Vacation - Stay-cation

For Ryan's vacation this year, we opted for a nice "stay-cation". We had a great time celebrating the 24th of July by finishing up the bathroom. (It's looking good in there! Just a few more details like finding a light fixture that will work with the mirror or a new mirror to work with the light fixture we have. Decisions, decisions.) We went swimming, we went to the park, we celebrated Ry's 34th birthday, we went to the baseball game, we ate out, we shopped. It was great!

With only two more glorious days before he had to return to work, he suggested that we pull out the carpet in the front room. He didn't even have to say it twice before I was practically throwing the furniture out the front door. Yippee! This has been my kind of vacation! Home improvement projects galore.

At first, the floors looked promising. In great condition and just needed a bit of cleaning and a new coat of poly. But alas, they were just like all the rest of the house. The previous owners used the hardwood as their drop cloth for their painting projects.

My son and his friends really helped. They pulled out staples, pushed out the old carpet and demolished the old tile. They were great help!

At one point during the full on destruction of the tiles, Ryan said the boys "Thanks for destroying my house." You should of seen their faces until they realized it was okay.




Now that Ryan is back to work, I am filling in holes, washing walls and cleaning the floors, trying to decide on a stain color. Oh boy. Decisions, decisions. I can't wait to see them done! Now if I could just get that sectional sofa that I have been wanting....

Remember when?

Remember when I blogged about this cute giveaway?? Well, this girl just won them!! Hot-diggity-dog! I am super excited because now I don't have to make them myself! Weeeee!

Raegun is having another giveaway this week. (Actually, she does giveaways all of the time, keep her bookmarked.) So hustle your cute booty on over to her blog and get your name in the pot for all that yummy Japanese fabric goodness. Do you think I could win two in a row?? Nah, I'm not that lucky. :)

Her Southern Charm

Recently, I did a fabulous trade with Jennifer from Her Southern Charm. She made me a personalized necklace with this cute little bee charm. Now, I must admit that I am not one for the "mom necklace" but I like this one.

Not only did I get the personalized necklace, I also got this cute little "xo" necklace. It's simple and petite and I wear it right over the top of my everyday necklace. That little diamond flower is my 30th birthday present from my husband. Love it and wear it all of the time.

If you are looking for a sweet, personalized necklace or charm, I highly recommend her. Go visit her Etsy shop or her new website soon!

Thank you Her Southern Charm for the necklaces. Hope you enjoy your new tassels!

How to hang beadboard- Megan style

Step 1: Wait until husband goes out of town and then decide that the bathroom must be done right then and there.
Step 2: Measure, measure and measure some more. Decide that it would be good idea to balance the bead board on the metal bar above the old linoleum.
Step 3: Go to Home Depot and have them make the big cuts for you.
Step 4: Try to put the biggest piece of bead board up by yourself because you can do it and you have that handy-dandy metal bar that will help you.
Step 5: Find out that there is no way that you can actually hold the bead board 4 inches off the ground because that handy-dandy metal bar is in no way helping.
Step 6: Call Dad.
Step 7: Dad will come over at 9:30 at night and help you hang the big piece of bead board which required way more strength and flexibility than you ever thought possible for such a lightweight material.
Step 8: Run out of adhesive but that's a good thing because you actually bought the wrong kind of adhesive anyway thus the difficulty getting the board to stick to the wall while you hammer in finishing nails.
Step 9: Beg Dad to come back with his jig saw the next day. He does thankfully.
Step 10: Laugh and giggle over your stellar measuring skillz as nothing is lining up right and cuts are too deep. Decide that if you were a pair of carpenters, that you wouldn't make a dime. In fact you would have to pay them to do the work.
Step 11: Measure all cut pieces from Home Depot and realize that it was Home Depot's mistake. All pieces were cut incorrectly. Feel smug because your measuring skillz have now been redeemed.
Step 12: Have Dad save the day by figuring out how to use all the pieces anyway.
Step 13: Finish hanging the rest of the bead board yourself because now you have mad jigsawing skillz to add to your mad measuring skillz.
Step 14: Smoother Dad with thanks, hugs and kisses and think that maybe it would of been a good idea to wait the day and a half for my honey to get home.
Step 15: Admire your work! Next step, finishing trim and paint!

