Pinterest Solves Problems

I don't even remember what kind of search I was doing on Pinterest that led me to this fabulous idea.  I was probably scrolling through the DIY area.  I had added a shower caddy to my shower several months back.

We went through the honeymoon phase where I loved it but lately I was more annoyed with it.  It interfered with my shower head hose and I was always knocking things off.  Enter Pinterest.  Someone had posted using an everyday hook to hang the caddy anywhere versus having to hang it on the actual shower head.  Genius!

While picking up stuff for my closet remodel, I grabbed your basic coat hook.  I just picked it because I thought it was pretty.

It works great!  I can't believe I've never thought of this.  I guess this is the first time I've ever had to deal with a molded one piece shower before.  Anyway, not only does it no longer get knocked about by my shower head, now I no longer have to maneuver around a stream of water when trying to find my face wash.

Sometimes Pinterest puts a little too much pressure on you to be creative and crafty but other times (like this) it really helps out with solutions to everyday problems!

Guest Bathroom Almost Finished!

I have continued working on my painting in the guest bathroom and now all I have left is to finish up the trim.

Hard to tell too much but you can see the walls getting lighter.  I love the look with the grey ceiling instead of white.  I just need to knock out the trim and 2 doors and the room should be back together.

At least it better be back together.  I have company coming over this weekend!

Out With the Old!

I swear I've actually got house updates this week but today I just have to post about what's really got me excited this morning.

I FINALLY broke down and bought new alarm clocks for my room and my bathroom!  This has been a long time coming.  I had finally had enough of my clock radios from the 90s.  The beige one by my bed was just plain ugly and the silver one in my bathroom would not stay tuned on a station.  I'd be half way into a shower and the speakers would start blaring static.  Do you know how annoying it is to shower to static?  I found these new alarm clocks at Target.  They not only have radios but the also can charge and play my iPod and iPhone.

The cute little cubes came with 'skins' to allow for about 6 different colors.  I went with hot pink for the one by my bed and silver for the bathroom.

I'm happy to report that they both did their job this morning!  Pinkie got me up and Silver kept me jamming all the way through my shower.  As for these puppies...

They went out with the trash this morning.  After almost 20 years it was time to part ways.

Back to Painting

I had every intention to start working on my closet remodel model this weekend.  Somehow I instead decided to start painting my guest bathroom.  The guest room and the guest bathroom are the only beige rooms left to conquer.

Nothing too drastic here.  The walls and ceiling will be Sterling, the light grey in the rest of the house.  And I guess that means I'll eventually need to paint all the trim white, but I'm trying not to think about that.  I'm also going to replace the boring white (ish) shade on the window with fabric that give a little more pop of excitement.  I'll probably make a faux roman shade and possibly frost the window.

I have about half the room painted now and should have it finished by the end of the week.  In the meantime I'll also be trying to get the closet project started as well.

Summer Begins to End

The heat may be sticking around a few more months, but with the start of college football just days away it can only mean one thing.  Fall is on its way.  I thought I'd take this time to reflect on how my Spring/Summer To Do list worked out.

 1) I put a dotted line through 'Paint more ceilings' since I did get some done...like my master bathroom ceiling...but I still have plenty left to do.

 2)  I planted a garden and rocked it for a while!  For a first attempt, I think I was quite successful.  Right now the only thing still growing is okra and very small jalapenos.  I think if it weren't for the hail storm and the new dog, it would still be doing pretty good.  Now I have to come up with what to plant for winter.

3)  I remulched the front yard and had it looking pretty good until the scorching heat took some of my plants and the hail storm covered the mulch in more leaves.  I think next spring will be even better since I've learned a lot about what works in this area.

 6,7 & 8) I finally found curtains and redid my dining set.  The results turned out better than I expected.  Formal yet fun. 

So the only things I didn't get around to doing were fixing the faucet and saving for kitchen countertops.  But I did have a fabulous European vacation and get a new roof. 

Not too bad.  Now I just have to put together my Fall To Do list and figure out how to fit home renovation around college football schedules.

Stewart's Superpowers

This blog is quickly becoming more about the new dog than new decor.  This is not by choice but as it stands, Stewart is pretty much on a mission to undo what I've been working on during the last year.  Only kidding, sorta.  I was all ready to report how good Stewart was doing in his crate since coming home from the hospital on Saturday.  We had a couple of really good days.  He didn't protest his new position as Dog-In-The-Box and he was even taking his medicines (steroids and pain killers).  Then yesterday, I came home from work and he was there to greet me at the door.

He had escaped from his kennel.  He didn't figure out how to open the door.  No, instead he just bent metal and disassembled his house.  This is your dog on steroids.

Poor guy has some stomach related side effects that created a giant sense of urgency to get out of the crate.  It's hard to be to upset with him but it definitely was not fun cleaning up multiple accidents in various rooms, including several on my dining room rug.  All I could do was move it out back and hose it down.

Luckily you can't see much from this distance and this was after I'd hosed her down.  Thanks to my love of painting, I always have a spare tarp laying around.  It came in handy when I carried the rug back in the house.

