Bathroom Makeover Re-do

Over this past summer, due to some plumbing issues, we needed to replace the toilet in the kids' bathroom.  As usual,  one thing led to another and before Tim knew it, he was planking the walls for me.  And since he had to take everything out to plank the walls, we decided to go ahead and switch out the vanity, as well as the light fixture too.

So the kids' bathroom got a fun freshening up.

Here's a look back at what the bathroom looked like when we moved in.  So much tan and brown, I couldn't take it!

So not too long after we moved in, I tore down the wallpaper and the shower doors and gave it a fresh coat of paint.  We also updated the vanity, the medicine cabinet, and the light fixture, but we left the toilet, the floors, the tub and surrounding tiles alone because we weren't ready to jump into a major renovation.

After that update, it looked like this

It was definitely much better (and very colorful too!).  

But after living with it this way for a few years, we realized some of our choices weren't working in there as well as we thought they would. Live and learn! For one thing, the vanity was really too big for such a tiny bathroom.  It made the already small space feel even more cramped.  And it wasn't holding up very well either.  Tim had already had to fix a drawer that had come loose and the paint had also started chipping and bubbling up in places.  

I had the hardest time settling on what to replace it with though.  I really wanted a wall-mounted sink, but finally decided one wouldn't be very practical for us right now.  I also looked at smaller vanities, but just didn't find one that I loved.  Plus I wanted the bathroom to feel very open and airy and I didn't think I could get that feeling with a vanity.  So I ended up going with a pedestal sink, which originally was not even on my radar.  But it has opened up the bathroom so much.  I made sure to get one with space on both sides of the sink so the kids could sit their toiletries on it.  And I chose one that feels a little bit vintage, rather than sleek and modern.  We already had the medicine cabinet to hold things like toothpaste, a brush, hair gel, etc...   I just gave it a fresh coat of white paint to match the walls.  And there are some open shelves on the other side of the bathroom to hold baskets of things as well as the kids' towels.

The other thing we'd come to realize was that the light fixture we originally put in the bathroom wasn't nearly bright enough.  This bathroom doesn't have any windows, so it's important that our lighting be very bright.  The light we had in there only used two low wattage light bulbs and since the top of the light fixture was covered it also blocked much of the light from spreading out around the room.  So this time around, we bought a three-bulb light fixture with open glass so that the light could really brighten the entire bathroom.  It's so much brighter now.  We can finally see!

I painted the sign and Tim made the frame for it.  For when self-esteem and body insecurities become a battle, I just wanted a big reminder that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

I found this little bin at Magnolia Market to store washcloths and other little bathroom things.  

So that's the kids' bathroom now, looking open, airy, a little vintage farmhouse, nicely refreshed. and of course, white!

It will be nice when we eventually get the bathtub, surrounding tiles, and floors re-done, (they're all the original almond color) but for now, we're really enjoying this update. 

Tyson's Room

I just wanted to pop in quickly and share some pictures of Tyson's room.  

A few weeks ago, he said he really wanted his own room.  I told him if he wanted to move downstairs, then he could have the cottage.  The cottage is a small room located right at the bottom of the stairs in our basement.  There are no windows, so it's not technically a bedroom.  A few years ago, I turned it into a playroom for the kids.  I set it up like a small house (which is how it got it's name "the cottage").  It had a kitchen, a dining room, and a bedroom for Peyton's dolls.  The kids still played in it some, but for the most part, they had grown out of it.  Anyway, Tyson liked the idea of moving into the cottage, so we moved all of the toys out and moved Tyson's furniture in. 

He needed a few things like a nightstand, some storage, and a desk.

I was about to buy him a World Market nightstand online, but then found last year's model on Craigslist for much cheaper.  I was so excited.  We had to make a trip a little ways out of town, but I didn't mind. 

When we went to pick it up, we just happened to be right near the Outlets, so we made a quick stop in the Restoration Hardware outlet and found a giant furry beanbag on sale.  We scooped it up and brought it home to make a cozy place for him to read and hang out.  This has become the new favorite spot in the house.

I blew up some pictures of him and his friends for his walls.  This was super cheap at Staples. 

And then we found a desk at World Market that fit perfectly in this nook. It was on sale, plus I had a coupon!!  I really tried to make choices with the future in mind.  I'm hoping this desk will still work well for him and fit him when he's in high school. 

Ikea had a set of lockers that worked great for storing some of his baskets of toys.  Originally, the lockers were bright blue, but we decided they would look better if I spray painted them Gun Metal gray. And we brought the pipe shelves down from his room upstairs. 

So now everyone has their own room, which has been so nice.  It gives them much needed space to spread out when they start to get on each other's nerves.  I think it's also good for Tyson to finally be able to call something "his own".  He's shared a room since he was three, so I'm happy for him to finally have his own space. 

