DIY Tiered Shade Bedroom Lighting

It’s finally Friday! Yay! I hope everyone has been having a great week. I’m honestly glad this one is over, between me being sick and one of the puppies  being sick…it’s been a rough week. Luckily both of us appear to be doing better so I hope to finally get that grass redone in the yard this weekend if the weather cooperates. I’ve also been working on some new art pieces lately that turned out better than expected so I’ll share more soon. Since I couldn’t get the grass done last weekend (it was raining), I worked on a light project for the Spare Bedroom.

I have been coveting this tiered pendant light for quite some time. Unfortunately it runs almost $400 and that’s not in the budget for a spare bedroom that will be rarely used. Honestly, it’s also too big for such a little room, but I love the tiered look.

Lights Up! Kimono Deco 21" Wide Pendant Light

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So I decided to create my own smaller, far cheaper version (mine cost less than $30) out of the existing light fixture that came with the house. Yes, that is the dreaded boob light fixture; although, I already removed the ‘boob’ before taking the pictures so just use your imagination…unless you find that weird. In that case, whatever you do, don’t think of boobs…

…and now this post has just taken an awkward turn.  I wish I could say it will get better, but these lamp manufacturers have a serious sense of humor when naming these things.

Bedroom Light DIY_1

Step 1: (Unpictured)

Unscrew the finial at the bottom of the light and remove the glass fixture. Remove the light bulbs so you don’t risk breaking them later when you install the shades.

Bedroom Light DIY_2

Step 2:

Remove the threaded nipple.

Bedroom Light DIY_3

No, I didn’t make that up just to include more boob references for you. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried, and for the record I’m not looking forward to the pervy Google search spambots finding this post.

You can buy extended sizes for a few dollars in the lighting section at your local hardware store. If you are just adding one lamp shade, then the existing piece will probably be sufficient; however, I wanted to add two shades to create a tiered look so I needed something longer.

Bedroom Light DIY_4

Step 3: Pick out your shades.

I picked up a pretty gray shade at Target for about $24. The color was perfect for the neutral design I was going for, and it was wide enough to accommodate a second shade underneath it.

Bedroom Light DIY_5

Bedroom Light DIY_6

If you wanted to use just one shade to replace the existing light fixture, you want a shade with a spider fitting. You can fit this on the existing fixture, screw on the finial and you’re done! I had it set up like this for a while, but you could still see the light fixture from the top. I preferred to have a shade that reached the ceiling and covered the existing fixture.

For the tiered look, I needed two different types of shades. The Target shade had a Uno fitting which would not fit onto the existing fixture since the ring was too big, the finial would have passed right through the fitting.

Bedroom Light DIY_7

However, when I stacked a shade with a Uno fitting over a shade with a spider fitting, it was perfect. The white shade is something I had on hand, but I’d like to eventually swap it out for something with a pretty pattern.

Bedroom Light DIY_8

From that point, installation was incredibly easy. I fit the shades over the threaded nipple and the finial held everything together. 

Bedroom Light DIY_9

Step 4:

Add the light bulbs back in, and you’re all DONE!

In addition to the light, I also put up some art to finish off the room for now. I’d eventually like to repaint the walls, change out the art, add some storage, and hang new curtains.

All in good time.

Bedroom Light DIY_11

DIY Dark Wood Laundry Drying Rack

A few months back I bought a carved wood hook (from HomeGoods, surprise surprise) that I thought was perfect for the laundry room. I loved the dark wood next to the painting, but it had limited functionality. I could only hand a few things on it, and I need more space to air dry some delicate items.

It also kept falling off the wall, but that was really more my fault than the hooks.

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

I still think it’s beautiful so it’s being moved somewhere else in the house (not sure where yet).

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

So down came the hook and I started brainstorming other options. l thought of grouping some single hooks in some sort of pattern on the wall, or a shelf that could at least provide some additional ‘counter’ space.

