It's been so long since I've written and I have so much to tell you! The last couple months for us have been filled with unexpected happenings. Good, bad, neutral: it all hit at once.
The biggest happening isn't quite finalized so I can't share it quite yet. It's so exciting, I can't wait to tell you all! It's a super big thing for us so I want to make sure everything is settled first . What I can tell you is that our small, dated rental bathroom is getting a renovation!
It all started with a clogged toilet that overflowed one weekend. Exactly one week later, the sink backed up and then overflowed because a certain little one forgot to turn off the water. Both incidents involved water covering the floor and water pouring through the kitchen ceiling.
A few days after the sink overflowed, water started pouring through the ceiling again while the tub was being used. A small chip in the tub had given way and there were two additional slower leaks in the tub plumbing. Not only does all the water damage have to be fixed, but the tub also has to be replaced.
Since replacing the tub involves taking out the toilet and fixing the floor and walls, the whole bathroom is getting redone!
I've been on cloud nine. Who cares about not having an upstairs bathroom for two weeks if it means a new, pretty bathroom! And I get to help design it? Icing on the cake.
Showing posts with label BATHROOM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BATHROOM. Show all posts
Styling Bathroom Shelves and Settling for Done
What is the most neglected room in your house? Mine is the upstairs bathroom. It's small, old, and has weird, bright blue tile. I've gone through a few different color palettes and decor styles in this room and I haven't been able to settle on any one. No matter what I've done, it always feels off.
I had just given up and didn't feel motivated to try again. If I couldn't get it perfect then what was the point? I figured inspiration would hit me eventually. And so, the shelves in the bathroom were left sitting mostly empty for months.
Color Tryouts
It started with a shower curtain.
A green one.
A shower curtain I haven't actually bought.
Yet.
A while back I tried to do something awesome in our upstairs bathroom. It wasn't too bad. I liked it for a bit, but I've never felt like this room was finished. We have old light blue and white tile on the walls. White tiles that didn't match the white paint on the walls.
So I tried painting it to match. After much searching, we painted it Behr Nude. A white with a red undertone. It matched better, but I lost that light, bright bathroom. I still haven't painted all the trim because I wasn't sure if I wanted to go all the way with it.
I had tried simple and neutral. I had tried adding more with the navy. But it needed more so I decided to try green and blue.
Before buying the curtain, I figured I better play around and see if the green worked in there before buying it. I shopped the house for all things green and nature-y. If I didn't have kids, this would have taken me about an hour, maybe two. With kids, it took short periods of time over a couple days.
And I apologize for weird lighting in my pictures. These rooms don't get a whole lot of natural light so picture taking and editing is difficult.
A green one.
A shower curtain I haven't actually bought.
Yet.
A while back I tried to do something awesome in our upstairs bathroom. It wasn't too bad. I liked it for a bit, but I've never felt like this room was finished. We have old light blue and white tile on the walls. White tiles that didn't match the white paint on the walls.
So I tried painting it to match. After much searching, we painted it Behr Nude. A white with a red undertone. It matched better, but I lost that light, bright bathroom. I still haven't painted all the trim because I wasn't sure if I wanted to go all the way with it.
I had tried simple and neutral. I had tried adding more with the navy. But it needed more so I decided to try green and blue.
Before buying the curtain, I figured I better play around and see if the green worked in there before buying it. I shopped the house for all things green and nature-y. If I didn't have kids, this would have taken me about an hour, maybe two. With kids, it took short periods of time over a couple days.
And I apologize for weird lighting in my pictures. These rooms don't get a whole lot of natural light so picture taking and editing is difficult.
I love my fake Ikea plant. And the turtle shell I've had since I was 5. And old vintage bottles. And my DIY shell art that I whipped up in 10 minutes. I'll share that one with you next week!
I also love toilet paper. Really. You know you do too.
I picked these up at the thrift store a few weeks ago. They were dirty and a little damaged but I liked the frames and planned to replace the photos. Now they are in the bathroom opposite from the shelves.
The green art was Target clearance, the horse bookend was a yard sale find. He used to be silver but I'm spray paint happy.
These rugs were sitting in a closet waiting for somewhere. Three of them for $10 each at Marshall's. I don't know if they'll stay or not.
I found this little vintage tray at a yard sale, the small glasses are older and from Mexico, and I love the vintage vase with the metal frog for flower arranging!
And finishing everything up with cheapo bird prints from Ollie's. There's even some blue in on them! These are on the master bath side of our Jack and Jill bathrooms, along with the small tray.
I'm thinking it might work.
What do you think of my green and blue bathroom tryout? Should I go ahead and get that green shower curtain?
