2013-03-20 GID: Bathroom Chaos

This room has been in total chaos for several months now; really for the last year since I can count on one hand how long the room has stayed clear. My mom has A-LOT of things; really they are everywhere and even when I think I'm making progress she'll find something to clutter up the space. It's very frustrating even for the non-neat freak that I am and I am a firm believer that things should have a home so they go back to it every time. My mom just put's it where ever there is space and sometimes she just shoves thing into a space - like the fridge. Even with things labeled she still makes her own space for items. Again, very frustrating. 

On Sunday I really just had enough of this room, enough of walking past piles of stuff and leaping over things so I can get to my washer and dryer so I took charge of clearing out the room. My mom is great at avoiding cleaning out clutter; she'll always find an excuse why she hasn't gotten to it and to her it's always legit.

for the most part my mom and I get along, it's really just the stuff and clutter that makes up most of our quarrels, but as you can see from the before photo you can understand why I quarrel over clutter.  

While cleaning out I cleared out the white plastic shelf in the bottom left photo& 2 others that you can't see, because there is so much in the room.  The two boxes under the laundry basket in the bottom right photo is mostly items that need to be listed on Amazon - Books and DVD's which have no place being the bathroom.  I moved them out into the hallway in hopes that my mom will sort through them this week.    Plus, we've moved a bookshelf to my 3rd floor to house our Amazon listings so we can find them when they sell so I know she'll be more likely to take care of the now.  

She had about 6 tubes of toothpaste, 5 deodorants, about 4 cups of liquid eye drop packets and another few cups of the liquid bottles,  8 chapsticks,  6 moisturizers, and 5 toe nail clippers just to name a few things she had hiding in there.  I took all the extra items and they will be moved to the basement where we have several shoe boxes that house our extra toiletries. 

There is also a tall hamper on wheels that you can see below in the before pictures.  It was being housed in front of the tub.  It works much better in it's new location where it's out of the way and easy to move when we need to get to the washer and dryer.  

Alright, finally it's cleared out.........Yeah!!!  I can walk right in and not trip or anything and I can easily get to my washer and dryer.  Goal achieved. 

As you can see it's still a huge difference with how clean and sorted everything is, but there is still work to be done with making it more like home.   Like painting all the walls.  I had painted the toilet wall area a pretty blue, but I think I want to change it out and all the other walls are still the original yellow.  I would like to put some type of shelving above the sinks and eliminate the odd shaped wire shelves my mom had installed behind my back.   I'd also like to see the base cabinet go at some point.  It's just way to big for the space and not practical.  Really what I would like is a linen closet, that would be fantastic, but that's still a bit out of my league to attempt. 

I left some things for my mom to do since this is technically her bath space.  I use the one on the 3rd floor so ALL of this stuff is hers.  There are a few organizers I left onto of the base cabinet next to the toilet, and the items behind the door and on the door I didn't touch.  I also asked her to do a deep clean the bathroom while all the surfaces are cleared.  I also added some things in her tub like extra  shampoos/conditioners for her to choose ones she wanted to use now and the rest will go downstairs with the extra's.

2013-03-04 CAP Saying Goodbye to the Series

I've decided after some thought about whether I would keep this series that it's time to call it an end.  I feel as though both clear a path and get it down can go hand in hand, so I will be continuing get it done and then allowing myself some freedom to throw in a fun out of the norm post here and there and this way it can keep things fresh and fun.

It's mainly because, I've just been feeling rushed trying to get everything in and trying to have 4 solid posts each week is a bit much, especially since there are so many projects left to do at the house that I really should be working on instead .  This will allow me to post smaller projects that I complete either on my get it done series or maybe every so often on a Friday aka Fun Fridays, but it wont be a weekly series.

I've had a lot of fun adding the 2013 January Cure to my clear a path series and I am loving how my home is molding into a place I want to be, because of the series  I'll continue to create update posts about my Project List from the January Cure since I didn't complete everything I wanted and any DIY's I work on.

2013-03-03 Paleo Delights

Quinoa Garbage Can Salad  by Haute + Healthy

I had planned to make this last week for lunch, but never got around to it, so tonight while the stir fry was simmering I gathered the ingredients and started chopping.  I also decided to grill the chick peas. 