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

Then I saw the genius DIY post over at Centsational Girl for a dryer rack and the light bulb went on above my head. Actually it more like I swiped the light bulb that formed over her head (but whatever). That would be perfect to replace the wobbly hooks and add some additional functionality to the laundry room.

I picked up a 2’ x 2’ piece of plywood which fit the space perfectly, no need to cut it down. I also picked up 2 pieces of 1 x 3 boards and some 3/8 inch dowels.

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

I followed the steps in Kate’s post with the exception of the finish, and I used chain instead of brackets for the sides. It took a few days to build and stain the entire piece since I worked on it in small chunks of time in between work and other projects, but it could be easily built in an afternoon.

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

Drilling the dowel holes was the fun part. Who ever thought I’d have such fun with power tools.

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

I used Rustoleum Kona for the finish, which is essentially the ORB of the stain world. To create the darker finish color, I didn’t wipe off the stain. I apply it in thin even coats and let it dry. I then applied a few thin coats of Satin Poly to protect it since damp clothes will be laying directly on the wood. 

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

Just like Kate, I used a sash lock on the top to secure the piece when not in use. The knobs are from some old IKEA furniture which I’m thinking of painting a light aqua color, but for now the dark iron color works well.

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

I LOVE this thing! Especially since it was fairly inexpensive. All the supplies cost me less than $20 since i had the stain, knobs, and tools already.

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

It almost blends into the wall as a piece of art which is yet another reason why it ROCKS.

DIY Laundry Dryer Rack

I’m Feeling Inspired – Kitchens

I haven’t shared it on the blog yet, but I’ve recently imposed a strict grocery budget in my house (I’ll explain more on Wednesday). This means I’m spending a little more time in my kitchen lately  cooking and planning meals. So while I’m off painting random walls in my house this weekend, here’s a little kitchen inspiration.

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Genius!

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I Found My Dream Home…

…too bad someone else is buying it.

Sometimes when I’m bored (uhh…or procrastinating) I search through homes for sale on Redfin. I’m not actually looking for a home to buy, I’m usually looking for design inspiration. Last night I found the house of my dreams, and while I’m not even close to being able to afford something like this, it doesn’t mean I can’t dream. Even since I moved into my current house, I’ve been building my next home list; things like, balcony off the office or bedroom, landscaped backyard (for Bax), near the beach, bungalow feel, etc.

I’ve had a picture in my head of this house that I want, but I haven’t been able to describe it to anyone. To be fair, I’m pretty terrible at describing projects without props or pictures. I tried to describe a project to my dad recently and after an elaborate 20 minute description he responded with “so, you want to build a box?” Uh yeah, I do.

The house is in La Jolla (San Diego), California. $2,950,000

3 Bedroom, 2.5 Baths, 3291 square feet, Balcony, Landscaped Yard, Dark Wood Floors, Office, Garage, Extra Parking, Ocean Views

I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking on this one.

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Photo Source: Redfin

Before/After – Hawaiian Style Bathroom

I’m curious…how do you approach home design? Are you a finish one room at a time person, or do you like to work on projects all over the house? I tend to work on little bits in every room, meaning each room is in some sort of progress. However, small rooms like bathrooms or laundry rooms I finish all at once since they are small and usually inexpensive. Of course this doesn’t take into account any type of remodel.

This is the full bath on the first floor of my home. One of these days I’m going to post a whole house walk through so you can fully grasp the unique layout of the whole home, but for now I’ll just show you pieces. I finished this room a while ago, before I ever started this blog, so I don’t have all the costs handy. I believe the entire Re-Design was about $50.

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- Before

White…White…and more White…

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- Before

The tiny space made pictures al little difficult.

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- Before

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- Before

When I was in high school/college I worked in an art and framing store. I loved that job. When I was working with customers on framing choices I would swoon over their artwork. One piece of art I fell for was of a Hawaiian dancer. So when my brother got married in Maui a few years later, I went on the hunt for my own Hawaiian art.  That art was the inspiration for this room.

