Happy Birthday Bathroom! One year ago...

I cannot believe it has been a whole year since my bathroom makeover was complete. Since I wasn't blogging then I just wanted to post a few pics from my FIRST real makeover project. Don't you love when you envision a project and it turns out exactly that way? If I had it to do over, I wouldn't change a thing. Even if I had an unlimited budget to work with - I love it...as is.

I accumulated the pieces for this bathroom over a few years. I found the faucets first - this is how it all began. Grohe Kensington - Swarovski handles. CRAZY expensive. I found them laying on a table at a supply house new in box for 80% off. I could have cried!

The glass shelves, towel rods and ring and robe hooks are all from Homegoods. Grand total for all the pieces was under $100. I even added crystal knobs to the ends of the double towel bar that I bought from a cabinet knob seller on Ebay. Sweet!

Here are the dreaded BEFORE pictures. The mini-chandeliers are now black
and I converted them into pendant lights for my kitchen. :-) I forgot to take pictures before I started the demo so it looks like a total mess...

Here are the AFTER pictures...

I LOVE my Grohe Swarovski faucets! Every time I wash my hands or brush my teeth I still get excited how pretty they are.

I found my glass door at a builders supply warehouse and it was just a slab. I bought chrome hinges off of Ebay and sanded and planed it to fit. Since I don't have a window, this allows light from the foyer and bedrooms into the bathroom. It is by Feather River in the bamboo glass pattern - and no you cannot see "anything". :-) The black jewelry cabinet is from Kirkland's. I built if into the wall to use up the wasted space. It is SO nice to have my jewelry in one place and not all over the house, on my nightstand, etc. I bought a crystal knob off of ebay to glam it up a little bit.

The crystal sconces are black and chrome and are from Lamps Plus and I ordered them online sight unseen. They turned out even prettier than I hoped for - so pleased! The black granite floor was bought at the Tile Outlet Center in Chicago and got the pieces for a song. So pleased!

Here is a look at the cove molding I added for a finished look. You can also see the detail of the mirror from a second hand store - it was PERFECT and the price was even better!

Someday I will get to the downstairs bathroom... I already have a bunch of pieces in storage for that one too. I found the Kohler Mickey Mouse faucet - since I have no hidden Mickeys in this bathroom, I have to make up for it the next one. :-)

Check out other bathrooms for amazing inspiration at this blogger party...

She Wore "Blue Velvet"....

Finally, after a few weeks of going back and forth, I have decided to go navy blue in the dining room and not the grey similar to the primer. I think it will be awesome and if not, I can always re-paint.

I have been going crazy with so many shades and samples of navy blue paint and I finally found my color: BLUE VELVET by ACE Hardware. It is a rich blue-black color. Now for a twist, I have decided to paint my ceiling grey like the primer but a little lighter. Just for visual interest. I am going to add trim and a medallion eventually. SO much to do!

I love you Craigslist!

Well I spent the better part of the weekend watching NCAA basketball and mulling over many offerings on Craigslist. I was looking for a round, pedestal dining room table and I found one! They wanted $150 and they accepted $100. 48" mahogany - Going to pick it up tomorrow! Sweet.

Then I was looking for a mirror for over the sideboard now that I have decided to not use the hutch. The mirror I want is $200 but I found a gorgeous alternative on Craigslist. Asking price was $60 and I got them down to $50. It is 57" wide x 37" tall - amazing!!! I am going to use the same spraypaint as on the chandelier with a little black and silver rub to highlight the detail. The seashell detail matches the seashell detail on the sideboard. YAY! I am going to bring a small bit of Holy Water with me to bless it before I put it in the van. My Mom used to tell me spooky stories about buying second hand mirrors and spirits being in them. I guess that is why they used to cover the mirrors when someone was sick in the house so in case they died the spirit wouldn't be drawn into the mirror. YIKES! CRAZY!!! Until tomorrow....

Second Hand Store Treasures of the Week...

I am trying to kick the thrift store habit.  Don't get me wrong - I am not going cold turkey but I am going to make sure I am much more selective in my purchases.  I tend to buy it because "so and so can use this", or "this is too good to pass up".  It ends up sitting in my house or garage and I end up donating it back to Goodwill.  NO MORE! 

So here are my two finds of the week.  First up, a very adorable wooden fruit bowl.  It had wooden fruit in it and I told the cashier that I just wanted the bowl.  Hopefully, they can sell the fruit to someone else.  I am going to paint it and use it for Easter eggs or seashells.  I really like it - only $5.00.  Whatta deal!

