A Kid's Bathroom Re-Do

Hello Everyone!

Today I'm going to share a little bathroom makeover we did just about a year ago. And by little I mean cosmetic changes only....except for the toilet, which is where this story begins.

So, out of necessity, we had to replace the toilet in our kid's bathroom. And you know how that goes....one thing leads to another, which leads to another, and so on, and so on, etc., etc....

Literally, while Hubster was replacing the toilet, I [sheepishly] said, "It's too bad that while you have the toilet out, we couldn't replace the flooring in here."

<crickets>

A few minutes went by and Hubs said, "If you go pick out the flooring and bring it home, I'll put it in."

Zooooom!! 

(That's the sound of me high-tailing it out of the house before he had a chance to change his mind.)

I pretty much had it in my mind what I wanted. After all, I had been secretly contemplating this bathroom for a long time. I wanted to use vinyl planks since we had used them in your mudroom and were happy with them. Of course when I got to the home store, they didn't have the style I wanted. So it was either compromise and get a style that I didn't want or order it online and wait. I didn't want to wind up being unhappy, so we ordered online.

But why just wait when you could do something else? Like PAINT!

However, painting this room meant pulling off the lovely 80's rose print wallpaper. No problem, right?

WRONG!!

Whoever had  wallpapered this room had not primed the walls first and had papered directly over new drywall.

I began to pull off wallpaper and with it came layers of drywall. It was horrible!   

Here are a couple more "during" photos. It gives you a little idea of what the wallpaper was like. Those are tiny little rosebuds and I forgot to mention there was also a border. And you can see the flooring samples I brought home.

You can also see the old flooring. It was vinyl and had some staining and gouges in it. It was not in great shape. 

This wound up being about five week project. Because of the wallpaper situation, we had to remud large parts of the walls....and sand....and patch.... and sand. It seemed never-ending.

Then came the painting, the flooring, and all the little things.

But the end result was worth it. Take a look!

Big change, huh?

I chose a dark wood vinyl planking for the floor. The beadboard was already there, we just repainted it. I chose a nice, bright turquoise color for the rest of the walls.

We replaced the single, old, plastic towel bar with two double towel bars with a satin nickel finish so everyone could have their own.

It took me a while to find the right shower curtain. As usual, I knew exactly what I wanted and had a hard time finding it. I finally splurged on this bold striped one from West Elm.

The light fixtures are inexpensive exterior barn lights from Lowes.

I made my own wall art using Photoshop Elements and some frames from WalMart.

I don't have a good picture of it, but I also repainted the old vanity and added turquoise glass knobs that I found at Hobby Lobby. The faucet was replaced with one with a matching satin nickel finish.

I looked around for a while before I found art for next to the sink. But I eventually found this word art at TJMaxx. I think it's the perfect thing for my kids to see every morning as they start their day.



So there you have it. A bathroom makeover that all started with a toilet.

 

 

**UPDATE:  The wall art I created for this room is now available as a free download. Just click here....

 

The Most Pinned Item From My Blog And Free Printables

Today's thankfulness....

* For friends both far and near.

* For peace that we have that can only come from God

* For a God who hears our prayers and answers them


Have a great day!

Easy Kitchen Updates, Part 2: Pendant Light Adaptor And More

I promised to share another easy thing we did to update our kitchen today. Yesterday I told you about how we transformed a wall in the kitchen with bead board wallpaper. If you missed it, you can read about it HERE.

Today we're going to talk about lighting and paint.

2.) Pendant Light Conversion Kit

Before, our over-the-sink lighting was just a typical recessed can light. Not too pretty or interesting. At Lowe's I found this Pendant Light Conversion Kit which allowed me to easily convert the can light to a pretty pendant light with a shade.

This had to be about the easiest project EVER. And I'm no electrician.

              

You simply screw the adaptor into your can light just like you would the light bulb. Adjust the cord to the desired length and tighten a screw on the cover plate. Then just attach your shade and you're done. Easy peasy!

