Check Off the Bathroom Mirror Project!

Lucky for me this week my mom was in town and so I was able to get some projects done!

Mirror Before:

 Step 1: Cut frame yourself:-)

 Step 2: Pick out a color and paint it before your husbee gets home and has an opinion.

You will see the top edges of the moulding in the mirror reflection of the inside of your frame, so you have to paint an inch or two of the backside.

Step 3:  Install it using 3m sticky velcro thingys right to the mirror.

Step 4:  Sit back and enjoy how you took that boring builder mirror to a bright sunshiny day!

I took my towel to the paint store and found a sample to match.  (The color isn't showing up just right on the monitor, but in real life I assure you is the same as the towel.) If I remember correctly, I think the moulding was around $60 for this project, but you could definitely use smaller molding or make your own for less $.

Here's the another view of the room.

Bathroom Before & After

 I want to share some small and simple changes that can easily affect the feeling of your powder room.

 Boring Bathroom Before:

After:

Tip #1:  Raise the Rod!  Raising the rod adds height to your room.  I raised the curtain rod about a foot  and I really like that it's off the floor-- I feel its more sanitary since this 3 kids are sharing this bathroom.

(Amy Butler Shower curtain from BB&B)

Tip #2- Update the towels!!!  Surprise, these pretty patterned towels are from Wallyworld!! Yes, you heard me right.  (Even I get surprised sometimes!) They were part of the Better Homes and Garden collection and I love the pattern.  I was almost going to splurge on some yellow ones from Anthro, and scored these wallet-friendly ones instead:-)

(Please excuse the dark pic,  this was the best one to show the beadboard)

TIP #3- FAKE IT! I used Bead Board Wallpaper instead of the real thing and that saved me a lot of $ and labor!  It was super easy to install, and it looks as good as the real bead board on the back of my lockers.  It was only $20/roll and I only used 1 and a half rolls (anyone need half a roll?:-))

The wallpaper is paintable, so we painted it to match the existing trim and tacked on a small chair rail on top.

Before:

After:

(need some vinyl for my bucket--Haley:-))

TIP #4-- Don't match everything!  This goes for all rooms in the house:-)  I got the rug on the clearance aisle of BB&B (first photo). It was from a different collection, but was in the same color family and style I was going for.  I bought 2 of them (I would have got 3 and taped them together on the bottom if they had 3 to make my own runner) but my 2 year old might have just had an accident on one of them before these pics--TMI, sorry!!:))

.

TIP#5:  Make Your Own Art!  I save a ton of quotes and things on my pinterest boards, and so I took a few of the sayings and put them together in photoshop, and printed them in colors that would coordinate with my room.  It's easier than driving to TJ's HG's to search through all kinds of random artwork.  I was able to this quickly and inexpensively with only a few mouse clicks and a trip to the costco photo center.

That being said, I did buy the canvas over the throne at HG's (which I still love to shop at). But I still had 3 other walls to fill and I didn't want more of the same printed generic florals on each one.    I will be framing my sayings as soon as I can get to IKEA for some cheap 11x14 frames.

The only thing left is this:

Yes.  This frame I cut and painted myself over a year ago that I still haven't put around my bathroom mirror!  I was waiting to get new countertops in there too-- who knows when or if that will ever happen.

UPDATED 4/26/12

Sham--wow!!  :)

Link to my DIY Framed Mirror Tutorial 

Anyhoo,  hope that gives you a few ways to spruce up YOUR powder room.

Thanks for stopping by!

Bathroom Makeover - In progress

  My DIY towels now have a place to hang out.  I finally ventured into Urban Outfitters and found this great hook for $5 on clearance (that was an interesting place to shop, if you don't mind products cursing at you:-))  I really like using items other than the regular old towel ring for my hand towels, see my 1/2 bath makeover here.

Here's the boys' towels:  Also embellished with napkins I found on clearance at Steinmart.  They coordinate with my daughters yellow towel but aren't too girly.  I plan on hanging them somewhere else, but for now they are on the shower door until I get/make a shower curtain I like.

Next is a small pic of the bead board we installed around the room...

(photo crooked, level on actual wall) 

... I mean beadboard wallpaper!  We used a baseboard to trim it out on top (installed upside-down so I could have a flat part on the top, if I decide I want to add a small shelf later).  This was my first experience with wallpaper, luckily my awesome step-dad knows how to do everything and helped me hang it.  It was only $20/roll at Lowes, and it took just a little more than 1 roll for this average size bath.  The wallpaper is paintable, so I painted it and the "chair rail" to match the existing trim.  