That Time I Decided to Paint the Kitchen...{Part 2}
Last week I started telling our kitchen story. Today, it's time for part 2. If you would like to catch up, I suggest starting with The Kitchen, then reading The Leak, and finishing up with Part 1.
I left off with the kitchen painted and I wrote about The Leak and how we would need to replace the floor. Well, two weeks before my due date, they came to measure the floor and order it. We were all hoping that it could be done the following week, but an ice storm in Georgia prevented the flooring from getting here. So much for having it done before I was due.
Our newest little decided to come a few days early and they were all set to start ripping out the old floor the day after I came home from the hospital. Yippee. But at least I was getting a new floor! That was a happy thought. At least until they pulled it up and found Asbestos.
It was a small amount, and it wasn't disintegrating into dust, but we decided to leave the house anyway since we had little ones.
So after spending one night in my own bed with a new baby, we had to pack everything up and head to my parents' for a few days. And they had just moved 6 people, 3 dogs, and 1 cat, into a new house the day before the kid was born.
It was craziness.
I'm a little hazy on the details now but somehow along the way, in the middle of all this, it happened that we needed to replace the old yellowy toilet in the downstairs bathroom. And we all agreed that a yellowy sink did NOT go with a new white toilet. I'm really not sure what it ever went with...anyway, we got a new white sink!
Finally, the floor and the bathroom were finished and we were able to come home. And this is where we are now with the kitchen...
I'm not completely done with the kitchen(obviously, right?). The window above the sink and a door still need paint, the painters tape needs to come down in spots, and, because of baby, I still haven't had a chance to find a home for all the stuff that was moved around. Eh. That's life.
But it's progress.
And a new floor!
I'd love to paint the cabinets and change out the hardware and hang some open shelving above the counter on the left as well. And there's no way I could forget rugs and window treatments! Maybe some nice bamboo roman shades? Ah, yes!
The bathroom changes will be coming in another post so watch out for it!
What are you thinking of the changes so far? Have you ever started a simple project that opened a whole 'nother can of worms?
I left off with the kitchen painted and I wrote about The Leak and how we would need to replace the floor. Well, two weeks before my due date, they came to measure the floor and order it. We were all hoping that it could be done the following week, but an ice storm in Georgia prevented the flooring from getting here. So much for having it done before I was due.
Our newest little decided to come a few days early and they were all set to start ripping out the old floor the day after I came home from the hospital. Yippee. But at least I was getting a new floor! That was a happy thought. At least until they pulled it up and found Asbestos.
It was a small amount, and it wasn't disintegrating into dust, but we decided to leave the house anyway since we had little ones.
So after spending one night in my own bed with a new baby, we had to pack everything up and head to my parents' for a few days. And they had just moved 6 people, 3 dogs, and 1 cat, into a new house the day before the kid was born.
It was craziness.
I'm a little hazy on the details now but somehow along the way, in the middle of all this, it happened that we needed to replace the old yellowy toilet in the downstairs bathroom. And we all agreed that a yellowy sink did NOT go with a new white toilet. I'm really not sure what it ever went with...anyway, we got a new white sink!
Finally, the floor and the bathroom were finished and we were able to come home. And this is where we are now with the kitchen...
I'm not completely done with the kitchen(obviously, right?). The window above the sink and a door still need paint, the painters tape needs to come down in spots, and, because of baby, I still haven't had a chance to find a home for all the stuff that was moved around. Eh. That's life.
But it's progress.
And a new floor!
I'd love to paint the cabinets and change out the hardware and hang some open shelving above the counter on the left as well. And there's no way I could forget rugs and window treatments! Maybe some nice bamboo roman shades? Ah, yes!
The bathroom changes will be coming in another post so watch out for it!
What are you thinking of the changes so far? Have you ever started a simple project that opened a whole 'nother can of worms?
The Leak
If you've been following me on Facebook and Instagram, then you already know about The Leak. If you haven't, then let me enlighten you. The Leak started about a month ago. At least that's when we noticed it. I was pretty positive that the sound of running water in the wall and a newly heated bathroom floor were not good signs.
Then we started losing hot water.
Our house is built on a slab. This means that there is no crawl space at all. Any work to fix a busted pipe in the floor requires pulling up the flooring and pulling out a jackhammer. Fun stuff, right?
The first plumber we called in wouldn't get back with us. He came and looked around but then never showed up or called. By this time we had been without hot water for a week and we were just a few weeks before baby's due date. Thankfully, my Brother-in-law knows people who know people. Oh, the joys of having a family member in construction!
