A Few More Changes

Here's what I've done with our guest bath since my last post....

Bathroom Reno

It's been a hot minute. Sorry about that. I've just been focusing all my energy on trying to complete our home renovation. It was supposed to be finished by the end of summer, but now we'll be lucky if it's done by Christmas. (But that's the way it always works, right?) Here are some "progress pictures" of what we've done so far with our guest bath...

This is what the bathroom looked like when we first purchased the home.

 (Where pink and floral went to die...)

This is after I, (yes, I) removed all the tiles and carpet. 

I guess I should also add that my fiance tore down the walls. ;)

Getting new walls put up...

NOW, here is our bathroom currently. There's still a lot of things that need to be done; window treatment, wall decor, towel racks, shower tile installation, revamped linen closet, and paint the wooden mirrors above the vanity a nice gloss black. (Just to name a few.) But it's still come a very long way since the carpeted, pink, floral bathroom it once was...

These mirrors will be painted black, and there will be three wall hangings hung up behind the toilet.

I bought the 2 decanters for just $1.00 a piece, the glass soap dish for $.50, the candle stick holder for $3.00 (it used to be   brass, BUT I painted it white), and the lacquer tray was $5.00. 

(All of these items I picked up at Salvation Army.)

My fiance actually bought the shower curtain. 

Found it all on his own. (He's the best. :))

The brand is Peter Allen Roth and you can find it at Lowes.

The tray used to be pink, but I spray painted it black. I got the 2 red candles and decorative rocks from Family Dollar, and the black damask candle from HomeGoods.

The only items that aren't thrift, are the candle and the perfume. 

(I plan to replace this candle with one that better fits the holder.)

I'll probably add a decorative rug in front of the vanity sometime in the near future.

I've had these three wall hangings forever, but only now do I actually have a place for them. These will be hung above the toilet. These are originally from Target, but I bought them at Goodwill. They used to be beige, but I painted them a glossy white. (Notice the one at the very bottom. It has the exact same design that's on the shower curtain…what’re the chances?!)

Vignette Styling

I finally completed styling one of my bedside tables in my Chinoiserie themed guest room. I was waiting to find the perfect set of orange lacquer boxes to complete the look before I shared pictures. But alas, no perfect set of boxes existed. (That's a lie. There are plenty out there, but not in my price range.) So, I did what any thrifty vixen would do; made like Macklemore and headed to the thrift shop. There, I found 2 perfect mini cardboard boxes each on sale for $.50 each. That I can handle. They were originally a faded gold and pink color, which I overlooked since I would be painting them orange anyway. I found the perfect "Hermes-ish" orange Valspar spraypaint at Lowes for $5.00. The name escapes me right now, but I promise to add it later. (I left the can in one of our barns and it's currently a monsoon outside, so I apologize if I'm not eager to retrieve it at the moment. ;) ) I am completely thrilled with the results. Not too bad for only $6.00. :)

Got the mini gold bamboo easel for $.25 at a yard sale, the little blue vase was $.50 at Salvation Army, and the gold frame used to be a purple frame that I got at Home Goods for $6.99.

Silver buddha figurine I got at a market in Shanghai for 75 RMB, and the boxes were each $.50 from Salvation Army.

The ceramic lamp was bought at ReStore for $50.00. Much more than I would normally pay for a lamp, especially a pre-owned one, but I had to make the exception just this once.

This side table I picked up at a yard sale for $30.00.

I love the original brass hardware.

Bought this ceramic plate at a local thrift store for $.50.

Homemade Barn Door

We've purchased a 15 acre farm complete with 2 barns and a 1958 brick ranch, and are currently in the process of renovating the entire property. It is a lot of fun, but a lot of work. There have been times where I've thought to myself, "I'd rather watch an entire season of Grey's Anatomy on repeat, than pull up another layer of flooring." For the most part though, it's been a great experience. It also helps that I have such a hands on fiance. Although it pains me to say this; he's a better DIY'er than myself. His latest project has been fixing up the barns. He fixed layers of rust, removed this colossal grapevine, and built a new barn door. As excited as I am about all these improvements, I'm still waiting on a working toilet. ;) See below the dent he's already made in our backyard.

Before

(See what I mean about that grapevine? Out. Of. Control.)

(Still rusty, but grapevine has tamed down a bit.)

After

(New barn door, no rust, and pretty little grapevine. :))

Brasso to the Rescue!

One of my favorite products on the market has got to be 'Brasso'. It takes brass pieces from dingy to new in less than 10 sec. Perfect for the impatient, (like myself.) Here is what it did for my new headboard, which I got at ReStore for $20.00...

Before

During…

After

I've decided to paint this headboard a bold color. What color, you ask? That I'm unsure of at the moment, so I shall sleep on it. :)

Footstool Makeover

I went to visit my mom this past weekend, and as always, she had a few things waiting to give me. One of them being an old footstool she picked up at the Salvation Army for $1.00. The moment I saw it, I knew I could turn this bad boy into something much more appealing. I had some orange chevron fabric that I had been itching to use, and a half empty can of gold spray paint lying around. So, the total cost to make this little bench was zero dinero. I'm pretty thrilled with the end result. It will go perfectly in the guest bedroom, after we pull up that horrendous vinyl, snowflake floor. Yuck!

BEFORE

(Complete with stained fabric)

AFTER

(Because an Hermes bag classes it up a bit. ha)

Hangzhou Holiday

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend the last 9 days in China. (Hence, the lack of recent blog posts.) Of course this was my fantasy vacation, because of my obsession with all things Chinoiserie. Because we visited four different towns during our China visit, we stayed in quite a few hotels; Ritz Carlton, Kerry Hotel, Shangri-La, and The Opposite House. (Just to name a few.) Here are some pictures of the decor in these beautiful, luxurious, hotels.

 (Please note, these are all stock photos. The ones I took turned out extremely crappy.)

 (Here's one of the pictures I took. See, I told you. ;))