And Hudson is happy because now he has his own room too! 

After moving Tyson downstairs, we ended up deciding to switch Hudson and Peyton's rooms, so it's been a busy few weeks of trying to get everyone moved into their new rooms.  I've patched a lot of holes and re-painted quite a few walls. I'm thankful to finally feel like everyone is mostly settled now.

Here's a peek of Hudson enjoying his new room. 

(Sorry - the quality of these pictures is not great.  Since Tyson's room has no windows, I had to turn the overhead lights on and the lighting in his room is pretty awful.  Plus, I just snapped quick pictures with my cellphone.)

Painting the faux fireplace

Apparently, I can't go very long without painting or rearranging something in my house.  It's my creative outlet.  So even if every room in my house looks finished and put together, I just start getting this impulse to switch something up after a while.  

You may remember that about a year ago, I took down our faux fireplace and put a desk up here in its place.   

(See picture below)

Well, I liked the desk and it looked good there, but I just kept having this urge to paint the faux fireplace black.  I ignored it for weeks until finally I just had to do it and see what it looked like.  As much as me and the color white have a thing, surprisingly I am also falling in love with black.  Black makes such a statement.  And I've read that every room needs something black in it to ground it. 

So after painting the fireplace, I fell back in love with it.  And now, the desk has moved downstairs to the basement room and my fireplace is back upstairs, front and center.  

We also finally switched out the light fixture in here.  Since this room was originally intended to be a dining room, it had a chandelier hanging in it when we moved in.  And three years later, Tim was still hitting his head on it every time he forgot to duck when he walked through.  I just had the hardest time finding a flush mount light that I liked, so I stayed stuck with that ugly chandelier for way too long.  But finally, I settled on this light from Lowes.  It's simple and classy.  And bonus, it was fairly cheap.  We have this same light hanging in our foyer now too.  Eventually we plan to switch out all the out-dated flush mounts downstairs with this one. 

I hung our House of Belonging sign over the mantle, cut some fresh limbs from our tree outside, and stuck them in a vase.  This was a simple way to brighten it up and add a hint of Spring inside.  There is nothing like plants that liven up a room.

And I placed some birch logs on a basket to make it feel a little bit more like a real fireplace.

Do you ever get the urge to switch things up just for fun too?

Rustic Boy Bedroom Tour

Every year when January hits, I have the sudden urge to de-clutter, organize, and re-do spaces in our home.  I think this is because the explosion of toys and stuff that came into our home in December leaves me feeling overwhelmed and unorganized.  I have found that when things don't have a designated place, then they just end up scattered on the floor, shoved in a drawer, or piled on top of a dresser. So it's important to me to find places to keep all the new Christmas stuff.  And since our house is really not that big, this means that old things that are no longer loved need to leave so we can make space for the new.

This January was no exception and it was the boys' room that got much of my focus.  Their room had not been updated in several years and I felt that they were outgrowing it in some ways. I want the spaces in our home to evolve with us so that they can meet the needs we have in the stage we're in. On top of that, their stuff had just accumulated in their room and it was feeling cluttered, sloppy, and unorganized.  Since they share a room, space is especially limited, so we have to be extra purposeful and efficient in how we use it.  The first thing we did was get rid of anything they no longer wanted and then we moved most of the rest of their toys and books downstairs to a designated toy area in the basement.  This freed up extra space in their room for the things we needed and wanted in there.

The vision I had for their room was rustic vintage.  I wanted a lot of wood mixed with metal, with a little bit of an old-school feel.  And I wanted to incorporate their love of sports without making it seem "theme-y" in any way.  Tyson and I looked on Pinterest to get ideas of what we wanted the room to look like.  I'm pretty sure he would paint the walls orange if I gave him free range in his room, but I can't live with that, so we had to find a compromise.  Thankfully, both he and Hudson were on board with giving it a rustic vintage sports feel.

Tyson still loves his shark, so although that didn't necessarily fit with the "rustic vintage sport" vision, it stayed because ultimately it's their room and I want them to love it.  Each of the boys picked their bedding from Pottery Barn Teen.

Previously their bunk beds were navy blue, but I wanted them to be a moody gray, so I bit the bullet and spent a weekend painting them.  A friend told me about using Zisser 1-2-3 primer so I didn't have to sand it before painting it.  In my mind, this is a lifesaver.  I hate sanding furniture and sanding bunk beds would be a nightmare.  It's been a few weeks since I painted these and I'm very happy that we haven't had any chipping or peeling paint. 

Tyson reads every night before going to bed, so Tim hung his light and built this pipe shelf to hold his books and clock.