Since the room is small and dark, I wanted a light and refreshing color. I used a quart of Valspar in Bamboo Shoot. It was the perfect shade of Avocado…although that’s not entirely the image I had in my mind when I started this room. I ended up loving the result.

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- After

I picked up the towels from Homegoods when I realized the colors were a perfect match. I also picked up a clearance towel rack and basic oil rubbed bronze shower curtain rod at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- After

The shower curtain is a dark brown and something I’ve had from my previous apartment. I also used Plumeria style curtain hooks which tied into the theme perfectly.

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- After

Since there is minimal storage in this room, setting the extra towels on the back of the toilet became a functional decoration.

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- After

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- After

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- After

Random Fact: Since I was travelling home by plane the art was triple wrapped in bubble wrap. It came home without a scratch. Within minutes of unpacking, my previous dog jumped up on the bed and stood right in the middle of one print. If you look closely (in person) you can see her nail scratches and footprints. I was mad at the time, but now I love that memory since she has passed.

Spare Bathroom ReDesign- After

I believe this is the last room that I finished prior to starting the blog so now you’ve seen it all. The rest of the house is in a state of progress, just the way I like it.

Design Challenge: Spare Bedroom

Earlier this month I shared my Garage before pictures. What I haven’t mentioned is that I’ve also started redoing the Spare Bedroom this month. The spare bedroom has been a challenge in every way.

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When I purchased the home it was all green. The walls were sage green, the carpet was (and still is) sage green. Every room in the house looked the same way, lots of green. The wall color is actually quite nice, but there is just so much of it that it was overwhelming.

At first this room was supposed to be an art/writing studio, not a spare bedroom. I planned on outfitting it with a large drafting desk and a comfortable chair. It was supposed to be a place where I could go and feel artistic. However, a few months after I moved in my brother decided to move across country and offered me a queen mattress/bed frame. My logic brain kicked in and decided that a Spare Bedroom would be smarter than a second office/studio.

In the meantime I had painted the room a mix of lime green and dark DARK grey. It was a great theory, but it looked awful. So if you’re counting, that’s two changes for this room already. In the matter of a few months I had changed the plan from art studio to spare bedroom, and had changed the color from sage green to a green/grey mix.

Once the Spare Bedroom decision was made I thought a neutral color was the way to go, so off to Lowes I went AGAIN.

This time around I picked a light brown. The color really isn’t bad, but I just don’t love it. The bummer is that I had started buying accessories for a brown room.

Spare Bedroom - Before

At some point I realized I had no idea what I was doing so it became a storage room. Most of the time I leave the door closed and try to forget the room is even there.

Spare Bedroom - Before

Even though the brown theme isn’t bad, it’s just not working. Once again I’m left with what felt like a failed design.

Spare Bedroom - Before

Spare Bedroom Remodel - Before

I’m not just giving up on this room, so I have a new plan. I realize there is not a a lot of direct light into this room, even with the blinds open. The colors need to be light and I’m going to stick with a neutral theme. I plan on going with white wainscoting/bead board and grey walls. This will keep the room light and allow me to bring in a few fun accent colors.

I’ve already started purging the room and organizing all the random stuff in the pictures above. I also tried my hand at refinishing a standing mirror. This mirror was also given to me by my brother, but the wood color was just a little too light for me. I wanted this piece to be a darker finish to pop against the white moulding.

Spare Bedroom Mirror - Before

Spare Bedroom Mirror - Before

Unfortunately in true form to this room, my original plan didn’t work. Like everything else with this room, it’s not bad, but I just don’t like it. The wood grain is too dark and the rest of the wood is too light.

Don’t mind the uneven sanding which didn’t help the issue.

Spare Bedroom Mirror

Spare Bedroom Mirror

So the mirror is on hold for now. My first reaction was to paint it dark brown or break out the ORB, but I don’t know if that’s the right move. I think I might want to bring in the ‘pops’ of color in the mirror so it might end up an aqua color.

