half bath reveal

i'm pretty pumped to show you guys before and after pictures of our downstairs half bath. below is a picture of the bathroom right before we moved in. it was super clean, but also supa-dupa 70's. we gutted it. we took out the floors and the entire vanity...

...and here it is now!!!

new tile, new paint, wainscoting, pedastal sink and new lighting. it is really bright and roomy for being such an itty bitty space. i'd still like to hang a piece of art above the little "nightstand" table and add some new hardware to the drawers. but for the most part, it's finished and we love it.

here are some product sources:

sink and faucet - home depot

mirror - ikea

lighting - pottery barn

bouy - pottery barn

"nightstand" - goodwill (stripped and repainted it.)

frame - tj maxx

soap dispenser - target

Linking to: Fingerprints on the Fridge

homemade sidewalk paint

I heard someone say the other day, "I think I'm in need of a pintervention." I laughed out loud. And thought, "Me too." I have been pinning like it's going out of style and had yet to actual DO any of my pins. Until today, yo.

Today I decided to surprise Liam when he woke up from his nap with a fun craft/activity from pinterest... and chose this one: homemade sidewalk paint pinned from ohdeedoh. Not only is it super cute and right up my little man's alley, but it's easy peasy.



Can't get much easier than that, can it? The original tutorial called for 2 tbs of water, but I found myself adding more water so I went ahead and put 2-4. As you go along you'll find whether you prefer a thinner or thicker consistency.

Who has nap hair? Liam does. He was so excited to see his "surprise" that there was no time for a brush. (Update: Daddy gave Liam his first SHORT haircut tonight. Bye-bye to my baby's shaggy surfer locks. As the clippers buzzed through his tresses I was holding back major mommy tears. What is it with us and our emotional attachment to hair? Okay... back to your regularly scheduled programming.)

I'm not sure who was having more fun.

Who has green food coloring on his mouth because he thought it was food? That's right. Liam does.

It was so sweet hearing Liam say, "Mama, need some more pink... Mama, need some more yellow."

And the best: "Mama, I'm a great painter. I'm a great artist."

Overall, our first pinterest project was a success. I highly recommend this... you gotta do it. And it cleans up just like chalk!

Linking to: C.R.A.F.T. * Polly Want a Crafter * Mad In Crafts * Keeping It Simple * The Girl Creative * Fingerprints on the Fridge

First Day of Fall

I can barely believe it's fall! This has perhaps been the fastest year of my life. I am hurdling towards 30 at an unsettling pace.

Anywho, it doesn't feel like fall around here at all. The days are still hot... and humid. (It's been crazy humid for SoCal. How do you southern girls hack it?) Football on TV just feels wrong... and I'm a huge football fan. But I just can't get into it yet. (This may have a little somethin-somethin to do with my boyfriend Peyton Manning being out injured for the first time EVER, but mostly with the hot weather. I swear.)

So to kick myself in the butt (and perhaps give you guys some inspiration) I thought I'd go ahead and recap my posts from last fall... back when I was itching for football to start, wearing scarves, and sippin' on some pumpkin spice. (This is how you know I'm in fall denial... pumpkin spice sounds straight up nasty. I know... Starbucks blasphemy, but I try to speak the truth, y'all.)

Without further ado... fall posts from cooler days.

Paper Mache Pumpkins

Halloween Picture Frame

Fall Flower Arrangement

Fall Wreath

P.S. Welcome to all of my visitors today from It's Toile Good! I hope you'll take some time to look around. And leave me a comment to let me know you were here! C'mon... you know you wanna! :)

Linking to: Serenity Now

Nautical striped utensil holder.

Today I'm sharing how you can take something that's in good shape but not really your style and redo it into something cute to match your "theme." Below is a picture of the finished product... a nautical striped "kitchen tool holder thingy" with a starfish tied with twine.
Here's what it used to look like. It was in great shape, but the Tuscan countryside was so two houses ago... so rather than throwing it out or donating it, I thought I'd wing it with some tape and a can of spray paint.

First I painted it semi-gloss white...

...and then I used painter's tape to tape off a stripe pattern.

Then I grabbed a can of Wildflower Blue spray paint that I had on hand and went to town. It was almost the same color as the painter's tape.

At first I was going for a modern striped look, but when I removed the tape, I didn't love it. So before I went back to the drawing board, I grabbed a sheet of sandpaper and roughed it up a bit.

Ooooh, I liked that. It looked beachy. So I threw in my kitchen tools and leaned a starfish against it. Cute.

But then I had an even better idea. What if I attached the starfish to the holder? I thought of used hit glue, but I know better---I get bored easy and I didn't want anything to permanent. So I grabbed some twine and tied it on.

So there you go. Hope it inspires you to make something old into something new.

Linking to: Serenity Now

Chalkboard Window

Most people that come over our house comment on our chalkboard wall and ask if it was hard to do. It really wasn't. Chalkboard paint is so easy and super versatile--you can paint it on pretty much any surface and give old items new purpose. Kind of like giving a poor crayon-attacked play table a facelift. It was forever grateful.

