This is post #2 on "Relaxy" Saturday. I realize this may not seem relaxing, but my feet are up, I ate some lunch with J in our house without having to wash plates in the upstairs bathroom sink, and I'm planning on soaking up some sun and also reading a book this afternoon. But first, a quick update on some upgrades.
So, our bathroom, which we talked about
in this post. needed a little baby update pre-party. Our very loving, but annoying cats (oh... today is day 1 of prozac- I'll have to post about that tomorrow. It's sort of hilarious) like to rub against the white shower curtain and sink their nails into the bathroom carpet. So we got a new one of each pre-party and decided while we were at it to throw up a towel bar.Here are some "before" pics, but really they are after the initial renovation. So they are "after/before" pics.
That green carpet was ugly. So we actually had a (really cheap $9) white on in there. But the white one was the one the cats dug their little claws into. So pre party we stepped it up a notch.
I love the new grey and white shower curtain. It lightens up the room and the grey rug adds some dimension without being totally ugly barf green.
We switched out the black and white pictures over the toilet for these monogram towels we got for our wedding. They are pottery barn with a blue-ish grey monogram embroidered. Love. And now they are part of our bathroom! We got a lot of compliments on this bathroom during our little get together. Now, we do still need closet doors (as you can see in that reflection), but for now, it works.
Oh, also, the week pre-party I took the mirror from that first bathroom pic up there (you know, from when we got the new gorgeous farmhouse like one that is there now), and I redid it. I decided I wanted to put it in our bedroom above our dresser next to this ugly contraption:
Now, I know the whole TV in the bedroom thing is a controversy. You don't sleep well, you don't bond with your spouse. I'm quite bonded. I love J, but sometimes I need to crawl into bed, flip thorugh Netflix, and choose
Camp Rock 2. No, I'm not kidding. I watched it. It's good. Yes, I realize this makes me a 13 year old girl. So, the TV takes up half of our dresser (which is from Ikea but looks all worn and relaxy). So I decided the other half would need something girly and warm. I had two candle holders from Target, and a picture of J and I from a friend's wedding that's in a grey/silverish frame. I decided to use those as the base and make use of my little mirror.
I only needed a few supplies for this. I went to AC Moore thinking I'd grab a can of white spray paint and go to work, but then I found this:
Yep, natural stone spray paint. I was a skeptic. How is that even possible to make paint that looks like stone come out of an aerosol bottle? Also, note I took this outside because that's where you should use spray paint. White I was at AC Moore, I also found some little sanding pads that claimed they lasted forever and were better than sand paper. For like $1, I figured why not?
I ripped those sanding pads off their backers and went to work... I sanded until the mirror no longer looked shiny in any places and it felt just a little bit rough. I knew this paint was pretty tacky, so I didn't want it peeling right off as soon as it was finished.
I put a big huge garbage bag under the mirror and laid it outside. Look at the pretty tree reflection. How nice. I should have, however, remembered to move it out from under the tree so stuff didnt' fall into the paint that I had to pick out with my little fingers.
I covered up the mirror with duct tape and old ikea kitchen installation directions. I should have used painter's tape, but I couldn't find any. I know where it is now, under my sink. But at the time, I was in no mood to go on a hunt. So this did the trick (sort of, I had to scrape off paint at the end).
So after one coat, this was what I had. Not bad, but certainly not covered. And the can felt halfway empty already. I decided to let it dry and then go back for another coat... and eventually I got this:
Not perfect, and still a few spots that need touching up. But a scraper and some white paint did the trick for the most part. Next time I'm at AC Moore I think I'll grab another can of this paint and give it an extra coat. But, the party-- the ever approaching party-- was only a few days away, so I settled for this.
While I was upstairs today taking pictures of my product hung, I realized I should also highlight a few main points of our bedroom that I love without showing you the pile of dirty laundry (We have an ever-lasting laundry pile. Anyone else have that in their house??) But here's the mirror candle picture combo:
It gives the dresser a softer touch, and I love it. The candles in there are also from Target, and smell so good but are not overpowering. This project was so simple. And the total cost?
Mirror: free
Sanding pads: $3 (at most)
Can of paint: $9.99
That's it. Pretty simple. $14 for a mirror over our dresser. I've been taking one last glance in that mirror before leaving for work lately. I love it. I highly recommend the stone spray paint, but do yourself a favor and buy two cans.
Also happening in the bedroom is the Meghan corner. After a few months of having no where to put my big necklaces, scarfs, belts, and random other items that don't belong in drawers, I hung up a little mini coat hanger in my room. It lives in the corner, above an old restored antique chair, and below a favorite engagement photo:
I always keep a few pairs of flats under that chair, so that I can throw them on and go in the morning. That works well and I almost always return them to the bedroom. I have shoes all over the house, but a few fav pairs near my bed is just fine with me.
Here's the antique chair that was restored for us as a wedding present from one of J's parents' friends. I once thought about painting it white, but it's already restored and I don't want to ruin it. It now lives in my corner, with one of my fav Pier 1 pillows I bought last year while living in Ohio. It's the perfect space for some of these items.
And on my nightstand lives my stationary box. It has random cards in it, plus our return address stamp. before bed, if I need to write a card, I usually do it here. It also has cards that were given to me that are special (like my first married birthday card, my MOH cards from my wedding, and a card my parents gave me). I love this little box because it looks half organized, even when it has a billion things shoved in it. Oh, also, I hope to eventually get cool grey curtains for our room. But until then, these tan light-blocking ones do the trick.
On another wall lives more of my calm blues off whites and whites collection. I have another dresser there, and then a few other favorite items.
Above the dresser is a framed paper heart item that used to live downstairs. Now it lives above this dresser, and has our wedding date. The blueish and white frame has another beach engagement picture. I of course have an anthropologie box up there, but that just landed there and happened to match. The other two things are the fronts of cards I loved. I eventually plan to frame them in similar white frames to the one above and create a framed wall up there with a few other favorites. I think I already put this shot somewhere else on the blog, but here is our bed complete with humungo framed wedding pics above it:
The wedding pictures are some of our favorites, and make our room warm and cozy. Oh! And the cloud duvet cover? That's her. She's making a new appearance and so far she highly lives up to her 600 thread count name. Thanks cloud duvet, buddy.
We've got great windows in the front of the house facing into this room. But, I really just do not like these curtains. ANYONE have advice on where to find grey patterned curtains? I am thinking grey with white shapes or something of that sort. I originally had an idea to make our own, but I just don't think I can be bothered. Oh, and they need to block light. Also, let it be known I took Dexter off the bed 6 times in a row to try to get this photo, he kept jumping back up, and I finally gave up. Hence, cat in photo.
So there you have it, some random projects. Our bathroom and bedroom are in good shape (but please tell me if you know where to find grey patterned curtains), and we will be well-rested to start finish some projects next weekend! Stay safe tonight, ya know, with the whole rapture thing coming...
xo.
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