Category Archives: Bathroom

Bathroom Makeover

Posted on February 6, 2013 | 4 Comments

Apparently no room is safe from my #babymamahormones these days! I somehow convinced my superhero husband to paint the nursery one weekend and the bathroom the next. Let’s take a look at the obligatory before pic…
bathroom1I found this builder beige paint color off the internet, but it always looked wrong to me. When my friend Lauren came to our house for the nursery consult, she suggested that we match the walls with the tile – brilliant!
sherwin_williams_silver_strand6So our walls went from ugly beige to a soothing silvery blue (Silver Strand by Sherwin Williams). Y’all, it feels like a spa up in here now! The power of paint strikes again and brings yet another room together beautifully.
sherwin_williams_silver_strand3My favorite part is how this color makes the white trim really pop. Ben humored me and fixed the light fixture and mirror that were both a tiny bit unlevel. Nothing like unlevel wall hangings to drive a stager crazy:)
sherwin_williams_silver_strand2We also upgraded to a curved shower rod to give us more breathing room. We got this one for a steal at Tuesday Morning for $10! DIY confession: we accidentally hung it too far out and plan on rehanging it this weekend.
bathroom_makeover3We’ve been using the same shower curtain for 9 yrs that we got as a wedding present, so I upgraded to this fun one from Target and added a crisp white rug. Ben said that I was crazy brave for going with white.
bathroom_makeover1Let me introduce you to the only plant I’ve ever been able to keep alive. I love this little, low-maintenance guy and plan on investing in another bamboo plant for the nursery. The bamboo soap dispenser hails from Tarjay.
sherwin_williams_silver_strand4One more pic to show how well this color goes with our tile – work with what you’ve got! I can’t tell you how happy this room makes me. Now, if only I could organize that linen closet behind the door. A stager’s work is never done!

So what’s the verdict – do you guys like our newish spa bathroom? Anyone else accidentally hang a curved shower rod wrong? Who else will admit to using the same shower curtain for nearly a decade?

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Posted in Bathroom

Bathroom Sink, Take Two

Posted on April 12, 2012 | 2 Comments

You know when you finish a project and you kind of never want to think about it ever again? I dare you to ask me why our bathroom looked like this.
Remember when we recently installed a new vanity in our bathroom? Well, everything seemed hunky dory until I noticed a certain trickle…
Yep, our hot water had a leak, and apparently a rusty leak at that! After a few weeks of putting a towel under the sink to catch the water, Ben took a look.
Ahhh, there’s the culprit! I wish I could say that we knew exactly what to do and fixed it right up, but not so much. We assumed that the pipe would need to be replaced or sawed off or something drastic, so we called in a pro.
About five minutes, some tape and $50 later, the leak was fixed! The handyman initially told Ben that he charged $25/hr, but forgot to mention that he charges a $50 minimum (even though he lives within a mile of our house). We both felt silly and a little foolish, but were very happy for a quick fix!

Who else out there has felt like a DIY dork? Are we the only ones who procrastinate fixing stuff like this as long as possible? What’s your least favorite redo project?

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Posted in Bathroom

Vanity Update

Posted on January 26, 2012 | 4 Comments

Oh, how that blog title sounds so simple. Unfortunately, this project was the definition of Murphy’s Law! It all began with a simple conversation…

Ben: Our bathroom facet is leaking.
Monica: Really? Well, you know I bought a new one several months ago when we were getting our house ready to sell that you could install.
Ben: Where is it?
Monica: In the top of your closet with the porch light you still haven’t installed.
Ben: I can’t find it. Oh wait, there it is.