The shade does not come with the kit....which is good...because then you can choose whatever style, size, and color shade you want. I chose this great burlap one.

I love that this project was so easy, was fairly inexpensive (the kit was 24.99 and I think I payed around $20 for the shade), and had a nice impact on the room. It added some texture and even more importantly, I use the light over the sink way more now. 

3.) Paint

The third thing we did was paint. You've probably heard it said a million times. The least expensive way to make a big impact on a room is with paint.

The color we chose was Sweet Almond by Valspar.

 

 

It wasn't really a huge change color-wise.....just a little creamier looking than what we had before. But it definitely freshened up the space.

And I guess under the category of paint, I could include our chalkboard wall. This was so easy to do and made a HUGE impact on the room.

(This photo was taken after I finished the chalkboard project, but before we painted the rest of the walls.)

 

So there you have it.....some super simple and fairly inexpensive ways we updated our kitchen. I hope it inspires you to find simple ways to freshen up a space in your home.

Today's Thankfulness....

* NO SCHOOL TODAY!

* For the chance to sleep in!

* For other bloggers who inspire me.

* For the home God has given us.

Make it a great day everyone!

Easy Kitchen Updates, Part 1: Beadboard Wallpaper

Over the next couple days, I want to share with you a couple pretty easy and inexpensive updates that we made to our kitchen this year.

First up....

1.) Beadboard Wallpaper

If you remember, I started by lining the back of a couple of our kitchen cupboards with decorative paper and removing the glass doors. This was a really random project and when I was done, I loved it but knew that meant some changes for the rest of the kitchen.

I contemplated what to do on the wall our cabinets are on for a long time. You see, when we moved into our house ten years ago the kitchen had a lovely hand-sponged (yes, sponged) grapevine board along the top of the walls. I actually did like it at first. It gave the kitchen a little country charm and some color since the rest of the kitchen was fairly neutral. But it was started feeling kind of outdated and I was ready for something fresh.

My other issue was all the wood. Don't get me wrong, I love wood. But we had oak cabinets, hardwood floors, large overhead beams. Sometimes it felt like a little much.

 

I knew I could never talk the Hubster into painting the cabinets. I approached the subject once by saying, "Have you ever thought about painting our kitchen cabinets." His immediate response was, "Noooo..."  I knew I didn't have a chance so I didn't pursue it. Sometimes it's worth being persistant in order for Hubster to catch the vision. But in this case, I knew not to waste my time.

So I decided instead to embrace the wood, but try to figure out a plan that would help it to not take over the room. I pinned many beautiful kitchens on Pinterest and I began to realize that I loved the look of plain white subway tile.

 

Here's one of my inspiration photos from Remodelaholic.

source: Remodelaholic

I love this look. And it was even with oak cabinets similar to mine. But tiling was something we had never tackled before. And I knew that tile would probably be a little out of our budget.

I started doing a little more inspirational research and found out about a paintable textured wall paper in a beadboard pattern from Lowes. I decided this would be a great alternative to subway tile. And since the wallpaper is only about $20 a roll (I used about 2 rolls), it was a much less expensive option that tile also. So we used it on the entire wall where the cabinets are and I couldn't be happier with it. 

First, Hubster primed the wall and painted over the border. Goodbye grapevine!

Now I said these updates were easy. Well I don't know if you would call wallpapering hard so much as stressful. Although I had watched and helped my Dad and Hubster wallpaper many times, I had never done it myself. My wall also had a window and cupboards to fit around. So, yes, it was a little stressful.

 

But this product was great and easy to use. It has a thicker, foam-like texture so you do have to be careful to not make an impression on it by leaning on it, with fingernails, etc., but it went up without problems. It is prepasted and you just have to wet it. It stuck very well and I didn't have any problems with corners or seams coming unglued. Hubster and I wound up tag-teaming this project. I did the lower section below the cabinets and he did above.



