Design on a Dime - Master Bath Update

After last year's kitchen DIY,  I said it would be a long time before I tackled another project and after almost exactly a year -- I decided to dive in again!    Our master bath has been bugging me for awhile.  Most people wouldn't even considered it a master bath - it's probably the size of most homes half-baths.

We aren't certain, but we think the previous owners removed the shower/tub combo and replaced it with a shower stall.  I know brass was the "in" thing in the mid 80's but I wasn't digging it too much.  Aside from that, no matter how hard I tried - the caulk at the bottom was nearly impossible to keep clean as was the shower basin.  The whole project got started because super-son was heading to overnight camp for the first time and this momma needed something to keep her busy.

First step, remove all the caulk, clean with non-ammonia cleaner, followed by bleach... allow to dry really well and then recaulk.  Sounds relatively easy, but I'm not going to lie - most of the caulk came up relatively easy - but any residue on the wall was very hard to remove (sharp edge, goo-gone, you name it - I probably tried it).  We had lived with it looking less than stellar anyway - so I did the best I could and moved on.  Next, I patched the wall to the left of the shower stall - at some point there had been a small leak and fortunately, it wasn't ongoing and didn't cause significant damage.

Next up paint -- walls, ceiling, and trim.  It's been really hard to get good pictures of the room.  The before color was fairly neutral - beige with yellowish undertones - it went well with the brass if that's your thing.  :)   I wanted to go with Sherwin Williams Ice Cube - it was a very light grey - white with a hint of gray.  After painting a small area,  I realized I loved the color - but needed a little more grey.  Back to Sherwin Williams (always excellent customer service by the way) and they added to make it more like Olympus Gray.

Much better and it complements the gray tile floor.   I really didn't want the storage cabinets to come back in the bathroom, but this was "design on a dime" so there they are.   :)   The smaller one contains extra toiletries and the one over the toilet holds items we use on a daily basis.  Much improved overall - but the stall was still an eyesore to me.  I decided to get a tension rod and hang wall-to-wall to create the illusion that a regular tub/shower combo was behind there.  

Plan A:  We looked at Kohls,  Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Target and Walmart online and finally agreed on a shower curtain we both liked.   Only to realize, standard shower curtains are 72 inches in length - the shower stall was 74 inches itself -- back to square one.  Plan B:  I found out Bed, Bath, and Beyond online carries special size shower curtains and we agreed on one -- only to find out it was backordered and out of stock.  There wasn't alot to choose from - so plan C.   Find a high thread count sheet -- accent with grosgrain ribbon and have our embroidered with our monogram.   I stopped in at Home Goods to see what I could find - measurements in hand.  And stumbled across the perfect pattern for us - only it wasn't a shower curtain.  Plan D:  A lightweight twin XL duvet color was the perfect length and I loved the pattern! 

The  colors look amazing with the walls and floors -- since it is merely hiding our shower stall the fabric didn't matter!   I choose the round hooks with clips - so we didn't have to make any adjustments to the curtain in order to get it on the rod.  

The towel holder, toilet paper holder, hinges, and light fixture were all brass... but nothing that a little Krylon couldn't fix!   Worked perfectly on the hinges & light fixture.  We had a towel holder and toilet paper holder under the sink that previous owners had left (uhh 11 years ago). 

And a couple more pictures of the finished room - wish I could get a better picture!  We hung the tension rod at the ceiling and the room appears taller.

The only paint I had to purchase was 1 gallon from Sherwin Williams (yeah for 30% off) and the rest was leftover from last year's kitchen project.

In addition, I repaired a pesky drip from the shower head - thanks to Google, YouTube, and my pal, Sally.  :)

4 Months!

It's true - the older I get the more time flies!   The last time I posted it was March and now it's July!  Summa-time is here! 

