... although it wasn't even planned.
Sometimes one thing leads to another, and when I am involved, it isn't always necessarily as planned. I am good at taking something and running with it {or as my husband would say, making a mountain out of a molehill}. Me running with the purchase of a new vanity caused the entire bathroom project to have the Lorax effect.... it kept biggering and biggering and biggering.
It all started out when our old vanity had seen better days and the drawers busted due to little climbers and the fact I hadn't kept a good stool at their disposal. The vanity had been painted multiple times and was never intended to be long term anyway {although 12+ years was pretty long term}, so I was excited to pull it out and say farewell. And being that we had leftover materials from lower level and guest bathroom projects at our disposal, it seemed as though the stars were aligning in our favor of a sweet little bathroom update. All we would need to purchase is a new vanity and boom, much better right?! Not quite.
Once the old vanity was removed, the walls needed to be painted and far more than what we had left in our touch up paint jar. So, the cheapy in me just pulled out a gallon of paint we had on hand and painted the walls in Behr's Burnished Metal.
Bryan installed the flooring {these from Home Depot which we have used in our guest bathroom and throughout our entire lower level}, and we also updated all of the trim in the bathroom. We followed the exact same process as we shared in this post here {which also links back to more step by step tutorials}, so I didn't duplicate the documentation process this time around.
This is where the biggering comes in.
The new vanity really opened up the bathroom and allowed us better storage {I will touch on that in a moment}, which also meant we could remove the stand-in storage cabinet we had been using. Removing the small cabinet left the big giant wall looking sterile and blank and the dinky hooks looked just that; dinky. My wheels were spinning and I decided that subtle stripes paired with beautiful new substantial hooks would be much more fun for the space. Simple, yet functional while also filling the big empty wall. No big deal.
I shared the beautiful stripe and house number projects in my last update.
And then things went entirely downhill.
As I was taking and editing the post photos, I noticed that the light was catching areas that needed to be touched up. So after I posted my last update, that is exactly what I went to do. I touched up edges and corners and even a missed spot on the stripes here and there. Then it happened.
Jennifer Jones was painting a wall, Jennifer Jones had a great fall.
Yep, I fell as I was touching up the ceiling. Completely lost my balance and not so gracefully bruised my wrist, ribs and ankle. At that point I called it quits, slowly walking away to allow my touch ups to dry and to take a few days to recover.
Once the touched up areas were dry, I was left completely disappointed. Because the metallic glaze was a mixture that I created, even though I stirred and stirred and stirred some more, it didn't provide the exact coverage. In fact, the spots I "touched up" only looked worse. Blotchy, runny and oh so wrong. I panicked.
I went and spoke with a paint specialist at Sherwin Williams and asked about finish options to fix the metallic mess I created and to see if they had any options that would allow me to redo my stripes. I was told that applying any type of metallic glaze can be a finicky process due to running, mixing and edging, and that they usually recommend hiring a pro. Um, that was not part of my plan.
So, we went to Home Depot and heard the same thing from there paint department. Somehow, I got lucky and most of my stripes looked beautiful, so I am guessing that if you can get it all on and blended at once, you should be OK. Just don't attempt to touch it up after. Ever.
Feeling deterred and frustrated and sore... I chickened out and purchased the exact same color of paint as the walls were already finished in, only in a glossy sheen. My fingers were crossed there would be enough of a difference between the eggshell and gloss paint sheens, to still achieve the subtle stripe effect.
Re-taping was easy, we just followed the lines we had previously created so no re-measuring was required. Hubby and I whipped out the glossy stripes together in under an hour, and started pulling the tape again. This time, it was nearly impossible to even spot a difference. Strike two.
Before getting too much tape pulled, we stopped knowing we would have to paint yet again. Nervous to head back to the glaze I loved and risk messing it up again, I decided to just find a pretty complimentary shade and call it good. Lame I know but sometimes you have to know when to fold 'em. I went with Glidden's Misty Moonstone and it was juuuuuust right. Did you hear the sigh of relief from there?
Other than the paint drama, the rest of the bathroom came together easily and quickly and makes me grin for a lot of different reasons. In fact, I was fairly happy with our previous bathroom refresh, but this one takes the cake.
My visions for this bathroom down the road include a lot of tile, including a whole new tub and shower. Knowing the direction that I see the bathroom heading, anything purchased this time around had to fit with those plans. I searched high and low and when I spotted the vanity online I knew it was "the one". The vanity was one that I could see myself loving for the rest of the life of our home and had all of the characteristics I was after.
And that vanity was an absolutely game changer. Attempting to translate size within photos is nearly impossible, but this bathroom is a whopping 5' x 5'. The beautiful new vanity {purchased here from Lowes}, was actually not as deep as our previous version, giving us an extra few inches of floor space. That few inches paired with the leggy base resulted in a bathroom that felt twice as big.
Although smaller, the cabinet actually works harder for us in the storage department. The previous vanity had one small cabinet paired with two small drawers. The drawers held random bathroom clutter and the cabinet was utilized for cleaning supplies. There was no room to store our extra set of towels, however, the open shelf on the bottom of the new vanity solved that problem instantly. Love.
To organize the inside of the cabinet, I added a caddy to hold the cleaning items and rags on the left....
While a basket on the right holds daily toiletry items. I gave the bottom of the basket a coat of the coral paint to tie it in with the house numbers and freshly painted stool.
Speaking of house numbers, they are so stinkin' darling floating above each of the bathroom hooks.
