Half Bath - The Final Tally

In a couple weeks the half bath in our home got a glamorous makeover for just a little dough.

Check out yesterday's post for before and after shots.

So, wanna find out how much I spent? Me too.

The biggest impact was obviously wall color. Can you believe that came in at $10?!

The white for the trim and cream was a free promotion at Menards (on sale for $11 with an $11 rebate). Well, I think the semigloss white was $2. Anyway I bought it for the kitchen, so I'm not counting it.

The dark color is Brown Velvet by Valspar (Lowes). I only needed a quart for this small room, which came to $10.

I replaced the knob on the medicine cabinet. A pretty cut glass little number for $6. Lowes.

I just about passed out when I saw the hand towel. I could not have found something with a more perfect design and color palette if I had created it myself! $10 each for the hand towels. I bought 2. World Market.

I also bought a chandelier and new wall art. This is what they looked like before.

And after a little spray paint magic....

Did you notice I painted the ceiling blue? Loving it. It's subtle, but really pretty.

I used leftover spray paint for my chandelier and artwork. Just a couple swipes and it looks totally different!

Chandelier was $12 from Habitat Restore and wall art was $40 from Big Lots.

Last but not least, a new window shade.

This match stick blind was on clearance for $5! From Lowes. It is meant for a french door. The shade was the right width, but was 72 inches long. Waaaay too long. Luckily I was able to shorten it and it looks great!

The total spent? $93. Under $100 for a totally new look. I'll take that!

Don't forget! I'd love it if you hopped over to Fireflies and Jellybeans to vote for my Iron Crafter logo!

I was in the lead, but I've dropped to #2! My logo is option #3. It will take 3 seconds. Thanks a bunch!

Half Bath - The Reveal!

I have good news! We had $700 on our credit card leftover from our airline tickets on January 1st. Those tickets were actually priceless. They brought us to South Korea and to our daughter! Well we just got our federal tax refund. It was for...

**drumroll please**

$695! ha! So instead of owing money, we are back to having no money. Hooray!

I'm kidding. Kind of. Seriously though, we are thrilled to be debt free (except our home mortgage) again! It means we're doing something right. I owe it all to a lot of sacrifice and tips from Dave Ramsey.

Being debt free means I had the green light to buy a couple little touches to the half bath, which means it is DONE! And I am sooooooo digging it. I can't wait for you to see it!

It is located right off the kitchen.

Check out the whole house layout here.

And this is what the bathroom used to look like.

This is what our half bath looks like now!

Come back tomorrow to find out sources and how much I spent!

In the meantime, I'd love it if you hopped over to Fireflies and Jellybeans to vote for my Iron Crafter logo!

I'm in the lead, but it's getting close! My logo is option #3. It will take 3 seconds. Thanks a bunch!

Linking up to some of these great parties.

Details, details

Isn't it amazing what a small change can do? The most beautifully designed rooms are perfected right down to the smallest detail.

With that in mind, check out my medicine cabinet in the room I'm working in right now, the half bath.

Here it is before, with its wooden handle.

And here it is now, with a $6 glass knob from Lowe's.

Big difference, right? And you got a sneak peek at the wall color too. You likey?

I've been using a few found dollars and spare change (literally) to buy a couple things to spruce up this little bathroom.

The two large carved wooden wall plaques are from Big Lots. Honestly they were a splurge to me at $20 each. But I wanted some big beautiful artwork, and I'm getting a bit tired of frames, frames and more frames. So these will fit the bill nicely.

The trashy brassy chandelier is from my local Habitat's ReStore. ReStore was having a 20% off brass light fixtures sale the day I was there. NICE. So I picked up this little beaut for $12. I'm going to spray it--gloss white I think. It will replace the (pardon me) boob light.

I have a couple more things I'd like to purchase. Some bright, fun hand towels and a woven grass shade for the window. Then the room will be done!

It's looking FABULOUS. I can't wait to show it to you!

Color Inspiration

Because powder rooms are small and often unassuming, they are the perfect place to play with the unexpected.

First of all they're often tiny. So if you've been eyeballing a high end finish (like marble tile, or an expensive wallpaper) a powder room can be the ideal place to splurge. Its small size means you won't break the bank

Secondly, it can just be a nice surprise! If you have guests and they need to use the facilities, why not provide a space with "wow" factor?

I decided a dark color in my main floor half bath would be ideal. The rest of my house is transitioning neutral, and you know I'm not afraid of bold. Heck, my kitchen is still half a rainbow. But what color to choose?

I wanted something with, dare I say, sex appeal? Am I overcompensating for my life filled with diapers and toddlers hanging on my ankles?

Hm. Mayhaps.

Nonetheless. Check out this nail polish.

Hot, right? The brand is even called "Sinful Colors". No lie!

Not brown, not purple, not burgundy, not black, but somewhere where they all intersect. I think it'd make a pretty hot bathroom.

That is how Brown Velvet came into my life.

It's hot, my friends. H-O-T. Hot. By far the darkest paint I've ever chosen. At the last minute I even got a little stage fright. But, say it with me now, it's only paint. I can always paint over it.

My house is ancient--nearly 100. And there are settlement cracks to deal with again. Old house owners call this 'character', right!? ha! This is what it looked like Saturday afternoon.

Lots of patches to deal with. Dry wall patch means you will need primer. You can't paint straight onto virgin walls. It'll look good for awhile, and then the paint will all chip off. Promise.

And then if you're painting a dark color they'll tell you to pick a tinted primer whether your walls are virgin or not.

Here's the thing. You'll only really need a tinted primer if you are transitioning from a light paint to a dark paint. I'll say that again. You only really need a tinted primer if you're transitioning from a light paint to a dark paint. In my case I started with a medium/dark wall color. I didn't feel I needed a primer. And yet I had a lot of light patches that needed primer anyway.... Did I need to buy the tinted primer? Nah. It was a small space to cover, so I made my own!

Just pour a bit of primer into a cup, then add a bit of your wall color. This is probably 2/3 primer, 1/3 wall color. TADA! Free tinted primer. It's all I needed for a relatively small area.

Are you thinking of pushing the limits with a bold color in your house? Tell me about it!

More on the half bath revealed tomorrow!

Introducing... The Half Bath

We're moving right next door. From the kitchen to the half bath.

It's a teensy, weensy little space. Room for a potty (Am I mom or what? Potty. heh heh) and a pedestal sink.

On the plus side the ceilings are quite high.

When we moved in I put in a (pardon me) boob light. I know, shame on me. I'll get rid of it, k?

I think this space is screaming for a glam-ulous chandelier.

On the floor is super cute hexagon tile.

It's good enough for now, but here's my problem with it. 1. It wasn't installed the best. Can you see by the toilet it obviously shifted? 2. All the grout lines hold dirt. And that's a lot of grout lines, my friend. 3. It's such a small space, I'd like the flooring to match (eventually) with what is in the hall way. For flow and what not.

But that will have to wait. I like hexagon tile in general, so I think it will be fine for the time being.

Now the plan: The top is now a taupe, which is perfectly fine. And boring. I'd like something bold and beautiful. Why not? Below the chair rail is the same orange from the kitchen. I'll just do that the same antique white that the kitchen is now. So light on the bottom, bold and gorgeous on the top. Maybe a fun ceiling color? Definitely a chandelier. New artwork = completely new look!

Stay tuned!