the bathroom.....is DONE.

You guys.  When I started this remodel TWO YEARS AGO, if you had told me how long it was going to take me, I would have laughed hysterically in your face.  I thought I'd be finished by the end of Summer 2012.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oh my.

I also never would have done it if I had known how long it would take me, so I'm glad I didn't know then what I know now.  I've muttered "When this bathroom is finished, I can die a happy woman!" far too many times in the past two years, so now I'm kind of scared.  I mean, I don't want to die NOW, I just want to be happy that I actually finished the bathroom when I die in my bed, after a good meal and a sound night sleep, when I'm 96.

So.... before another two years goes by, let's look at the after pictures of this basement bathroom.  This is by far the hardest DIY project I have ever tackled, and also the most fulfilling.

 

Here's the great news:  Sometimes I do a little photo shop work when there is a problem I don't feel like fixing before I take pictures.  For example, when we took pictures of the toilet area a few months ago, there was a gaping hole to the left of the toilet that needed to be fixed.  A little editing came in very handy!

However, I wanted to be completely DONE when we took the final pictures so I could check the entire project off of my ever-growing and very lengthy list.  So, I patched that drywall behind the toilet, as well as another hole by the sink, where the outlet had to be moved (again).  For the record, patching drywall is not my favorite.  In fact, it might be my least favorite.

When I started coming up with a plan for the lighting in this space, I was really drawn to fixtures like this from both Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware.

They had that kind of coastal, industrial look I was going for, but at a price of between $300-$500 per fixture, I knew it would never happen.  And I was sad.  For about a minute. Until I realized that I had  a few that looked almost identical in my garage from my hoarding days when I bought about 40 of them when a restaurant was going out of business!  I ended up selling all but a few of them and I absolutely love them.  They provide a little "wow" factor, as well as plenty of light for a basement bathroom.

On to the mirrors, which proved to be a big project.  After sketching a hundred different ideas, I finally came up with what I wanted, and Melanie knew exactly how to execute it.  She made precise measurements of everything I needed and I went and bought and cut all the boards.  I showed up at her house one evening, and we routered out a groove on the backside of all the boards so that the mirrors could just sit inside without having to be glued or fastened to the wall in any way.  This is such a brilliant and custom way to hang mirrors.  She is so smart.  The mirror was the original one that was in bathroom, I just had it cut into three smaller pieces.  I recruited my dad for a day, and he was able to install the mirrors and surrounding woodwork.  The mirrors were SO heavy, it took me, my dad AND my mom to get them in.  Then came the time consuming and very messy task of filling, sanding, caulking, taping and painting.

Also, I haven't ever addressed the door situation.  The original door opened up into the bathroom and if anyone happened to be sitting on the toilet, they would have lost their legs from the knees down when the door flung open.  It was just dumb design and I had to find a way around it.  I had always wanted a barn door somewhere in the house, and this was the perfect place to use one.  I found an antique door from my girls at The Old Brick House, which is a monthly vintage market here in the Phoenix area that is amazing.  (@oldbrickhouse)  If you live here, you should go.  If you don't live here, come visit!

I painted it a soft gray, distressed it a little, and sweetly talked my father-in-law into installing it when he was here over Christmas.  He was able to use the original hardware as the outside handle, and he spent a lot of time filling in odd holes and straightening things up.  He did a beautiful job with the installation.  I bought the track and all the barn door hardware at Tractor Supply Company for around $100.  It was galvanized metal, but I spray painted it a matte black.  After scratching our heads and scouring the hardware section at Lowes for a solution on how to have the door lock from the inside, we finally settled on this simple design that works amazingly well.  I couldn't be happier with it!

I painted the two little signs on the outside of the door using matching frames I found at Goodwill for a dollar apiece.  I had the idea two years ago when I started this whole mess, and the completion of them makes me so happy.

While my electrician was here working on the bathroom, (eons ago)  I already knew I wanted to use a barn door in this hallway, so I had him remove the sconce just outside the bathroom door and install a can light in the ceiling.   (The bathroom door had already been removed, but I propped it back up for the picture, just so you could feel my pain.)

I was left with yet another drywall repair, and so I decided to cover the small hallway with paneling.  I headed right over to my neighborhood Lowes in my work costume (they probably think I'm a legitimate hobo) and got all my paneling cut.

I primed it, then painted it the same color as the adjoining walls, and I really love the added texture and interest it gives this small hallway.  Plus, I didn't have to patch the drywall.  Win, win.

My view from the couch is about a million times better now.

 
Another small but needed detail was the added leg supports on the vanity.  Technically, the vanity was made to float, and although it was secure, that long butcherblock top and the two sinks are super heavy.  That alone was making me nervous, but the vision I had of teenage girls hopping up onto the counter to do their makeup was causing me anxiety.  So, with the leftover butcherblock material, we wedged some legs under the vanity for added support.  They look modern and sleek and now I can sleep at night. 