I'm really happy with how it turned out. It adds some character back to the kitchen that the border gave it, but in a more updated way. It also gives me a neutral canvas to accessorize with any color I want.

And the wallpaper is holding up really well, even around the sink. If there are ever any splatters, I can just wipe them off with a sponge.

Tomorrow I'm going to share about this little project. Stay tuned!

 

Today's Thankfulness....

* That my husband's work schedule allows him to be home in the mornings to see the kids off to school.

* For technology.....especially on the days that it works. :-)

* For the changing colors of leaves in my backyard.

Project: Birth Country Pride Print

Today I have a little project to share with you.

You've probably seen all the "state pride" projects all over the web lately. Framed prints, pillows....even pumpkins....all sporting a favorite state. I decided to do my own little spin on that idea and make a birth country pride print.

As you know, we adopted our three kiddos and they were all born in India. Teaching our children about their Indian heritage is important to us, but with our kids, the understanding comes more difficultly it seems. This little print is meant to be a small, subtle reminder of where they've come from. And you know my theme is "letting your home tell your story"(see the About Me section at the top), so this project fits the bill.

I started with a very simple craft frame. This frame doesn't have any glass. It just has a cardboard insert that is held in with metal tabs on the back. I could've bought a frame to put my print in, but I was really trying to just use what I had on hand. Plus, what's the fun in that? :)

To create my image I did a Google search for maps of India. I found one that would work and saved it to my desktop. Then I used Photoshop Elements to create my image. The opening in the frame was 3 1/2 inches square so I made my image just slightly bigger. For the chevron background, I used a digital paper created by my friend Heather Nay (same paper as used in my blog header.) When I was done I saved it and printed it out.

Well, first I had to make a run to WalMart to get colored ink for my printer. AHHHHH!!!!!

Next, I painted my frame black using some leftover chalkboard paint. I don't intend to do any chalking on the frame, but again, I was just trying to use what I already had. I wound up doing three coats of paint.

Since there was not going to be a lot holding my image in place in the frame, I decided to Modge Podge my cut out image to the cardboard insert that came with the frame. It gives it a little protection since there's no glass also. I like the way this turned out because it also gave it a little texture.

I let everything dry well overnight and then I put the print in the frame.

And....VOILA!!



I think it fits in nicely with this little gallery wall I've done that includes the silhouettes I showed you last week.

Just another little personalization in our home.

Today's Thankfulness....

* For a rainy day with nowhere to go.

* For beauty in simple things.

* For raisins (my latest craving)

* For a roof over my head.

Have a great day everybody!

The Monday Morning Blues

Happy Monday Everybody! I hope you all had a great weekend.

Our Monday morning didn't start out too happy. Nobody wanted to get out of their nice warm beds. Can't blame 'em really. Too-green bananas and favorite pants that have grown too short threatened the delicate balance we have around here every morning. Tears were shed. I may or may not have been one of those shedding them.

What a way to start the week, huh?

I think it is inevitable that there are going to be days when kids get on the bus unhappy or with a few tears....well, at least in our family. Please tell me it happens in yours too! It is one of the most heartbreaking things to me as a parent.

So what do you do? 

We pray.

Early on, my husband began praying with each of our children individually before they leave for school. And when he is not here because of travel I try to do it too.

We pray for their safety....that they would do their best....that they would be kind to their friends and respectful to their teachers....that others would see the light of Jesus in them. And that on days like today, that the Lord would calm their spirit and they would be able to move on with their day.

And Dad or Mom taking that minute just for them goes a long way too. That minute together spent in prayer can really turn the morning around. It did today.

I went searching for a great quote or something about prayer to add to this post and I actually found that....plus a great bonus.

           

Source - landeeseelandeedo.com

I love this!

Landee, at the blog landeelu, has shared this great quote as a downloadable print. How cool is that?  I love how she framed it for her home as a reminder to herself and her family. I may follow suit. You should check it out and also read why this quote is important to her. It looks like she has a great blog. I am definitely going to look around some more.