I found this recipe on how to cook fluffy, tasty quinoa & used it for both the salad and my side for the chicken stir fry below. The quinoa was very fluffy and tasty.

Healthy Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry by Undressed Skeleton 

I soaked the chicken in 3 egg whites, though I'm not sure what the point of that was, while I sauteed the veggies and mixed up the sauce.  I only put in half of the chili sauce, mainly because my roomie can't do spicy, but it was still very tasty. 

THRIFTY FINDS FEBRUARY

I've been having a lot of fun lately on my thrifting adventures and thought I would share what I've found.

Some Time Ago Find

 

I found these a few months back and wasn't sure what I would do with them, but for $2.50 for the pair I figured I would find a use.  They currently, are living happy at the base of my bed housing my workout shoes and attire for the next day.  

I {heart} this scarf.  I can't believe I went through the whole store and never knew it existed, luckily they had a scarf bin at the checkout table and I just happened to browse through it quickly while waiting in line to pay and I when I saw it my eyes lit up.  I couldn't wait until it was cold enough so I could wear it.   

Last Week Finds

I found this a few weeks back, and it took a week once I bought it to finally get it washed, but I knew when I found it that it would be the perfect addition for my bedroom as my bedside throw.

I love the vintage feel of this deer photo and even at full price I had to take it home.  I love the purple undertones and that it reminds me of feeding and watching the deer when I worked up in Huntingdon.

All, I have to say is wow, this purse had me written all over it.  It's so vintage chic.  I couldn't image why anyone would give this up until I got it home and tried to use the coin zipper and the inside was stuck together.  Luckily, I don't really need that part and it gives me time to clean it up.  Plus, the other two pockets are fine, which I'm pretty sure it's meant to hold a checkbook.

I have a small growing collection of coffee mugs, so needless to say I felt a bit guilty buying 3 more, but I took them home anyways even at $1 each.  I did  go through my collection and decided to part with my 4 IKEA white and green ceramic mugs as these really have the unique and vintage look I want for my home. 

Tuesday Store 1

I just adore the warm feeling of the colors of these s/p shakers and I just had to have them for my collection.  I know there not genuine mcm, and their color tag was not on clearance I took them home anyway.

Even after buying the last throw I couldn't resist this beautiful reversible quit.  I couldn't find a brand tag, so I'm not really sure if I over paid, but it's so lovely and adds a warmth to my room that makes me glad I didn't leave it to the fates & wait for the day they have everything 50% off.

Tuesday Store 2

I was elated when I saw this piece, a ceramic and wood Trivet with a lovely pattern.  It's perfect for my living room.  I had to take the feet off and need to attach some command strips before I can hang it.

I couldn't resist buying it, even though I really don't drink.  I loved the wood like material and mcm feel and I knew that at some point I would have a glass of wine that will need a cork screw. 

I had actually purchased a plate set at Store 1 prior to coming to this store.  I had seen the last set the previous Thursday, but wasn't willing to pay the 12.99 price tag.  I was glad to see it was still there, but strangly had a hesitation about buying the set, and knew when I saw these that was why.

They are exactly the size and style I was searching for and after finding them for $17.50 each on ebay I pretty much made out.  Since I don't need both sets I added the Desert Rose pattern by Royal China / Jeannette Company to my newly started etsy shop. 

Sneak Peak

I had this mirror in a few locations and finally found a home in my bedroom as part of my morning art wall, noted in my January Cure Update post.   Finally, when I painted my kitchen I managed to take some time to give it 2 coats of High Gloss spray paint since after bleaching it for about a week to attain the crips while color I wanted for the project. I also spray painted the RI for RISE, and also the same week I made it back to JoAnn's to return my letters from MORNING and some fabric and purchased the SE letters.  They are awaiting to be spray painted. 

3013-02-27 GID: Home to do updates

For being sick this last week I've made some good progress with the house, and if you follow me on instagram then you've seen a glimpse into my progress.  It's been fun getting some of these little projects done that I've been procrastinating because I'm really not crafty or real great with any power tool other than my power drill.  

My mom had brought home a Wardrobe for us to use in the living room, but it was just way to obtrusive into my entry way and there was no other place to put it.  I decided to use it for a while, but when we started to post more items onto craigslist she agreed to put this up.  We ended up lowering the price & re-listing the ad each time in the few weeks (always deleting the old one, such a pet peeve to see duplicate ads).  I was glad to get what we did since 2 sellers in Baltimore were selling the same on for half of what I got out of it and the two ladies who bought it were delighted to get it.  I think as delighted as I was to see it gone when I got home.  

