New Faucet

A while back I posted the Master Bath renovation that Mr. T and I did a few years ago. When we did that renovation, we chose bronze fixtures for our sink and shower. Genuine bronze fixtures are beautiful with their living finish, but out of the range of my budget at the time considering the fact that the renovation was unplanned so I chose the typical faux finishes available at the usual hardware stores. Big mistake. In a matter of weeks after installing them, the finish was ruined. I don't use abrasive cleaners but the finish on these fixtures couldn't even handle even a single pin-sized drop of hand soap or a drip of toothpaste on them without the clear coat flaking off. This meant that the fixtures constantly looked dirty. I developed an intense hatred for them, but replacement wasn't high on the priority list since they were brand new.

A few weeks ago, we finally replaced it with good old fashioned, durable chrome.

I searched everywhere for something with porcelain knobs and the pickings were slim. During my search I even heard another shopper asking an employee for a faucet with the same porcelain knobs. I thought to myself, "Good luck dude." The selection for anything chrome was limited. These days brushed nickel and bronze are "in" so poor classic chrome is the step-sister not invited to the party. Despite wishing I could have had a better selection, I'm far happier with my shiny chrome fixtures than the peeling ugly bronze mess I had before. Just check me out with my camera on the shiny spout! I was hoping the shower would be an easy fix, but it appears that will require a plumber so that will have to wait as will the sink drain which requires dismantling the entire pedestal sink.


Oh, and I picked up this little hobnail milk glass jar in a little antique store in Delaware over the summer. Its the perfect place for me to leave my jewelry at night.

I've been meaning to do some projects, but I just feel like hibernating with this cold weather. My girls have been keeping me busy and when they nap, I'm more inclined to curl up under a warm blanket and read a book or take a nap myself rather than pull out paint and tools. I have a whole year to do these things, right?

Half-Bathroom Improvements!

Welcome to my new bathroom! Its so much brighter and more spacious than before.

Here's how it looked before ...

It wasn't horrible, but the counter took up so much space, we had no storage whatsoever and the ugly exposed pipes beneath the counter really bothered me.

The mirror was originally an old mirror that came with a dresser I bought at a garage sale years ago ($10 for both pieces!). Over the summer, I added all the shells to it. The mirror was my inspiration for this bathroom.

This sink was originally supposed to go in our main bath on the second floor. When we put it in, we realized it was WAY too big for that room. We realized that it would be perfect for this bathroom so we just stored it. I absolutely love it.

The little waste basket came from a thrift store and was a funky gold color. I painted it white, but didn't like it so I went with blue. I like the color, but there is a carved detail on it that is hard to see so I'm thinking of dry-brushing over it with white to pull out the detail and tone down the color a little.

My dad did a fantastic job painting that corner cabinet that I got for only $75. The glass knobs were flea market purchases. I'm so happy to have a place for extra toilet paper!

Oh, the frame above the toilet is probably going to go. I wanted to hang it vertically and put a sea fan in it, but it may not be possible to hang it vertically. I'm going to have to see if I can come up with something.

I'm planning to change the light fixture. I have a few vintage style fixtures in a chrome finish in mind.

Another room completed! The laundry room will be next. Oh, how I'm dreading that.

EDIT: The mirror was EASY to do! I did the entire mirror while my girls were napping one day so about 2 hours. I was working fast but it really isn't that hard if you do it over a few days. All the shells came from the $1 store. I used a hot glue gun starting with the larger shells. Once those were done, I filled in with the small shells. The starfish was the last thing I added.

I've linked this project to Metamorphosis Monday on Between Naps on the Porch and DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land.

Almost Done!

Mr. T spent all morning installing the new sink and I'm so excited with how it looks! Below is a little preview ...

I won't be sharing any more pictures until Friday which is when my corner cabinet will be here. I'm just praying that it fits okay. We do not miss the old countertop that was just a huge, ugly waste of space or the silly little cabinet that hung on the wall AT ALL.

A Better Bathroom

Well, after a lot of spackling paste, the half-bath is looking much improved. I'm not quite done painting, but I really like the color. Its hard to see the true color in the picture, but its a little more toned down from my potting bench. It has some grey in it. Let me just tell you, the new Behr with primer in it is awesome. This is one coat coverage!

Here's how it was after demolition on Saturday ...

All the green is a little overwhelming now, but this is the stage when I have to remember that once everything is in, its completely different and it all comes together. The white pedestal sink, white corner cabinet and shell mirror will hopefully bring it all together.

I also have plans for this frame a friend gave me a while ago that I never got around to using. The glass is the perfect sea-glass blue color. Still thinking about what I'll be doing with it.

My little ones are both sick and I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish the paint during their naptime.

