Finally.... The Bathroom Is Complete!

Three months and a few thousand dollars later, the bathroom makeover is complete!  We have been able to use the bathroom for about a week now, and it has been amazing.  We put some of the final finishing touches on the bathroom today.

Before I show you the after, I'll go through the bathroom evolution.  We started with tearing everything out down to the studs

 

Original 1980's oak bathroom 

 My makeover on a budget from last fall 

We had to take everything out to get the stall shower out. 

 

Vanity gone 

 Hunter green tile and yellow linoleum out

Down to the studs with new plumbing in 

Time for some reconstruction 

Shower base down 

Cement board going up

  Cement board all done

 Waterproofer up in the shower and popcorn texture down off the ceiling.  

Retexturing the ceiling 

 Primer on the walls

Paint up on the walls 

Time for the tile to go up!

Time for floor tile ...

 

I'm pretty proud that I put these floor tiles down! 

Done 

Now for the grout!

Grouting the glass tile was very time consuming.

Black grout on the floor

Stay tuned for the final touches....... 

Office Update

A while ago, I posted about redoing my office.  Spending full days in my basement office, I needed something a little more upbeat.  I loved the blue I had in there before, but it was time for something brighter.  Since the stormy blue color that was down there before was a lot darker than the pink I was planning on painting, I knew I needed to put up a coat of primer first.  I'm glad I did because the pink turned out very true to the color sample I picked.  I used Valspar, "Barely Pink".  I didn't want to use something that would look like a stick of bubblegum. When I was working on this project, Lowes had just introduced the HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams collection, so I thought I would give that a go as my Navy color option.  I went with the color "Naval". 

Before

 Blue from before.

 This is the wall my desk used to sit on.

 New to me desk.  This desk gives me much more storage space! 

 My inspirational pillow "follow your heart" from Kirklands.  

I had a 20% off coupon and shipped it to the store, so shipping was free. 

 

When I changed desks, I lost my file storage.  I picked this one up at Goodwill. 

It was originally marked at $14, but I got it for $7.  They were running a 1/2 off deal if you took the furniture with you at the time of purchase.   

 A couple coats of Zinsser primer and two coats of white spray paint.  

I also painted the handles gold.

 A few photos on the wall!  I picked up all the photo frames while I was at Goodwill.  They ranged from $.99 to $2.99 for the large ones.  I hit them with a coat of spray primer.  Once dry, I used white and gold spray paint. 

For the photos on top of the desk hutch, I used a 12x12 canvas I picked up at Lowes.  I didn't like the pattern on the canvas, but I just painted the edges navy and used a piece of scrapbook paper and some modge podge. The framed "N" was an 8x11 1/2" piece of burlap mounted to a photo frame.   

I picked up the rugs at Target.  They are Threshold brand and were $12.99 for the small one and $24.99 for the larger one.  However, if you keep an eye out on Cartwheel, they will occasionally have a 20% off cartwheel offer.

I spent about $40.00 at At Home on accessories: a gold vase, a bush of pink peonies, a white metal desk organizer, and a new blue cushion for the rocking chair.  I also bought two $1 metal pans from The Dollar Tree and sprayed them with metallic gold spray paint.  I'm using them to hang magnets that I have accumulated for work.

My entire office area has a little more clutter right now than I would like, but it is looking a little more put together.  Total office makeover budget was around $150.  I tried to keep costs down by using things I already had at home.  A lot of things were freshened up with a coat of metallic gold spray paint to fit with my color scheme of white, gold, navy and pink. 

Tile Is Laid

I haven't done a bathroom update in a while, and I'm happy to report things are moving along quite nicely.  As of yesterday, all the tile was laid.  The shower is finished, and the floor tile as well as the baseboard tile is down!

 Shower tile complete 

 

Floor tile with tile baseboard.  We opted to do tile for the baseboard rather 

than quarter round or wood baseboard.

Before the tile project is complete, we have to put down grout in the shower and the floor as well as caulk.  We also have to clean and seal the marble time.  After that, we need to install the shower door as well as the glass shelf in the shower.  Once the shower door is in, we can put in the new light, toilet, vanity, and over the toilet cabinet.  We also need to get the fixtures put up in the shower.  We are getting close, and hope to be done in about a week.  Soon, we will be back to two and a half bathrooms!

 

Battle Of The Bulge Update

It's been a while since I posted anything on this topic, but it's something I struggle with daily.  I try to keep to my workout routine of cardio three days per week.  I haven't stuck to weight lifting.  I keep telling myself I need to get back into it, but I can't seem to get myself motivated.  I always read little quotes on Pinterest and Facebook about making workouts a part of your daily life.  Working out honestly hasn't become part of my daily life.  I never know if I want to workout over my lunch hour, after work, or in the evening.  I don't like to go right after work because the gym is always packed.  So, I go during the lunch hour when it isn't busy, but then I'm focused on getting my workout done and getting back to work. I don't like to go in the evening because I generally work later, which means I eat dinner later.  I shouldn't have to explain to anyone that working out right after a meal is a bad idea.   

