Springtime Projects: Project 1 - Shower Door

Hello friends! It's been awhile since I posted last. I've been busy with all the springtime projects besides doing artwork. But they're getting done!

Our first project we worked on was a door for our shower. When we redid the bathroom several years ago, we weren't sure if we wanted a glass door or not. To be honest what was available just wasn't very pretty. I didn't want chrome and there really wasn't enough room for a swinging door. So we opted to hang a shower curtain. 

It wasn't a great choice as the opening was larger than a normal shower and finding a curtain that fit was a challenge. The one I found wasn't quite wide enough and then it tended to blow out and drip water all over the floor. Frustrating.

Then last year, my sister redid her bathroom and they put a sliding door on their shower. It has the hardware that looks like barn door hardware. What could be more perfect for a farm? Finally! A look I was happy with! We had someone come give us a quote - wouldn't you know the one I wanted was more than we wanted to pay? 

Our next step was to go look at Lowes and Home Depot. We found one we liked and thought would work.  With information in hand, we came home, looked it up, figured out what we needed and ordered it. It didn't take too long for it to come in. When Bruce got home with it, he had me try to lift one end up. Boy, that glass was heavy! There was no way I could help him unload it and get it in the house.  He had to get our neighbor to come over and help. Then, a few days later, again with the neighbor's help, Bruce installed it. It was quite the process but it went up without too much trouble.

All most there! Just have to let the caulk cure.

It turned out great! I am so blessed my husband is such a good handyman. 

Yay! No more water leaking out onto the floor!It felt really good to get this project done.

There's many more springtime projects to share - lots of gardening and painting a room. I'll be back next time to share those.

Bathroom Reveal

Well, we did it! We have a beautiful new bathroom with some amazing features and we pulled it off in a couple of weeks. It was hard work but so worth it!
I'm still shopping for a couple of things (like a narrow tray for soap, etc) but I'm in no hurry. I'll wait for the right pieces.

Let's start with some before pictures. After all, we've come a long way, baby!

Here's how it looked when we bought it 3 years ago:

Oh my! The pink and lace had to go! After a thorough cleaning and removal of wallpaper, everything got a fresh coat of paint. Here's what it looked like afterwards and before we redid everything:

This wasn't bad but we didn't like the vanity or the tub. And that is what prompted the new makeover.

So let's see how it ended up. Enjoy!

The shower:

 I was fortunate to find a tile that goes perfectly with my wall paint. It wouldn't have been a huge deal to repaint but it saved a ton of time!

Love the detail tile. It adds that wow.

Can I just say I'm  not missing the old tub one bit? I love my new shower!

The floor tile:

This is seriously one of my favorite features of the whole room. I love how it looks like real rustic wood but since it's tile, there are no worries about moisture.

The buffet turned vanity:

What can I say? I love this piece. Even though I ended up repainting it because of a mishap with the polyurethane, let me just say it was a happy mishap. I truly think if the piece had been left white, it would have lacked the visual punch the new color gave it. This is truly my most favorite feature in the whole room. It had been a little neglected but now has a new lease on life.

Swoon worthy!

Finishing touches:

I painted all the woodwork white, getting rid of the few areas that had been stained. Now it all looks clean and cohesive.

Repainted the shelves in the floor unit with the vanity paint- that got rid of the scratches in the previous finish and tied it in to the vanity. I'm going to Canton to get more of the wire baskets for the shelves. They are the perfect size and will corral the supplies I keep there.

White shower curtain and window curtains - made from inexpensive white sheets. A perfect way to get a lot of material for a small price. The white really adds to a spa feel.

Notice the nice fresh white window sill!

I'm going to add some trim to the curtain ruffle

The sign I made over,

The Scrabble letters,

Red metal truck,

Old tin ceiling tiles,

They look amazing with the vanity!

I recovered my little stool and repainted it in ASCP Coco:

I also made a small sign to hang above the bathroom door in the hallway:

We are so pleased with the results. It is definitely all I imagined - only better. I think Bruce did an amazing job with it all. We couldn't love it more!

Do you have a favorite?


Happy week to you!
Hugs,
Cecilia

I am sharing at these parties!
My Heart Lives Here
Coastal Charm Show and Share
DIY Showoff That DIY Party
A Stroll Thru Life Inspire Me Tuesday
The Dedicated House Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday
Fluster Buster Creative Muster Party

Starting The Bathroom Remodel

We finally got started on the bathroom - it was our anniversary present to each other and I'm thrilled with the way it's coming along!