Half-Bath Project

We've been planning to finish remodeling our half-bath this winter. When we moved in, it had some textured wallpaper in a neutral beige color. It wasn't bad, but I just wanted paint instead. I uncovered layers and layers wallpaper beneath that first layer. Some of it was painted over (please don't ever do that!) and it took me days to repair the wall. I remember being covered head to toe in dust from sanding.

Anyway, I put up a new mirror, painted the walls tan and painted the tiny cabinet brown and its been that way for a while.


When we remodeled our main bath, we bought a pedestal sink that was way, WAY too big for the main bathroom. It would, however, be perfect for our half-bath, so we just stored it. When we did the main bath remodel, we also had the floors changed from floral laminate to tile in the half-bath in anticipation of eventually finishing it. As you can see in this picture, all we have is a counter and no storage space so we're using a wicker trunk to hide cleaning supplies and there's a basket of diapers on top. I don't love this look but we simply have no storage space.


So, the other day I was looking at the mirror in the bathroom that would need replacing once the smaller pedestal sink was installed and thought of my seashell mirror in an upstairs hallway ...

So, I took down the mirror and put it in the half-bath. I love how it looks there and decided I could decorate the bathroom around it. I won't be waiting for winter!

A corner cabinet I purchased has been refinished by my dad and its still at their house because I was waiting until we had the spot empty for it. Here's my corner cabinet in their dining room waiting for its new home.


So, I started thinking about paint colors. My house is basically 4 colors - pale green, pale blue, white and tan. They're colors I'm always drawn to when I have to pick paint. The obvious choice for the sea-inspired bathroom would have been blue, but I have a blue dining room and don't have a lot of green so I'm going to try a sort of sea-glass/seafoam green. As usual, I didn't want to buy paint, so I went back to my paint stash. I still have some paint that I used from my potting bench and my daughter's vanity/desk so that's what I wanted to go with, but I didn't have enough paint left. Because the walls are imperfect, I also need a paint with less sheen.


I get so overwhelmed picking paint colors but luckily, I just got BHG in the mail a few days ago and there was the a great color in one of the articles.


So, I'll be at the store later this morning buying Behr - Spring Hill. There's going to be a lot of repairs needed on the walls and painting to be done before the sink goes in, but I can't wait to get started. Let the demolition begin!

Its the little things ...

The lever on our toilet broke yesterday. I was actually happy about this! Why?

Because I always wanted one like this ...

(The toilet isn't dirty. Paint splatter by the previous owner. I have no idea how one splatters paint in such a manner. Also, excuse the uneven wall. Many layers of wallpaper removed = imperfect walls)

I just had lunch with a friend I haven't seen in several years. She's a busy lady. She has a 14 year old son and she's 16 weeks pregnant. She looks adorable and I'm beyond excited for her.

I'm off to do some work ...

For my half bath ...

Along with the French desk and mannequin I've posted about, I got this pretty corner cabinet for $75 at the same store.


You might be thinking - pretty? Pretty hideous maybe. Well, like the desk, I couldn't get it home and needed to wait for my dad to bring it to my house in his truck. In the meantime, he stripped it. You can see where he started doing it ...


And, he painted it for me! For the time being, its in my parents dining room. I'm planning to use in our half bath when we redo it.


I'd like to buy some new hardware for it, but I'm still looking. I'm also considering painting the inside a different color. We'll see ...

Take a peek at the other transformations at Between Naps on the Porch ...


... and Southern Hospitality for all the other great finds!

Wire Baskets

Last weekend, I bought 2 wire baskets at HomeGoods for $8 each. Space is very limited in our bathrooms so I use the baskets above the cabinets for additional toiletry storage. Being a bargain-hunter, I kept wondering if I paid too much. I really needed them though since my other baskets were falling apart and these are much more sturdy than the woven type. Necessity beat out thriftiness so I got them. I will eventually make liners for them.



Then the other day, I got a Crate and Barrel ad in the mail. Similar basket but his one was on sale for $24.99 ... regular price 34.95! These are bigger, but I still got 2 baskets for less than what 1 of the CB baskets would have cost.


I feel much better about my $8 baskets now!

Potting Bench Update - I should be done today. Pictures tomorrow!

Bathroom is painted!

I posted my bathroom update not long ago. It went from this ...

... to this ....

... and finally to this!


I LOVE the grey. This room lacks any natural light and the grey really brightens it up surprisingly while still looking sophisticated. I'm not sure the pictures convey how much better it looks.

I wasn't sure what to put on the shelf, so I just framed one of my pictures that I took in London and put a couple of tapers in some candlesticks I had.


I also bought the lavender towels (not easy to find!). I still have to repaint the ceiling (white) and touch up some spots this weekend.

This was the most hated room in my house and now finally after 5 years in this house, I think I love this room the most!

Bathroom Progress!

Okay, the bathroom isn't done and I'm not sure when it will be but I decided to post progress since all the major work is finished and all that's left is details. The bathroom is very small, so I did the best I could with the pictures.