All this chalkboard talk reminded me of another chalkboard project I did earlier this year and never shared here on THH.

My sister-in-law had this black faux-window with shutters that she was getting rid of. I wish I had a picture of it before I taped it off... the "window" was actually a picture of an Italian village and it used to have a little stripe & tassle awning attached the top. It was really cute in her first apartment, but she didn't really have a place for it anymore. It has major potential for a makeover so I snatched it up!

I taped off the "window with newspaper and blue painter's tape and gave the whole thing a good coat of spray primer.

And then I broke out my aqua spray paint. This was my first time using this color. I loved it so much that I ended up using it this month to redo our entry table. Anywho, this took about 2-3 light coats... and I didn't worry about spraying the back since this would be hanging on a wall.

Then I took a sheet of sand paper and distressed some of the corners and edges.

You can always decide how much distressing you really want to do based on the look you are going for.

And wa-la. New chalkboard. Super cute. I pictured it in my craftroom with maybe a mason jar full of pens on the windowsill. Bad news: there is no good place for this in the craftroom as it is right now. Boo. So this little chalkboard of mine is kickin' in the garage. Don't be too sad for it... I'll find a place for him soon.

So that's that. I hope you guys like it and are starting to feel confident to chalkboard-up any bland or aging surface in your casa!

Linking to: Serenity Now

chalkboard top play table

one of the first items we bought for the kids' new playroom (after the storage system seen here) was a table and chair set from ikea. what i really love about this little set is that it's light weight and has rounded edges. AKA no serious injuries if one was to, say, spin and spin and spin until one was dizzy and fall over and bump one's head on the table. not that any particular 2 year old continues to do this over and over and over again in spite of mommy's warnings. okay, moving on.


so as safe and cute as this table is, it is not immune from attack-of-the-crayon. you can see below was happened to our little table friend. even papa got in on the action (you can see that he grabbed a crayon and listed out all the members of liam's family).


enter can of chalkboard paint. i'm convinced that this simple product can hide a multitude of sins, errrr, crayon marks.

2 simple coats and wa-la. chalkboard topped play table. which i think looks even better than before, because there was a bit too much green goin' on for this momma. it also ties into the color scheme since we have a black leather couch in this room. i likey.

and so does liam. our chalkboard wall was a big hit last year, so i knew this was going to go over well.

he is the cutest little guy. i think we'll keep him. and the chalkboard table.

linking to: serenity now * tatertots & jello

The evolution of a kitchen.

Our kitchen has been in some state of renovation ever since we moved in last August. I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!

Here is a picture of the kitchen when we moved in.

The cabinets were new, but the hardware needed an update (see updated stainless hardware below). We needed new appliances , which you can see below, except for the microwave which we hadn't installed yet.
We updated the tile...

And next we tore out the old countertops and backsplash. We also tore down the backsplash behind the sink to put in a level countertop that would serve as an island and even a place that we could pull stools up to somedays when the kids are older.

And here is a picture of the kitchen after the countertop and the microwave had been installed. you can see how the countertop behind the sink is level and creates an "island." And you can also see a sneak peek of the playroom I am still working on. :)

And... here is the kitchen as of yesterday. WOW. Disaster area. But I swear (to my husband) that it's not as bad as it looks. :) Here's the deal: the previous owners had put new cabinet fronts on old cabniets, so the wood peaking through between the doors and drawers was this yucky yellowy color. It was driving me crazy. So off the cabinet doors came, and on went about 3 coats of semi-gloss ultra white. It looks better already.

Still on our kitchen to-do list:

-white subway tile backsplash

-2nd coat of light blue paint on the walls

-paint ceiling ultra white (it is also that yucky yellowish color)

-update lighting (install recessed lights)

-finish painting dining table and chairs for the nook (not pictured here)

-purchase fabric and sew cafe curtains for windows (also not pictured here)

I am feeling ambitious and think that we can have this kitchen FINISHED by the end of the month. Am I nuts? Perhaps. But I'm gonna give it a shot.

What do ya guys think? Is there a room in your house that has been in limbo for a long time? Are you on the brink of finishing a project? Do share. :)

Entry table redo... again.

Look at this little turquoise beauty.
You may remember that it started out like this. An estate sale find with chippy veneer and in need of some TLC.

And then it was "re-did" into this... distressed white... which was great for a while but lately I have been craving some color in my life. As a SAHM, you'be gotta find your excitement where you can. And mine apparently comes from spray painting white furniture in fun, bright colors.
So let's take another look, shall we?

I L-O-V-E it. And it looks great with some other elements of the room I'm working on. (That was a teaser. I will share soon!)

Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend. Are you ready for fall or still holding onto summer by your fingertips? Although I love me some summer, I am SO ready for some cooler temps.