The entire bathroom is done in neutral grays and blues for my boys and to stay consistent with the flow of the rest of our home, but the little pops of corally pink sure speak to me.
A few years ago we switched from towel bars to hooks in the bathroom, and I will never turn back. Hooks are so much easier for my boys to use. No need to fold anything nice and neat, just toss the towel back on the hook and go. Occasionally, towels would slip off of their hooks, so this time around we sewed small ribbon loops onto each towel. Couldn't be easier for the boys to maintain yet adds a sweetness to the space.
We toss a soft bathmat over the edge of the tub which is placed on the floor during showers, so I opted not to put down a rug for now. This allows the stool to glide across the floor on felt pads, and encourages the boys to grab the stool when washing and brushing.
Of course all of the room accessories were curated from items we already had around our home. My favorite elephant print still set the tone with its fantastic colors....
While the other frame was updated with a small print I received with a recent order from Aedriel. The shower curtain was purchased at Home Goods and allowed for us to play a game of musical shower curtains around the rest of the house.
The hand towel may be a little too much stripe on stripe, but we already had it on hand and the color was too perfect for now and really ties in the house numbers and stool on the opposite side of the room.
So that is the story of our little bathroom update and the three attempts at getting the perfect stripes.
Have you had a "third times a charm" project recently? Or a room that started out as one itty bitty update and kept biggering and biggering?
.png)
Sometimes one thing leads to another, and when I am involved, it isn't always necessarily as planned. I am good at taking something and running with it {or as my husband would say, making a mountain out of a molehill}. Me running with the purchase of a new vanity caused the entire bathroom project to have the Lorax effect.... it kept biggering and biggering and biggering.
It all started out when our old vanity had seen better days and the drawers busted due to little climbers and the fact I hadn't kept a good stool at their disposal. The vanity had been painted multiple times and was never intended to be long term anyway {although 12+ years was pretty long term}, so I was excited to pull it out and say farewell. And being that we had leftover materials from lower level and guest bathroom projects at our disposal, it seemed as though the stars were aligning in our favor of a sweet little bathroom update. All we would need to purchase is a new vanity and boom, much better right?! Not quite.
Once the old vanity was removed, the walls needed to be painted and far more than what we had left in our touch up paint jar. So, the cheapy in me just pulled out a gallon of paint we had on hand and painted the walls in Behr's Burnished Metal.
Bryan installed the flooring {these from Home Depot which we have used in our guest bathroom and throughout our entire lower level}, and we also updated all of the trim in the bathroom. We followed the exact same process as we shared in this post here {which also links back to more step by step tutorials}, so I didn't duplicate the documentation process this time around.
This is where the biggering comes in.
The new vanity really opened up the bathroom and allowed us better storage {I will touch on that in a moment}, which also meant we could remove the stand-in storage cabinet we had been using. Removing the small cabinet left the big giant wall looking sterile and blank and the dinky hooks looked just that; dinky. My wheels were spinning and I decided that subtle stripes paired with beautiful new substantial hooks would be much more fun for the space. Simple, yet functional while also filling the big empty wall. No big deal.
I shared the beautiful stripe and house number projects in my last update.
And then things went entirely downhill.
As I was taking and editing the post photos, I noticed that the light was catching areas that needed to be touched up. So after I posted my last update, that is exactly what I went to do. I touched up edges and corners and even a missed spot on the stripes here and there. Then it happened.
Jennifer Jones was painting a wall, Jennifer Jones had a great fall.
Yep, I fell as I was touching up the ceiling. Completely lost my balance and not so gracefully bruised my wrist, ribs and ankle. At that point I called it quits, slowly walking away to allow my touch ups to dry and to take a few days to recover.
Once the touched up areas were dry, I was left completely disappointed. Because the metallic glaze was a mixture that I created, even though I stirred and stirred and stirred some more, it didn't provide the exact coverage. In fact, the spots I "touched up" only looked worse. Blotchy, runny and oh so wrong. I panicked.
I went and spoke with a paint specialist at Sherwin Williams and asked about finish options to fix the metallic mess I created and to see if they had any options that would allow me to redo my stripes. I was told that applying any type of metallic glaze can be a finicky process due to running, mixing and edging, and that they usually recommend hiring a pro. Um, that was not part of my plan.
So, we went to Home Depot and heard the same thing from there paint department. Somehow, I got lucky and most of my stripes looked beautiful, so I am guessing that if you can get it all on and blended at once, you should be OK. Just don't attempt to touch it up after. Ever.
Feeling deterred and frustrated and sore... I chickened out and purchased the exact same color of paint as the walls were already finished in, only in a glossy sheen. My fingers were crossed there would be enough of a difference between the eggshell and gloss paint sheens, to still achieve the subtle stripe effect.
Re-taping was easy, we just followed the lines we had previously created so no re-measuring was required. Hubby and I whipped out the glossy stripes together in under an hour, and started pulling the tape again. This time, it was nearly impossible to even spot a difference. Strike two.
Before getting too much tape pulled, we stopped knowing we would have to paint yet again. Nervous to head back to the glaze I loved and risk messing it up again, I decided to just find a pretty complimentary shade and call it good. Lame I know but sometimes you have to know when to fold 'em. I went with Glidden's Misty Moonstone and it was juuuuuust right. Did you hear the sigh of relief from there?
Other than the paint drama, the rest of the bathroom came together easily and quickly and makes me grin for a lot of different reasons. In fact, I was fairly happy with our previous bathroom refresh, but this one takes the cake.
