Texture Rich Window Treatment

The master bathroom window has been a source of great contention thought for me.  I've finally wrapped my head around there being a window in the small room and have moved on to asking, "What do I do with it?" It's been so boring and an eye sore. White, plastic mini blinds...yawn.

Boring, snooze-ville

I had two goals when taking on the window. 1st, privacy and 2nd, aesthetics. Wait, reverse that. ;) Creating more privacy was pretty simple. I picked up some fancy-schmancy window cling vinyl in a pattern called Rice Paper. It was super easy to install. Measure, cut, moisture, burnish, done. The installation took all of 10 minutes, tops.

The pattern is great and really brings something to the window. There is an increased level of privacy so I don't have to leave the blinds down all the time now. Yay!

Next up, putting up the twisty sticks above the window. They bring a great texture to the space. I picked up a set of twisty sticks (I'm sure they have a real name but IDK it so twisty sticks it is!) at Target, on clearance for <$5. Score! Sprucing up the twisty sticks was easy too. A little sheer aqua ribbon and twine was all there was to it. I put white hooks on the wall above the window, tied on the sticks and it was done. Easy peasy!

Just the right solution for this space.

Wrap the ribbon around the sticks then knot the last wrap. The twine is pulled under the knot and wrapped around then tied off.

Using white hooks brings them in as a design element.

I just love it! This is a great way to use an accent color without it taking over the space.

Mason Jar Bar

During one of my Pinterest perusing sessions, I happened upon this Mason Jar Key Hook project on Shanty 2 Chic's blog. (I adore their projects and blog, btw!) Make something to hang on the wall that uses Mason jars? Sign me up!

Since I've been working on my master bathroom, what better place for this amazing project. I decided to make a smaller version with only one hook for a hand towel and two mason jars for toothbrushes? cotton balls? Q-tips? I didn't have to decide right then. I knew I'd find a great use for it. 

I set off to Lowe's late one Sunday night. That's the best time to shop there in my opinion. There were hardly any people and sales reps were readily available to help me. I picked out an amazing 1 X 8 and had it cut into a 16" piece, a 24" piece and took the rest as it was. Curtis, the very boisterous sales rep, cut the pine board for me and chatted all the way back to the check-out counter. He was very intrigued about what I was making and wanted to know all about it. Like any good DIY-er, I was happy to tell him all about it. :) On with the building show!

I picked up Matte Nickel Robe Hooks at Wal-Mart. They had a pack of 6 for $5 and some change. It was better than Lowe's or Target, which wanted just about $3 for 2. Since I will be using more for another project, I got the 6-pack.  I had to search high and low to find Rustoleum's Heirloom White spray paint. Fred Meyer carries it but of course, they were out of stock when I went. I ended up finding some at Home Depot a few days later. I also picked up Rustoleum Java Brown Glaze for $15 at Home Depot. The quart will last through many, many, many projects to come. Other items I needed were two 2" clamps that look like this.

For some reason I didn't take pictures during the process, which is so unlike me. I'll walk you through the steps and show the finished product.

1. Use push-ins in the 4 corners on the backside of the board to hold it off the ground when painting. 
2. Turn board over so it rests on the push pins and spray Heirloom White. 2 coats with plenty of drying time between coats. 
3. After the second coat is completely dry, I sanded the surface a little bit as it was more rough than I wanted. 
4. Then, I sanded the corners/edges using 220-grit sandpaper on my "mouse" handheld electric sander. You could also use 220-grit sandpaper on a 3M sanding block or in your hand. Your choice completely! I sanded until I could see the bare wood and rounded the corners/edges some. 
5. Wipe down the entire board with a lint free cloth to remove all dust. 
6. Using a small foam brush, brush on the Java Brown Glaze in the direction of the wood grain. Brush on a little glaze, wipe off the excess and repeat until you've reached your desired level of distressing. Take your time with this step. You can put more on but you can't easily take it off. However, if you rub in the direction of the grain right away, you'll get pretty close to removing all of it. 
7. Let dry. 
8. Once the glaze is dry, coat with a clear sealer. 
9. While everything is drying, I worked on making holes in the clamps large enough for a wood screw to go through. The best method I found was, using a scrap piece of 2 X 4, a nail and hammer; hammer the nail through the slot in the clamp you want at the back. This took a little while but was worth it. 
10. When everything is dry, attach the robe hook and clamps. 
11. Attach sawtooth hangers on the back and hang.
12. Put the Mason jars in the clamps, fill and...
13. VOILA! It's done! 

 

Isn't it great!?