I’ve never had a room give me this much trouble before, but I suppose each miss just puts me one step closer to a hit, right? RIGHT? :::sigh:::

In the meantime I’m pulling inspiration from everywhere. This is a little bit of what I’ve found as inspiration for the finished room…here’s hoping things start going right in this room from here on out.

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The Big Reveal: Living Room Fireplace

If you count the time in which I’ve been dreaming about the finished fireplace, it’s been a long 18 months. The fireplace felt like a daunting task and I’m a little shocked that I actually did it (with some help, of course). 18 months of dreaming has turned into a finished fireplace that is better than I could have imagined.  I’m so excited that I’ve been doing a little happy dance over here for the past 3 days. Here’s a quick look back at the journey.

A basic black and brass gas fireplace insert surrounded by beige 8 x 8 inch tiles. The tile color was actually more of an almond color and looked awful. It was in bad shape and the grout was cracking all over.We tried patching it at one point but clean grout just made the rest of it look dirtier. At some point the previous owners had tried to burn wood in the gas fireplace so there was soot all over the top which isn’t very visible in the picture.

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The first step was to paint the fireplace screen. I did this first because I knew if I got paint on the tiles it wouldn’t matter since I would be tearing them down. It was a good start and made a big difference to get rid of the brass. Plus it cost less than $5.

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Next I started tearing the tile down. This took a few weeks since I was only able to work on it for a few hours every couple of days. I quickly found that the builders had adhered the tile with construction adhesive which made for some difficult removal, especially on the bottom row.

Fireplace Remodel

A little drywall repair was in order, then we began installing the prefabricated mantle and pilaster set. That solid white strip of wood under the mantle was later covered with a more decorative moulding. This was all followed with another few weeks of nail setting, filler, sanding, and priming.

Fireplace Remodel

At this point we celebrated Christmas and I was able to hang stockings on my ‘in progress’ mantle.

Fireplace Remodel

This is where I asked for your help on tile choices. After choosing the tile, this past weekend we installed it, grouted, and painted both the surrounding wall and put a few coats of white gloss on the wood.

So which tile did I choose?

Option 1 was the winner!

Fireplace Remodel

Isn’t it lovely?!

Fireplace Remodel

Why did I pick Tile Option #1?

A lot of it had to do with the price. Option 1 tiles were clearance at Home Depot. Each  sheet was only $3.76 as opposed to the $11-14 per sheet for all the other styles. So instead of paying about $100 for the tile, I only paid $30. So while Option 3 was actually my favorite, it would have been very expensive and difficult to cut down.

I did have to cut some of these tiles, but with a pair of Tile Nippers purchased at Lowes, it was fairly easy. This was another positive to option 1, most of the other styles would have required more extensive cutting.

Fireplace Remodel

Now I have the opportunity to create pretty mantle designs. Right now I’m loving a natural winter theme. I changed out the candy corn from this project and replaced it coffee beans. The flowers are from Hobby Lobby, snowflake candle holders were from the Crate and Barrel Outlet while everything else came from Homegoods.

Fireplace Remodel

Price Breakdown:

Drywall Repair Supplies (Join Compound, etc) (Lowes/Already Owned) = $13

Sander/Sand Paper (Already Owned) = $0

Prefabricated Mantle (Lowes) = $84

Prefabricated Pilaster Kit (Lowes) = $64

Decorative Wood Moulding (Lowes) = $13

Nails/Wood Filler (Lowes) = $5

Kilz Primer (Already Owned) = $0

Valspar White High Gloss Paint (Already Owned) = $0

Wall Paint Touchups (Already Owned) = $0

Tile (Home Depot) = $30

Tile Adhesive (Already Owned) = $0

Grout/Supplies (Home Depot) = $15

High Heat Spray Paint for Fireplace Screen (Home Depot) = $4

Total Fireplace Remodel Cost = $228

Originally I had thought it would cost closer to $400 to finish the fireplace, but I was able to catch some great sales and the clearance tiles meant that I was able to cut the cost down under $250. Well worth it and I think it really adds to the house.