My visions for this bathroom down the road include a lot of tile, including a whole new tub and shower. Knowing the direction that I see the bathroom heading, anything purchased this time around had to fit with those plans. I searched high and low and when I spotted the vanity online I knew it was "the one". The vanity was one that I could see myself loving for the rest of the life of our home and had all of the characteristics I was after.
And that vanity was an absolutely game changer. Attempting to translate size within photos is nearly impossible, but this bathroom is a whopping 5' x 5'. The beautiful new vanity {purchased here from Lowes}, was actually not as deep as our previous version, giving us an extra few inches of floor space. That few inches paired with the leggy base resulted in a bathroom that felt twice as big.
Although smaller, the cabinet actually works harder for us in the storage department. The previous vanity had one small cabinet paired with two small drawers. The drawers held random bathroom clutter and the cabinet was utilized for cleaning supplies. There was no room to store our extra set of towels, however, the open shelf on the bottom of the new vanity solved that problem instantly. Love.
To organize the inside of the cabinet, I added a caddy to hold the cleaning items and rags on the left....
While a basket on the right holds daily toiletry items. I gave the bottom of the basket a coat of the coral paint to tie it in with the house numbers and freshly painted stool.
Speaking of house numbers, they are so stinkin' darling floating above each of the bathroom hooks.
The entire bathroom is done in neutral grays and blues for my boys and to stay consistent with the flow of the rest of our home, but the little pops of corally pink sure speak to me.
A few years ago we switched from towel bars to hooks in the bathroom, and I will never turn back. Hooks are so much easier for my boys to use. No need to fold anything nice and neat, just toss the towel back on the hook and go. Occasionally, towels would slip off of their hooks, so this time around we sewed small ribbon loops onto each towel. Couldn't be easier for the boys to maintain yet adds a sweetness to the space.
We toss a soft bathmat over the edge of the tub which is placed on the floor during showers, so I opted not to put down a rug for now. This allows the stool to glide across the floor on felt pads, and encourages the boys to grab the stool when washing and brushing.
Of course all of the room accessories were curated from items we already had around our home. My favorite elephant print still set the tone with its fantastic colors....
While the other frame was updated with a small print I received with a recent order from Aedriel. The shower curtain was purchased at Home Goods and allowed for us to play a game of musical shower curtains around the rest of the house.
The hand towel may be a little too much stripe on stripe, but we already had it on hand and the color was too perfect for now and really ties in the house numbers and stool on the opposite side of the room.
So that is the story of our little bathroom update and the three attempts at getting the perfect stripes.
Have you had a "third times a charm" project recently? Or a room that started out as one itty bitty update and kept biggering and biggering?
sources: floors, vanity, light, stripe towel, candle, vase, frames, elephant print, shower curtain, hooks - discontinued from Pottery Barn, towels, stool
Paint colors - Behr's Burnished Metal / Glidden's Misty Moonstone
Sewing is a work in progress for this gal, which is why I love having a sewing fanatic on my team. Palak, from Make It Handmade, is here today to share some fun ways to utilize darling sewing projects within the bathroom. I love how she always knows just how to inspire me to go back to my machine for simple sewing projects around the home.
Hello there, iHeart Readers! Since both Jen and I are updating our baths this week, I decided that it would be fun to round up 5 easy sewing projects that can help dress up a bathroom. Bathroom linens can be expensive, and sewing your own can help you customize your bath while saving a few pennies.
If you are new to sewing, this Drop Cloth shower curtain from MADE requires only hemming. The rest is paint and pounding in grommets.
These DIY bathmats from I Am Momma... are probably my favorite bath sewing project. I'm going to make an extra long one to go in front of our soaking tub to catch all those kid splashes.
This ruffled shower curtain from Just Called Me Blessed might take a while to sew up, but it's so gorgeous when you are done!
Speaking of ruffles... I think these ruffled towels from the Craft Snob would be so cute paired with the shower curtain.
And finally-- we can't forget the very smallest of the bath users. These embellished monster hooded towels from Crazy Little Projects are surprisingly easy to make. I find that even older kids love having the hooded towel, and if you make your own, you aren't limited to the smallest baby size towels!
And I know that was 5-- but I just had to sneak in this quick tip from Sugar Bee Crafts. Sew a loop of trim onto each of your kids towels to make them easier to hang on a hook. Genius!
I hope these projects inspire you to update your bath with a few custom linens!
"I'm Palak-- a slightly sleep deprived mom who has loved sewing, knitting and crochet for her whole life. When I’m not chasing after my two rambunctious kids, or sitting behind my sewing machine, I write about my DIY exploits at my blog, Make It Handmade. I also own Sewistry, a site dedicated to stretching our sewing dollars with money saving projects, product review and buying guides. Although organizing doesn’t come naturally to me, I’ve been inspired by Jen and her blog to find the joy in making my home beautiful and functional. I’m transforming my home one room at a time and using my sewing machine every chance I get! I’m simply elated to be able share sewing projects for your home as part of the IHeart team! "
Hello there, iHeart Readers! Since both Jen and I are updating our baths this week, I decided that it would be fun to round up 5 easy sewing projects that can help dress up a bathroom. Bathroom linens can be expensive, and sewing your own can help you customize your bath while saving a few pennies.
If you are new to sewing, this Drop Cloth shower curtain from MADE requires only hemming. The rest is paint and pounding in grommets.