I'm hoping the rug makes a semi-full recovery.  Can I tell you how heavy an 8 x 10 WET rug is?  In between cleaning bouts, I made it to the vet to pick up new presciptions for Stewart.  He's now also taking an anti-diarrheal and Valium.  Poor guy.  At this rate he'll be in rehab by September.  I reassembled his crate and put every zip tie in the house that I could find on its joints.

He seems to be okay.  The valium is making him appear drunk when he walks, tripping over his feet and running into walls.  He has some cuts and sores on his muzzle from his escape and his front nails are desperate for a manicure.

I'm telling you, his cute face is the only thing keeping me from completely losing it.  Well, that and the fact that he checks in to the Pet Hotel in 36 hours. 

The Master Bath Just Got Classier

Now that the bathroom in my bedroom is all redone, I was starting to feeling guilty about the fact that I wipe my hands on my bath towels.  I guess this is fine for me, but I figure if a guest uses my bathroom they might feel a little guilty about it.  Plus I don't really want other people using the towels I use after a shower.

My plan was to install a hand towel rack near the sink.  This means attaching it to the cabinet since I'm limited in space.  I snapped a towel ring up at Target for $10.

I had to drill through the cabinet to attach it but I was okay with that.  Overall it was pretty easy.  I had made Nutella Banana Bread before getting started and I finished before my oven timer went off.

I picked up the cute hand towel at West Elm.  My bath rug and curtain are from West Elm as well so I figured it would be easy to find something that would match.  I loved the stamped on 'S'.  If anyone loves a monogram, it's me. 

If you look at the top of my toilet, I picked something else up at West Elm.  There were on clearance...and they had my initials so of course I couldn't resist.

So now I have a classy bathroom and my guests no longer have to wipe their hands on their pants.  Oh, and that Nutella Banana Bread turned out awesome!  I highly recommend it.

Master Bath Makeover

Even with the addition of a fun shower curtain, my master bath was pretty drab.  Like every other room in the house, it was painted beige on beige.

I spent about a month with various paint chips taped to all the walls, but kept coming back to a page from Better Homes & Garden (picked out by the Ambassador of Paint aka my mom).

Once I settled on green I just bit the bullet and picked one instead of buying any testers first.  I went with Asparagus by Behr. I thought this was going to be a big disaster because when I threw a little up on the wall my first thought was baby poop.

I put aside my fears and started with painting the ceiling and trim white.  By the time I got ready to paint the walls, the baby poop was growing on me.  It darkened as it dried.  And once I got a second coat on, I was really digging the color.

I think Asparagus might be a bad name for this color, though.  I would actually call it more of an avocado.  That works for me because I love avocado! 

The room is so much brighter!  It's hard to get good pictures since it is the world's smallest master bathroom.  Seriously, my guest bathroom is bigger than this one.  When, if ever, will I expand this one?

Probably when pigs fly.  Turns out, I don't really need a lot of space to shower and brush my teeth. 

One Year Anniversary

One year ago today I was heading to my closing and getting the keys to my new house.  I can't believe it has been a year already!  I still love my house more and more every day and haven't once regretted my purchase.  Here's a little before and after collection of what I've gotten done (and what I haven't) in the last 365 days.

 Slowly but surely my lawn it perking up.  It's still trial and error at this point but it's definitely in better shape than move in day.

 I love my bargain bench and throw pillows that welcome you in the house.  I have yet to just sit on the front porch and take in the scenery but it's nice to know I have the option.

 Getting rid of the random doorway curtains was such a relief.  Who does that?  I still need to move this furniture out but since I haven't found the pieces I want to go in the space, they just sit there.

 The dining room is getting so close.  Once that table gets painted, the rest will be quick and easy.

 Not much has gone on in my office.  It's pretty much become a storage room for now.  I have a feeling it will be one of the last rooms I get to but I'm ok with that.

 The guest room is good for now and has even had a few guests.  Some day those curtains will go and the walls will be painted.  Some day.

 I love the dining area of the kitchen!  It's just so fun.  Hopefully the countertops, backsplash and appliances will get some attention in the coming year.

The laundry room is cheerful as well.  Notice I have 3 dog leashes...but only one dog.  Hopefully this next year will see me adding one more dog to the house.  I already have his food dish set up below the laundry basket.

 The living room has probably gotten the most attention in the past year, but then again it is where I spend the most time (when not sleeping). 

I'm so relieved to finially have something hanging above my couch.  I don't have too much planned for this room anytime soon, except maybe getting Pablo a blanket that matches a little better than the Christmas colored one he's using now.

 My bedroom is coming together.  The 4th duvet finally won out.  I have art on the walls now but my room wasn't clean enough for more recent pictures.  Story of my life.

I'm toying which changing up this headboard somehow.  I built it about 8 years ago.  I'm thinking I'll either paint it or cover it with fabric.  Who knows.

 The bathroom is actually currently in the middle of a big change.  More on that next week.

 I'm really excited about how far my lawn has come, especially since I've never had a lawn before.  I look forward to expanding the landscaping in the coming year and really turning it into an enjoyable space.

It has been such a fun year.  I've learned so much and can't wait to see what the next year in the house has in store.  I predict many more Home Depot trips and a lot more elbow grease!