This is what our old bathroom vanity looked like. Note the off-white sink and the chrome facet that clashed with the brushed nickel everywhere else.
That Sunday afternoon while I was at a baby shower, Ben decided to replace the facet and surprise me when I got home (insert DUN DUN DUN sound effect).
What we thought would be a simple switch-out became a month-long home improvement nightmare. Ben broke a small piece of the sink when trying to remove the rusty drain (which ended up taking both of us to remove). Oh, did I mention that my mom was coming into town that next weekend?After a trip to Home Depot, we found out that they don’t make off-the-shelf sinks that size, so we decided to replace the entire vanity. Just look at that happy face when we discovered mold underneath the old vanity – yuck! Don’t worry, we bleached the crap out of that nastiness.
My mom was forced to brush her teeth in the kitchen that weekend (as did we for a couple of weeks) and finally we decided on this beauty! It’s similar to the old one except it’s not as deep and has that beautiful WHITE scoop sink.
This is the original facet and the first replacement I bought was a dud. Water would sit in a ring around the drain – there was a reason it was cheap. Ben refused to use it because it made him an angerball!
Ahhh, much better! We took the first one back and invested in one we really liked. No water sits in this fancy-smancy drain!
Let me backtrack. When we removed the old vanity, Ben discovered this strip of oddly placed tiles were just held on by cheap glue so we wanted them gone.
He proceeded to melt the glue using my new hairdryer and carefully scraped it off with a putty knife. Then I heard the dreaded, “Baby, come here!” yell and we discovered 5 holes behind that strip of tile – ugh! We decided that the original sink in the house must have been attached to the wall.
We brainstormed about another creative way to hide those unsightly holes, but decided that was the best solution. Any other tile just brought more attention to it, so 3 Home Depots and 1 Lowe’s trip later I found white subway tile which we attached with stuff way stronger than the cheap glue that was there before.
Thankfully, (besides the wild goose chase finding it) this was an easy fix!
My cute little Pier 1 basket still fits horizontally in the bottom – yay!
I really like how the smaller vanity makes our bathroom look bigger! The scoop sink and new facet really add a modern, updated feel as well.
Ok, one more full frontal of this beauty. It might be fun to put beadboard wallpaper in the space on the front of the vanity – what do you think? Overall, I love how this bathroom has transformed over the years on a budget!

Anyone else have a simple home improvement project take a month? What about having relatives visit during a mini reno? Who else hates mold?

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Posted in Bathroom, DIY Projects

Burlap-Inspired Projects

Posted on January 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

I’ve been on a burlap kick lately. There’s just something about that soft, brown texture that warms everything up! It all started around Christmas when I was doing a craft project for my mother-in-law inspired by this Pinterest pic:
My MIL mentioned back in the fall that she would love some of the red leaves pressed from the tree in our front yard. We also happened to take a family pic at Thanksgiving in front of their house which was perfect timing!
All I needed for this project was a white frame from Target, a yard of burlap from Hancock’s and some white picture tabs from Michaels. I googled how to press leaves which involved wax paper and some heavy books. She loved it!
Next up was adding some texture to this white leaf platter I got at T.J. Maxx.
See how it would have been white on white? I simply laid the platter on top of my extra burlap, cut out the exact shape and attached it with scotch tape.
Y’all, I have wanted to frame our wedding invitation for 8 flippin’ yrs! I could never find a frame and mat that would fit it exactly. I found this simple black frame at Wal-Mart for $3, took out the mat and replaced it with burlap and promptly hung that baby up on our frame collage wall!
Here it is happily hanging beside its friend, black T:) I’m liking the look of mixing the white, black and silver frames. This collage is a work in progress – I’m already contemplating switching out some of the pics.

What projects have you incorporated burlap into – table runners, napkins, curtains? Any other homemade Christmas presents? Stay tuned on Thursday for a bathroom-related project we’ve been working on!

Burlap leaf frame image found here.

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Posted in Bathroom, Dining Room, DIY Projects

To-Do List

Posted on December 2, 2011 | 4 Comments

This year we spent 6 months getting our house ready to sell, but we still had a short list of unfinished house projects. We kinda lost our steam after meeting with a realtor and making the tough decision to stay put for now.
Ben recently made a good suggestion (he’s full of them) that we should pick 1 project every weekend instead of trying to do it all at once. Here’s the rundown:
We have a handful of light switches in the hallway, bathroom and back bedroom that need new hardware and plates installed.
I’m kind of embarrassed to even show this pic of our back porch light. The Eskimo Joe’s cup prevents birds from building their nests there. I bought a new oil-rubbed bronze one several months ago that is waiting to be installed.
Speaking of things waiting to be installed… I also have a satin nickel facet that is ready for its new home in our bathroom. I even got a cute coordinating soap dispenser for 50% off (+ a 20% coupon I had) at Kohl’s the other day (sigh).
It’s hard to tell, but both the light and mirror aren’t perfectly level which drives. me. crazy. They need to be fixed for my sanity – stat!
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we never finished painting the shoe molding in the back bedroom – oh the horror! The main reason for this particular procrastination is because we’d have to move all the furniture… so hard!
The half-painted molding isn’t the only thing that sticks out in the back bedroom. This set of ugly, came-with-the-house, craptastic blinds are the only ones that we haven’t replaced with 2″ white faux wood ones.
I saved the best for last! A few months ago we had a plaster guy come and repair a stress crack in our living room ceiling that extended down the wall.
I can’t believe I haven’t grabbed a roller and touched up this wall, but we just got used to seeing it like this and lived in blissful ignorance. I want to knock these projects out so I can focus on the fun stuff – a home stager’s work is never done!