The new plumber showed up and got to work on Wednesday. These are a few of the photos from my Instagram feed. That little door in the corner of the kitchen with the plastic over it is our only first floor bathroom. They put a hole in the floor and then in the wall but didn't find the leak until they went back to the floor and made a bigger hole.
By the time they left that afternoon, we had our bathroom usable again and lots of hot water! Such a wonderful thing for this nesting mama!
This floor is where we are today. Guess what this means?! New floors y'all! Woot woot! And they have to fix the wall too, which means that dated paneling is doomed!
If something like this ever happens in your house, check with your insurance to see if they will cover any of the repair work. We rent from Hubby's parents, and their insurance wouldn't pay for the actual plumbing repair, but they are paying for a good amount of the floor and wall repair. Which means, because of The Leak, they are ripping up the three layers of old linoleum and putting in all new vinyl flooring in the bathroom, kitchen, entry, and in the garage apartment bathroom that backs up to ours(the heat from the leak made the floor bubble up in there).
How awesome is that?
And they are doing all they can to try and get it all in ASAP before baby arrives. Double awesomeness. Who knew a great big Leak could cause so much happiness?
So after a month of water gushing under our house and two weeks without hot water, we are getting all new floors downstairs and removing the paneling in the half bath.
We had all of a night and a morning to decide on the new flooring and this is where we ended up. It blends all right with the kitchen cabinets and, more importantly(as cabinets can be painted), it blends with the wooden floors upstairs. For when we decide to rip out the carpet. And all dirt will be hidden.
Oh, happy day.
So...flooring choice. What do you think? Yay or nay? Any shared experience with busted hot water pipes?
Then we started losing hot water.
Our house is built on a slab. This means that there is no crawl space at all. Any work to fix a busted pipe in the floor requires pulling up the flooring and pulling out a jackhammer. Fun stuff, right?
The first plumber we called in wouldn't get back with us. He came and looked around but then never showed up or called. By this time we had been without hot water for a week and we were just a few weeks before baby's due date. Thankfully, my Brother-in-law knows people who know people. Oh, the joys of having a family member in construction!
The new plumber showed up and got to work on Wednesday. These are a few of the photos from my Instagram feed. That little door in the corner of the kitchen with the plastic over it is our only first floor bathroom. They put a hole in the floor and then in the wall but didn't find the leak until they went back to the floor and made a bigger hole.
By the time they left that afternoon, we had our bathroom usable again and lots of hot water! Such a wonderful thing for this nesting mama!
This floor is where we are today. Guess what this means?! New floors y'all! Woot woot! And they have to fix the wall too, which means that dated paneling is doomed!
If something like this ever happens in your house, check with your insurance to see if they will cover any of the repair work. We rent from Hubby's parents, and their insurance wouldn't pay for the actual plumbing repair, but they are paying for a good amount of the floor and wall repair. Which means, because of The Leak, they are ripping up the three layers of old linoleum and putting in all new vinyl flooring in the bathroom, kitchen, entry, and in the garage apartment bathroom that backs up to ours(the heat from the leak made the floor bubble up in there).
How awesome is that?
And they are doing all they can to try and get it all in ASAP before baby arrives. Double awesomeness. Who knew a great big Leak could cause so much happiness?
So after a month of water gushing under our house and two weeks without hot water, we are getting all new floors downstairs and removing the paneling in the half bath.
We had all of a night and a morning to decide on the new flooring and this is where we ended up. It blends all right with the kitchen cabinets and, more importantly(as cabinets can be painted), it blends with the wooden floors upstairs. For when we decide to rip out the carpet. And all dirt will be hidden.
Oh, happy day.
So...flooring choice. What do you think? Yay or nay? Any shared experience with busted hot water pipes?
July Review
Wow! August is here already{can you believe it?!} and it is promising to be just as full as July was. Just to be honest, I felt like I'd lost my super blogging mojo there for a few weeks. And when you're as bad as I am at staying on top of posts when you're out of town, it's a double whammy. But I think I may have got a hold of it again in July.
I'm sure some of you noticed, but sometimes you just have to step back and take a break. Inspiration is a funny thing for sure. But now, after taking some time to be lazy, I am back with more energy and more ideas!
So how's about a looksy back at July?
I threw out some ideas for a kiddie room redesign.
My favorite thrift store find.
Our family favorite taco soup recipe.
I am looking forward to see what August has for us! I wish you all a happy month!
We Painted The Bathroom!
Remember our upstairs bathroom, all its issues, and the work we had done trying to fix it? Well, we have hit the light at the end of the tunnel. And not a moment too soon.
This week we have family and friends staying with us and, since the bathroom was in a shambles, I was stressing over it. So I did what I always do. I decided to paint two days before everyone arrived.