What's even better is the IKEA TJUSIG Hat and coat stand that I was going to replace it with I scored on the 9th from a person in Camp Hill who was selling the white and silver one for $20, that's a $30 savings from the original price and it was in new condition and all put together. 

My inspiration for this project came from a pinterest search for Scandinavian wall art.   More to come in a post soon.

Can you believe it I not only committed to a color for my kitchen, but I actually started painting it!!!  With all the priming and prepping I had to do I only managed to complete this side of the kitchen, but more to come with Martha Stewart saves the day part 2

I found this curtain pair at Marshall's Wednesday while out and about and had planned on hanging it in my living room, however, it was a food to short, but turned out to go very well in my kitchen.  I grabbed my Home Depot curtain rod that I've been storing for my bedroom, but had recently decided not to use for, and attempted to install it on the wall.  I like the look, not in love with it.  I still really want it for my living room, but for now this is the home where it will reside. 

I had bought these pretty curtains from Marshals and I thought they would look amazing in my living room, well once the walls are repainted, but they turned out to be a food to short for the space.  Plus, in order for them to look amazing I would need 2 panels for each window, and they only had 1 set available.  I ended up putting the current curtains back up, and moved the new curtains to the kitchen, as shown in the photo above. 

2013-02-20 GID: Martha Saves the day p1

Master Spa Reveal

My Master Suite has been in a state of blah since I moved in last year and my design inspiration has been zilch.  When I first moved in I thought that purple would be a good color, but after painting a sample patch on the wall I decided to pass.  since then that purple patch has been driving me crazy and I've been wanting to paint to cover it.

As you can see everything is a bit crowded here and the cords to the radio are unsightly.  I dislike the lighting above and the unpractical, but pretty tilted mirror. 

I did manage to score an art deco inspired paper towel holder from Marshall's for under $10 to used to hold my tp.  I wasn't sure if the roll would fit over the triangle top, but it's a perfect fit and works wonderfully. I also found a pretty mint quilting square that I ironed and mounted in the frame above the toilet. 

The towel rod was just unpractical for my 2 towel use each day and it ended up just having things draped over it so I took 3-tier towel rack my mom hadn't been using that worked for a while, but really just took up to much space.

A few months ago, I started to narrow my color search to mint, but I was still hesitant on a specific shade or brand until I found a room inspiration from  Kristen and Mike's Mid-Century Oasis Home Tour on Apartment Therapy.  I feel in love with their dining room color Araucana Teal (flat) by Martha Stewart and there launched an easier way to choose my color scheme.  

source

At my next trip to Home Depot I checked out their paint swatches and found a happy point with the Araucana Teal family and left with several swatches to think about, including Sea Grass and Popcorn which are going to make up my new spa chic master suite.

Two weeks after that trip I headed back to Home Depot to return some supplies from my basement project that I had yet to start and left spending my return + some to get a gallon of Sea Glass, Endive, & Kilz Primer.

It took several hours to even be ready to paint the bathroom, since every time I had to head back downstairs to gather some supply I missed I would be distracted by cleaning something or checking my email since were trying to keep open for email inquiries from our craigslist ad since most people tend to set visits during the week.  I was sure I had gathered all my supplies the other day when I was in the basement, but around 2pm when I started the prep work I realized I had missed a few supplies like my paint extension stick, an 8' ladder so I could tape the ceiling, and hardware to hang my towel rails.  Let's just say I got my exercise that day going up and down 3 flights of stairs and finally around 6pm I got around to actually painting.

Since my plan is to sell the overhead lighting I didn't fuss to much with painting near the light since once it is removed I could easily paint over the whole area.  So for the time being I just wrapped the fixture in 2 plastic bags to keep from having any paint mishaps.  I hope to replace them with a pair of IKEA SAVERN Wall Lamps or something similar.  Once the room was painted I found myself really liking the current fixure, so I may just give it more time before making any changes to the lighting. 