These DIY bathmats from I Am Momma... are probably my favorite bath sewing project. I'm going to make an extra long one to go in front of our soaking tub to catch all those kid splashes.
This ruffled shower curtain from Just Called Me Blessed might take a while to sew up, but it's so gorgeous when you are done!
Speaking of ruffles... I think these ruffled towels from the Craft Snob would be so cute paired with the shower curtain.
And finally-- we can't forget the very smallest of the bath users. These embellished monster hooded towels from Crazy Little Projects are surprisingly easy to make. I find that even older kids love having the hooded towel, and if you make your own, you aren't limited to the smallest baby size towels!
And I know that was 5-- but I just had to sneak in this quick tip from Sugar Bee Crafts. Sew a loop of trim onto each of your kids towels to make them easier to hang on a hook. Genius!
I hope these projects inspire you to update your bath with a few custom linens!
"I'm Palak-- a slightly sleep deprived mom who has loved sewing, knitting and crochet for her whole life. When I’m not chasing after my two rambunctious kids, or sitting behind my sewing machine, I write about my DIY exploits at my blog, Make It Handmade. I also own Sewistry, a site dedicated to stretching our sewing dollars with money saving projects, product review and buying guides. Although organizing doesn’t come naturally to me, I’ve been inspired by Jen and her blog to find the joy in making my home beautiful and functional. I’m transforming my home one room at a time and using my sewing machine every chance I get! I’m simply elated to be able share sewing projects for your home as part of the IHeart team! "
Reader Spaces can be anything that you have organized that makes you happy. That is always the end goal right? Features don't always have to be an entire room or closet. I also love things as simple as drawers, decorative boxes and even happy little nooks in your homes. In fact, most often times it is those simple and small projects that make all of the difference in your day. That is the case with today's reader space.
Sarah is the crafter and crocheter behind the blog Repeat Crafter Me, and everything she does is just fantastic. I am sure there is a piece of me that fell hard for her yarn storage project due to all of the color happy organization, however, you have to give Sarah some major props for coming up with a perfect crafting corner. Her goal was to create a space for her yarn and supplies, and she decided to utilize a wine rack which was mounted to her wall. It now holds over 100 skeins of yarn! Here she is now to share more details with us.
What is the main function of the space?
"Being an avid crocheter, I have a lot of yarn. But It was getting out of control. I had yarn balls, skeins and scraps all over the house. I needed a place to store my yarn that was easily accessible and a place that I could keep my crochet supplies organized and at arms reach."
Any superstar tips for keeping it organized?
"The beauty of this yarn storage system is that it's not hard stay organized! The wooden wine rack has open shelving that allows me to easily put away my yarn. And sorting it by color ensures that I can always find what I'm looking for."
What items did you find were essential when organizing this space and why?
"The hanging storage baskets were a must have for all my crochet tools that were previously scattered around the house or lost among other craft supplies. And the separate glass jars were exactly what I needed to keep my buttons visible and organized. I also love having the tall wicker baskets for any yarn over-flow."
What did you do to go the extra mile and "make it pretty"?
"This storage system is a work of art all on its own! I love looking at the rainbow wall of colors and textures. Major eye candy for any yarn lover and a constant source of inspiration in my craft space."
How has it impacted your life for the better?
"As a crocheter designer, new ideas are popping into my head all the time. Now I am easily able to grab my supplies when an idea hits me. It's also saved me money because I'm not constantly running to the craft store to buy more yarn just because I can't find what I need."
I love the simplicity of this project and that it is something that anyone can do to help a cluttered corner. This is also a perfect example of getting creative with storage. Just because the organizer was initially intended for wine, doesn't mean that is the only way to use it. I always question every box, package, tray, container, etc... storage is everywhere and a little creative thinking can get you something pretty amazing.
Sarah did a wonderful job maximizing the wall and utilizing a variety of organizers to make the most of her storage. The clear jars allow her see the buttons, the wall organizer gives her quick access to her color coded yarn, the wall pockets conceal supply clutter and the floor baskets offer a bit of flexibility while also looking down right charming. Certainly a job well done!
For those looking for more details, you can find them over on Sarah's blog here.
What items have you created unexpected awesome storage out of lately?
.png)
ATTENTION!! Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition? Have an awesome organizing story to share? I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life, big or small. They can be anything from an organized drawer or cabinet to an entire room. Please submit your story and photos to iheartreaderspace@gmail.com, and I would heart to feature them right here on the blog!! Photos should be high resolution and unedited. Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better! Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice! Only love goes on at this blog!
Sarah is the crafter and crocheter behind the blog Repeat Crafter Me, and everything she does is just fantastic. I am sure there is a piece of me that fell hard for her yarn storage project due to all of the color happy organization, however, you have to give Sarah some major props for coming up with a perfect crafting corner. Her goal was to create a space for her yarn and supplies, and she decided to utilize a wine rack which was mounted to her wall. It now holds over 100 skeins of yarn! Here she is now to share more details with us.
What is the main function of the space?
"Being an avid crocheter, I have a lot of yarn. But It was getting out of control. I had yarn balls, skeins and scraps all over the house. I needed a place to store my yarn that was easily accessible and a place that I could keep my crochet supplies organized and at arms reach."
Any superstar tips for keeping it organized?
"The beauty of this yarn storage system is that it's not hard stay organized! The wooden wine rack has open shelving that allows me to easily put away my yarn. And sorting it by color ensures that I can always find what I'm looking for."