**Edited to change the cost of the Pilaster set. I origianlly thought it was $104, but after finding the receipt it was really $64. The $104 was the origianl cost of the Mantle kit, but it was on sale for $84.

…and because I still can’t believe it…

one last before…

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…and after!

Fireplace Remodel

Linking To: Addicted 2 Decorating, Thrift Decor Chick

Room Reveal: Dining Room Moulding – Under $100

Excited doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this room reveal. When I moved into my first home  a little over a year ago, I didn’t even know what to do with a formal dining room. I dreamed of having large holiday dinners in there, but otherwise it’s been a bit of a dead space. And since I don’t yet own a dining room table, I won’t be hosting any large dinner parties for a while. Currently I eat at a pub table in my kitchen and use the dining room for…well nothing really.

However, that is all about to change, because I’ve finished a big TO DO item on my list.

First, let’s take a little trip back in time…to when I bought the house. A dining room was not on my wish list, but I lucked out and got one that has a very open feeling. The floor plan is a little wacky, so I’ll have to share a full post on a home tour soon, but the dining room opens to the first floor so it is literally very open.

Before… (gotta love that green carpet and walls – I’m slowly trying to get rid of it)

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About 6 months ago I decided to do a chair rail and had visions of a pretty grey on the bottom separating the top with crisp white moulding. I also found those incredible sconces at Homegoods and snapped them up right away. The white wood blinds came with the house.

Dining Room

The grey turned out a little funky, but I left it alone because I wasn’t sure what to do about it. I also purchased some curtains from IKEA (that need to be hemmed).

I ended up loving the sconces and curtains, but the wall color looked awful with the dark grey curtains. Why does every grey paint I pick out look purple or blue? Anyone have  recommendations for a shade of grey that doesn’t have bruise like undertones?

Dining Room - In Progress

I still wasn’t sure how I wanted to replace the wall color so I kept going and added my Knock Off Pottery Barn Bar, built by my dad. As well as a few accessories.

Pottery Barn Knock Off - Bar

After a bit of Googling and DIY research online, I settled on installing moulding along the bottom of the wall. I purchased 8 foot boards that were 1/4 inch thick. They ran about $8 a board which was more than I wanted to pay, but I had to have 1/4 inch thick which is difficult to find. Why did I need 1/4 inch boards? I have very simple baseboards and I didn’t want to remove or replace them. The 1/4 inch boards are the exact thickness for the baseboards so they butt up against them perfectly.

I purchased 13 boards (only used 10) and 3 – 8 foot lengths of a simple chair rail.

Dining Room - In Progress

After measuring out the proper height, I started installing the top moulding. I’m incredibly paranoid about moulding falling off the wall so I used both Liquid Nails and finishing nails to secure them to the wall. There is no way these boards are coming down…sorry future homeowners. I hope you like it.

Dining Room - In Progress

After the top piece was secure, I added the chair rail using Liquid Nails.

Dining Room - In Progress

Once the top board and chair rail was installed, I measured out the distance between the vertical boards. I settled on 14 inches which meant that I didn’t need to cut around any of the outlets. Yay!

This whole process would have been much easier if I had a electric saw, but instead I used a miter box and handsaw. Honestly, it was a total pain and I finished the day with my hand in blisters. But I wanted to use what I had and not go out and buy equipment on a whim.

However, now my Christmas list is filled with tools and other equipment.

Dining Room - In Progress

All the vertical boards were installed with the Liquid Nail/Finishing Nail combo, and left to cure for a few days.

Dining Room - In Progress

After installing the boards, there were days of finishing.

Wood filler…

Sanding…

…more sanding…

Priming…

and Painting.

Overall installation took 1 full day and the prep/finishing took about 3 days (but I was only working on it at night).

Every minute of work and every blister was well worth it.

