the kids bathroom

Well, I've been at it again.  The past month I have been working on this upstairs bathroom of the kids.  This is a picture we took before we moved in, with the old owner's stuff still in there.  But, as you can see, it is pretty bleak.  More of that beautiful honey oak cabinetry, and more "dirty white" walls.  And one MAJOR thing missing.  See anywhere to hang a towel?  There is that one tiny towel bar by the shower, but that's it.  No where for the 5 kids to hang their towels.  So, we've been planning, and FINALLY got it done!

Here's one more before.

And here is the after!  I am SO happy with how this turned out!

As you can see, I installed board and batten along the long wall, and hooks to put their towels on.  A different color for every kid, and a towel to match.  Now if there is a towel on the floor I will be able to identify the offender, stat!  :)  (sneaky mom tricks!)  I painted all the cabinetry white, removed the rubber base boards and put in real base. . .

Put in an easier to use toilet paper holder, added hardware on the cabinets, added a medicine cabinet, new toilet seat, new light switches. . .

 I painted the walls "Cinderella blue" as Emilee calls it.  It's kind of hard to identify the shade in the pictures, but it's more of a blue than shows up here.  Matches the counter top pretty well.

 One of the big experiments about this whole affair is that I SPRAY pained the cupboards and board and batten with the new spray painter that Santa delivered early this year.  I was pretty nervous about the process, and it was a lot of work taping everything off, but the end result was SO worth it.  A smooth finish that looks just gorgeous.

Many thanks to my hubby for supporting me in this little project (and putting the toilet back together), Amy for advising me to go lighter on the wall color (so happy I did!), Caleb for his tool know how and loaning of the nail gun, and patience of my children as this took me a month.  It took longer than it should have because it's right next to Heidi's room, making it hard to work through nap time.

So come on over and we'll hang out in my next favorite room in the house!  What's up next you ask?  I don't know.  Maybe a non bathroom.  I need a break from the cabinet painting.  SO MUCH WORK!  Maybe the living room, we'll see!

the red bathroom, before and after!

A year after moving in, I am finally getting around to some home improvement projects, IN the house.  We decided to get the yard in first, which I think was a great move.  But, as the school year began, I was ready to tackle something.  Gordon suggested this bathroom, lovingly named the "red bathroom" due to it's terra cotta flooring.  This is not only the master bathroom shower, but also the guest bathroom when people come over, so it was a great place to start.  Here is the before:

 Would you believe EVERY room in our house was painted this flat, "sad white" color?  It's not white enough to be cheerful, just blah. . .  Also, every bit of trim and door in our home is this 1980 honey oak.  Slowly. . . the changes are begining.

And after a month . . .

 Gordon would like you to know that the pictures do not do the makeover justice.  I would agree, it's hard to get a picture in a small space.  But, suffice it to say, it has been quite a makeover.  I painted the window sash, as well as the trim around the doors white, then the walls got a light grey.  I added the frame around the mirror, changed the light fixture, and then decided to tackle the vanity.  I painted it with the same oil based enamel that I did the trim with and even painted the back splash.  Added hardware and changed the hinges and Voila!

 Welcome to my new favorite room.  Come on over and we'll hang out in the prettiest room in the house.

So what's next????  The other master bath?  The living room?  My bedroom?  I can't decide where to move onto. . . I've taken the week off while I waited for the new hinges to arrive, which was a nice break.  But now I'm ready for a little more painting I think. . . just not the kitchen yet.  That will be a killer!!!