What items did you find were essential when organizing this space and why?
"The hanging storage baskets were a must have for all my crochet tools that were previously scattered around the house or lost among other craft supplies. And the separate glass jars were exactly what I needed to keep my buttons visible and organized. I also love having the tall wicker baskets for any yarn over-flow."
What did you do to go the extra mile and "make it pretty"?
"This storage system is a work of art all on its own! I love looking at the rainbow wall of colors and textures. Major eye candy for any yarn lover and a constant source of inspiration in my craft space."
How has it impacted your life for the better?
"As a crocheter designer, new ideas are popping into my head all the time. Now I am easily able to grab my supplies when an idea hits me. It's also saved me money because I'm not constantly running to the craft store to buy more yarn just because I can't find what I need."
I love the simplicity of this project and that it is something that anyone can do to help a cluttered corner. This is also a perfect example of getting creative with storage. Just because the organizer was initially intended for wine, doesn't mean that is the only way to use it. I always question every box, package, tray, container, etc... storage is everywhere and a little creative thinking can get you something pretty amazing.
Sarah did a wonderful job maximizing the wall and utilizing a variety of organizers to make the most of her storage. The clear jars allow her see the buttons, the wall organizer gives her quick access to her color coded yarn, the wall pockets conceal supply clutter and the floor baskets offer a bit of flexibility while also looking down right charming. Certainly a job well done!
For those looking for more details, you can find them over on Sarah's blog here.
What items have you created unexpected awesome storage out of lately?
.png&description=20Reader%20Space:%20Some%20Love%20for%20the%20Laundry%20Room "Pin on Pinterest")
ATTENTION!! Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition? Have an awesome organizing story to share? I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life, big or small. They can be anything from an organized drawer or cabinet to an entire room. Please submit your story and photos to iheartreaderspace@gmail.com, and I would heart to feature them right here on the blog!! Photos should be high resolution and unedited. Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better! Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice! Only love goes on at this blog!
The bathroom update was initially intended to be a very simple one. Just swap out the toilet and the vanity and move on. But when we took out the old vanity, the new one was a slightly different size, which also meant that the walls needed to either be touched up, or repainted.
After assessing my touch up paint situation, I didn't have enough on had for what we needed. So, I found a half gallon of Behr's Burnished Metal, which we had also used in the guest bedroom and one of the boy's bedrooms as well. The walls were painted quickly and the update was extremely simple. Too simple for me....
The stripe lover in me instantly wanted to wrap the entire room in stripes. But having done typical stripes in the past, I didn't want to go down the same path and have every room begin to look like it is on repeat. So, I went with stripes around the entire bathroom, but this time they were much more subtle.
I will get back to the stripes in a moment, but I thought I would also share another quick and easy painting project we are adding to the mix as well.
I found a new toy and I have been so freaking excited to try it out. It is the Critter spray gun and I purchased the tool after looking at easier, brush stroke free painting options and reading reviews. Seemed like the perfect way to turn any paint color into spray paint!
I am hoping that this little spray gun will be all sorts of fun with upcoming projects, but decided to start small to get the hang of it. After we recently painted the stripes on the stool in our bathroom with a coral pink color, I knew that the same color would be great for the house numbers I purchased for above the kiddo's towel hooks. The new spray gun would also me to spray paint the house numbers and give them a nice professional finish.
Not wanting the coral paint to drip, I started by spraying the numbers with a single coat of white spray primer. This was to give the coral paint something to adhere to.
Once the primer was dry, we hooked up the spray gun to our compressor. I couldn't have been easier, and once the pressure built up, we did a small adjustment to the nozzle and it started spraying beautifully.
And for fun, because I am always curious to see things working in action, I took a video with my phone while Bryan lightly sprayed thin coats of paint over the house numbers.
Then I stole the gun and finished the numbers myself, as I was eager to give this new toy a whirl. I am deeply, madly in love.
While the numbers were drying, I went back to the bathroom stripes. As we typically do when painting stripes, we measure down from the ceiling and mark of 12" strips.
Now, if you are all about working smarter, not harder, then you would tape these off before you installed hooks and a vanity. The stripes were a complete impulsive after-thought, so yeah.... we had a few things to tape around.
I know I have mentioned it in the past {here and here}, and that many of you are already aware of this trick, but it always is worth repeating. To get the perfect edge when painting stripes, always go back over the edge of your tape with the original wall color first. Once that layer is dry, it will create a really solid lock and prevent the new color from seeping beneath the taped lines.
Now, for the extremely subtle effect I was after. Home Depot had put their Martha Stewart metallic glaze on clearance, so I snagged up two at $2.10 each. I already had a large can of Faux Finishing Glaze on hand from another project, and figured that mixing the metallic glaze with the finishing glaze, I could stretch the amount of paint needed to fill all of the stripes without worry of running out.
In an empty paint bucket, I mixed two containers of the Metallic Glaze with equal parts of the Faux Finishing Glaze. I used a stir stick to mix and mix and mix some more.
I started by cutting in at the ceiling and around the room with an angled brush. The first thing I noticed was that it was really hard to tell where I had already painted. But I kept on going until all of the cutting in was finished.
I then used a small roller to roll the remainder of the stripes. Ready to see the huge difference a little metallic glaze made to the room?
Womp womp right? This is one of those moments where I question my time management skills. Did I just waste taping hours and painting hours on what was supposed to be subtly awesome?