You can also see it in the first photo in the mirror reflection.  I installed it at about 48 inches or so, I like it high, since I'm kinda short (5'3" on a good day).  

Not sure of the wall color, it was here when we moved in.  

 This frame I made for the room hasn't been installed on the mirror yet.

  We are thinking about replacing the vanity top and will have to do that first so we don't risk messing up the frame.

SOO much more to do in this room, baby steps!:-)

A Tale of Towels

One of my on-going projects is the kids bathroom. I've been on the hunt for a vintage style yellow floral shower curtain for the tub/shower, instead I found these great floral napkins at Steinmart.  They were on clearance and the perfect color and pattern.

AND...

Some cute monogrammed towels, for $15 for a set of 3!  I dug around a bit and was able to grab a set for each of my kids with their initial.  

 

And then I got busy! I cut strips, different widths for each size towel, so the fabric would be the right scale for the towels.

Then I hemmed the cut edges, and sewed them hanging off of the bottom of the towel.  I would have sewn them higher, but I wanted to leave some space between the monogram and the fabric.  (my kids aren't picky:-)

I thought this brown ribbon that I ruffled trimmed it off nicely,  however, if added there would be more brown than what I had in mind for the room.   (Veering from your original color scheme is a common mistake- so BeWaRe!:-))

So I opted not to use the ribbon, and instead am going to be looking for a different color, more of a blush or aqua to stick to my color palette.   

These yellow towels are for my daughter, I got some coordinating but not too girly stuff for my boys. --That'll be up next!

Hall Bath Make-Over (Frugal Style)

This bath needed some love! It was such a wonderful fleshy color when we moved in...infact the whole house was that color, got spend a month of my life covering up that little number.


Bathroom Before

Bathroom After
The paint is TurtleDove from Behr. It's a light blue with a little bit of a yellow-y/green undertone. It is my new fave. I want to paint everything this color!

Found these little shelves at the local thrift store for $1.


Spray painted them aqua from Krylon...


And glazed them black to add some aging and put one in my bathroom topped with this cute plaque from Home Goods.

(I've been learning to like pink, the Honeysuckle Pink that is 2011 color of the year is adorable, so I've added a little to the bathroom...babysteps!)


I love Vintage Carnival stuff and this pic was right up my ally! Love it! It's 18x36 and I got the frame, again at the thift store, for $4! That's a steal since it had glass!

I got this cute towel/coat rack at the DownEast tent sale $3, Their tents sales are the best for finding random things!
I added the "Family" "Friend" "Guest" "Acquaintance" "Intruder" lables. Now there's no confusion who hangs their towel where.





To learn how to make these cute Pillow Case Bags go Here!


I had this jar so I bought a pack of simple white soap blocks and filled it.




I had this basket so I hung it on the wall and clipped some vintages French ads to it.


For something different, I took this old frame and sprayed it the Krylon Aqua.


Then Mod Podged some different strips of paper to it.


Used it as a frame around the towel ring.

Now La Toilette is a more pleasant place to do your business!

T-Time

Time for a few easy decorating tips.  Bathroom towels are up today.

1.  Use hooks. How cute are these ribbons holding up the towels?? 

photo 1

2. This towel is embellished with patterned fabric and trim. What a difference between a solid color plain towel and this beauty.  Get 3 and change them out.  Your family can enjoy the pretty ones everyday, then pop in a fresh one before guests visit.  [Inexpensive cute ones at Marshalls.]

photo 2

3. You have plain towels, embellish them with ribbon.   Just sew it on the bottom, and add a ribbon in the middle of the towel  so they'll stay on the hooks.  I also love the glass knobs. No more towels getting pulled off the rack when kids are wiping their toothpaste faces on them:-)

photo 3

4. Layer.  Two or three towels feel more luxurious than one.

photo 4

5. Add Extras.  Tie up dried flowers or something seasonal with a ribbon. It adds a punch of luxury and plushness to your hand drying routine.

photo 5

Now, how can you spruce up your towels today?

Photo credits: Photo 1 and 5- House of Chic and Penoche, Photo 2 & 4- google, Photo 3- House of Smiths