The Bathroom Re-Do

We are working on the nursery over here, but for now it's just furniture in an otherwise empty room. Meanwhile our guest room is a disaster area as we sold our computer desk and I'm writing this from a folding table formerly from our laundry room.

I'll take this time to document the bathroom remodel we embarked on in May.

When we first moved into this house I didn't think the bathroom was too bad. I removed the wall paper and thought a fresh coat of paint would be enough for a while. But the more I lived with it, the more I came to abhor it. I hated cleaning it because it never looked clean. I hated the mauve tub and the soft spot in the wall under the shower head which I was sure meant the studs behind the wall were rotted (spoiler: they weren't, thank goodness). I hated that stepping on the tile floor with wet feet meant loose tiles would stick to said feet. I hated that someone had replaced tiles on the shower walls unevenly and that perhaps that same someone had caulked around the tub while under the influence. I hated the vinyl wall covering that had been applied to the ceiling and grew mildew like a champ.

But enough with the complaints, here are the befores:



Jeff's brother (a contractor) came and stayed at our house for about 5 days to help us (or more accurately, Jeff) with the work. I am so grateful to him and his expertise. He worked his ass off for us.

The demolition took only a few hours. The putting back together took 4 and a half days. Luckily we have another bathroom in the basement (one that I will likely never post photos of because it ain't pretty and as much as I'd like to make it over I fear it would still be like putting lipstick on a pig). Albeit has a frightening metal shower that kind of made me gag every time I stepped foot in it, but at least we didn't have to beg the neighbors for baths!



At the time we did the remodel I was working in a kitchen and bath showroom so I was able to get a lot of the big expenses at a deep discount; the vanity, the tile and the countertop mainly.


I painted. That was my main physical contribution.

And now the afters:

I wanted most of the permanent fixtures to be pretty neutral so that the paint color and accessories could be changed out with future owners.

I had considered doing some sort of glass accent tile in the shower, but my cheapness won out. I also have more of a modern aesthetic and was afraid that might alienate future buyers or that I might end up not liking it some day, so I went ultra-neutral with white subway tile, but I decided to stack it instead of stagger it for a bit more modernity.



Source List:
The vanity is Kraftmaid Grandview Cherry in Peppercorn

The countertop is Corian Whisper

The faucet is Vigo from Overstock.com

The floor tile has been discontinued

The wall tile, toilet (American Standard), and tub (Kohler) are all from Home Depot, I believe.

The shower controls are Kohler Corlais from Lowes.

The light fixture is from Bellacor.com

The window shade is a cordless cellular from JC Penney.

The shower curtain is Nautica from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Happy New Year!

DIY Nursery Art

... or How to Forge Some Artwork You Like But Are Too Cheap to Actually Buy

In my last nursery post I linked to some artwork I liked. I contemplated buying it, then considered the fact that it didn't look all that difficult to reproduce (because as stated above, am cheap). Especially since I had all of the supplies on hand to do so.

I copied the image I like, pasted it into word and stretched it to the size I wanted. I printed it out on the lowest quality.

Then I turned the page over and traced over the image with a pencil.

Then turned the page back over and centered it on top of some card stock which will be my final canvas. I made sure you hold the top page still, but it could be taped down if necessary. Then I scribbled over the image to transfer the pencil from the other side to the card stock.

I tried to take a picture of the pencil on card stock, but it was so light it did not photograph well. Then I used some acrylic paint from Michael's to fill in my tracing. I could have probably also used some high quality markers, but I like to get my paint brushes out every once in a while.

And voila:

Then I decided I really wanted an elephant too, so I made the giraffe a friend:

Both took less than a few hours, were totally free to me and customizable in terms of size and color, and I'm excited to see them in place.

Merry Christmas to me!