But, I waited and hoped that once the paint dried a bit, that it would become more noticeable. And the more I looked around the room, the more I really started to notice the difference in the sheen between the original wall and the glazed stripes {the original wall was done in an eggshell finish}.
So, I pulled the tape.
It is really hard to photograph with bad lighting in a windowless bathroom, but I tried to find an angle in which you can really see that there was a difference in the finish. I love that the stripes glimmer in the light, exactly the effect I was after.
And another view with the painted coral house numbers above the new chunky towel hooks {which were Pottery Barn hooks found on eBay}.
We still have to swap out the outlets and light switch with white versions and re-install the mirror and accessorize. But once that is done, I will take more detailed photos of the room all finished and share the final result of this sort of quick little update by the end of the week {fingers crossed}. I also realized after looking at these photos again, that my camera picked up a few places that need extra touch-ups. Funny how that works.
So, two simple paint projects that added a little extra love to this room. Have you found a new tool that you are gaga over? Or have you been playing with any new paint techniques?
.png)
**** UPDATE **** I have had multiple painting snafu's this week, and it all started by touching up areas of the beautiful glimmer stripes and quickly went downhill from there. Because I mixed two glaze paints, it became extremely finicky and couldn't be matched. This caused many new sets of brush marks and areas that needed even more touching up only to completely ruin a good thing... I will be back with all of the details as soon as I can, but just wanted to caution anyone trying this to blend your edging and rolling all at once to prevent odd streaking and blotching.
After assessing my touch up paint situation, I didn't have enough on had for what we needed. So, I found a half gallon of Behr's Burnished Metal, which we had also used in the guest bedroom and one of the boy's bedrooms as well. The walls were painted quickly and the update was extremely simple. Too simple for me....
The stripe lover in me instantly wanted to wrap the entire room in stripes. But having done typical stripes in the past, I didn't want to go down the same path and have every room begin to look like it is on repeat. So, I went with stripes around the entire bathroom, but this time they were much more subtle.
I will get back to the stripes in a moment, but I thought I would also share another quick and easy painting project we are adding to the mix as well.
I found a new toy and I have been so freaking excited to try it out. It is the Critter spray gun and I purchased the tool after looking at easier, brush stroke free painting options and reading reviews. Seemed like the perfect way to turn any paint color into spray paint!
I am hoping that this little spray gun will be all sorts of fun with upcoming projects, but decided to start small to get the hang of it. After we recently painted the stripes on the stool in our bathroom with a coral pink color, I knew that the same color would be great for the house numbers I purchased for above the kiddo's towel hooks. The new spray gun would also me to spray paint the house numbers and give them a nice professional finish.
Not wanting the coral paint to drip, I started by spraying the numbers with a single coat of white spray primer. This was to give the coral paint something to adhere to.
Once the primer was dry, we hooked up the spray gun to our compressor. I couldn't have been easier, and once the pressure built up, we did a small adjustment to the nozzle and it started spraying beautifully.
And for fun, because I am always curious to see things working in action, I took a video with my phone while Bryan lightly sprayed thin coats of paint over the house numbers.
Then I stole the gun and finished the numbers myself, as I was eager to give this new toy a whirl. I am deeply, madly in love.
While the numbers were drying, I went back to the bathroom stripes. As we typically do when painting stripes, we measure down from the ceiling and mark of 12" strips.
Now, if you are all about working smarter, not harder, then you would tape these off before you installed hooks and a vanity. The stripes were a complete impulsive after-thought, so yeah.... we had a few things to tape around.
I know I have mentioned it in the past {here and here}, and that many of you are already aware of this trick, but it always is worth repeating. To get the perfect edge when painting stripes, always go back over the edge of your tape with the original wall color first. Once that layer is dry, it will create a really solid lock and prevent the new color from seeping beneath the taped lines.
Now, for the extremely subtle effect I was after. Home Depot had put their Martha Stewart metallic glaze on clearance, so I snagged up two at $2.10 each. I already had a large can of Faux Finishing Glaze on hand from another project, and figured that mixing the metallic glaze with the finishing glaze, I could stretch the amount of paint needed to fill all of the stripes without worry of running out.
In an empty paint bucket, I mixed two containers of the Metallic Glaze with equal parts of the Faux Finishing Glaze. I used a stir stick to mix and mix and mix some more.
I started by cutting in at the ceiling and around the room with an angled brush. The first thing I noticed was that it was really hard to tell where I had already painted. But I kept on going until all of the cutting in was finished.
I then used a small roller to roll the remainder of the stripes. Ready to see the huge difference a little metallic glaze made to the room?
Womp womp right? This is one of those moments where I question my time management skills. Did I just waste taping hours and painting hours on what was supposed to be subtly awesome?
But, I waited and hoped that once the paint dried a bit, that it would become more noticeable. And the more I looked around the room, the more I really started to notice the difference in the sheen between the original wall and the glazed stripes {the original wall was done in an eggshell finish}.
So, I pulled the tape.
It is really hard to photograph with bad lighting in a windowless bathroom, but I tried to find an angle in which you can really see that there was a difference in the finish. I love that the stripes glimmer in the light, exactly the effect I was after.
And another view with the painted coral house numbers above the new chunky towel hooks {which were Pottery Barn hooks found on eBay}.
We still have to swap out the outlets and light switch with white versions and re-install the mirror and accessorize. But once that is done, I will take more detailed photos of the room all finished and share the final result of this sort of quick little update by the end of the week {fingers crossed}. I also realized after looking at these photos again, that my camera picked up a few places that need extra touch-ups. Funny how that works.
