Bathroom Makeover - Part 2 Reveal!

Happy weekend! 

I am super excited to share with you how our bathroom makeover turned out! I should say MY bathroom makeover...Eric didn't really have much input on this one.  

Click HERE to see Part 1 of this bathroom transformation.

Remember when everything looked like this? Kind of lame...very boring. 

Soooo much beige. 

To defeat the blah, I came up with this little mood board: 

Well check out what some fresh paint and new accessories can achieve! 

Mood board meets real life: 

JAZZ HANDS!!!!!! 

The blue makes everything look so fresh! Like diving into a cool swimming pool on a scorching July afternoon. And how about that purple mirror!? Every morning this glorious purple vision greets me, makes getting up just a little less horrible. 

Who is the fairest of them all?

Another project I tackled for this bathroom was to make a mini curtain for the window. This adorable guy was just one yard of fabric, some no-sew tape to hem everything up, and two tension rods. I simply measured how big I wanted my final curtain to be, added some extra on the sides for a hem, and created a loop for the rods at the top and bottom. 

Status? Super tickled with myself :) 

Lastly, to pop that coral out of the curtains I brought in a new bath mat. Our old one was looking pretty sad, and this one from World Market is just so fabulous! 

The grey shower curtain was a nice little find at Marshalls, and it was about time for some new bath towels. Mine were from college and feeling pretty scratchy.  

All and all, I am EXTREMELY stoked about my peacock-meets-coral-fusion bathroom. The pattern in the curtain is tribal but playful, and the bathmat just pops off the floor with happiness. 

Nothing like a totally pulled together room to get the weekend started! Now let's see how long it stays this pulled together. 

If The Rug Fits...

So I have found myself in a bit of a dilemma. 

Last week I ordered two area rugs; one for the dinning room, and the other for our bedroom. The one for the bedroom isn't as great in real life as I hoped it would be, so it'll be returned, but the rug for the dining room arrived and looked just like the picture online. 

The only problem though is the size...

I thought the rug we had in there before was 5'x7'...but it must have been 6'x9' because when I put the new rug down, it just seemed small. It follows the "all chair legs must be on the rug" rule, but the 6'x9' size gave them a little more room to breath.

I really do love this rug though! They don't offer it in a bigger size, and I can't find another red rug that's larger and makes me as giddy with new-rug-joy when I look at it. I mean check out that bright ruby color and the oriental detailing! 

So is there a solution to my petite flooring mishap? 

I believe the answer lies in the purchase of another rug. Is this some sort of decorating version of "hair of the dog" type thing? I don't know, maybe, but after some research (and serious Pinterest browsing) I think layering a jute rug under the existing red one will give me the room I need and the look I crave. 

Here are a couple photos of inspiration:

Source 

Source 

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The layering of the two rugs really give these rooms a sense of great texture. I also think the red will pop off our dark wood floors even more with the lighter jute background. Right now I'm debating between this one, or this one from Overstock.com. 

I plan on exchanging the bedroom rug for a large jute one, and then I'll hopefully be satisfied with our dining room situation. 

So what do you think? Do you agree the red rug too small for our table? Would you ever consider layering rugs to save on price but gain in size? 

Bathroom Makeover - Part 1

What is it about the change in season that makes us want to change everything around us too? Every Spring I find myself dreaming of brighter clothes, cuter shoes, shorter hair, and of course newly decorated rooms! I tend to just wonder around the house moving things here and there, swapping out art, rearranging pillows, staring at blank walls contemplating what to hang...anyone else to that too? 
With that "I need to decorate something!" itch needing scratched, it felt like the perfect time to tackle our upstairs bathroom! 
Prior to last weekend, this was the sight you were greeted with when you walked up our stairs. 

Overall, not that exciting. 

I've hung some art, added a couple accessories to the window, and changed the hardware to match the chrome faucet, but that was the extent to this bathroom's styling. 