After…

Dining Room Moulding - FAV

Dining Room Moulding - X

Dining Room Moulding - X

Dining Room Moulding - X

One more look back…

Before:

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After:

Dining Room Moulding - FAV

I love, love, LOVE it.

Project Cost Breakdown (estimated):

1/4 Inch board – 8 feet long (Qty: 10) (Lowes) = $80

Chair Rail – 8 feet long (Qty: 3) (Lowes) = $15

Liquid Nails (Lowes) = $2

Nails/Hammer/Saw/Miter Box/Nail Set/Sander (Already Owned) = $0

Wood Filler/Kilz Primer/Semi Gloss White Paint (Already Owned) = $0

Total Project Cost: $97

SHOWING THE LOVE:

Linking to: Addicted 2 Decorating, Funky Junk Interiors, Between Naps On The Porch, Craft-O-Maniac, Making The World Cuter, Today’s Creative BlogGinger Snap CraftsBlue Cricket DesignVery Merry Vintage StyleSavvy Southern Style, Thrifty Decor Chick

Spare Bathroom Reveal – 3rd Floor

It’s the start of a new week and I have an exciting bathroom reveal for you. I actually finished this room a while back, before I had started this blog, so I thought I’d share it now. The deep colors just scream fall to me, so it seems like the perfect time.

Just like the Powder Room, and the Laundry Room…this room was all white when I purchased the house. I’m torn on whether this was a good or bad thing. It was so sterile I rushed to paint every room as quickly as possible; but on the other hand, they were an excellent blank canvas. Bad picture is courtesy of the home listing, apparently they were completely averse to vertical pictures. However, it’s the only one that still shows you the ugly brass door knobs and ‘padded room’ white design.

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Unfortunately it was so much harder to figure out how to design this room. I started out with a light pink, and it was going to be very girly…too girly. Then I thought grey would be better since this was a spare bathroom, and I thought going gender neutral would be a smarter design choice. However, the grey I bought was really baby blue. I painted one wall in this bathroom three different colors before I landed on a deep olive green.

It’s actually very similar to a Semi Gloss Army Green.

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

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In fact I was so giddy to finally find a color that worked that I bought a whole gallon of it. So now I have an almost full gallon of semi gloss olive green paint left to use somewhere else (not sure where yet).

So why did I pick green? It was all because of the towels I found at Target. It’s a little difficult to get a great picture of the deep tones, but they are a really rich palette; with dark brown, deep teal, rust, burgundy, and cream. Shortly after finding the towels,I came across the metal art at Homegoods, it was perfect.

3rd Floor Spare Bathoom - After

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

Back when I lived in the apartment, I had purchased the dark wood hutch for extra storage. I almost didn’t bring it with me when I moved, but it actually worked out great in this room. It added the storage that is very lacking and matched the hardware that I added.

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

This is the bathroom overnight guests would use so it’s fully stocked with all the essentials in case anyone should forget something at home, or decide to stay last minute.

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

The knobs are from Anthropologie and make me swoon.

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The towel hardware was on clearance at Bed Bath & Beyond. I picked up a second one for another bathroom as well. I actually wish I had bought a few more, but they were out by the time I went back. These replaced the cheapo builder grade silver hardware.

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

The curtain hardware was also a standard oil rubbed bronze rod purchased from BB & Beyond. However, the curtain itself is just fabric from JoAnn’s. I had used this as my bedroom curtains at the apartment, but the cream color matched the towels and the subtle design seemed to play well in the room.

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

I only needed to add a shower curtain liner which I picked up for super cheap at Wal-Mart.

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

…however the fabric is a little long and I still need to hem the curtains.

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

The accessories were random odds and ends that I had stashed around the house.

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

I love this statue. I wish I could recall where I bought it from. When in doubt, Homegoods is probably a good guess. (It may have also come from Cost Plus World Market)

3rd Floor Spare Bathroom - After

Yet, my favorite part of the entire room is this section. I love the star and that candle, they make me happy.