I originally planned to put a nightstand next to their bed, but then I found this vintage style school desk and decided it would be a more useful piece of furniture in the long run.  It's nice that they have a small spot in their room now to sit and color or write.   

I was sick of always picking jackets up off the floor, so we added wall hooks to give jackets, robes, hats, and bags a specific home.

I also wanted their room to be a fun place for them and their friends to hang out.  So we built a rustic basketball goal and hung it on the wall.  

If we had no budget, then I would have gotten them new dressers, but since we do have limits, I just updated this one by giving it a fresh coat of paint. The easiest and cheapest way to update a room is always paint.  If you don't like something, but can't afford a new one, try painting it!  

Tim built and hung wooden pipe shelving above the dresser to display some of their things.

Last Christmas, we gave the boys a punching bag, but never got it hung up so they could use it.  We finally made space in a corner of their bedroom and bought the proper equipment to hang it up.

The wire shelves hold books and toys that otherwise would probably end up on the floor.

So there you have it… our rustic vintage sports boy room! I hope it's something that they will love and enjoy for several years to come. 

Bunk Beds - Pottery Barn Kids

Duvet Covers - Pottery Barn Teen

Curtains - Pottery Barn Kids

Desk/Chair - World Market

Wire Baskets - Restoration Hardware Baby&Child

Favorite Projects of All Time

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of my all time favorite projects over the years.  I wanted to include "Then" and "Now" (or at least more recent) pictures too so you can see how my home and style has evolved over the years.

First up:  An old window turned picture frame

I did this five years ago back before it was all the rage.  I don't think Pinterest even existed then.  So it's highly possible that I invented the whole window picture frame thing. Ha! :)  I remember feeling like it was such a big risk.  And Tim totally thought I had lost it when I told him what I wanted to do with the old window I had drug home from an antique store.

Then:

And now

My faux fireplace transformation

You must know by now that I love fireplaces.  In my last home, I didn't have one, so I decided to make one…. a fake one anyway.  I bought a mantle off of Craigslist and brought it home to see what I could come up with.  At first it didn't look so great!

After some brainstorming, I ended up putting a chalkboard behind it and drawing a fire on it to make it feel more cozy.

Then:

Over the years, it's had many transformations.  At the moment, I'm not using it because I decided to move my desk upstairs and there is only so much room.  Some days I miss it and want to bring it back up.  But here's a look at some more recent pictures of it....

Do you remember when we needed a coffee table so we decided to build our own chunky distressed coffee table ?

I still love it.

Right now, we have it in our basement because it fits so well with our other furniture down there.

The kitchen coffee bar/buffet

Then:

The turquoise was fun, but it felt limiting at times.  So back in October, I decided to re-paint it a more neutral color. Here's a recent picture.

Painting the Brick Fireplace

When we moved in, our fireplace looked like this

Before:

Painting it made an immediate and dramatic difference.

Then:

Since that picture was taken, Tim put up a mantle for me.

And Now:

Peyton's Barbie Dollhouse

I still love this project.  I had so much fun making it for her.

I'll spare you a "Now" picture because I'm pretty sure that Barbie's house is a disaster and she needs a maid to come clean it up for her.  And most likely, Barbie is naked and would not like me taking pictures of her and posting them on the internet.  :)

Hope you had fun looking back with me.  Does your style evolve too over the years?  What's your favorite project you've ever done in your home?  

Outdoor Dining

Welcome Fall!  It's my absolute favorite time of the year, as I'm sure you know by now! The weather is slowly turning cooler around here and it's so nice to be outside enjoying it.  All summer long, we've been working hard to get our back deck in shape, as well as our yard and the patio underneath the deck.  Tim sanded and stained our deck and I painted the rails white.  We love the difference this has made!  It was such a large undertaking and it took quite a bit longer than we had anticipated, but we are so glad we did it.  We're still not quite finished,  but we're finally at a point where the hardest part is done and we can relax and enjoy it.

Max and I spend most mornings out here sipping coffee and watching the birds.

The small table is perfect for our family of five when want to eat outside, but it's really not large enough when we are hosting guests.

So we decided to make better use of the space underneath our deck and turn it into an outside dining area.  Tim took an old work table and made it into a farmhouse style table.  Then we hung up strings of lights to give the space a nice ambience. 

Over the past year, we've also been removing unwanted plants and bushes that were scattered throughout our back yard and have planted grass in their place.  We've found that we really enjoy having friends and neighbors over for a casual dinner out back or s'mores around the fire pit.  And it's nice to have a yard for the kids to run around and play games, while the grownups talk. 

Last weekend, Tim got a smoker, which we are so excited about.  Now we can smoke large cuts of meat like ribs, brisket and pork loins.  We are looking forward to weekends spent smoking meat, inviting friends over to share our meals with, and making memories out back.  So fun!