More finished product shots. Again, I'm so sorry I didn't take process pictures. Live and learn!

The distressing is very visible in this picture. I LOVE IT!

You can kind of see how the clamps are attached...kinda...ok, maybe not so much.

Cotton balls at first but now, this jar holds our toothpaste and toothbrushes.

I don't know why, but this one reminds me of my Grandma. She used to store cotton beauty supplies in glass jars. :)

So, that's it. I think I am most proud of this project and it's sister rack...but that's for another post. ;)

(Paint) Chips Ahoy!

Sea Green to Gray Area or seafoam to battleship gray one might say. Ahoy! Okay, that's about the extent of the sea or Navy analogies for this post...although, I like to keep my options open.

You've seen the pictures. The green has to go, don't ya think? Me too! I'm so glad we think alike. Now, let's get our therapeutic painting on. What...we're not thinking alike anymore? Hmm, I LOVE painting. Seriously, it's therapeutic for me and I don't hold it against you if you don't feel the same way. You'll come to your senses soon. ;) 

In my rush to get the bathroom painted before Sister-n-Crew arrived for spring break, I still took the time to snap pics to document the transformation. Even if for nothing other than my own self enjoyment of looking back at the accomplishment and thinking, "Wow! This is AMAZING!" You know you do it too. I hear you chuckling to yourself! 

First things first. A girl must gather her tools for the job. I tried using a tip I found on Pinterest where the paint tray is lined with foil for easier clean up. Well, about 1/2 a roll of foil later, it worked! I will use this trick again, but with wider foil. Another MUST HAVE for me is the trim tool. It makes all the difference when it comes to cutting in around baseboards, window casings, the ceiling, just about anything you don't want to paint that has straight lines.

Yes, those are gloves. I like to wear gloves to keep my hands clean. I use these gloves to garden too. They're superhero gloves. I can pick up worms with them on. :)

Now, it's time to get dirty! Okay, not so much being that we're wearing gloves. ;) I am a little "OCD" in my painting approach. I almost always paint from left to right. It's just a thing I do. Cutting in the trim is typically my first point too but I didn't have a new pad for the trim tool and was too impatient to go to the store to get a new one so I decided I would do it last. Totally stepping outside my box on this one! On your marks, get set, ROLL!

See the neighbors house? Neat, huh?

And roll some more...

Keep it up, you're doing fine!

We're still going. This space isn't feeling so small now is it?

I love how the gray looks. Fast-forwarding to the next day to work on cutting in the edges.

Edging = crisp, finished look

New shower curtain.

I didn't papparazzi the bathroom light fixture change out. Now, how did that happen?

As I've said, this bathroom project has been on-going. See how Hubbs and I have been living "around" my project?

The accent colors for the bathroom are white, aqua/teal/blue-green and of course, black. Every room needs a touch of black.

Okay, so the paint is done now right? Nope. Not when it comes to me and paint. I plan to do a "watermark" technique to make an accent wall. First try = fail so I've hashed a new plan and will post about it soon.

Absent but Never Idle

School's out for summer!! Everyone now, "School's out forever..." As a teacher, school being out means I have some time to pursue my favorite past times, all things crafty and home improvement. Here's what I've been up to while I've been absent from blogger-space.

Over spring break, Sister brought her family from Michigan for the week. It was a great time! We went here, there and everywhere in between, including the cozy little master bathroom in my house. Wait, what? you ask. I got a whim to change the decor, which isn't surprising. I've painted every room in our house at least twice. So, when I told Hubbs I wanted to paint the bathroom over spring break, he knew what he was in for. Or...did he?

Thankfully, I married a very easy-going man who has put up with living with home improvement supplies in his way; jobs left in various states of completeness as I wait for drying, school to get out or inspiration to return. I just love him! Since the bathroom is an on-going project, I'll post pieces as I go.

Okay, ready, set....the before pictures.

Light green paint adorns this small space.

I know you're wondering, what's out that window? Our neighbors kitchen window of course! Hi Neighbor. Oh, you're washing dishes. I'm, umm...I've gotta go!"

Small oak vanity. Let me tell you, the banjo design of this vanity with the shelf over the back of the toilet...not a great idea designer. Repairs to the toilet means hiring a contortionist to get the job done. We're lucky enough to have one of these in each bathroom!

View from the throne. Like I said, it's a very small space but works.

Open bulb vanity bar...jealous? No, really...you can have it if you want it.

Okay, so, that's it in a nutshell. Tiny bathroom in desperate need of entering 2012. See why I wanted to tackle it over spring break?