Secondly, I saw this khaki cotton pillow with a white pineapple logo and it is like new.  I really liked the look of this and when I opened the zipper.... TOMMY BAHAMA HOME!  Yippee!  $7.99 and 20% off.  Sweet!

Dining Room Shopping.... A Girl Can Dream

As my dining room is starting to take shape, I started to Google tables and chairs.  I probably won't be able to afford them for quite a while but here are some things I found that I absolutely LOVE!


TABLE - I know exactly what I want.... A solid, round pedestal.  I found this one - GORGEOUS!

CHAIRS - Again, I am pretty rote in what I like.  I found these and they are perfect as shown.  Classic styling with a contemporary flair.  A lovely grey silk fabric with shiny nail heads.  And tufting.  I love tufting.  I even love the word "tufting".  LOL  These are pretty sleek!

RUG - When it comes to a rug, I am very traditional.  I found this 8' round beauty which is very understated with a calming palate of blues and grey.  Dark walls and a dark floor is the perfect setting for this.  Loverly!

*SIGH* ..... Maybe I will play the lottery this Saturday! 

 Have a GREAT weekend!

No turning back now! Hutch: Before & After

Well I did it!  They just don't make furniture like this anymore.  It was dovetailed, doweled, stapled, screwed and glued!  Are you kidding me?  It wasn't pretty but I love the after.  LOL

HUTCH:  Before....

HUTCH:  After.... ROFL!

Everything came off pretty well so I think I will be able to use most of the pieces I need.  I broke a few small mirrors but no big deal - they were added years ago to reflect the crystal under the lights.  Now the real work begins!  To be continued....

Farewell Old Friend... The Dining Room Hutch

The dining room brainstorming continues.  Do I keep the old hutch?  I gave the table and chairs to my sister who is going to paint it all black and reupholster the chairs - should be gorgeous. 

Now I have this big heavy hutch.  But it is gorgeous - the moldings, the hardware, and it is sooo heavy.  I was going to join the throngs of DIYers and "paint it white" and use the image below as my inspiration.  I bought wooden embroidery rings at the thrift store but I am going to save them for the new window grids.

But then, I was looking at it and saw all this beautiful molding and detail.  I thought I can take a hammer to this and totally give this new life!  So, that is the plan.  This is the way it looks now (full of junk I put in there while I am painting). 

I was going to keep it until I found this little beauty - now I am thinking this on the horizontal with silver crystal buffet lamps.  Ok - now the top part of the hutch can go.  :-) 

My plan is to add a small divider between the living room/dining room with the transom window and low wide bookcases on the floor - no columns.  So I was looking at the doors and the molding and HELLO - I can build my knee wall bookcases out of this stuff.  Paint it white and WOW!  Look at this molding.  And the bookcases can have glass hinged doors on each side since I have the doors now and the hardware.  YAY!  And I also have three sets of lighting!!  This is a no-brainer.

From scotttribe.com
This is an idea of my room divider but I want the bookcases lower and wider and no columns.

 I am going to keep the sideboard bottom and paint it white (imagine that) and silver rub the hardware to match the finish on the chandelier.  I am also going to buy new furniture feet to life it off the ground and give it a new look.  It is the perfect width for the mirror - I love when the decorating gods smile on me! 

 Here are close-ups of the molding - SUH-WEET!  I cannot wait to get started with this project. 

This picture is of the camelback top - I think I am going to remove this and somehow incorporate it into the crown molding over the entryway from the foyer into the living room.  The living room SHOULD be my summer project after the foyer!  Why do I have a feeling that I'll still be painting my dining room while listening to Christmas music? NO!  Easter Sunday is my goal!  I have to do it!  LOL!

Chandelier progress...

Well we actually had thunder and lightning here in Chicagoland today so my plans to spray outside had to wait a few hours.  But alas, sunshine and no wind - always a good thing when spraypainting.

