I started to feel a little panicked when we got back from Hawaii and the weather was so nice, and all of our flowers were springing up already. I've lived in Alabama pretty much my whole life, so I'm very familiar with crazy winters and spring snows and such. I still found myself kicked into high gear feeling I've got to get on these inside projects. Last week I worked on some organizing and such.

Yesterday, I started working on our downstairs bathroom.

In the Beginning

 It had not been touched since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. It had thick wallpaper, worn out vinyl flooring, and a bright blue counter top with two large mirrors over it. This bathroom is right off the playroom. It is used most when we have play dates here, and in the summer when people come in from the pool. My first step was taking down the wallpaper. I've had a terrible experience with this task in the past, so I was very apprehensive. At my last house, they had not primed or painted  behind the wallpaper in my master bath. When I took down the paper, or I should say when my poor cousins were wrangled into taking down the paper (yeah, I still owe them for that), it ruined the drywall. Today's task went much better! Hallelujah!

This paper had paint behind it! I sponged Diff wallpaper remover onto the wall, pulled off the top layer, sponged Diff on again, and then scrapped and pulled off the paper backing. The first layer pretty much came off in full sheets, and the second layer came off in mostly large pieces.  I couldn't believe the difference! It still took awhile, about 4 hours, but WOW it is done.

One Step Down

Now to decide what color to paint and how to decorate! The fun part! I'm really drawing a blank on what I want to do though. I can keep the dark blue counter, not a color I would pick but I think it has possibility, or try painting it. My dilemma is whether to go with a bright fun room or a serene spa feel. On the one hand it is used a lot by kids, on the other it has a Jacuzzi tub that I use on rare occasions. Hmm, any ideas, suggestions, insight? What color would you use if you were doing a bath right now? Any good pins I should check out? It's really a blank slate, so I would love some ideas!

 Should it stay or should it go?

It's definitely going. Should I try stick down tile? Any experiences?