I hope your Monday is a happy one!

Prayer. It's a good thing.

Today's Thankfulness....

* For a weekend that was mostly chillin' at home.

* For a great message from the life of Joseph from our Pastor yesterday.

* For fun with family on "Second Sunday."

* For the resilience of children.....that they can bounce back after a rough morning.

* For the privilege of prayer.

One more thing....I realize that my blog header has made a disappearance. I don't know what is going on, and it's kind of frustrating to me, but I wanted you to know that I'm working on trying to make everything pretty again.

Four Things For Friday 10.11.13

Happy Friday Everyone!

I know I shared this photo of the October calendar on our chalkboard wall before. But that was for "Yeah, October is here!"  Today I'm sharing it because "YIKES! October is almost half over folks!!"  Where DOES the time go?

On this Friday, I'm just sharing four things that have been happening or rolling around in my mind.

1.)  This has been kind of a tough week around here. the Hubster has been traveling most of the week for work. Our world is just not right when he isn't here. We all miss him and I am really glad that the weekend is about here.

2.)  Speaking of the weekend....This weekend is one of my most favorite things in the whole world - Second Sunday. What is Second Sunday? Well, it is something that was instituted with my family way before we had kids. Every second Sunday of the month we get together with my parents and my sister and her family for Sunday lunch. We used to try and plan things haphazardly and we realized that if we wanted to gather regularly, we were going to have to make it a priority on our calendar. So we picked that Sunday each month and now there are no excuses for not getting together. Generally, we meet at my parents house and we each pitch in for the meal. We eat and catch up and it is just a lot of fun. It's another tradition we carry on and we all love it. My kids look forward to going to Grandma and Grandpa's house each Second Sunday and the memories being made are just priceless. And you know I'm all about the memories!

3.)  I've been thinking about following Carmel's lead over at Our Fifth House and "decrapifying" a bit around our house. Earlier in the year I did a 30 Days, 30 Bags plan to get rid of some junk around here. I think I actually only got to day 20, but it still felt so good to get some things cleared out. I'm noticing that my kids have outgrown a lot of clothes since last Fall and I should probably start there. I'll let you know how it goes.

4.)  In case you were wondering (I know it's probably keeping you up at night), I'm still loving my new coffee table. I'm starting to lean toward not painting it. It's kind of growing on me the way it is. And I can always change my mind, right?



It's time for today's thankfulness....

* For strength to get through a trying week.

* For a husband who works so hard to take care of us.

* For time spent with my Mom yesterday, shopping and talking.

* For a weekend to look forward to.

 I hope you all have a fabulous Fall weekend!

Personalizing Our Space: Silhouettes

One  of my favorite things hanging on the wall in our home is a frame filled with silhouettes of our kids. The silhouettes are special to me for a couple of reasons. Of course one reason is because they're my kids. They are also special to me because my mom had silhouettes done of me and my sister when we were little too and they've hung in my parent's house for as long as I can remember. 

Apparently, once a year or so, a silhouette artist would come and set up shop temporarily in the Children's Department of one of the large local department stores. My Mom saw their little ad in the newspaper and took us to have our silhouettes done. I don't really recall going or sitting for it, but by my hairstyle I'd say I was probably around kindergarten age.

Years later, when my kids got to be about the same age, Mom saw an ad in the paper again about a silhouette artist coming to town. She jumped at the chance and made an appointment for the grandkids.

It was pretty amazing and not at all what I expected. I was expecting an overhead projector and tracing paper. Trust me, this was nothing like that. Silhouette-making is a true art form and was amazing to watch.

This particular artist was Lena Bengtson from North Carolina. Ms. Bengtson has been creating silhouette art for over 35 years.

Watching her work was amazing and almost unbelievable. She had each of the kids sit in front of her in profile. She carefully used small scissors to cut each child's silhouette FREEHAND....no overhead projector, no tracing paper. It truly is art...and a skill....and is one-of-a-kind.  