Here's what I've been up to lately:

• Working on my fitness goals for 2013.  I made the list in late January while watching Biggest Loser.  I've been  hesitant to share the list because that well, uh, makes us more accountable right?  However, I hope to share the list with you soon & let you know about my progress.
• Super-son completed elementary school in June and will be heading to middle school in August.  Not sure if this mom is ready for that!
• It's been a BUSY summer!   We've implemented some new software at work which has resulted in my "busy" season at work to be twice as busy.  
• Vacation for us this year will be a stay-cation which is a huge change for us.  We never go anywhere over the top - we are fortunate to live in close proximity to the beach and mountains & the beach is usually our destination of choice.  However, this year we've decided to stay home and do some day trips and really just enjoy each others company. 
• DIY!  After last year's DIY summer adventure,  I haven't been ready to tackle ANYTHING - BUT...  Super-son was away at the beach last week with the grandparents and home for  a day & heads to church camp tomorrow... this momma needed something to do... stay tuned for my Design on a Dime bathroom makeover!   It's currently in the "what was I thinking - have no choice but to move forward stage".  

Have a fabulous Monday!!!

Happy Birthday!

Hey, Hey! Hope you all are having a fabulous Wednesday!    I'm still fighting the allergies/cold (whatever it is) - feeling less achy today, but still tired and worn down.  I walked into work this morning and my work space was transformed over night because as of today I am...

That's right people - I hit the big four-oh today!   Quite honestly, it doesn't seem possible!   I had several people ask me if I felt older or if it bothered me getting older.   It doesn't.  Turning 30 was hard for me - I looked back over the years and felt some disappointment for things I hadn't accomplished that I felt I should have.  The decade between 30 and 40 certainly threw some unexpected surprises and curve balls my way.  However,  I am confident that I am stronger (mentally and physically) because of it.  I'm not sure what the next decade holds, but I promise you I will be climbing up the hill instead of over it.   :)

Spring Fever

The weekend weather was a nice tease for spring!   It's very likely we will have a few more chilly nights and mornings.    I woke up in the middle of the night feeling miserable - my mouth was so dry that it seemed difficult to swallow (this was after downing close to 80 oz of water yesterday).   This morning, I felt sinus pressure and achy all over my face.   I suppose it could be allergies - some years I'm plagued by them and other times it passes right over, so I'm not sure if this is a cold or allergy.  Either way, I came home to a HOT shower and PJs & that helped a ton. It's hard to be still on the couch when it is so pretty outside, but I need to listen to my body!

Are you ready for spring?

Just Do It

Yesterday was a beautiful day!   I woke up to birds chirping, sun shining and relatively warm temperatures.  We went to bed later than usual on Friday night because we were finishing up the laundry room DIY project.  Super-son had stayed over night with a friend, so it was the perfect morning to sleep in!  However, every time I have an opportunity to sleep in - no matter how hard I try - I can't!   I got up around 830a - technically I that is later than a regular work day  :)    Super-husband dropped his car off for service the evening before and around 10a they called to say it was ready.   He wasn't up yet and I hadn't gone for my 2-3 miles yet -- so I decided to do something completely out of my comfort zone! 

I decided I would walk to pick up his car.  I checked MapMyRun for the route and it was almost 2.5 miles to the garage - perfect, I could tackle two tasks at the same time.  I called my friend, Angie, to let her know what I was doing (just in case) and left super-husband a note (he was still snoozing) & out the door I went. 

We live in a relatively rural area - no sidewalks... fortunately, the garage is relatively close to us and I only had to go down one road after getting out of our neighborhood to get there.  I followed the rules of the road (ride with, walk against) and wore my fluorescent pink wind-breaker.  I was on and off the pavement alot - as cars approached I would walk in the grass  (I've seen some folks who don't budge off the road - I'm not one of those).   I did not have my ear-buds in either.  Since this was the first time on a major road (I'm usually in our neighborhood, at the local town square, or a neighborhood around where I work)  I decided I needed to really be aware of my surroundings.  I wasn't sure I could maintain my usual pace (no music, on & off the road), but I tried not to focus on that and just be proud of the fact that I was doing something NEW!

I arrived at the garage slightly winded, but feeling pretty proud of stepping outside my comfort zone.  I was able to keep my usual pace (yeah!).   I returned home and super-husband woke up 30 minutes or so later & mentioned we needed to go get his car.  I told him it was in the driveway (SURPRISE!) -- I think he was proud of me too!   We went out for brunch and then went to the park at I logged another 1.25 miles.   

