Upstairs bathroom Do-Over

Nothin' like having your DR ceiling cave in from a leak in the upstairs bathroom floor to start an unplanned renoventure! Our house was built in 1903 so nothing is easy. The homeowners insurance gal said they will pay to have everything taken out so we could replace the subfloor and tile and they will pay those same people to put everything back in the exact same order! Since the current floor plan was not workin' said total reno took over.

Before





 

After!

I am still looking for a clever way to corral the shampoos etc. but it is all about layering so when I find the right thing(s), I'll let ya' know! I can never, and I mean never, find curtains/shower curtains that I like or are in my price range,plus I wanted and extra long shower curtain so I made this one. Used a table cloth on the top turned length wise and sewed a leftover curtain section to the bottom, added some brown ribbon and Waa Laa! I am thinking of painting a pattern on the tablecloth portion and if I do, like I said, I'll let ya' know! 

The vanity is an old bureau that I found at the sidewalk shop, my huuzzband calls this trash picking. I call it re-posh-turing!

Super cool, mid-century style that I love

but look how you can take it back a few more years to Art Deco with a little bit of paint dark brown paint and some Buff 'n' Rub in silver leaf. I mixed some black and brown paint I already had to get the deep brown that I was going for so I can't tell you the color. I call it Custom Kim. I also added four coats of poly to protect the top.

If you look reallllly close you will see in the first after photo that the top is now tiled. I did this b/c I could not stand being so fussy with my kids about keeping the top relatively dry,even with the poly. Especially the newborn, she was the worst! 

QUICK TIP: Save money by buying  smaller mirrors/medicine cabinets and make them muy grande by framing them with paint. I painted a 5 inch Custom Kim brown border around the opening of the cabinet and then added a 1 inch green strip about it. Just cuz!

Love the details!

 Art Deco knobs -Home Depot, they match my lights!

Candle wall: Would have loved to do the whole wall with these lights but that might have freaked out the Mister a bit, something about needing a fire extinguisher in the bathroom if I did this. Since red does not fit into this design aesthetic, 9 candles it was!
  
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Ambience! Took the tea light holder to Home Depot and just started lookin'! Found copper (fav!) pipe holders that were perfect!! More on that in a later post!

Now if you noticed, We did do the unthinkable and put the tub in front of the window. And although there is privacy glass it does not hide the, um silhouette, from the neighbors. So I always believe in having a bit of fun and surprise in a room so the shade got a martini olive paint treatment!

You don't see the little suckers until you pull it down and then instead of a shower, you want to soak in a hot bath, with the candles lit and a Pink Cosmopolitan in hand!

One tip: Next time I will use gloss paint instead of satin. I sprayed sealer over it thinking it would help maintain it. Just made it wrinkle. So no sealer from now on!!

As often happens in life, a boulder size problem comes out of nowhere and at the worst moments. We can't see the forest for the subway tiles and paint chips. What I have found out is that how I handle adversity is the legacy I leave to my kids. It is all about choices, that can mean in your attitude or in your creativity. I can cry in my milk or I can make chocolate  milk with double chocolate chip cookies on the side. I prefer the latter and so do my kids.

Psalm 9: 9-10

The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,a refuge in times of trouble.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you

Kim

PS:  did you really think I was done talkin'???

 I apologize about the dates on the pics. still trying to figure out the camera

What do ya' do when....

So, we have also been without piece of wood (anyone know what this is called) for the top of our mantel in the DR for about 4 years. As you can see from past posts, we don't rush into anything in terms of replacement.... so it is Christmas last year and what do you do to spruce it up? After all, there is a big 6 inch gap at the top which is just filling up with spider webs and the like, and frankly I was just tired of looking at the sorry excuse for a mantel. 

So what do you think?

I don't have pics to do a tutorial but I can break it down for you:

1.Pack floral foam tightly into opening, use newspaper to fill in any gaps
2. Use hot glue on bottom of twig and push into foam.
3. Step back every few branches to see how it is coming along, jump up and down with excitement that this ACTUALLY might work!
4. I digress, sorry, take sheet moss and layer it around the base of the twigs. Make sure that the edge of the mantel is covered so it looks like it is supposed to be like this and not that you are missing that piece of wood thingy.
5. Wind white  lights around the base of the twigs, tucking in, around and under some of the moss.
6. Add Christmas balls in a variety of shapes and sizes but keep with a color scheme as I think it looks best. I used shades of blue and limey green, matte and shiny finish. Also work in 3's as this also looks best when arranging.
7. Make sure you tuck some balls into the base of the twigs.
8. Now really stand back and smile. you did it!

I have left the twigs, lights, and moss up still and love it. I know eventually I'll need to do something but I am enjoying it for now.

This would look great in urns outside the front door for some outdoor decoration. Or change it up using bamboo for a more structured appearance. If you use bamboo, I would use a lot of it to make it more defined and purposeful. Twigs and sticks are more informal and therefore can be more haphazard. 

Beauty from ashes, almost literally,since it is a fireplace.


Kim

Sit N' Spin

We have been using a black folding chair as our computer  desk chair for 6 years now. That is also how patient I am about finding things I need...... okay want.  Most people who know me  know that I shop on a regular basis at the sidewalk shop. It is blocks long, lots of aisles and the merchandise changes weekly!

Well, one day as I was going to work, I spied this beauty from my passenger side window.  Nothing wrong with her at all but a bit of rust on the springs and absolutely no varnish at all left on her.

Sooooo, snuck her into the basement as my stellar feller has a one in, one out rule.....and asked her what she needed to feel good again. A nice microdermabrasion would feel great to smooth out the age spots, a spray tan in a nice ebony, a deep swedish massage with some high grade 10w-40 on the joints and some semi-gloss foundation will about finish off the makeover.

And now the big reveal......cover your eyes!

Wow, we hardly recognize her!!!

Will she keep up with her new makeover? We will have to check back with her in a few months and see how she is able to maintain these changes. I see a back pillow making it's way into her life.

Have fun sidewalk shopping and creating beauty from ashes!

Kim

Disclaimer:  Ebony spray tan is strictly meant for furniture makeovers... Plus it looks really unnatural on the human variety!



Yippee Day DO!

When my kids, yes I have 3, are excited about something they use the phrase coined by my then 6 year old, Yippee Day Do! Well, after thinking long and hard about joining the blogging community, here I am! Hence the title.

I apply my own brand of aspirin (read: DIY) to arthritic objets de casa  so they can stand up straight again and be sassy! Am I bilingual...who knew! And yes, I know I just combined french and spanish, it just means my creative juices are flowing extra, EXTRA fast today!

I hope you enjoy bringing a cup of coffee to sit with me awhile and I hope from reading this blog you will have two things happen to you: 1. You will be inspired to look at your own, or trash-picked, or thrifted furniture in a new light and go do some lovin' on it to make it purty. 2. My deeper hope is that my words will inspire people to look at yourself in a new light and go do some lovin' on yourself so you can love on others really, really well.

Then you can say Yippee Day Do too!