The best news about all these projects is that none of them will cost us a penny. We already have all of the supplies, so it’s just muscle and determination! What unfinished projects do you have around your house? Any motivational tips? Who else is bound and determined to watch Elf this weekend?

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Posted in Bathroom, Bedroom, Exterior, Living Room

A Hard Change

Posted on August 8, 2011 | 2 Comments

Hardware change that is. We had a bit of a situation going on with the hardware on our over-the-toilet cabinet. We aren’t doing any major bathroom remodeling, so I’ve been focusing on the details which are usually cheap, easy fixes.
These hinges screamed, “Look at me, I’m a cheap particle board cabinet that needs a face-lift!” I asked Ben if he had ever noticed them and he said he’s been staring at them for 7 yrs. every time he stood up to go #1.
Here you can see a progress pic. I just unscrewed one of the hinges and put it in a plastic bag in my purse. Home Depot had hinges the same size for $3/pair.
I decided on a satin nickel finish to match the knob on the sink vanity, the light fixture and our new sink facet that still needs to be installed.
With the help of my trusty electric screwdriver, I replaced these babies in no time! What a difference, eh?! It went from ugly 70′s to the 21st century!
I’ve considered trying to find matching satin nickel knobs, but I like this simple look too. This was so easy I’m pretty sure Cali could have done it if she had opposable thumbs. It makes a big difference in our 1-bathroom-house!

Who else has done a hardware switcheroo that you loved? Any websites you’ve had good luck with buying hardware from (I hear you get the best deals that way)? What would you train your pet to do if they had thumbs?

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Posted in Bathroom, DIY Projects

Projects of the Weekend

Posted on August 1, 2011 | 4 Comments

Well, today is the big deadline we set for ourselves – Aug 1st (gulp)! We do not have all of the house projects completed like we wanted, but I am proud to say that we’re about 90% done! Deadlines are meant to be broken, right?
Remember this little out-of-place bookcase in our master bedroom? Well, he got packed up this weekend and is waiting to be sold on CL or donated.
All of the contents fit in these 2 boxes. These are the FIRST boxes we’ve packed for the big move to OK, so it was very symbolic! I like to label moving boxes with what’s in them as well as the room it needs to go in.
Our friend Natalie moved to Atlanta last weekend and gave us this beautiful rustic-looking dresser. Ben wasn’t quite ready to depart with our old hand-me-down dresser in the middle bedroom, so he ended up in the master.
While we were waiting for our paint to be mixed at Ace, I was wandering around and remembered that we needed to replace our toilet seat. It’s been like this since we bought the house. That’s not mold, it’s just old and worn. I was always worried that guests would think we never cleaned our toilet – gross!
Say hello to our new and improved seat! I actually tackled this project all by myself and it was super easy with the instructions. I may have yelled at Ben in the other room once before realizing that the screws were underneath, but I’m sure he ignored me so that I could take full credit.

Anyone have packing tips or the perfect place to get good moving boxes? Has a new toilet seat rocked anyone else’s world? What were we getting paint mixed for? Let’s just say that I would stay tuned for some major kitchen reno in the near future!

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Posted in Bathroom, Bedroom

Baskets Are Your Friend

Posted on July 25, 2011 | 1 Comment

Guess who’s back to blogging 3 x’s a week?! I finished my 6 wks of working full-time for a co-worker on maternity leave and feel like I have my life back! A little organization goes a long way at our casa. Also, I’m a sucker for baskets. These two facts led to a bathroom organization overhaul.
If you’re a Curious George and like to snoop through people’s bathrooms like my friend Christi, this is what you would have found underneath our sink. I recently cleared everything off the top of the sink, but it all had to go somewhere! I think that plastic purple box was leftover from college.
A trip to Pier 1 and $10 later, I had this simple woven basket to neatly hold all of our get ready stuff. Really it was Ben’s fault because he uttered the words “I would LOVE for you to go to Pier 1!” so that he could finish up some things at work before I picked him up.
I had been looking for a small basket made out of a similar material as these two Pottery Barn baskets I got for our bathroom closet. It really amazes me just HOW much bathroom stuff we can accumulate. It seems like I go through it a couple of times a year, but those baskets stay full to the brim!