Are you staying focused this weekend?

Laundry Room - Design on a Dime

While searching Pinterest,  I've stumbled across so many amazing laundry rooms.   It makes me laugh to search for "small laundry room" and have pictures show up with laundry rooms ten times the size of my really, truly, small laundry room.   Anyway,  I created a board of inspiration for our laundry room and you can see it here. This is the mess I was working with (don't judge!) - this is real life  :)

Goodness, what a mess!  Our washer/dryer is located behind two bifold doors.  It's more like a laundry closet.  As you can see there is some attempt at storage, but it fails miserably.  My goals were to complete the project on a dime - spend as little money as possible;  group like items together in a more organized fashion; and give a little sense of style to the room.   My initial thoughts to 2 paint thick bold stripes in the area with leftover kitchen paint & find stylish storage  :)

I started by enlisting the help of my best friends, Sally and Angie.  Our idea of a great girls night out is helping each other with a project.  Angie's basement remodel is on our list, but she wasn't quite ready to tackle it.  We dove in head first - uh in some cases literally - for this project. 

We started by completely emptying the room and cleaning from floor to ceiling.  It's nearly impossible to see everything you are working with unless you do this step!  Purge items you don't need - it's much easier when you have help to discard items - you don't have time to think about "when" or "if" you will need an item in the future.   NEXT,  group like items together - I grouped in the following categories - cleaning, DIY, outdoors, lighting.

And after... you can see each crate has a chalkboard with the items within that crate.  I kept the blue cleaning caddy by itself  because it is used on a regular basis.  The black cube storage piece - we already had &  it contains all of our auto cleaning supplies.   The basket on top of the dryer contains items we use on a regular basis to complete laundry:  detergent, dryer sheets, stain remover, iron, etc.   Overall,  it looks so much better!!   As you can see, I did NOT paint the stripes I initially thought about. The crates came unfinished and Sally had some leftover stain from a project - we used it to give a splash of color to the area.  

The crates were on sale this week at our local AC Moore for under $8.00.  I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by their size and durability.  I bought two and Sally gifted me two for my birthday.  The total cost for this project was under $20.00  I'm really pleased with how it turned out! 

We reorganized my pantry/small storage room too & I'll post it later!

No Posts!

February slipped by without one single post!   I need to try and make at least one blog post a week a priority.  Recently, I've continually asked myself how I balanced going to school full-time with a full-time career as well as being a mother and wife!   It was less than a year ago - how crazy. 

You may be wondering what's new....

1.  Our wellness department at work promotes various programs throughout the year on different aspects of healthy living.  The end of January they started a "Weigh at Work" program.  In some aspects, it's similar to Weight Watchers, but there is no "program" to follow.  It works really well for me as we are required to use My Fitness Pal to log our food daily (which I use anyway), but I've really enjoyed the added aspect of accountability on a "required" weigh-in each week.  We meet weekly on Wednesdays for 30 minutes and discuss various topics -- stress, clean eating, eating out, etc. 

2.  I've finally found my groove with exercising again.  I struggled after hurting my back last year, but I've successfully logged 4-5 workouts each week for the past 6 weeks.  Even though, I'm not running I've been able to maintain an average pace of 4.5mph on my 3 mile route - I'll eventually begin to shave some seconds/minutes off and hopefully be able to pick up the pace without injuring my back.  I've incorporated Zumba, Hoopdio (aerobics with a hula-hoop twist), Pilates, boot camp and a personal training session.  In so many ways, exercise is like therapy for me.

3.  Tonight... sigh, I looked in super-son's bookbag and there was the dreaded middle school registration card.  I am so.not.ready. for this next chapter.   We've been blessed with such a wonderful elementary school experience - could not ask for better administrators, teachers, and staff.   However, time waits for no one & we must move on.  We are fortunate to have a great middle school.  We are still hoping he gets into a magnet school we selected, but we are currently number 24 on the waiting list so are odds are not very good.

Over the next couple of weeks,  I'll try to share my fitness goals for 2013, some new recipes I've tried from Pinterest, and a DIY project or two!