Sink and Tub Before ...


Tub after glazing! Its dry, but still curing, so that's the reason for the rubber glove on the faucet. We will be able to use it later today (the 24 hour mark).


Toilet Before ...


New sink and toilet!


New faucet ...




I hung my monogrammed Ballard shower curtain, but then realized that even though I ironed it before putting it in the linen closet, it has become wrinkled again, so I have to take it down again.



Floor Before ...


Floor After ...


I plan to paint the walls above the wainscotting a light grey. I have to pick up lavender towels and some accessories. Also, I'm not sure what to do above the toilet. I have that small shelf there now but I'm not sure if I should do something different. Suggestions?

(Oh, I wanted to add that the white cabinet, light fixture and mirror were all things that we replaced when we moved in. The bathroom was in even more dismal condition before but that was 5 years ago and I don't have digital pictures.)

Bathroom Remodeling

We got the floors done in both of our bathrooms last week and I'm so happy with them. The plan was to work on our main bath and wait until next year to replace the counter in our half bath. Its functional, but with all the ugly PVC pipes underneath, its not exactly attractive and there is zero storage space so we have a wicker chest for storage at the moment.


There no room for a vanity due to the placement of air vents so the plan was to put in a pedestal sink and purchase a corner cabinet. Well, the sink we bought for the main bath is WAY too big. After discovering this, we had to buy a different sink for our main bath but the larger sink will be perfect for the half bath. We're going to focus on the main bath right now because we've discovered that installing the pedestal sinks involves quite a bit of work and isn't inexpenive if we hire it out but I thought I'd share the new tile in the half-bath ...



I want to paint the half bath a lighter shade also. In the meantime, I decided to hang one of my Paris pictures above the toilet. (I know the picture is crooked and off-center. Haven't had a chance to fix it.)


The main bath has a marble floor now with grey veining. We have white wainscotting and I like the grey in the tile so much, I'm going to pain the walls above grey. You'll have to wait for pictures of that bath until its done. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I can share progress. I'm off to Delaware again today. So much driving!

Main Bathroom Decisions

So, we have decided on a few things for our main bath remodel. Oh, how I hate the salmony pink sink, toilet and tub. I've lived with them for 5 years and cannot wait to see them go!

The sink ... Simple, classic and most importantly, it will fit.


This faucet ...

This tile - 12x12 Grecian White Marble - for the floor ...

The toilet we chose was one that fit rather than one we wanted. I would have loved the one that matched the sink, but it would not have fit. We got a standard elongated toilet. Nothing exciting.

We're hiring someone to do the floor and they will also install the new toilet. After that, Mr. T will install the sink. The last thing will be reglazing the pink tub. The tile installer called the day after I placed the order to schedule installation. I guess they are not so busy with the economy being what it is. However, I have no toilet for them to install yet!

I'll post pictures once we have some progress!

Main Bathroom Planning ...

Our main bath and half bath are the last 2 rooms that need major work in our house and this is the year! For now, we're going to focus on the main bath. This is along the lines of what I'm going for ...

(Photo - Country Home)

This is our main bathroom. When we moved in, we painted, changed the existing mirror and light fixture and hung the cabinet. I'm all for original features in a home, but the drab peachy color of the sink, tub and toilet is depressing.


Since the existing tile in the tub is white, it will stay. The tub will be reglazed white and the sink and toilet replaced. The wainscotting was there when we moved in and I love it so I'm hoping to keep it. Hopefully, changing the sink won't be an issue since there is a cut-out in the trim for the sink.

The sink will be tricky. We learned after our first DIY bathroom remodel that there is very limited space due to the proximity of the sink to the tub and toilet so we have very limited options with the sink. We need the storage space, but a vanity is impossible. I really love this sink ...


(Photos - Country Living)

... but I have accepted the reality that there is just no way it will fit. I'll probably get something more along the lines of the inspiration picture but smaller.

Maybe something like this for the faucet.



The floor ... That has been a topic of conversation. I like mosaic tile, but not the one in that bathroom.




However, after our last bathroom remodel, we swore we'd never get into a mess like that again and I decided to live with it. After some discussion, we thought that maybe since we're redoing everything else, we may as well just get the floor done. We'd considered doing the demolition ourselves and having someone else lay the tile but we're just going to see what it will cost to have someone do the whole thing. The piles of concrete and wire mesh, dust all over, trips to the dump to get rid of the rubble ... its just such a mess especially with 2 little girls around. This might be one of those times when its worth it to pay someone to do it.

So for the floor in the main bath, I really, really want white polished marble tile ...


But I may just get a white mosaic tile.



So, that's the rough idea. Obviously, this is not a weekend project so its going to be a while to see an "after". I'll probably go see about flooring estimates this weekend and possibly pick up the sink and toilet. We really need to get moving on this though because we keep talking about all that we have to do but not actually doing anything