Diet is another area I struggle with.  I love ice cream, bread, pasta, potatoes, wine..... Yeah, all things that don't fall within the "do's" of dieting.  I also always have a hard time with a diet because I know while I might be able to stick to it for a while, I know long term it isn't realistic.  I tried cutting out gluten, but the bread and pasta were a sticking point for me.  It was recommended I try cutting out dairy; I really didn't even consider that.  I love dairy; milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc.  Through some food testing, I discovered that wheat first thing in the morning isn't the best for me.  So, I found a waffle that is gluten and wheat free.  Sometimes I have a waffle with peanut butter.  Sometimes, I make an omelet with one egg and egg whites and a little cheese.  I also discovered that I don't do well with Greek yogurt.  I don't know what it is, but within thirty minutes of eating Greek yogurt my stomach was in knots. I tried different brands, but none of them worked for me.  Once I ruled out Greek yogurt, I went back to regular yogurt.  I seem to tolerate regular yogurt fine with the help of a daily probiotic.   

Lunch and dinner tend to be my total toss up meals.  I try to have a few healthy dinners each week and throw in one of our old favorites to keep it from feeling like we are "dieting".  Going into summer, we like to grill.  We try to grill fish from time to time.  But, I have to be honest, I love a good grilled steak or bratwurst.  Lunch generally consists of whatever is left over from dinner the night before, or mac and cheese.  Yes, I'm ten and still love a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese.  This is what I'm talking about.  I still have comfort foods that I go to.  To tell me I have to cut those out, doesn't go well.  I view it like Cookie Monster, "these are a sometimes treat".     

I tend to do better with my snacks, especially going into summer.  I love fresh fruit, but not so much into veggies.  But, I will eat them.  I do like to snack on carrots and celery if they are around.  Fruits are another story.  Watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, bananas, strawberries, recently I tried raspberries for the first time and loved them.  I love a bowl of cottage cheese and peaches.  I'm not going to deny my total love of all things baked and delicious.  Cookies, cake, pastries, etc.  I love them all!  I fight this love of sweets by trying not to keep them in the house.  However, if my sweet tooth is strong enough, I have no problems baking a batch of cookies.

I think back to a few years ago when I was the weight I would like to be again, and I wonder what happened.  I stopped working out for starters.  When I was at my ideal weight, I was working out in classes a couple of times per week.  I was doing a sculpting class for 45 minutes and a zumba class for 45 minutes.  I would fill in with a cardio workout once or twice for twenty to thirty minutes.  As of late, I have just been doing thirty minutes of cardio three times per week.  I figure it is better than nothing.  In case you haven't noticed by this posting, I have seriously lost almost all motivation for working out.  Anyone else ever hit this slump?       

Paint And Tile In The Bathroom

We are on a roll with the bathroom.  Last week, we finished out the ceiling.  While the texture didn't go quite like I thought it would, what we ended up with is much better than the old popcorn ceiling. 

 A look at the ceiling and the primer on the walls

Once the ceiling was done, I got it painted and it was on to the walls.  I got the primer as well as two coats of paint up on the walls this weekend.  We went with a cool gray color.  The gray pulls a little blue, but overall I'm pleased with the color.  

 We are still working on patching up where the old light was. 

Once it is patched, we can paint the area and hang the new light. 

Once the paint was on the walls, it was time to put the tile up.  Open a box of marble tile, and you will realize how different each tile can be with the coloring. We laid out each wall so we could play with the tiles a bit and get the colors to flow just right. 

 One wall of tile laid out on the floor. 

 First two levels of tile up!

We ended up deciding to purchase a tile saw.  We figured out the number of times we would have to rent it and how we would have to plan out the project, and opted to purchase a tile saw.  We purchased one from Lowes for $90.00.  The saw had good reviews online, and worked well for us so far. 

 

While this post with the bathroom update isn't a long one, I feel like we are really starting to move along on the project.  Andrew will be able to put another couple of levels of tile up this weekend.  We will also be able to finish patching around the old light, paint, and hang the new light up.  By the end of the first week of June, we hope to have the bathroom complete. 

While I was waiting on ceiling texture and paint to dry, I also worked on my office makeover. I'm still working on a few items, and then I will do my office makeover reveal.  Here is a sneak peak.

Adventures In Ceiling Texture

So, it's been a few weeks since I have updated everyone on the bathroom reno.  It seems to be an every day part of our lives, so I try not to think about it when I don't have to.

