A few bathroom

Building on the previous post, here are a few bathroom remodels I've had to pleasure to work on.  It always amazes me how much you can spend on small spaces.

Those beautiful marble tiles & custom tile work....

The fixtures...

 The cabinetry...

And this is an all-time fav.

So the camera is still gone, but the good news.... the problem is definitely covered under warranty. Whew, dodged that bullet.

I usually only blog a few times a week, so why I'm feeling the pressure to do it more without the camera, I have no idea. Here goes another random post:

I ran across this picture & instantly had a flashback of one of the most stressful bath remodeling projects I ever did. Take a look:

This is a beautiful carrara marble basket weave tile. See the tiny dots between the weave? The client wanted everything to be white/gray with green accents. This was the tile that she had to have. So, I was busy arranging for her to have this tile when we discovered that it only came with a black dot. The tile designer insured me that the black could be popped out & tiny green glass tile could be placed in. Problem solved.... sounded simple enough. It ended up taking the tile guys around 2 weeks to install a 5x10 bathroom floor.... they hated me by the end & the client was furious about how long it took. Those were the days I was dreaming about staying home & painting....

Cabbage and such...

Some of my most treasured possessions are items made by other artists.  A few years ago I bought this large cabbage painting (about 4' long, 3.5' tall) from a client.  She bought it from an estate sale in Maryland many years back.  She gave me the name of the artist (which I've now misplaced), but I was unable to find any information on her.  It barely fit in my car and I didn't have a clue where I was going to put it.  I was met with much resistance from the husband.  He thought, and still thinks, it looks like an underwater shot of seaweed.  I think it's beautiful.  It's hanging in our living room.

Last week I realized how inspiring a cabbage can be.  Our neighbors have had a garden growing this entire year. It has been fruitful every month and they've been very generous with the bounty.  The last drop included a beautiful head of cabbage.  If I didn't already have a cabbage painting, I'd be working on one right now.

Moving right along..... remember the bathroom remodel?  Well, the demo has begun & the contractor is moving fast.  Here are a few pictures:

I have a bathroom that I've never been happy with.  It's gone through several face lifts & I just can't get it right.  My last little sprucing up has made it tolerable, but I still don't love it.  I'm open to suggestions!  

This is what it looked like when we moved in ...

The 60s just had to go.  I strongly dislike tile on the wall.  It makes a place feel like a public restroom.  Might as well stick a drain in the center of the room so you can hose it down at the end of the day.  I realize that's a strong statement & there are some exceptions, but not in this room.

Then this...

We tore out the tile walls, had a vanity build, changed out fixtures, added trim, etc.  My original train of thought was to have a small open vanity to make the space appear larger.  I'm on the fence about that now.  I never could find a mirror that I like.  My biggest rookie mistake was going with oil rubbed bronze metals.. and leaving the sink & shower faucets chrome.  I knew better than that, but did it anyway.  Do yourself a favor & stick with chrome (or even satin nickel), they're timeless.

Next this...

This picture is photo shopped- just to give you an idea of what this version looked like.  I never took a picture.  In attempt to make small changes I skirted the sink & built a pelmet box above the window.  I lived with this for several months before I changed again.  If this would have been professionally done I think I would have liked it.

Now this...

The current version has fabric boxes under the sink, a mirror from another room, and a little toilet decor.  The window treatment (or lack there of) is the thorn in my side now.

I really like the topiary though.  That was an inexpensive project...

1. Cool pot on discount (Jo Anne Fabrics)

2. Foam topiary form (Hobby Lobby)

3. Reindeer Moss (Hobby Lobby)

Hot glue & voila!  

Any ideas?????

Channeling my inner Martha

Stewart that is.

Remember my frustration over my bathroom?  I decided that covering my roman shade would be an easy step in the right direction.  I found fabric I really liked (for about $12) and quickly began stitching away. Several redos, lots of cuss words, sore arms, and two weeks later it's finished.

If you have lots of spare time and are a tad crafty- give it a shot.  

I suggest spending good money on a pre-made shade. 

Kind of along the same vein... I recently finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.... it was interesting, not exactly an easy read.  I'm guilty of romanticizing the idea of sustainable living and occasionally get the itch to try my hand at it.  We grew a semi-successful garden this year, so we pseudo 'lived off the land'.  The basil began blooming this past week, so I salvaged what I could & made pesto.  Easy enough... basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, parmesan, and a food processor.  

 This feat helped me recover from the roman shade trauma.  I should have stopped there.

My mom brought me a bag of pomegranates from their farm.  I grew up with them being used as fall decor and nothing more, so I followed suit.  I looked over at them after I made the pesto & decided to break the tradition.  I got online and read how to process them.

Cut them open, submerge in water, and pull out the seeds.  

The seeds will fall to the bottom and the membrane will float to the top.  

(The word 'membrane' absolutely repulses me.)  

Skim off the membrane, rinse & drain the seeds.  

Next, stick them in food processor and drain off the juice.  

The process took about an hour & yielded two cups of juice.

Next time you think pomegranate juice is expensive at the grocery store, think twice.

I plan to use it Eggplant Lentil Stew.  I'm sure Trent will be thrilled (read with sarcasm).

Anyone remember the big bathroom remodel from a few months ago?  I finally saw it in person over the weekend... it looks even better than I imagined. 

This day in history.....

We bought our first home (3 yrs ago). Our price range was.... how shall I say it, a bit limiting, but we finally found the one we thought we could work with. It's been a labor of love:


The yard was bit junglesque and the front porch was covered with some sort of decorative white brick. Thank goodness for the Trent's parents, they were a HUGE help.

The kitchen has been a work in progress until just a few weeks ago when we installed a pantry & cut the doors out for glass. It's amazing what a little paint, hardware, and new countertops can do.

The most dramatic change to the house was removing a wall between what was the breakfast room & dining and redefining the spaces. The house is only about 1400 sf, but with this wall gone a lot of people can comfortably move around.

We also removed 2 other walls & a lot of brass light fixtures.

The first week we owned the house, I came home from work to find a lot of painting progress, beer cans, and Trent napping on the floor.

We lived in the house for well over a year with a heinous bathroom before remodeling. I still shutter at the thought of that room.

I hope everyone feels this way about their place.... home ownership is NOT over-rated (in my opinion). We both love this little place and if we ever move, I'm sure it will always have a special place in our hearts. We have truly been blessed!