While the Husband's Away...

Every September my husband leaves on his annual hunting trip back to the Yukon for two weeks and every time he leaves I have a list of projects to complete before he gets home.  This year is no exception...so I decided it was time to tackle the bathroom.  It certainly wasn't a major "gut" of the room, but I updated the light fixture, painted, added some moulding, etc.  Just things I could do to give it a "fresher" new look.  Before I go any further, I just want you to know that I am aware that the shower curtain, towels and bathmat DO NOT MATCH the room...I just haven't had time to go out and look for new stuff, but I will get to it!  So, here it is...

It started out looking like this...

I absolutely hated the Hollywood lights!  Over at Pretty Handy Girl, she gave a tutorial on how to change out such a light fixture, so I gave it a go.  It was very easy to do, however, the electrical box was not centered over the mirror...it was to the left which ticked me off!! 

Not much I could do about that as I am not an electrician nor was I calling one to do it!  So, I made due with what I had and the new light fixture I bought actually fit perfectly.  Again, its not centered over the mirror, but I'll live with it. (Oh...just when I started to take pictures the middle bulb burned out...nothing will every be perfect around here!)

I painted the walls a light blue color called "Live" from Home Hardware. (I love their paint!)  It's a very soft color and very calming.  I added beadboard wallpaper...yip, wallpaper!  It was cheap and doesn't look too bad!  I used MDF (1/2") to add trim to the beadboard, top and bottom.  I painted it with a white called "Puff Ball".  I also painted the existing door trim and door with the same color.  As well, I painted the vanity. 

Speaking of the vanity...if you look at the before picture closely, you will see that the countertop extended over the back of the toilet. 

Now, without trying to bore you, but I must explain, you will see that the "extension" has a big hole cut out of it.  When we replaced the toilet, the new one was too tall for the space...low flow toilet with the flush buttons on top of the tank.  The toilet fit, but you couldn't get your hand in to flush it, so out of frustration, my husband got out the jigsaw and cut an opening big enough to expose the buttons!  The whole thing didn't seem to bother him...as he said, problem solved!  Okay, I removed that section of the countertop because it bothered me!

I made a frame for the mirror using 1x4 pine and painted it a dark brown.  I also used the same brown to trim the vanity doors and to paint the towel ladder I built...again, from 1x4 pine and dowel. 

The hand towel rack is actually a wrought iron flower pot holder.  It was an off-white, but I spray painted it with Rustoleum's oil rubbed bronze.

I added height to the doorway by using 1/2" MDF cut to the width of the doorway by 4" high.  I trimmed it with crown moulding then painted the entire thing the same color as the door and trim. 

My so-called artwork is a bunch of scrap 1x4's glued together, randomly painted with the same colors used in the bathroom and funky candle lanterns attached to it. 



Not much else to tell you...that's about it! 

Thank you for stopping by...I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Have a great weekend!

Lesa

Daisy's Crate Bed

This is Daisy...

And, she likes to sleep here...

So, I decided to build her a bed out of the scrap 1x4's I had left over from furniture projects.  I wanted the bed to look like an old, weathered crate so I didn't put alot of effort into constructing it...i.e. square corners, etc.  Once I got it together, I added the small castor wheels to the bottom.  I then applied my vinegar and steel wool mixture to weather the wood. 

I liked it, however, it was to "red" in color for what I wanted, so I gave it a light sanding and applied dark walnut danish oil to the surface by rubbing it in with a soft cloth.  That helped take the red out of the wood, but it still needed more.  So, I started dry brushing green paint and then white paint on the surface.  When I was happy with the color I applied another coat of danish oil to age the paint color.  Finally, I applied Daisy's name to the front using the freezer paper transfer method. 

As well, added the "No.1" to each side of the crate, again using the freezer paper transfer method. 

 I made a cushion and cover (that is removable and can be thrown into the wash) out of an old feather pillow which fit into the crate perfectly.  Daisy now has her own bed, but it looks as though she is hoping to head back to the couch!

Thank you for stopping by...
Lesa

Newly Painted Entryway

It was time for a change.  I couldn't stand it any more...I was getting tired of "Cinnamon Sizzle"! 

I wanted something fresh and airy so without hesitation, I painted my entryway.  The new color is called "Habitat" and it's from Home Hardware.  I love the color and it works well with the rest of the house. 

I repainted the doors and the trim with "Puff Ball", again, from Home Hardware. 

I also repainted the coat rack to match my console table and added a seat cushion to the bench.

I constructed the bench from an Ana White plan which was actually called a "spa bench".  However, my entryway is not very large so I needed something compact to fit in the space.    When it comes to accessorizing, my rooms usually "lack" detail...everything is usually pretty simple.

The entryway flows right into the rest of the house, so I had to paint a few other walls the same color to make it come together.

I'm really happy with the new color, for now!  Thank you for stopping by...have a great day. 

Lesa

http://abodelove.blogspot.com/

{3} Mini Projects

I managed to complete {3} mini projects this past week and thought I'd share them with you...

{1} Kitchen Sink Burlap & Canvas Curtain:

I love the look of a skirted sink so I decided to make one for mine out of burlap and canvas.

{2} Storage Box Makeover:

I found these storage boxes at a bargain shop...the size and shape of the boxes were perfect, however, the color choices were not so good. 

However, for the price, I thought I could transform them into something I would use. 

First, I gave them a coat of primer. 

I discovered that the metal handles could be removed, so I did just that and gave them a couple of coats of rubbed oil bronze paint.  I then painted each box a "green/gray" color.  Once dry, I re-attached the metal handles.  I thought canvas liners would look cute, so I made a pattern by tracing the bottom and sides of the box onto paper.  I added 1/4 inch to all the pattern pieces and for the four sides I added 1 1/2" to only the tops.  This allows for the top edge to be hemmed and to fold over the top of the box.  

I cut my patterns from canvas.   First, stitch the end pieces to the bottom

and then the sides to the bottom. 

Now, sew each corner to form the liner.  Once all four corners are stitched, fold the top edge down approximately 1/2 inch and sew in place.

Here are the finished storage boxes...

{3} Canvas Cushion with Painted Stripes

I built this bench from an Ana White plan last year.  It is actually called a "spa bench", but the size was perfect for the size of my entryway.  I decided it needed a cushion, so I made one out of...you guessed it...canvas. 

I cut my canvas to the size of my bench adding about a 1/2 inch to each side for the seam allowance. 
I made piping out of dark brown fabric and pinned it to the canvas "sandwiching" it between the top and bottom canvas pieces. 

After sewing it together, I decided to add large stripes to just the top of the cushion. 

I used masking tape to mark off the width of my stripes and then simply sponged paint to fill in the stripes. 



Once the stripes dried, I added "fill" to the canvas shell and now I have a cushion for my bench.

Thank you for stopping by...I hope you enjoyed your visit!  Have a great day!!

Lesa