So, two simple paint projects that added a little extra love to this room. Have you found a new tool that you are gaga over? Or have you been playing with any new paint techniques?
**** UPDATE **** I have had multiple painting snafu's this week, and it all started by touching up areas of the beautiful glimmer stripes and quickly went downhill from there. Because I mixed two glaze paints, it became extremely finicky and couldn't be matched. This caused many new sets of brush marks and areas that needed even more touching up only to completely ruin a good thing... I will be back with all of the details as soon as I can, but just wanted to caution anyone trying this to blend your edging and rolling all at once to prevent odd streaking and blotching.
One of my favorite things about what I do, is the variety! I am the kind of person who likes a lot of variety in my job as I find it keeps me excited and motivated and intrigued. Writing posts is only a small part of what I do. I also run an Etsy shop in which I design organizing printables, I contribute to the Better Homes & Garden's Style Spotter's Blog, I collaborate behind the scenes with other bloggers and businesses to build relationships and grow my knowledge, I attempt to troubleshoot site maintenance issues and am working to build a new and improved blog, I communicate with you fabulous friends each day through social media, comments and emails and I smile while I type. True story, my husband laughs at me for that last one all of the time.
Sometimes, I find that it is so easy to get sucked into the house project side of what I do, that really awesome things come and go and I forget to document those as well. Some of my favorite posts are looking back and celebrating the milestones along the way, so I try to stop in with those types of updates on occasion.
So first, let's get the not as fun stuff of site troubleshooting out of the way. For some reason my previous email subscription host, decided to stop working. I began getting email after email from super sweet readers who mentioned they were missing out on my posts. After looking into the problem, there was little resolution other than to completely switch feed services. So I did that and things seemed to be working smoothly until one day they weren't. This stuff makes my brain mushy so I apologize if there are days you receive double emails or no emails at all, or if my feed is incredibly delayed. Or if it doesn't feed to Bloglovin' at all {which is currently the case}. I promise I am looking into getting every last wrinkle smoothed out and hopefully it will begin working like a well oiled machine in no time.
As far as the rest of the site, I partnered with the beautiful and talented Angela of Saffron Avenue to do an official "branding" of iHeart Organizing! After over four years of blogging with my generic homemade logo, I decided it was time to really make it official. She was wonderful to work with and really took my thoughts and vision and ran with it.
Knowing that I have grand schemes to offer a site with an updated home tour, project gallery and easier navigation, I am in the early stages of working on that and incorporating the new branding. Completely overwhelming from a learning curve perspective, but something I am really having fun with. Hopefully it won't be 2018 before I can get things finished up and rolled out.
Speaking of rolling out something new! Many of you have been inquiring about the 2015 daily planner printables. I am working on designing them as we speak, and will be sure to announce when those are ready as well. I am pretty gosh darn excited about those myself, planning makes me pretty happy. Oh geeze, there I go smiling while I type again....
Earlier this week I was featured in an online edition of CupcakeMag's Summer Issue!
I shared my top ten organized spaces around our home, and really had a blast writing this particular article. You can find the entire beautiful feature online here starting on page 88, but I really recommend checking out every last page of the magazine full of inspiration and fresh ideas.
You remember those butterflies you would get in your stomach when you first start dating that special someone. The sweaty palms and flutters and that rush of excitement with every call or text.... that is how I feel whenever I see we have been featured or published. What I really love is how excited my little guys get when they see their mommy or our home or even their sweet little faces in a magazine. I still question daily if all of this is just a crazy dream....
Better Homes & Gardens Storage magazine is running a second printing of our feature and it is on newstands now! I may have squealed in the middle of the Walgreen's magazine aisle and caused a few people to look at me with concerned eyes. I also spotted our playroom in the new 100 Ideas Quick & Easy Decorating issue. Happy surprises are the best.
Something else that was pretty sweet is that I was interviewed for an article about Cheering Up Your Bathroom for Redbook magazine. When I saw Drew Barrymore on the cover, my day was made. She was my favorite actress growing up, so, I took that as a sign. Of what, I don't know, but it was pretty cool.
And because I am all about being random today, this year I will hit 5 full years of blogging at this little place I call home. OK, I didn't say that with enough gumption. 5 YEARS PEOPLE!
I get asked a lot of questions about blogging in general, everything from photography questions to posting schedules to staying on Blogger or migrating to Wordpress. I thought it would be fun to do a small series over the next few months, about what I have learned during my five years of blogging and share some of the tips and answers to your frequently asked questions. A few topics I thought I would cover are: A day in the life, photography {and maybe instagram photos as well}, social media, pros and cons and thoughts on monetizing. If you have any other questions or topics you would like to see addressed, feel free to pop them in the comments below. I also think it would be fun to get a few extra opinions from other seasoned bloggers as well, so stay tuned for that series coming soon.
For those looking for some additional organizing tips from yours truly, you can find me contributing over on Better Homes & Garden's Style Spotter's Blog.
With many people as excited as I am about spring cleaning and freshing things up with the new season, I shared my favorite cleaning supply organizational tips.
Starting the day off on the wrong foot is never a good idea. A good closet system can really make or break your morning.
And if you are limited to a wardrobe to store your clothing {like I am}, I am sharing my top tips for making the most of that space as well.
No one needs outdoor storage inspiration more than I do, so I decided to write about it!
Having a dedicated drop zone can be life changing, especially for busy families. Find my drop zone "must haves" here.
