Laminated Cotton Tablecloth

Easy, Affordable Bathroom Update

Quick Bathroom Fixes that Make a Difference

Strictly DIY; no contractors needed for this bathroom redo!
 

I am all about getting things done in a quick and affordable fashion, and this bathroom was in need of a major aesthetic fix. At first, we considered moving the tub and sink around and even consulted a couple contractors about different options, but when it came down to it, we were looking at thousands of dollars for changes that weren't functionally necessary. So we scratched those ideas pretty quickly.

But I hated the way the bathroom looked (obviously). I felt a strong need to get it done, and quick (sometimes when I get something in my head, I can't get it out until I do something about it). If nothing else, I wanted it painted. And my loving husband obliged, even though painting the bathroom on a nice sunny day was probably the last thing he wanted to do. 

Rushing to take advantage of his offer, I picked a color from a paint card. He picked it up, and then surprised me by painting almost the entire room when I was out the next day. I came home and was so touched and grateful that he did such a nice thing! It was so sweet, so thoughtful... so... so... so... well, so Smurf-like. Yup. Smurf-like. It was the color of the Smurfs. And it was bad. Ut oh.

My husband, being the wonderful person he is, could see past my "happy" reaction, and, looking at me with a, I-might-kill-you, you-always-do-this, but-I-still-love-you stare, asked, "What? You don't like it?" GULP. And you can imagine the rest of the conversation. Fast forward... I immediately relieve my husband of any and all painting duties (with much gratitude), with a huge hug and kiss, and determine to fix this on my own.

VERTICAL STRIPES:
First task: covering up the smurf paint. Not as easy as you might think... that blue wanted to stay! But somewhere through the process of white coat after white coat, it dawned on me that vertical stripes would add some much-needed character. I wanted something more subtle than Smurfette, so I took my time finding the right color green. (the tub is in the same color family, but it's one shade darker, if I remember correctly). Painting the stripes on the walls was the trickiest part. Actually, not necessarily tricky, but time consuming (measuring, marking, taping, painting... over and over and over). I was in there painting for probably two days straight (I had a babysitter, thankfully). But I really got to understand painters tape, and actually, if you have Frog Tape available to you (mine was green), I really recommend it. I used it for most of the project but ran out, and the small hardware store near me only had the regular blue kind, so I used that for the last third of the walls. I thought the Frog Tape was easier to work with. 

FIXTURES:
-We swapped out the vanity ($298) and sink ($80) for ones we found on HomeDepot.com (free shipping). We really liked the beadboard vanity because it matches the look of the rest of the cottage, but you could easily find one cheaper (especially on CL). The retro-looking faucet ($125) was another splurge, but it had the look I wanted. We also got a nice new medicine cabinet ($109) and light fixture above it ($42). The original fixture was black, and just stuck out too much against everything else, so we used metalic spray paint to change it up.

HOOKS:

I love the hooks. I'm not a big fan of towel bars in the bathroom. They work for hanging clean towels for decorative purposes, but I don't see the point besides that. You can't hang a wet towel back on it, and it's a pain to fold it perfectly and place on the bar. I just don't like them. I think hooks are a much more practical choice. Hence, the starfish hooks (from PB teen) and white hooks above the toilet. 

W-E-T LETTERS:
I got the letters from the craft store and sprayed them with metallic paint (so they're a lot lighter than they look). I actually really like separating the towels like this, because it's clear which towels are clean and which have been used. And it (hopefully) encourages us to use a towel more than once before throwing it in the laundry basket.

WATER-SAVING FLUSHER:
And on the subject of being "green," I also included a shot of our new eco-friendly flusher that lets you control the amount of water being used when you flush the toilet. Aside from the training session we had to give the kids and guests, it's a really cheap and easy way to save water. You can get a flush kit at the hardware store; my husband installed it himself in about 15 minutes.

Added a little wall art, and we were all set! I got it done in time for the party, and now I love it so much. I especially love how slant of the ceilings makes the stripes look. Anyone have any tricks for painting stripes? My arms were KILLING me by the end of this!

  Linking up to: Metamorphosis Monday

Pillowcase Dresses for Project Yesu

Pillowcase Dresses for Little Girls in Uganda

Mallory's Project Yesu is Inspirational!  

"Everything happens for a reason." We hear this all the time, and I like to believe it's true, but sometimes that's harder than others. In this case, I do believe it! This week one of my projects was featured at Someday Crafts, and while I was there checking out their site, I noticed the "Crafting for a Cause" link, and I was intrigued. Project Yesu, and organization started by a remarkable young woman named Mallory, is looking for handmade pillowcase dresses to bring with them on their upcoming trip to Uganda (this is their second time going). They're looking for lots and lots of dresses to bring to the little girls over there, and how can anyone say no to that?

I had enough of this fabric on hand to make two dresses, probably around sizes 6 & 7. Maybe they'll go to sisters! In any case, I was happy to be able to help in some way. I often feel like I want to be doing more to help those in need, but with my (and my kids') current schedule, I haven't been able to commit to too much. And when all was said and done, it took me about an hour and a half to complete these (and that was with many kiddo interruptions). I'm glad to be able to help in some way.

I urge you to visit the Project Yesu site to find out more about the cause, because I fear I won't do it justice. But what I can say is that I am so impressed with Mallory and all she has done with Project Yesu, especially at such a young age. 

So I felt like this was a good week--a cool feature at Someday Crafts leading to lending a hand to an amazing cause. If you can carve out a little time to make one of these pillowcase dresses for a girls in Uganda, I know Mallory would be grateful. 

Incidentally, I just noticed the new front cover of the spring Hanna Andersson catalog. You guessed it, pillowcase dresses!
 

They're collecting dresses until May 31, 2013, so you still have time. The tutorial I used (from Sew Like My Mom) was the one they recommended on their site, but there are plenty of patterns out there!