Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Bathroom Reveal:

I had so much fun with this bathroom reno- it is our main floor bathroom that our guests use.  A perfect place to start renovations.

Here is the bathroom before:




And after!



Black and white tree art and frame - Walmart - $10
Black towel (hanging) - Walmart - $5.50
White ceramic vase - Homesense - $25
Black soap dispenser - Walmart - $6.50
Light switch plates - Rona - approx $3 for all
Mirror - Rona - $75
Granite slab with sink - J&H Builders - $100
Faucet - $65


 You can find more photos of my staining project here.


Stain - local paint center - $25 (quart size)
Polyurethane - local paint center - $10 (pint size)
Toilet paper holder - Rona Home Improvement - $75 (came with lights and three towel rings/bars/hooks





Shelves - Rona Home Improvement - $12 each 
Black towels - Walmart - $6 for pack of 2
Ceramic fish - Stokes - $10 
Starfish - Michaels - $7 
Apathocary Jars - Home Outfitters - $17 for pack of 3
Birdcage - Michaels - $7
Green grass - Homesense - $6 
Black and white flower art with frame - Walmart - $12
All white towels, black sand, see shells, bamboo art and frame are all from my closet.






My "splurge" item:
Framed art - Homesense - $50
Black towels - Walmart - $5.50 each



Birdcage turned toilet paper holder:



And my favorite part, before and after!










Cabinet Staining:

Pinterest has changed my life.  You can see the complete and total tutorial here but I will share my quick tutorial photos with you.

Products used:


General Finishes Gel Stain in Java color - $25 for a quart



General Finishes Gel Satin Topcoat - $10 for a pint

I was lucky enough to find a local distributor who sold these products.



Here is the before photo - golden 80s oak bathroom cabinet:




Coat #1:




Coat #2:




Coat #3 (still drying):



Finished product with two coats of polyurethane:


And the best part, before and after!



Vase and Apathocary Jar Filler Ideas:

Vase and Apathocary Jar Filler Ideas


I have been searching the internet high and low for vase filler ideas.  I have a small addiction with vases, ceramics, and apathocary jars.  I saved all my internet photos on my desktop but then decided to share them with you.

I have not linked any of these photos to their original websites as I can't remember where they came from.  If you see a photo on here that is yours, please comment and I can link to your site.




How GORGEOUS is this??  I am sure you could buy the moss at a dollar store and the eggs could be bought during the Easter season anywhere!  What a simple yet fantastic idea!!!!





So fresh and simple!!  Love the idea of not over filling the apathocary jars.
 
 
 
 
 
For The Bathroom
 
Again, not overstuffed with objects.  Love the soap collection idea.
 
 
 
 
Keeping everything the same color creates a cohesive look - stunning!
 
 
 
 
Holiday Ideas
 
I have been this for a few years now, just fill any size vase with holiday ornaments.  It doesn't get any easier than that!  Walmart sells inexpensive boxes of gorgeous colors.
 



LOVE the touch of ribbon - I will definitely be adding ribbons this year to my vases!




More ribbons - you could really make a statement doing this on your mantel, side table, or main dining table.




Love the rustic look.  By stacking vases one of top of each other, you have a completely different look - faboulous!!!





Simple yet elegant - filling vases with lights.  You can now buy led lights that have a small battery pack in them - no messy cords!






Use salt or sugar to fill vases - such a great inexpensive idea!






Another cranberry idea - doesn't it look warm and inviting?







Christmas candies - a perfect way to welcome the holidays.  How festive!!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Natural Ideas

Use layers of slightly different colored pepples - it actually looks very modeen:
 

 
 

 
 

Simple pepples and candles.
 


 
 

LOVE the fresh leaves in water on the right hand side.
 
 
 
 
 
Simple twigs in salt.
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 So adorable!  Using apathocary jars as terreriums - the things people think of!
 
 




A vase within a vase - fill smaller vase with stones and use a sprig of leaves around it - LOVE IT!






A nice way to display plant cuttings.
 