I was nervous about the finish - I know to get a true chrome finish you have to go to an auto shop and pay lotsa dollars.  So I found the Krylon Premium Silver Metallic spraypaint and also purchased the Rub n Buff in silver leaf.  I just didn't want that plain silver spray paint finish - that looks - well - spraypainted.  LOL

Here are the two medallions - gave them a bath along with all the glass and metal pieces I removed.  I also washed the light and all of the scrollwork and crystals - not fun.  The second picture is the after.  I am pleased - it is not a silver spray paint and as you can see there is a reflective quality to it.  I just wanted something to reflect the light and shine as opposed to a matte finish.  For the price paid - $5.49 at Hobby Lobby before the 40% off coupon.  Not a bad deal.  I would recommend it - it is not a true super shiny chrome - so don't expect it to be. 

              These medallions were in not-so-great shape - quite pitted and lost a lot of the brass finish.

I used the Rub n Buff Silver Leaf on all the little embellishments.  I wanted a slight contrast in color/finish and I also wanted to enhance some of the detail.  Sometimes spray painting can cover this up too much.  This stuff is GREAT!  Hobby Lobby - $3.99 for a tube that I will probably never use up in my lifetime.

Hang it from a tree - my favorite way to spray paint anything. 

Here is the after - I put the white plastic candle holders on there to protect the socket underneath and those took the chrome paint very well.  I actually like the drippy covers with the chrome.  I may not use the new plain white ones although I am thinking of using the plain white and just adding chrome stripe at the top. 



It is still drying and now I have to silver rub about 1,000 little bowties which hold the crystals together. I hope I don't break any bending and unbending them all.   Oh fun. 

 I will reveal the finished product in the next few days

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

A Shout-Out to my sister...

I just wanted to give a huge thank-you to my older sister, Lynnie!  My camera went out a few weeks ago and I was so lost.  All projects came to a halt!  I come home the other night and there is a perfectly perfect present on my plate stand in my kitchen.  She bought me the camera I was saving up for.  SWEET! 

She is usually  my partner in crime and the only person who doesn't think my projects are too off the wall.  Plus, she showed up the other morning with Shamrock Shakes for breakfast!  Is that a perfect sister or what?

It's So "Erica Barry" - Something's Gotta Give Addict!

I know it is always a favorite topic in blog world but I, too, am guilty of being obsessed with this movie.  I admit that I put it in at least once a week to look at a table or a chair or when I have insomnia.  I also highly recommend the soundtrack!  :-)  Very wonderful. 

I actually love the STORY and the HOUSE!  She is an awesome character and I would love her life - Erica Barry!  Now whenever I see something that would be from her house, my catch phrase is, "Oh that's so Erica Barry"!  LOL  Too funny. 

I became obsessed with the transom windows which served as headers over all of her doorways - SWEET!

Photo was found on http://hookedonhouses.net/.  Great blog!

Since my budget won't allow for me to have Mr. Fix It come and make my dreams come true, I have to do it myself.  So, I headed over to my trusty, dusty Builders Surplus store here in Chicago and look what I found! 

Two side lites for a picture window.  BRAINSTORM - I can use those for a header in between my dining room and living room.  YAY!  And they were the perfect width, height, and price.  They were $49.99 down to $45.99 with an extra 35% off.  SCORE!  They are exactly what I was looking for but I think I can make it work - just a little more effort is necessary.  Story of my life!  Just add this to my list of projects but I absolutely cannot wait.  I think I have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) because I seriously cannot stay focused on one project - terrible habit!  Ok, off to spray paint a light!  :-) 

Mom's Chandelier - MAKEOVER!

A dining room light can be the stuff of nightmares.  Crystal or no?  Chrome?  Oil rubbed bronze?  Linen shades?  Glass shades?  Tuscan?  and it goes on and on.  I always loved the crystal chandelier in the dining room.  It has rows and rows of crystals, little metal flowers and other embellishments.  It is not a heavy crystal chandelier - it feels very light and lacy.   But it is gold and brass and dated.  And dusty! 

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Stripped and ready for a complete overhaul!

I found many chandeliers that I would LOVE to have in my dining room, such as...

But they also have hefty pricetags.  So I am going to attempt a chandelier makeover.  The light has been stripped of everything and I took lots of pictures so I can put it back together like it was.  :-) 



I bought new white socket covers and Krylon silver chrome spray paint and silver paint rub.   This is going to be my project for Sunday.  I will take pictures so in case it turns out to be less than a total disaster, I can share the step by step process.  I know many have painted brass lights but it is usually black or oil rubbed - a darker color.   I have yet to find a chrome/silver spraypaint that shines.  They always end up so dull.  We shall see!  Until tomorrow.....



Yikes - that's a lot of parts!