So I guess it's kind of a tradition and having them on the wall in our home tells a little bit of our story. It gives the artwork on our walls meaning and personalization.

By the way, Lena Bengtson continues to do silhouette art around the country. But she also can do it long distance with a child or pet's photograph. She even has an Etsy shop these days. She really does beautiful work.

How about you? What things do you have on your walls or in your home that tell YOUR family's story? Silhouettes, your children's artwork, family photos....they are all things that can make your home special for your family.

 

Today's thankfulness....

* For the abilities God gives us to be creative.

* For encouragement from friends.

* For new mercies every morning. 

18 Inches Of Change

Change can be hard. Even the smallest of changes.

And sometimes the simplest change can make a huge difference.

Take for instance our living room. We have lived in this house for ten years now and have never really changed the furniture arrangement. Not that I didn't ever think about it, but the room is very difficult to change. There is not a lot of wall space for placing furniture because of doors, windows, steps, and the stone wall feature. And even though it is a fairly large room, it is very narrow, so floating a large piece of furniture such as the couch really won't work. Thus, things haven't been moved around much in ten years.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday I showed you my new coffee table that I got over the weekend.

So last night, the Hubster and I were relaxing and admiring the new table. I was sitting in our chair and made the comment that it was not close enough to put my feet up on the table. And my dear Hubster said, "You could move it."  Just matter-of-factly like that.

So I did. A total of about 18 inches, I think.

Do you see how the wood flooring and carpet come together at the bottom of this photo? Well, the back of the chair used to be right up against that flooring transition. So I basically turned the chair and moved it closer by a few inches. Small change, right?

I have to admit that I'm still getting used to it. But I think it makes a huge difference. Our space is cozier and more conducive to conversation. And it only took 18 inches of change!

We still need some more seating. Eventually we'd like to get another chair. But in the mean time, little changes like simply moving a chair, can make a big difference.

Have you been doing any tweaking in your house? Have you made any little changes that have had a big impact? I would love to hear about it.

Today's thankfulness....

* For a hot cup-of-something on a chilly morning.

* For words of affirmation that my husband received at work yesterday.

* For my sweet doggy who loves me unconditionally and follows me around like I'm the bees knees....even when I'm trying to take photographs.



A Story About A Table

Here's the story....of a lovely table....that was sitting in a store for three whole months....

C'mon, sing a long with me. You know you want to!

Okay, okay...I know it's Monday morning so I'll cut you a little slack on the singing and just get to the story.

Back in the Spring, I discovered a used furniture consignment shop practically around the corner from where I live. What a find! This place is PACKED with everything from dining sets to bedroom furniture, desks, hutches, and upholstered furniture. I started frequenting the store every couple weeks because I was on the hunt for a new (to me) coffee table. As usual, I had it set in my mind exactly what I was looking for....round with a pedestal base. Because the store seemed to have a decent turnover in furniture I hoped that someday that table I was looking for would magically appear.

And one Summer day, it did!

The thing about this consignment store is that they have an interesting pricing system. Each piece has a price tag with four dates and four prices on it. After about four weeks, the price of the piece begins to drop....and continues to do so until over time it reaches the lowest price on the tag.

And as usually is my luck, the table was new to the store and was still at it's highest price. If I wanted to try and get it for the lowest price, I was going to have to take a gamble and wait it out for about 12 weeks. <sigh>  I am SO not good at waiting. But the original price on the tag was just too much for me to pay.

So I waited [impatiently]. And I went and visited MY table every couple weeks to see if it was still there. And each time, surprisingly, it was!

This weekend the time finally came for the table to be down to the lowest price. I was sure that somebody else was watching the price and was going to snatch that table right out from under my nose on the last day.

My daughter and I hurried out yesterday to the store. She had been with me for one of my table visitations. On the way there I warned her that it may not be there still. I think I was talking more to myself.

We entered the store and didn't bother taking our time to look around. We made a bee line to where the table had been. And there it was!