I had my color all picked out but after talking to the paint people at Lowes, decided I needed to go with a different kind of paint. Which kicked my color choice out the window since the color wouldn't translate well into another brand. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because the the color probably would have been all wrong anyway. We have old creamy white tile in the bathroom and I wanted to match the paint to the tile.
I couldn't find a color in the right paint, so I went to Home Depot to check out their selection. I brought a few samples back and tried them out but none worked. I had picked whites with yellow undertones and once they were up next to the tile, I realized I needed a pink undertone. So back I went.
Finally, after 9 samples of white paint, I happened upon the right one. I picked Nude by Behr in a semi-gloss enamel finish. This was my first time using Behr paint but I must say that I really liked it. This post isn't sponsored and I'm not getting paid for it, I just was really impressed with the quality of their paint.
I got the paint up on the walls with a day to spare. Except I almost ruined it because the paint wasn't completely dry in a few places when we put on the second coat. We got a few bubbles but then they deflated so I guess we'll see if it causes problems later.
You can see in this photo how the previous white paint was very bright compared to the tile. Plus, it only had one coat of paint so you could see blue peeking through underneath it. Always do two coats of paint. It really is the only way to get coverage, even if the can says one coat! And also use primer. Every employee I talked to at both Lowes and Home Depot told me the paint/primer in one is totally bunk.
And now it blends with the tile so much better! The pink undertone was the way to go.
Unfortunately, we didn't have time to get the trim painted before everyone arrived so you can see the difference in the new paint and the previous paint.
I did get a new shower curtain rod and rings. It looks great! Now if I can only get the stuff back up on the ceiling.
Once the excitement dies down around here, I'll be able to finish the painting and a few other bathroom projects. I can't wait to show you the end result! I'm so excited!
A big thanks to my mom, sister, and mother-in-law for helping get it done on time and looking fabulous!
Around The House
It has been pretty crazy house-wise around here the last couple weeks. I think I have about 4 or 5 projects I'm working on, and we've been having our upstairs bathroom worked on. Let's just say that its been interesting.
Behold, the Around the House Tour!
I've made significant progress on our kitchen wallpaper. About half done, I think. I cannot wait until this is done! My goal is to get the wallpaper out and all the walls and cabinets painted by Christmas. I know, I know, I really need to hurry if I'm going to make that goal. Seriously, I do.
I've been taking my sweet time about it and I keep getting distracted. This week I am buckling down and working on it with a vengeance...right after my nap.
Doesn't it look so much better already with all that busyness off the walls?
And now we come to our upstairs bathroom. I've mentioned a few other times that this room has issues. Well, we never knew how bad those issues were until now. They are legion.
The walls were peeling, the ceiling was bubbling, and the mildew was growing. The fan was so cruddy up inside that it wasn't pulling any air, causing massive mildew and rust problems. When the paint was scraped off, it started taking chunks of drywall with it. Apparently, there wasn't primer underneath it. Humid bathrooms plus no primer underneath the paint is a very bad thing.
And so there were multiple layers of drywall mud to be applied and sanding to be done. But we weren't done yet. Even with the ceiling scraped and mudded, it started bubbling again within 24 hours! The short term fix was to screw 1/4 inch drywall slab over the ceiling.
I'm planning on getting the bathroom primed this week to get everything sealed up. Then I have to pick a white paint that goes with the white tile. The previous paint was too bright a white and it bugged me. Now I can fix it!
So those are the big project happenings around here at the moment that are keeping me from all my little projects. This weekend we'll be helping my In-Laws move into their new house and helping arrange furniture and such. I'll bring my trusty camera along to snap some pictures of the progress so I can share it with you later!
Ever have a really big project that got bigger once you started? Horror stories like our bathroom? Do share!
Behold, the Around the House Tour!
I've made significant progress on our kitchen wallpaper. About half done, I think. I cannot wait until this is done! My goal is to get the wallpaper out and all the walls and cabinets painted by Christmas. I know, I know, I really need to hurry if I'm going to make that goal. Seriously, I do.
I've been taking my sweet time about it and I keep getting distracted. This week I am buckling down and working on it with a vengeance...right after my nap.
Doesn't it look so much better already with all that busyness off the walls?
And now we come to our upstairs bathroom. I've mentioned a few other times that this room has issues. Well, we never knew how bad those issues were until now. They are legion.
The walls were peeling, the ceiling was bubbling, and the mildew was growing. The fan was so cruddy up inside that it wasn't pulling any air, causing massive mildew and rust problems. When the paint was scraped off, it started taking chunks of drywall with it. Apparently, there wasn't primer underneath it. Humid bathrooms plus no primer underneath the paint is a very bad thing.
