Master bath mini makeover - part 1

So, I am finally getting around to posting the

changes we made to our master bath.

No major remodeling, but I love how it looks

and it has made such a difference!

{this is gonna be a loooong post}

Here's what we started with:

 

you know, your basic builder cabinet/vanity.

(excuse the dirty mirror, I was anxious to get started)

Oh, and that super shiny absolutely lovely chrome light fixture.

 

If everything else in the house is brushed nickel,

why are these fixtures and the faucets shiny?

Hmmmm.  Good question.

First we framed the mirror...smudges and all.

Hey, it was just gonna get dirty while we worked, you know.

 

I'm not going to give you a tutorial...there are gobs, yes gobs,

of them on the internet including here, here, and here.

The paint color is Walnut Bark from Glidden

(wish I had done the Bittersweet).

I just used a sample sized jar.

(sorry this pic seems blurry)

 

 

I DO recommend using an adhesive that dries clear such as Power Grab...

AND painting the back-side of your moulding...

otherwise you'll be able to see it reflected in the mirror.

Since I had already been planning the vanity redo,

getting the mirror finished really pushed me to get it done.

I {love} my mirror like this!

First I took all the miscellaneous stuff off the counter and put it in the bathtub.

Well, where else would I put it?

 

Everything got wiped down with Krud Kutter before I taped every last little thing.

Two coats of primer then a base coat of the same color I used on the frame.

This is when I start to panic...

 

Right now I'm thinking, "what have I gotten myself into?"

But after another coat all was better, I stopped freaking

{a little bit}

and moved on to the next step.

 

Luckily, there are also several great tutorials on painting countertops.

Here are a couple I referenced:

Creative Kristi and Rhonda at Abide at Home.

Rhonda was super sweet when I sent her a question about something!

Here's what some scrunched up paper towels and

craft paint get you...or at least in the beginning.

 

I didn't do a "test board" like the others suggested...

I'm too impatient for that.

I figured as long as I kept working it, it would turn out just fine.

I guess I'm lucky it did! :)

You really just keep layering colors

until it looks the way you want it.

FINALLY...I put a gazillion 6 or 7 coats of polyacrylic over the whole shebang.

It did FEEL like a gazillion, though.

 

After a couple coats and several drip globs on the floor...

I hung some paper to minimize the mess.

 

I'm not gonna lie and say it wasn't work.

It wasn't hard, but it didn't take the weekend like I had hoped.

Of course, I didn't stop with the countertop...

but you'll have to wait to see the rest.

Here's a sneak peek of the top at least.

I hope you all are have a fantastic week!

Check back later for the rest of the redo!

Update...you can now see it here!

That umbrella, we employed it...

Last weekend, my good friend, who is also my goddaughter's mama,

wanted to get some pics of sweet Ruby in a special dress.

I brought along the yellow paper parasol and we

ended up with this gorgeous shot.

I saw the wording on Flickr some time ago and

thought it would work perfectly here.

Vintage Sara

I'm not sure why, but up till now I have not shared any pictures of my daughter.

She truly is an amazing girl.

Sometimes when you tell someone you have a teenager, they feel the need to feel sorry for you.

I tell them I have the best daughter in the world.  She is anything but "typical."

I will soooo miss her when she goes to college in the fall.

These are just a few shots of the "vintage" portion of her senior pictures.

This was something she wanted to do ever since she found the vintage
hairpiece at an open air market. It just needed a little steam love to bring it back to life.
So then we looked around a few antique flea
markets till we found a vintage suitcase for a good price.
The last picture was taken at the train station.  I love it.

A couple of these are kind of out-takes, but some of my favorites.

edited to add:

Sharing here:

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Happy Easter!

I hope on this beautiful Easter morning that

your tomb is empty and your heart is full.

He is risen...He is risen indeed!

Life is like...

a box of chocolates.

Okay...maybe not.

And to be honest, I've never actually seen that movie.

Hey, I'm sure I'm not the only one.


Anyway...
Last month was my MIL's birthday.  She lives out of state and we usually send her a little something special.
This year I decided (at the last minute, of course) that I wanted to include something I made.
So I present to you...this cute little treat box.

It started out as one of those little papier mache boxes from the craft store.

I think this one is 4 inches - It would work with any size, but the bigger the box,

the more you need to fill it - and if you're mailing it, the heavier it will be.

I didn't take a picture, so here's your visual:



source



First, I painted the lid cream.

Then, I cut some words in vinyl with my Silhouette and put them on top of the lid.

I painted black OVER the vinyl, roughed up the edges to kind of distress it,

 then REMOVED the vinyl so the cream paint under the black showed the words - sort of a reverse stencil.

 ...trimmed some scrapbook paper to fit the sides of the box and the sides of the lid.

...printed out some pics of me, my hubby and my daughter...

I inked around the edges for character. :)

Next comes the Mod Podge.

I attached the scrapbook paper, then the pictures...then gave the

whole thing a coat of Mod Podge on top as a sealer.

And...since her birthday is just before Valentine's day,

I threw in some chocolates.

It was quick and fun and easy - and would make cute treat boxes for a party.

Just add photos of the birthday boy/girl with their friends.

What do you think?

I'm linking up here:

I'm in love...

...with my laundry sorter.

Okay...let's be honest.  It doesn't make me love laundry.

But it does make doing the laundry a lot less of a pain in the you know what.

I would dread doing laundry.

It would all go in one large basket.

Then it would all get sorted on the floor...in piles...that we would, of course, traipse over for a day days.

And...I'm a little weird...I don't sort my laundry the same way a lot of people do.

Soooo, I had piles everywhere.  At least until they were done for the week.

Ugh.

I searched and searched for the perfect sorter.

Three bins was just not enough...two would definitely not cut it.

I found one I loved...and I had a gift card to that store. BONUS!

But...it has HORRIBLE reviews.  It seemed everyone hated it.

Insert a sad-faced me here.

I found this one online at Target and after very little debate...

I ordered it and have loved it every moment since.

You might find that a bit strange...but I assure you.  I have much stranger traits. :)

NO MORE CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR!

I can see at a glance what needs to be washed next.

It fits perfectly where I want it to be...

Oh - and if you're curious - I just made the tags in Word and laminated them.

Aaaaand tied them on with some fun twine!

So, call me strange, but I will continue my love affair with this beauty.

Now...it makes we want to finish up the rest of the laundry room.

Oh, hon.... :)

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Well it's a beautiful day here in colorful Colorado.  I wanted to share some pics from an event I helped my mom with at her church.  It was the Sweetheart Banquet hosted by the senior group.  My mom, my daughter and I set up all the decorations and made sure the food was hot. 

Guests provided hot Italian dishes along with salad and bread.  We provided dessert which included Emeril's Italian Cream Cake, PW's Pots de Creme and a candy buffet.

It was a lot of fun and there was lots of great food!