Downstairs Bathroom Progress...

We have been working on the downstairs bathroom for a while now. Lets take a look back at what it used to look like:

 This is the old vanity and toilet. We ripped off the countertop and threw it away. We also threw the old toilet away.

 Old light and wallpaper.... really makes you feel ill how ugly it is. Note- not really sure why the toilet brush is laying on top of the toilet????

We refinished the cabinet and installed a new toilet into the space. I just sanded the cabinet down and then applied three coats of Zinsser primer- Perma-White Mold and Mildew proof. I coated the cabinet with three coats of white bath paint off the shelf color from Home Depot. I don't remember the name of the paint and already threw the can away.
The hardware is brushed nickel- Martha Stewart brand.

You can see the swatches  on the top of what countertop color we are thinking of purchasing.
We also added a towel holder we already owned to the wall.



We are keeping the existing shower- just going to replace the shower head.

Still have to:
     *Find a bathroom rug I like
     *Window Treatment
     *Trim under the vanity
     *New countertop, sink, and faucet
     *New vent cover for the ceiling vent cover
     *Trim down bathroom door and rehang
     *Trim in between the carpet and ceramic tile
     *Trim around the mirror


Guess everything takes time. Speaking of time, I don't know how much more time I can work on these stripes. Hopefully, the stripe walls will be done by Friday.
Enjoy!
  ~Amy

(You can't really tell by the pictures, but we also laid new ceramic flooring. We had to ripe out the old stuff which took forever.)

Chalkboard Vase

I wanted to spruce up an existing vase that I already had. I had some chalkboard paint laying around and figured on using what I had on hand already.

First, I washed the vase and taped off the edges (using a level to make sure the tape was even) to make a nice square on the glass front.

I used a paintbrush I already had on hand and painted the inside of the square. I think spray paint would have worked better, but I didn't have any.

Applied three light coats, allowing drying time in between.
Here is the finished project with a few tulips inside. I love the smell of flowers, they are cheap, and are a natural way to make your house smell so good!

Now tell me again, how do you keep Tulips alive? I have a lot of little projects to show you as I continue to work on the striped walls. Ran out of painter's tape again!

What did you do this weekend?

Enjoy!

  ~Amy

Thirty-One Party- Large Utility Tote

A few weeks ago, I had a Thirty-One Gifts party at my house and it was a blast! I have never been to one before. If you have never been to one you should go. It is the ultimate organization company. Almost everything can be personalized. For having the party I earned this:

Some of the bags are luggage and work, but most of them are to organize all the stuff in my house. I am trying to make everything have a home, so nothing looks cluttered.
The first thing I got to use was a large utility tote. You can use this for multiple things like: going to the beach, in the back of your car, when you go to warehouse stores like SAMS or Costco, or stores like Aldi's that don't give you a bag. The uses of this are endless.

 I used the first one I received to store both of my daughter's memorabilia stuff. Such as: professional pictures that don't hang in frames no longer, both of their baby books, both of their Disney Autograph books from DisneyWorld, outfits they wore going home from the hospital, both of their time capsules from their first birthday, and a few other things. See how it fits so nicely in the tote?

Then, I just put the tote in the top of my closet so I can easily pull it down if I need something and put it back up again.

Next I am going to tackle this- organizing all of my craft and scrapbook stuff:

You can see I already started organizing some stuff into those black and white bins. I can't wait to create my craft area on the enclosed sunroom. Stay tuned...

Have you ever been to a Thirty-One party? Tell all...
Enjoy!
  ~Amy

Chevron Covered Photo Mat

I really liked the picture frames in the dining room, but they needed some sprucing up. I ordered this yellow chevron fabric from fabric.com a while ago for pillows, and thought it would look nice in these frames.

CHEVRON COVERED PHOTO MAT

(I think black and white photos will look better in the frame, so I just ordered some.)

The materials you will need are:
     *Fabric
     *Spray Adhesive
     *Scissors
     *Hot Glue and Glue Sticks
     *Ruler or Tape Measure
     *Frame with a Mat

First, spray paint the picture frame with four light coats of white paint
Take apart the picture frame and take out the mat
Measure the picture frame and then cut the material that size, leaving enough fabric to wrap around the mat.

Wrap the fabric along the mat and use spray adhesive to get the fabric to stick to the front of the mat.

Use hot glue to secure the fabric to the back of the mat.
Finally, put the frame back together and hang back on the wall.



Cover any photo mats lately? Take any pictures of your kids? Time to hang a new one on the wall!

Enjoy!

  ~Amy