It makes me happy now getting ready in the morning and having a “home” for everything. I doubt if Ben has even noticed. Who else out there has done a mini-organization project? Am I the only one who is drawn to the organizing section in stores like a bug to a light? What’s your favorite basket store?

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Posted in Bathroom, Organizing for Dummies

House Tour-Bath, Living, Dining

Posted on May 18, 2011 | 9 Comments

Are you itching to see more rooms in our house? I thought so. Let’s start out with THE bathroom. It hasn’t been too inconvenient except when we’ve had company and have 4 people fighting for morning showers.
When we moved in, I was glad that the shower curtain I had on our wedding registry coordinated nicely with the gray/ugly maroon tiles. We replaced the off-white blinds with a bamboo shade to give the room some texture.
Here’s where most of the changes have taken place. We had a yard sale awhile back and some friends brought that brushed nickel light fixture to sell. We snatched it up and it immediately updated the room. We also replaced the medicine cabinet with that espresso mirror that I found on clearance at Target for $10. I’d like to put a live plant in that shelf instead of the fake ones.
Here’s the linen closet behind the door. I’ll pack up lots of this stuff and get everything off the floor to make it seem bigger. We Ben has painted this bathroom twice since we moved in. Our tiling friend said it would be a nightmare demoing the tile, so a fresh coat of paint is all we have planned for this space.
Next up, we have our living room. The biggest improvement in this room will be patching the giant crack in the ceiling (along with several other stress cracks throughout our house). I plan on selling our chaise lounge on Craigslist to open up the room. I’m thinking of setting 2 chairs on either side of the coffee table facing each other for balance after the chase is gone and we center the couch.
If you do a 180, we have the dining room. We don’t plan on moving with this hand-me-down dining set, but I don’t want to invest in a new one until we get into our new home. To stage this room, I’ll take the extra leaf out of the table to make the space feel bigger. I also want to replace the fan with a chandelier to make it seem more like a dining room. We’ll take the fan to our new home.I’ve got my eye on this one at Lowe’s. The tablecloth will go and the table will be staged with place settings and fresh flowers for showings. Nothing too exciting to do in these living spaces since we’ve spent the majority of our efforts on them.

It’s been refreshing going through our home room by room determining what actually needs to be done. I plan on picking up some more paint samples soon (Benjamin Moore Pottery Barn paint colors) because we need to be painting 24/7 to get it all done. Cali’s lucky she doesn’t have opposable thumbs or we’d put her to work! What are your thoughts about our plans for these spaces?

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Posted in Bathroom, Dining Room, House Tour, Living Room

Replacing Wall Plates

Posted on May 6, 2011 | 4 Comments

One of the first projects I did after moving in was replace all the wall plates in our house. There was an assortment ranging from brass gold, off white and even a Coca-Cola themed one in our bathroom (seriously, I’m kicking myself right now for not taking a pic of that monstrosity).
Here you can see one of the gold ones in our kitchen, not to mention that handy fire extinguisher that really adds to the decor. I ended up buying brushed nickel wall plates for our entire house, which I now regret. This is why…
Our front door is an excellent example of what the brushed nickel looks like next to all of our brass gold doorknobs – yuck! I’d love to eventually spray paint all the doorknobs oil-rubbed bronze. Regardless, the wall plates needed to be replaced so they wouldn’t stick out like sore thumbs.
Fortunately, this was a cheap fix. The plastic outlet and light switch plates come in boxes of 10 for $2 and the specialty ones (like the 3 light switch plate) were less than $1 at Home Depot – $11 total for our entire house! Ben about had a budget heart attack when I said I wanted to replace them all because the brushed nickel plates weren’t nearly as cheap. They also had unbreakable nylon and metal ones that were paintable, but I opted for the basic plastic.
See how much better the white looks with the white trim and next to the gold brass? As we slowly repaint each room in our house, we plan on replacing the actual light switches and outlet hardware. We already did this in the living/dining rooms when we painted and Ben knocked it out like a champ!
Otherwise, they would look like this once I add the new plates. Most of them were painted over at some point and need to be replaced for safety reasons anyway. You can get the hardware in boxes of 10 for a reasonable price as well – just make sure you cut the power and follow the instructions.

This was such an easy, cheap upgrade – I’m not sure why I didn’t do it sooner! It gives our nearly 60-year-old house a fresh, crisp look. Anyone else ever give a second thought to your wall plates? Who out there will admit to having a Coca-Cola themed bathroom? What other simple upgrades have you done lately?

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Posted in Bathroom, DIY Projects, Living Room