(PS: That adorable whale print is by my super talented designer friend, Elyse Myers. Fun fact: her album cover design was featured in last night's season finale of Nashville! My friends are so cool.) 

To save some money, I decided to take advantage of the leftover Palladian Blue we used in our dinning room for the wall color. There was an entire gallon in our basement, and I really do love the color, so this worked out perfectly. 

Wall color? Check. 

Overall Theme????

My jumping point was inspired by the little fabric-sample art shown above, It's kind of small in the pic, so here's a closeup: 

The fabric is LADB-Peacock from U-Fab, and the sample they sent is the perfect size for an IKEA RIBBA frame. Fabric samples are usually only around $1, and most companies won't charge you shipping. Slap some coordinating swatches in a few frames for an inexpensive gallery wall! 

OK, back on topic. 

Once I knew the general direction I wanted to go, I needed a bit more inspiration......

I feel a MOOD BOARD coming on! 

And there you have it! My peacock meets coral-fusion bathroom style inspiration. Most of this was based on item's I either already had, or planned on purchasing. I'm not sure how Eric's going to take the coral....but I think I may just surprise him. 

Armed with a plan, I took everything out of the bathroom to begin taping off the trim and walls. Of course, no project is complete without a surprise or two; the gaping hole behind our mirror being the highlight of this one.

"Hmm what should we do now that we've taken out the medicine cabinet? Fix the hole?" 

"Naaah...let's just stick a giant mirror over it! That'll basically be like rebuilding the wall." 

Also discovered was the "colors of bathroom's past". I personally am glad we had the beige to stare at this past year, instead of that greenish-avocado combination.

You'll have to wait until "Part 2" to see the painting results, but I am super proud to say I did this room with very minimal help from Eric. All I needed him to do was take down the blinds and that was it! Girl power BAM! 

Something I will share is the mirror transformation! 

We had this great big mirror to use (yeah!) but the color just didn't fit my vision (boo!).

One sample-pot of paint later, and that puppy was purple! 

It took some effort to get the paint into all of those nooks and crannies, but a few coats later and it was looking just fabulous. 

That's all I have for today. Hopefully in the next week I'll be able to pull a few more details together and have a somewhat completed space to share! I'm waiting on some fabric for a curtain, and also in search for a new bath mat.

Anyone else starting a new project to change things up a bit? 

Sprucing Up For Spring

Spring has sprung people! 

Although these past few days have felt like we skipped straight to Summer, you won't hear this girl complain after that endless Winter we practically hibernated through. Last weekend was incredibly Spring-ish; with sunshine, wonderful temps, and although we had some storms Saturday, it was still gorgeous and felt like the perfect day for flower power! 

I have a confession: I absolutely ADORE flowers and could walk around a garden center for hours. I think it's because they're so colorful, and I'm attracted to bright and shiny things. Which also explains why I have the tendency to gravitate towards flower pots as well. All of those stunning glazes and patterns, I just can't get enough! This probably branches from my obsession with vases and jars.....anyhow, I swung by Marshalls after work Friday and picked up three brand new flower pots and couldn't wait to fill them up! 

Unfortunately my love of plants does not quite meet my knowledge on how to keep them alive, so we'll see how long these guys last. Until their demise though, I'm going to admire our hard work and the extra spunk they add to our front porch! 

The two pots flanking our front door are resting on tomato plant stands. I found this idea on the blog 4Men1Lady, and instantly knew that would be the perfect solution to had some height and variety. 

And we can't forget about our swing! My Sunday afternoon was spent rocking back and forth, Diet Coke in one had, and a book in the other. 

This was after I called my mom and wished her a happy Mother's Day of course - Love you Mom!

So with a little help from Mother Nature, we went from blah and boring...

To fresh and fabulous!

Now instead of our house creepily whispering "Hey, I don't really have much to say...btw there are still paint chips on my door from last summer." 

It now shouts "Come on in! Have some lemonade and freshly baked banana bread! I still have paint chips on my door but I'm beautiful so who cares!". 

Much better :)