Rae Gun Ramblings: Giveaway and Tutorial: Fabric Headbands

I have seen these little headbands all over and I think that they are so cute!! This little tutorial is very handy and if you don't want to make it yourself, just enter her giveaway for a free one! Can't get any better than free handmade goodness!
Rae Gun Ramblings: Giveaway and Tutorial: Fabric Headbands

While you are there, check out her amazing Etsy shop. Makes me yearn for a little baby girl to adorn her diapered bum in ruffles. :)

Bathroom During

Good bye poorly painted walls.
Hello fresh paint and yummy beadboard!




Good bye super ugly green counter tops!!

Hello pretty sandy counters!

Plans are coming along nicely. The paint is taking ages to dry since our swamp cooler is making everything so humid. (Don't you love swamp coolers? Not me! Everything is sticky, wet and still too hot. Especially our bedroom. Ugh! )

PROGRESS

1. Paint walls with leftover paint from family room. CHECK
2. Cover the walls with tub-height bead board painted bright white. INSTALLED - BUT NOT YET PAINTED
3. Paint vanity dark brown. ALMOST - DOORS AREN'T FINISHED
4. Paint and seal counter tops a sandy color. CHECK
5. Extend length of bargain curtain. FABRIC BOUGHT
6. Install new light fixture handed down from dear Sister. NOT SURE IT'S GOING TO WORK.
7. Find new mirror or medicine cabinet. CHECK- FOUND A MIRROR AT THE THRIFT STORE FOR ONLY $5!
8. Budget $100. SPENT!

Decorate with new lamp - check

A while back, I was the lucky winner of this lamp from Imparting Grace. I was so thrilled when I received this lamp but had to put it aside until I had more time to play with it. As I walked past it for three days, I realized that I liked the place that it was in so I added my favorite bird tassel and called it a day. I still would love to fancy up the shade and put something by the lamp eventually but, for now, I am happy with it!



Thanks so much Richella!

Rustic Star Custom Order

I usually make tassels for all the holidays, but the 4th of July has left me stumped. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find much to work with in the stores. After I sent cute Erin her new tassel, she back a rustic star that she wanted done into a tassel for the 4th.


I am happy with how it turned out. The star was tricky to incorporate because I couldn't hang anything off the bottom. I thought about having it be dangle below like this Valentine one but it seemed too big. The only thing left to try was hanging it. I thought it looked great!
Done up with brick red, cream and goldy/tan bullion, it's makes an untraditional 4th of July decoration that has year-round appeal.

Bathroom Plans

I like to live with a room for a while before I decide how I want it done. It helps me narrow down my thought process and look for inspirations but for my bathroom, it seemed that a whole gut was imminent. Emerald green faux marble countertops and blacksplash, vintage green tub with huge shower surround attached, walls in poor condition from a bad wallpaper striping and paint job and white carpet. Who puts carpet in their bathroom?? It just felt that this bathroom had no choice but to go.

After a few months we tore out the carpet, a few months after that, I stripped off the wallpaper border, a few months after that I took down the shower doors. Considered beadboard to cover up sad looking walls but nothing ever happened.

After reading the last issue of Do It Yourself magazine (my favorite!) I became inspired by their spread of tiny bathroom fix ups. Love the bright color and the crisp white. The fun shower curtain and the big white mirror.
Inspired, I put up a darling shower curtain that I had bought from the thrift store a while back because I liked the fabric for Mia's room. Turns out, it's the superstar that pulls together the vintage tub and flooring. There was no denying it, this tiny bath was going to get a fresh new look.

PLANS

1. Paint walls with leftover paint from family room.
2. Cover the walls with tub-height bead board painted bright white.
3. Paint vanity dark brown.
4. Paint and seal counter tops a sandy color.
5. Extend length of bargain curtain.
6. Install new light fixture handed down from dear Sister.
7. Find new mirror or medicine cabinet.
8. Budget $100.

To be continued....

FREE PAINT!

Quick! Head on over to Glidden and get your free quart of eggshell finish paint.

https://www.glidden.com/promotions/free-paint-giveaway.do

I got Antique Silver to try for the boys room. I wanted a grayish/bluish color. It might work and now I get to try it for FREE! You can too! What color will you choose??