I shake my head, even as I'm constructing this post, about all that has transpired in this tiny space.  Bathrooms are a big deal.  So. Much. Work. 

Two beautiful pictures inspired all the change.

 

I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.  It is SO FAR  from perfect it's almost comical.  I could point out 100 things that are wrong with it, but ever since I read {The Nester's} book {It Doesn't have to be Perfect to be Beautiful}, I have fully embraced all its flaws. I highly recommend her book.  It's SO good!

I MUST thank my dear friend and neighbor, Melanie, for helping me finish this bathroom.  She is the most helpful and construction savvy girl I know, and she is the only  reason this bathroom is done.  I can't even begin to list the things she helped me with or the number of hours she has spent in this bathroom, but I'm so thankful that she was willing to guide me along and be my tiny cheerleader every step of the way.  She's an incredible friend.

This bathroom is the most perfectly imperfect space ever, and I'm happy to claim it.  This project made me stretch and do things I didn't really want to do, things I didn't know how to do, and things I wasn't good at doing.   But the "befores" and "afters" speak for themselves.  Although imperfect, it is definitely a big improvement.

IT'S DONE!!!

Oh, what a feeling!

your girl,

jilly

bedroom details, part two

The saga continues......

The window in Jaci's bedroom used to be an eyesore, but now it's  a focal point.  I tackled all the window trim by myself (!) and finished it in a night.

After it was filled, caulked, sanded and painted, it looked so much better.  But as I stood back and surveyed it, I concluded that the window was never going to look good with that old and tired scratched up black metal around it.  I taped off all the wood and the walls around the window to prep it for a clean and crisp coat of kelly green semi gloss paint.

It took an hour and a half to tape off and 30 seconds to spray it.  It's one of my favorite things in the room.

Mia came over one night and we made the window treatment:  a workable roman shade with blackout lining.  Teenagers need their beauty sleep.  I loved the fabric I chose, but after it was done and installed, it was looking a little bit plain.

I had some navy trim in my stash which ended up looking great in two rows glued (with fabric glue) down each side.  Adding that little detail made all the difference.

The frames are all {ribba} frames from IKEA.  Jaci is a photographer (her instagram name is @jacimariesmith) and I wanted to showcase what she is passionate about, so I ordered 8 of her favorite pictures in a 12 x 12 size from {mpix}.  It will be fun to switch them out for new favorites, as the mood strikes, for a whole new look.

The coolest console table in America (and maybe the whole world?) is from a thrift store, picked up for $12!!!  It's really narrow (12 inches) and over 8 ft. long, and it's one of my most favorite finds EVER!  You can see in the "before" picture of this space that it has an odd drawer.

That's because it was missing a drawer when I found it.  My sweet dad made me a new drawer and by the time I sanded, prepped, and painted it, you would never know it's any different from the others!  I got the hardware from Lowes.

The chair was found looking very forlorn at Goodwill for $4.99.

The metal parts received a coat of gold spray paint,  and the wood parts were painted white.  I reupholstered the seat cushion in really soft, white leather(ish) fabric and added the fun green and white striped welt to make it pop!  I also added a touch of green paint on the front and back of the chair just for fun.

The big, brown closet doors have been transformed into nice, bright doors that don't dominate the room anymore.  I sketched out a little design and Andrew did a perfect job cutting and installing the moulding exactly how I wanted it.  We just used wood glue and painters tape to hold it overnight, then took the doors outside to spray them.

 

For the handles, I followed {this} tutorial, using some handles from IKEA and a strip of wood.  Such a great way to get a nice big handle for large closet doors.

Well, that's it for this room!  The only other thing I have planned is new flooring and baseboards.  I found some great tongue and groove laminate in a light pine on Craigslist a few weeks ago and bought enough to cover Jaci's room and the boys room which is right across the hall.  We ripped the boys tile out two summers ago and painted the cement floor to hold us over, but it will be so nice to have some real flooring!

I'm always working on our home and have lots of things started.....always waiting for inspiration, motivation, or cash to complete most things.  Thanks for joining me on my journeys and for your sweet comments.  That's where lots of my motivation comes from!

Still working on tying up the small, unfinished details of that pesky bathroom.  It will be revealed before next year, I can totally promise that! 

your girl,

jilly

bedroom details, part one

I'm going to have to split this post into two separate entries.  Because when you go from this:

To this:

There are lots of details to discuss!

The inspiration of this bedroom was born around this headboard I got at a second-hand furniture store for $35.