And so there were multiple layers of drywall mud to be applied and sanding to be done. But we weren't done yet. Even with the ceiling scraped and mudded, it started bubbling again within 24 hours! The short term fix was to screw 1/4 inch drywall slab over the ceiling.
I'm planning on getting the bathroom primed this week to get everything sealed up. Then I have to pick a white paint that goes with the white tile. The previous paint was too bright a white and it bugged me. Now I can fix it!
So those are the big project happenings around here at the moment that are keeping me from all my little projects. This weekend we'll be helping my In-Laws move into their new house and helping arrange furniture and such. I'll bring my trusty camera along to snap some pictures of the progress so I can share it with you later!
Ever have a really big project that got bigger once you started? Horror stories like our bathroom? Do share!
How To Perk Up A Medicine Cabinet
Update On The Upstairs Bathroom
I thought I'd take some time to update you on our upstairs bathroom. I've been at total loss with this bathroom since we moved in. Bubbling paint, bad ventilation, and odd colored old tile are just a few of the things that make this room "interesting"
Hubby and I have a joke about this. When we were dating, he would ask what I thought of something and my reply would be "interesting." Upon inquiring whether this was "interesting good or interesting bad," he would get a "just interesting." I think with this bathroom though, there is a lot of interesting bad.
It definitely needs work.
I'm pretty positive that the bubbling paint is the result of painting latex over oil-based paint. We've had this problem with the trim upstairs too, with the exception being that instead of bubbling, the paint just peels right off. The ventilation issue is contributing to a mildew problem{along with our hard water} and rust on the light fixtures. The tub and surround are cracked, and there's a serious lack of storage space.
And it needs a way to lock the door going in to the side of the bathroom that's connected with the master bedroom.
Hubby and I have a joke about this. When we were dating, he would ask what I thought of something and my reply would be "interesting." Upon inquiring whether this was "interesting good or interesting bad," he would get a "just interesting." I think with this bathroom though, there is a lot of interesting bad.
It definitely needs work.
I'm pretty positive that the bubbling paint is the result of painting latex over oil-based paint. We've had this problem with the trim upstairs too, with the exception being that instead of bubbling, the paint just peels right off. The ventilation issue is contributing to a mildew problem{along with our hard water} and rust on the light fixtures. The tub and surround are cracked, and there's a serious lack of storage space.
And it needs a way to lock the door going in to the side of the bathroom that's connected with the master bedroom.
Paper Napkins Become Bathroom Art
This week I've been working on a few projects for our upstairs bathroom. I wasn't planning to. It was the room at the very bottom of the list.
Even though it wasn't on my do-this-stuff-very-soon list, I was keeping my eyes open for inspiration. And one day, as I was wandering through Target, I chanced upon the party supply section where...*cue the dramatic music*
I saw these pretty navy and white printed napkins and tablecloth. I had picked up these unfinished 8.5x11 frames for $0.45 each at the thrift store a couple weeks ago and as soon as I saw that navy print, I knew it was meant to be. And it determined once and for all the color scheme that was going in that bathroom.
Our bathroom has been pretty sad. One of the first things we did after we moved in, was hang these floating shelves {from Target, of course} above the toilet. The only storage space was under the sinks and I just loved floating shelves so much. They still sit crooked and I do need to fix that but they make a big architectural difference.
But now we had big blank spaces on the other walls. And nothing worked with the blue tile. I am a total neutral girl so I was originally planning to stay with the light blue and white, but add in some beige/tan. Being a firm believer that color schemes should flow through each room in the house, I didn't want anything too out of the ordinary and most of all, I wanted it to be US.
That idea never really spoke to me though. I decided to jump outside my usual and think about brighter, bolder colors and prints. It was the right idea.
The navy grounds the lighter blue tiles and adds interest to an otherwise boring bathroom. As much as I love neutrals and the simple, uncluttered look, this bathroom needed more. A lot more than I thought. And since I have blue throughout the house, the navy doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.
And I took the opportunity to spruce up the shelves a bit. And frame more napkins.
So now that I know the direction to go, I can budget for the items that will make this bathroom pop! Like a new shower curtain and bath rugs. New hardware. Maybe some new towels. I have my eyes on a few things already.
And so, a $3 pack of paper napkins becomes art to liven up an old bath.
Don't be afraid of going bold if that's what your room needs. Don't dismiss it immediately. I did that for over a year. Just keep the feel you want and stay with a color and print that you love. And you don't need to go bold everywhere. Just a touch can make the difference.
You might be surprised by how much you come to love it!