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I still have some things I’d like to do in here; such as replace the vanity and the flooring, but otherwise I love the way it turned out.

I don’t have a specific cost breakdown for this one since I didn’t itemize as much before I started the blog. Although, with the help of my trusty calculator (I suck at math), I estimate it was around $100. I bought a lot of things on clearance/sale and I used coupons as well, so this room was a bargain.

SHOWING THE LOVE!!

Linking To: Thrifty Decor Chick, Between Naps on the Porch, Keeping It Simple, Craft-O-Maniac, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter,  Today’s Creative BlogNot JUST A HousewifeSavvy Southern StyleWe Are That FamilyVery Merry Vintage StyleBlue Cricket Design, Ginger Snap Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Beyond The Picket Fence, The ArtsyGirl Connection, Between U & MeThe Crafty NestRemodelaholicAddicted 2 Decorating, The Shabby Nest, The French Country Cottage, Dear Creatives, 5 Minutes Just For Me, The Not So Functional Housewife, Funky Junk Interiors

The Big Reveal – Laundry Room ReDesign

Of all the chores in the house, I actually like doing the laundry. Maybe it’s because everything smells so good coming out of the dryer. In winter, when it’s cold outside, there’s nothing like holding warm, fresh towels and blankets. Next time you want to do yoga on a cold day, toss your yoga clothes in the dryer for a few minutes. Toasty.

I probably like doing laundry because it’s easy. Let’s face it, you sort (which is no big deal if you do it day by day instead of all at once), you dump (into the machine), pour (in the soap), then turn it on.

Walk away…easy peasy. The machine does all the work.

Now, I will admit the folding after everything dries is a bit of a pain, but if you do it right away, it doesn’t take long. Once I have kids, I want to do something like this…

Source: google.com.au via Kylie on Pinterest

Everyone gets a basket. They drop off their dirty clothes, then the folded clothes go back in the basket and everyone can pick up their loot. So cool, and much easier for mom who shouldn’t have to put everyone’s clothes away, she’s got enough to do.

But I don’t have kids…yet. So I have the perfect size laundry room for a few people and I’m really excited to share that it’s no longer builder grade white. It also cost less than $150 for everything. It’s the first room you see when walk up the stairs to the 3rd floor, so I’m pleased that it turned out so well.

BEFORE

Again, another one that feels like a padded room. White walls, white floor, white cabinets, and white appliances. Oh yeah, and that crappy red sticker (and some dog hair).

….and AFTER!

I took these pictures before I removed the red sticker, so please try to see past that.

I think it turned out pretty darn good!

 

This is one of those rooms that simply fell into place (others were not so easy). First I picked the color, it’s a steel blue which set off the white appliances/trim nicely. I absolutely love this color so much I wish I could find somewhere else in the house to put it.

From the beginning I knew I wanted a ‘natural’ feel with the baskets and the art. It was pure luck that I found both at Homegoods within weeks of each other. The art was even on clearance, marked down 50% (nothing is wrong with it as far as I can tell).

Project Cost Breakdown

Paint: 2 Quarts of Valspar Beguile= $28 (I almost made it with just one quart, but we needed a bit more)

Canvas Wall Art (Homegoods) =  $90$45

Small Laundry Hamper (Homegoods) = $30

Large Laundry Hamper (Homegoods) = $40

My super sweet mom willing to climb behind the washer/dryer to paint the back corners = Priceless!

Total Project Cost: $146

SHOWING THE LOVE!!

Linking To: Between Naps on the Porch, Keeping it Simple, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Thrifty Decor Chick, Not JUST a Housewife, Today’s Creative Blog, Savvy Southern Style, We Are THAT Family, Very Merry Vintage Style, Blue Cricket Design, Ginger Snap Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Vanessa’s Crafty Nest, Addicted 2 Decorating, Shabby Nest, French Country Cottage, Dear Creatives, Ohh Baby Designs, Funky Junk Interiors