A few weeks ago, while putting up the cement board, Andrew had to take off part of the lovely popcorn ceiling texture.  This started the thought process of " you already took down part of it, we might as well take off the rest".  If you haven't experienced the joy of removing popcorn texture, I invite you to come on over, and try your hand at it.  I learned why people say it is a total mess.  First there is the spraying with water.  Then, you have water running down everywhere.  I started scraping and just when I thought I had a good run going, I would hit a patch that didn't want to come off.  By the end, I was glad I was only doing this to a small bathroom.  I also ended up with a total mess on the floor.  I was glad Andrew insisted I wore the respirator while doing this project.

While the project didn't take that long, holding my arms above my head to scrape down all that ceiling texture seriously hurt.

All Done! 

Last night was the fun part, re-texturing.  We wanted to do knockdown ceiling texture.  We bought a hopper kit from Lowes as well as the texture mix.  Turns out, Andrew had to do this part because I wasn't tall enough.  I'm not even short, but I wasn't going to complain about getting out of this job.  Major lesson learned on this endeavor; less is more.  We didn't realize that the ceiling didn't need to have 100% coverage, and that is all I'm going to say about that.  

Andrew had the brilliant idea of using a sea sponge we had to "fix" our oops on the ceiling.  It worked amazingly well; major kudos to him for saving the day on this project.  While it wasn't the original knockdown texture we were going for, it looks good.  

 Plastic sheeting on the walls is a must have for this project.  We also covered the 

skylight opening as well as the fan opening.  This texture gets everywhere 

when it is sprayed.  We used a plastic drop cloth that come in sets of 5 

from Lowes for less than $5. 

 

 This is the texture after is was fixed.  I know, you really can't tell the difference.  

Let me tell you, it looks a million times better. 

We are in major push mode to get the bathroom primed and painted before the weekend, so we can put the first tile up this weekend.  So, tonight, I also primed the walls.  We need to take the light down on the wall since we are putting a new one up, so I primed around it.  I used a drywall primer rfrom Valspar because we did put up some new drywall and it needed to be primed.  I used it all over the room because we are going from a darker color to a lighter gray color.  I have learned throughout my various painting projects that primer is my friend.  I regret not using it in the kitchen because I think the color would have turned out more true to the pain sample I was going off of.  

Next, I will paint the ceiling.  It's white, so if it splatters down onto the primed walls, I'm not going to be too concerned about it.  We have a couple of spots to fix before I can paint the ceiling.  if we can get those take care of tomorrow afternoon, I can potentially paint the ceiling tomorrow night.  Thursday and Friday I can paint the walls and Saturday tile can go up!  It's progress people!

Office Makeover

No, the projects never end in this house.  I know that is what most of you are wondering.  As some of you know, I work from home.  Yes, it's "nice" to work from home sometimes, but it is also a total pain.  No, I do not sit in my pj's all day.  I learned within the first few months of working at home that I accomplish more when I get up and semi get ready for the day.  Now, if you knock on my door in the middle of the day I will likely be wearing workout clothes or sweatpants.  I can promise you, unless I have a meeting that day, I likely wont be wearing makeup.  What isn't nice about working from home is the difficulty of staying focused.  With Andrew's odd ball hours, he is often home when I'm working, which at times makes it exceptionally difficult to stay on task.  He works mostly nights, so day hours are when we are able to talk.  However, trying to have a meaningful conversation while responding to emails doesn't work too well.  My job also entails a lot of time on the phone, which can be dodgy with two dogs.  The biggest reason why working at home stinks sometimes is that my work is there; all the time.  I don't get to "leave the office".  Frankly, I miss my commute, which was my unwinding time.  In the winter, if I didn't leave the house to go workout, it would be possible for me to go a whole week without setting foot outside to do more than check the mail.  That doesn't bode well for someone prone to seasonal depression.

But, enough about that.. on to the fun stuff.  Today, while trying to avoid work, I decided my office needed a makeover.  Currently, my office is a lovely shade of deep gray blue.  I can't remember the exact color, something from Valspar.

That is only one section of my office.  My desk is on the other side of the room.  But, the whole things needs a makeover.  It is cluttered, chaotic, and dark.  I guess after sitting in the space for 40 hours a week for a year and a half, I've decided I need something a little brighter.  Recently, I have been on a kick with pink and gold.  I love pink, always have and always will.  Something about the gold makes it classy and extra girly.  I thought I would also throw in some navy for kicks and grins.  So, I started pinning some ideas.



 

My first step tonight was picking up a can of gold spray paint!  I also picked up some paint cards while I was at Lowes.  I'm thinking one of the walls will be Navy.  the other three walls, I'm going to paint a light pink.  I'm going to use the gold spray paint on a few accessories I have on my desk right now.  Stay tuned for more updates at my plans for the office makeover unfold!