Bruce took the week off last week to get as much done as possible - the tub got demo-ed and the shower and floor tile went in. Ready to see the process? Here we go:

Bruce told me not to take pictures of him. oops, already did. :o)
But he's off to a good start!

Goodbye to the yucky tile surround

I can't help it; he's just so darn cute and working hard!

 There was a bit of mold but it all got torn out anyway.

The tile is gone, the tub is history!

Breaking out the first row of floor tile to put shower curb in - can you say messy?

Shower curb started and drain in

liner and cement board in

floor tile all out

 Fortunately, we didn't run into any surprises so it was just hard work with long days. And the back porch was all set up for relaxing in the evening plus Bruce had his hammock for taking a nap break.
                                                                              :o)

It's going to look great. The tile is just what I envisioned with the beautiful decorative accent.

decorative tile on left, shower tile on right

We are leaving the beadboard on the walls - have to add more where the old vanity was. Plus I'm going to paint the door and window sill white to match the rest of the trim - good-bye matches nothing stain.

The floor is just wow! I love how it looks like rustic wood planks.

And my beautiful buffet. She needed a bit of cleaning up and then I started putting the polyurethane on her:

Yikes! Disaster! By the 3rd coat, the poly turned the paint really yellow. Yellow clashes with my tile so off to the store to buy stripper. What a headache, because of course, the paint came off too. Ok, deep breath; find a store that sells chalk paint, drive 38 minutes to Tyler, buy paint, drive back, paint, and poly again. whee. But I have to say I love the new color even better than before. Here's a sneak peak of the drawer with the lion head handle:

ASCP "Coco" with white wash

A different brand of poly this time and she's ready to be made into a vanity and start her new life.

And that my friends, was the week of hard work. We are tired but happy with the progress we made. I'd like to give a big shout out to my MIL, Bonnie, who was there the first weekend and helped haul debris out (she's awesome!) AND to my brother-in-law, Michael, who was there the following Friday and Saturday and helped Bruce get the shower tiled. He saved me from having to cut the tile (I really dislike that job!).  My sister and I left them to work and ran to Canton for the day. haha! It was a nice break from the dust and noise.

We are taking a couple of weeks off to rest up but we Bruce will be grouting and getting the vanity in next. (I get to clean out grout lines where the mortar oozed through, paint the door, window sill and beadboard, and the fun part of decorating.) Yay! Can't wait!!

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Cecilia

Ideas For The Bathroom

I've been working on ideas for redoing the bathroom. It's a nice-size but after living with it for three years, it's time to address the issues we have:

1. The way low vanity:

I'm only 5'3" but it feels low to me! Annoying for me but what about for others who are taller? Very uncomfortable, I'd think!

2. The tub.

Although it's a nice deep tub, it is starting to crack on the bottom. (Lacking support?) And don't get me started on trying to make it look clean! I've scrubbed and scrubbed but it still looks dingy. Gross.

3. White tile.
Who in their right mind puts shiny, solid white tile on their bathroom floor? Ok, maybe you like that look; however, it's not for me! It shows every speck of dirt, every drop of water, footprint, whatever. It.drives.me.crazy!

Needless to say, I've wanted to redo it. Here's my ideas:

First off, the vanity. I saw this one at Pottery Barn and loved it's rustic look. The price? Not so much. Maybe Bruce could build one? Hm, he wasn't too keen on that idea. 

But then I saw this on Kim's blog, Tidbits & Twine:

Swoon! I love everything about it! Weathered, a piece of furniture, loads of character!

Bruce liked the idea of using an old piece of furniture too. He told me to start looking for the right piece. We measured and I started looking. Nothing. Everything was either too long or too short, drawers not in the right place, not the look I wanted, etc.

Then in Canton this month, I spied this:

To say I made a beeline for it is an understatement. I might of ran (well, almost).  It's the right size and configuration, solid wood, beautiful carving on it, AND I love how it's painted! The price was right too. Score! It came home with me. :-) 

Next, the floor. There are no tiles under the old vanity so that means I get new flooring! Woohoo!

Here's what I'm thinking of - wood look ceramic tiles:

I love the look of wood floors and with the ceramic tiles, I can have them in this space! 

Lastly, we're kicking around the idea of replacing the tub with a large walk-in shower; we hardly ever soak in the tub and in the future, getting in and out of a shower will be easier. (I know that's down the road but after dealing with that issue with a broken leg, I'm thinking of that). That said, being able to soak after a long day of working outside would be nice. But I'm really leaning toward a big shower -I'm just not sure yet. (Oh and before you ask, this is our only bathroom).

I'm excited to get started on this - just need to finalize the details/decisions and block out the time. Soon though, very soon!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Cecilia