I was also glad to finally install the Grundtal Towel rail I had purchased 6+ months ago from IKEA and I love how it looks.  I actually fell in love with my master suite when I saw the color on the wall and I just love how everything turned out.  I never would have dreamed this bathroom would look this beautiful.

1.

IKEA bench that contains my morning toiletries.

2.

I had purchased this frame to actually frame quote art on the towel wall, but I had gotten the idea to frame the clock and when I tested it really liked how it looked; almost like a flower or sunbeam.    

3.

Love, love, love my Starbucks coffee cup I found 2nd hand for only $0.50 and it fits well with my decor and design style for the bathroom.  It holds my coets (aka flat cotton balls I use for my toner).  I purchased the acrylic turntable at Target for $12. 

4.

It's so nice to finally have the Grundtal installed and I love how it looks against the green.  It's also perfect to hang my hair and body towel and I don't have to reach far after my shower.

5.

The towel rod has knobs behind the rail, so you can either hang a single towel or 4 towels with ribbon hooks, but it fits my deodorant well and now I have easy access after my shower.  Though once I install a mirrored medicine cabinet above the sink the deodorant will go in there.  

6.

I like how the gold flower shelf looks against the green and it holds a lovely photography of a white horse that I found online.  At some point my veneer birch cabinet will go there, but that will have to wait until the budget allows. 

{60 minute} Supporting the Bed

I love my new bed set, but have been having some issues with the railing support system since I'm minus an actual box-spring.  The original railing system was a j-clamp wood rail with 3 L-brackets on evenly spaced to hold a box-spring, which wasn't feasible with my mattress.

The store owner is always pleasant and was kind enough to help me chose the railing above as an alternative, however, even with the 2" rail brace & the 1x3 planks that were 2" shorter then the width of the railing I felt as if the mattress was going to fall to the floor.   

The following Saturday I headed over to the second hand store to check out what other railings he had available and also to see what new furniture pieces have arrived since my last visit.  I did find a few railings options available, but one that struck my interest.  I wasn't sure if I would gain the courage to ask the owner if he would be willing to swap out the railings again in hopes that this one would be the last, and I am glad I did.

The store had 5 minutes till close and I had thought that I would come back in a few days to swap it out, but once I got into the car I swiftly changed my mind and headed home to grab the railing and within a few minutes I was back at the store with railing in hand and I left very happy with my new railing. 

Once I had the new bed rails I headed back to the house and connected them to the bed and was so glad that they slide right into the frame notches, especially since the last rails were a bit of a fight to connect.  Once that was done I remeasured to make sure that the width didn't change and headed to Home Depot to pick up new planks to fit the 2" width difference with the new bed frame.

I had originally planned to just pick up a few 1x3 planks and had a different plan then what I ended up with, which was basically the same deal I had prior, but a bit more costly.  The Lumber guy at Home Depot leaded me toward 1x6 planks instead of the 1x3, which would give more support and a 2x2 cut into 10 pieces to put under the planks for additional support across the bed.  The planks cost about $25 and the adjustable screws almost $20, which I though was a bit excessive so the screws went back.

At my next Home Depot trip I returned the expensive hardware and purchased a $3 pack of wood screws which I figured would service the same purpose only cheaper. 

Here are all the tools that I needed to put the frame support together.  The 2x2 strips were originally cut in 8-1/4" height, but turned out to be to tall.  We remeasured and it was 7-1/4 so we had them trimmed down but when I went to install them they turned out to be a half inch to short so this is where the furniture pads came into play; they gave me a bit more height which worked well.  I used my 9/16" drill bit to drill a few starting holes.

I forgot to mention and photography the velcro that I used to attach the planks to the railing so they wouldn't move.  It cost $3 for 2-4"  strips that I cut in half so I could stretch the velcro a bit.  The middle two planks didn't get any velcro.  The next velcro option was $10 and gave me more then I needed so that's why I chose not to velcro the middle two.

My drill wasn't strong enough to push the wood screws all the way in so I used the screwdriver to turn the screw while turning the foot the opposite.  I drilled right in my bedroom and used my shark vac to clean up the mess.  I installed 6 legs all together; 2 at the headboard, the footboard and in the middle.  I added 1-2 furniture pads under each leg depending on the height needed.  Once this was done, which took maybe a half hour we put the mattress back on the frame.

What do you think of my new boxspring?  I know I'm sleeping sounder and secure.