With the help of my dear friends, Cara and G {the dreamy girls of Club Project}, the headboard was transformed into a masterpiece that is definitely the focal point of the bedroom.  I went to my local upholstery shop where my friend let me use his button making machine to cover dozens of heavy duty brad buttons.  That step saved us hours of time.  If you are upholstering something with lots of tufting, I would highly suggest you find an upholstery shop and do the same.  These button type brads are so much more heavy duty than anything you can buy at a regular store.

 After it was upholstered, it ended up being too thick to go back in the frame comfortably, so (naturally) Melanie had a solution that worked perfectly!  She used her hand-held router and created a little ledge along the backside of the frame for the upholstered piece to nestle into.  We also cut the legs off so I could hang it with a french cleat at whatever height I wanted.

Meanwhile, Jaci and I had painted stripes (a year previous) and I had found a remnant piece of navy carpet at my local carpet store, Mesa Sales.  Often, they have large remnants and their prices are really good.  This piece is 12' x 12' and cost $125.  Since this carpet had a relatively high pile, I didn't even have to have the edges bound because the sides of the carpet hang over the raw edge and you can't tell it's an unfinished edge. 

Mia showed up on Thanksgiving morning with the custom navy and white pillow shams that she sewed right up for me. We had gone shopping a few days before and found the fabric at one of our favorite ghetto stores, SAS, for $3.99 a yard.  The shams are backed with a solid aqua blue, and Mia did a beautiful job on them.  Try not to be jealous that she's my best friend and we started sewing our own clothes in 7th grade.  The gray pillowcases have a tiny white dot on the them and they are made out of a dreamy material that makes it hard for Jaci to get up every morning!  I bought them at Tuesday Mornings.  The white with green polka dot pillows were on clearance at Home Goods for $11 each.

I scored the ruched duvet cover at one of my favorite stores here in Phoenix called Last Chance.  It retails for over $200 and I picked it up for a cool $19.97.  It adds some femininity and softness to the room.

I found the DKNY bedskirt at Goodwill for a few bucks and used some fabric glue to attach the fun blue and white striped trim.  It's a great way to add something extra for very little money.

The nightstands were both battered little pieces that were the same scale.  I actually painted the one on the right about a year ago and detailed the process{here}.  It was a fun find a good friend brought back from Scotland for me.

The other one was a $10 thrift store treasure that was close to the same scale as the one I had.  Painting them the same color created unification but keeps the look interesting because they are different.

For her 16th birthday, Andrew gave Jaci the guitar that took him through college.  (oh if that guitar could talk!) We hung it on the wall using {this} tutorial I found via Pinterest.  It's really nice to have it off the floor and safely hung. 

The wall art?  That was a little brainchild of mine, but when I finally got around to actually doing it (a year later), I saw that it had already been done on Pinterest!  (and done WELL, I might add!)  I'm still claiming I made it up. (although clearly I didn't?)  Maybe the part I DID make up was the use of paint sticks.  The girl on Pinterest used balsa wood, which would have cost me around $40 for my project.  Balsa wood would have been great to work with because it is super light and you can cut it with a pair of scissors, no saws needed.  But I have a saw and didn't want to spend the extra money, so I rounded up around 100 paint sticks and started cutting. 

I cut the curved handle end off of each one, and cut the other end at a 45 degree angle.  I cut half of the angles one way, then changed my saw to cut the angle 45 degrees the other way.  Since two pieces are coming together in the middle, they have to be cut opposite so they form a V.  You want to make sure that they are all the exact same finished size, too.

My sweet sister came over one night and we painted all of them in bright, fun colors.  We left a few of them raw, just to break up all the color.  Don't forget to paint all the sides, too!

After they were painted,  I invited Mia and G to come over for a stick assembly party.  It took all three of us an entire evening to decide what colors should go together to get a fun look, but one that didn't look like a haphazard, hot mess.

Once they were all laid out to our liking, we used a hot glue gun and some plain paint sticks to attach them together along the backside.  I also got some wood scraps in different depths to make some of them pop off the wall just a bit to give more of a 3-D look.  It looks much more interesting than if they were all laying flat against the wall.   I twisted some wire to make little hangers and used a glue gun to secure them to the tops of each piece.

If you're interested in recreating this, you'd better work on becoming besties with the folks behind the paint counters at Lowes and Home Depot so you can snag yourselves a load of paint sticks. This is a great, big impact art piece for little to no money that anyone can do! 

The quote on the wall was thought up by none other than Mia.  She designed it and traced it onto the wall for me.  G showed up ready to help and we hand painted it for hours.....and hours.  It was SO hard to paint on that textured wall and get straight, crisp lines.

 After it was all done and we stepped back, we were pleasantly surprised at how good it looked!  Another big, graphic impact for free......HOORAY!

Stay tuned for part two of the bedroom details........ coming to you soon!

your girl,

jilly