And sometimes it is fun to integrate a trend or a favorite color or pattern into your organizing projects. So I shared a variety of ways to bring in bold florals to your everyday storage solutions.
A huge thank you to everyone who supports me and iHeart Organizing each day. Always know that I never take a moment of what I do for granted, and that I couldn't love it more. Cheers to five more years of organizing fun!
And a special thank you to my sponsors for making all of these dreams come true as well:
.png)
Sometimes, I find that it is so easy to get sucked into the house project side of what I do, that really awesome things come and go and I forget to document those as well. Some of my favorite posts are looking back and celebrating the milestones along the way, so I try to stop in with those types of updates on occasion.
So first, let's get the not as fun stuff of site troubleshooting out of the way. For some reason my previous email subscription host, decided to stop working. I began getting email after email from super sweet readers who mentioned they were missing out on my posts. After looking into the problem, there was little resolution other than to completely switch feed services. So I did that and things seemed to be working smoothly until one day they weren't. This stuff makes my brain mushy so I apologize if there are days you receive double emails or no emails at all, or if my feed is incredibly delayed. Or if it doesn't feed to Bloglovin' at all {which is currently the case}. I promise I am looking into getting every last wrinkle smoothed out and hopefully it will begin working like a well oiled machine in no time.
As far as the rest of the site, I partnered with the beautiful and talented Angela of Saffron Avenue to do an official "branding" of iHeart Organizing! After over four years of blogging with my generic homemade logo, I decided it was time to really make it official. She was wonderful to work with and really took my thoughts and vision and ran with it.
 |
| #sneakpeek |
Knowing that I have grand schemes to offer a site with an updated home tour, project gallery and easier navigation, I am in the early stages of working on that and incorporating the new branding. Completely overwhelming from a learning curve perspective, but something I am really having fun with. Hopefully it won't be 2018 before I can get things finished up and rolled out.
Speaking of rolling out something new! Many of you have been inquiring about the 2015 daily planner printables. I am working on designing them as we speak, and will be sure to announce when those are ready as well. I am pretty gosh darn excited about those myself, planning makes me pretty happy. Oh geeze, there I go smiling while I type again....
Earlier this week I was featured in an online edition of CupcakeMag's Summer Issue!
I shared my top ten organized spaces around our home, and really had a blast writing this particular article. You can find the entire beautiful feature online here starting on page 88, but I really recommend checking out every last page of the magazine full of inspiration and fresh ideas.
You remember those butterflies you would get in your stomach when you first start dating that special someone. The sweaty palms and flutters and that rush of excitement with every call or text.... that is how I feel whenever I see we have been featured or published. What I really love is how excited my little guys get when they see their mommy or our home or even their sweet little faces in a magazine. I still question daily if all of this is just a crazy dream....
Better Homes & Gardens Storage magazine is running a second printing of our feature and it is on newstands now! I may have squealed in the middle of the Walgreen's magazine aisle and caused a few people to look at me with concerned eyes. I also spotted our playroom in the new 100 Ideas Quick & Easy Decorating issue. Happy surprises are the best.
Something else that was pretty sweet is that I was interviewed for an article about Cheering Up Your Bathroom for Redbook magazine. When I saw Drew Barrymore on the cover, my day was made. She was my favorite actress growing up, so, I took that as a sign. Of what, I don't know, but it was pretty cool.
And because I am all about being random today, this year I will hit 5 full years of blogging at this little place I call home. OK, I didn't say that with enough gumption. 5 YEARS PEOPLE!
I get asked a lot of questions about blogging in general, everything from photography questions to posting schedules to staying on Blogger or migrating to Wordpress. I thought it would be fun to do a small series over the next few months, about what I have learned during my five years of blogging and share some of the tips and answers to your frequently asked questions. A few topics I thought I would cover are: A day in the life, photography {and maybe instagram photos as well}, social media, pros and cons and thoughts on monetizing. If you have any other questions or topics you would like to see addressed, feel free to pop them in the comments below. I also think it would be fun to get a few extra opinions from other seasoned bloggers as well, so stay tuned for that series coming soon.
For those looking for some additional organizing tips from yours truly, you can find me contributing over on Better Homes & Garden's Style Spotter's Blog.
With many people as excited as I am about spring cleaning and freshing things up with the new season, I shared my favorite cleaning supply organizational tips.
 |
| Organize This: Spring Cleaning Supplies |
Starting the day off on the wrong foot is never a good idea. A good closet system can really make or break your morning.
 |
| Organize This: Clothing Closet |
And if you are limited to a wardrobe to store your clothing {like I am}, I am sharing my top tips for making the most of that space as well.
 |
| Organize This: A Wonderful Wardrobe |
No one needs outdoor storage inspiration more than I do, so I decided to write about it!
 |
| Organize This: Outdoor Gear |
Having a dedicated drop zone can be life changing, especially for busy families. Find my drop zone "must haves" here.
 |
| Organize This: Drop Zone |
And sometimes it is fun to integrate a trend or a favorite color or pattern into your organizing projects. So I shared a variety of ways to bring in bold florals to your everyday storage solutions.
 |
| Organize With This: Bold Floral Patterns |
A huge thank you to everyone who supports me and iHeart Organizing each day. Always know that I never take a moment of what I do for granted, and that I couldn't love it more. Cheers to five more years of organizing fun!
And a special thank you to my sponsors for making all of these dreams come true as well:
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Have a happy weekend and...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