Perfect for Autumn.






A splasch of color.






Plenty of options - you could use candies or coffee beans too.






I LOVE this photo.  I watch Sweet Genius and Chef Ron's kitchen has jars of colored sugars - I think that would be great displayed above kitchen cupboards.

I also have an apathocary jar in my dining room that is screaming to be filled with black gumballs.




Use your imagination - you can put pretty much anything on display!!!  Have any more ideas - I would be thrilled if you left me a comment.



 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Re-purposed Scrapbook Paper:


I had purchased these vintage wine plaques/frames a while back.  There certainly wasn't anything wrong with them, but they were really dark and the store only had two different types.  I needed six of something, at least that was my vision.

They aren't true frames, as they don't have glass or come apart in any way.

Step 1:
I gave the black and gold frames a super quick paint job with a semi-gloss white paint.  I didn't sand and I wasn't worried about the old colour coming through as I thought it would give them some character.



Step 2:
I placed a 12 x 12 scrapbook paper in each frame with spray adhesive.  You could do an epoxy spray after on the paper to make them a bit more durable but I left it as is.  I wanted to keep it as simple and cheap as possible.


Total cost:
plaques/frames - $1.99 each
paint - left overs from shelf product
scrapbook paper - .75 cents each
Total for this project - $16.44

No splurge items on this project. Yeah!

 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Painting Laminate:

Painting laminate:

This shelf has always been a thorn in my side, I didn't like the color nor did I know what to do with it.  But the lines and structure had some potential.



Step 1:
A quick sanding and one coat of primer - not so pretty looking.  I thought for sure I had ruined it.



I used a foam brush and foam roller - I HATE brush marks with a passion.  I buy my foam brushes from Michaels when they are 10 for $10 and my foam rollers are from the dollar store (a 3 pack for $1).  LOVE those!  No fussies to pick off your painted surface, totally recommend!

I also used some old paint cans to lift the entire shelf off the floor so I could paint but you could use anything.

Step 3:
I did about 4 coats of a white acrylic semi gloss paint.  Though I would recommend filling in the holes, I wasn't certain at the time where I was going to put the middle shelf.



Oh, and wear gloves if you don't want paint all over your hands.



A bit of white paint and some repetitive shapes gives it a whole new look.


I always have to be careful with decorating.  I have two cats that would demolish any sort of real plants so I had to go with faux.  Plus these don't collect cat fur.  Baskets would be really nice too.


Total cost:
book shelf - $30
paint and supplies - $20 (at the very, very most) A gallon of paint can go a long way on small projects around the house
plants - $6 each (my "splurge" item)
Total cost for this completed project: $82


I usually like to have some sort of splurge item in each project, but you can do it for cheaper.



Sunday, August 5, 2012

Dining Room Reveal:

 
A bit of background on our house:  We were in a buyers and sellers market when we bought this house.  As suggested by our realtor, we bought this house before we sold our other house.  So really, we owned two homes.  The next day when we put our other house on the market it turned drastically into a buyers market and not a sellers market.
 
For four long, emotional months we owned two quite expensive homes that we could not afford (I mean how can really afford two homes?).  We were miserable and almost in jeopardy of losing our $10,000 down payment that we save for.
 
Finally our house sold and we were able to move into this house.
 
With that said, I will never move again :)
 

This was our very first day - possession day were we owned the keys!
 



I painted the oak window trim in white which immediately brightened up the space.  We also replaced the light fixture, flooring, and baseboards.  My feature wall is quite bright and I do want to wallpaper soon in a neutral tone.
 



Goodbye light colored carpet!!  Seriously, I was so worried I was going to spill something in there every time I moved a chair.  Imagine red wine flying.
 



I LOVE covering anything in fabric shower curtains.  My artwork on the left wall is 3 canvases covered in a shower curtain.

Shower curtain - Walmart - $15
Canvas - Michaels - $12 for all 3
 


I have more plans in mind - including wallpaper, a brightly colored dresser, and a more modern dining table.