The beginning of a transformation...

Phase 1 of our master bathroom redo is complete! The good thing about moving into a new construction home is that we don't have to do any major renovations. However, it's still a lot of work upgrading the builder basic items throughout the house.

I love the color on our walls thoughout our house (SW Balsam Bark) but the flat finish is a nightmare in a bathroom. We had water spots everywhere.

Here was our bathroom-

Step 1-Pick your paint color. I started with about 30 paint chips and gradually eliminated them throughout the week. I ended up choosing a light greige color that picked up the cool tones in our tile, Valspar Ultra Premium Oatbran in Satin finish.

Step 2- Get your supplies. I listened to YoungHouseLove's recommendation and bought the SW Premium XL Tight Spots 2'' Angle short-handled brush. It was perfect for corners and for creating an even line around the ceiling.

Step 3- Tape everything. Even with a steady hand, it's easy to get paint on trim, the ceiling etc.

step 4-Let your 1st coat completely dry before you begin the 2nd coat. (This paint looked very light when wet. The pic below shows the paint beginning to dry.)

Step 5-Remove tape as soon as you finish the 2nd coat.

I'm so happy with the new color. Our original color was quite a bit darker than the photo suggests, so the new, lighter color has really opened the space up.

I also hung a new medicine cabinet on my side of the sink and a decorative shelf on J's side-

The new cabinet allowed us to remove all the clutter from our sink area. I hate anything left out on counters (toothbrushes etc) and love having a clean, simple sink area.

Next up...framing the mirror and eventually tiling the floor. For now, I'm enjoying the new color. Amazing how a simple change can have such an impact.
-S

Lackluster

Imagine my excitement this morning when I came across an email featuring 3 of my favorite things: wine, Restoration Hardware and chandeliers. How prefect would a chandelier made from wine barrels be in our dining room? How very green (i.e. recycled materials), funky and appropriate! I imagined drooling over the new RH wine barrel chandelier collection...
that is until I actually saw it. To say I was disappointed is a vast understatement:(



It just didn't live up to my dreamy expectations and the $2495 price tag?!? No thank you. Hoping that the remainder of RH's Fall 2009 collection is filled with the usual, gorgeous items that I dream about filling my home with.

Crush

My design crush has turned into a full fledged (one sided) love affair...Candace Olsen is my true designer love. I love how her designs are always gorgeous but still comfotable and liveable.

Here are a few of my favorite Candace Olsen rooms-

Clear Out

Thought I'd clear out some images that I've had saved on my laptop for quite some time. Just a nice reminder that we still have half a summer to enjoy the great outdoors!

*all images from Home Sweet Home

#26

Wow, what a week. I turned 26 on 6/25 and had one of the best birthdays that I've ever had.

On my actual birthday, I spent the day inside (escaping the 100 degree weather) and cleaned out our basement. It may not sound like a great way to spend the day, but it was much needed and I feel so much better that our basement is finally organized. I'm one of those crazy, OCD people that enjoys cleaning:)

Before:

Purchased some plastic bins and got to work-

After:

It took 4 hours, 1 trip to the Recycling center (to drop off all the empty boxes & crap that we didn't need/want) and 11 containers to get everything organized. It cleared out so much space and since we're planning to finish our basement in the future, this was important.

I used my label maker to label every container with it's contents.

After a day of cleaning, it was time for my Birthday/Jean Short themed Bar-b-que:)

Some of the guys looking handsome in their cutoffs-

Jenni and I posing in our 'mom' jorts complete with elastic waist for added sex appeal-

We had a great time with our friends and definitely over-indulged a bit-

Yikes. The celebration did not end there. We headed to Vegas the next day.

J and I at Encore.

Enjoying some drinks on the patio of Pure, which offers awesome views of the strip, not to mention a nice escape from the crowded dance floor inside.

And finally, we returned from Vegas in time for the 4th of July.

My sister-in-law and I taking a moment to escape the firework craziness happening in the backyard. (My 4 year old nephew gave us the Goofy stickers that we're wearing.)

Some of the kids (both small and big) enjoying an assortment of firecrackers at my in-laws house.

What a fantastic past week it's been. Now, it's back to laundry, dishes and catching up on sleep!

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday. -S