I checked it out more carefully and found that it is VERY heavy and VERY sturdy.

I payed for it, they put it in my van, and we were out of there before someone else could run in and claim visitation rights.

I did have a plan to paint the table. Because she does have a past.

But now that I have her home, I'm not so sure. I think I'm going to live with her for a while before I decide.

And since my mantra is "Leave no surface unstyled," I couldn't resist arranging a couple things on top while I take my time making a decicion.

So I would love to hear what you think. Paint or no paint?

Monday's thankfulness.....

* For 13 years that our son has been a part of our family and a fun time celebrating together.

* For a great time of worship yesterday and focusing on the faithfulness of God.

AND

* For the table still being in the store.

Make it a great day, everybody!

A Season Of Celebration

In case you're looking for September, it's gone....outta here! And October has already made it's appearance. Our chalkboard says so.



In our house, the arrival of October means the beginning of a season of celebration for our family. And I'm not talking about the number of shopping days until Christmas. Well, maybe a little.

At the beginning of October we celebrate my middle son's Gotcha Day. What is Gotcha Day, you ask? Well, our kids are adopted and that is the day we celebrate that they became part of our family. Gotcha Day.....because we are the blessed ones that "gotcha."  Some adoptive families call it Family Day or Adoption Day. And some celebrate the day when the adoption papers were officially signed. For our kids, we've chosen the date when we were finally all together. For one son, that means the day when Hubster and I finally met him in Kolkata, India. For the other two, it's the day they arrived home on the airplane and were finally united with their new Mom and Dad and siblings.

Of course October also brings Halloween. We've never been HUGE into Halloween. Mostly we've just done the trick-or-treating thing. Because it's really just about the candy for us. Ha! I've been known to slave over a costume or two though. But the kids are getting older and I am WAY over the whole costume thing. So hopefully we are starting to move on.

November brings my daughter's Gotcha Day, our wedding anniversary, and one son's birthday. And of course, Thanksgiving. (I think Abraham Lincoln knew what he was doing when he put Thanksgiving smack dab in the middle of our Season Of Celebration.)

We start December by celebrating my other son's birthday as well as the Hubster's. And by then we are in full-blown Christmas mode...getting ready to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world. In between all of this there is also a sprinkling of extended family member's birthdays. And we end the Season of Celebration by welcoming in the New Year.

And then we take a deep breath.

Because all this celebrating can wear a mama out!

But it's good. I love that we give these days importance in our lives. It shows our kids that we honor them and that it's of value to set aside and remember days that are significant and meaningful in the life of our family. And we create even more memories along the way.

Today's THANKFULNESS.....

* For wonderful and caring teacher's at our kid's school.

* For a quiet house to myself on school day mornings.

* For God's mercies to me that are new each morning.

What are YOU thankful for today?

Our Fall Porch: The Playoff Edition

Sometimes it's not about things looking pretty. Sometimes it's about seeing your boy smile.

So I present to you.....Our Fall Porch: The Playoff Edition.

Have I told you how big a fan my boy is?

Earlier in the season the guys received these team flags that were a giveaway at one of the games they attended. I told my son if our team made the playoffs I would put the flags up outside.

Sunday, the team confirmed their spot and tomorrow night the playoffs begin.

I saw it as an opportunity. First off, I saw it as an opportunity to see my boy smile. How I love to see that boy smile!

Second, it was opportunity to make a memory. Honestly, (and this is in no way meant to disparage our team. It's just reality) who knows if my son will ever see his team in the playoffs again in his lifetime. I sure hope so, but you never know. I hope years from now that my son will say, "Remember the year that the Indians made the playoffs....and Mom decorated the porch?" Hopefully he will know that even though I was a fan too, I really did it to see him smile.

And hopefully our decorations will be up well into October.

GO TRIBE!

It's time for some THANKFULNESS!

* I'm thankful for sunshine on an Autumn day.

* I'm thankful for a godly husband who handles even the small things with great integrity.