Bathroom: Check.

The bathroom is finally done and boy did it give us some trouble. With the vanities and mirrors, we had major problems getting things right. The good news is that it was well worth it! I can't believe the transformation this room has made! (Remember what it looked like before??)





We decided to use a white waffle shower curtain that I ordered from Target. This is an 84 inch curtain (standard is 72 inch) and we hung it closer to the ceiling to make the room look taller.



The homemade art that only cost me about $15.



Our new doorless linen closet! It still needs to be styled and accessorized, but you get the idea.



Since we don't have a window in this bathroom, I think we still need more lighting. I am thinking about having a few recessed lights installed but that will have to be another project for another day.

Want to read more about our bathroom remodel? Check out any of these posts:

Updates, And the vanity saga continues, Bathroom Update, Say Hello To My New Friend, Painting Mishap, My Husband Broke Up With Home Depot, Sassy Approves, Bathroom Before

Sweet Girls

I am finding myself with less time these days to post because I started another class (well, that and I am painting one of the brick fireplaces white and it is sucking the life out of me) but had to share a picture of my sweet girls loving on each other!



Doesn't get much better than that :)

Spicy Chicken and Rice...Yum!

This is a really easy soup recipe that I happened upon with while trying to make Chicken Tortilla Soup. I suppose you could add tortilla strips and cheese to this one to make it that way, but we do without. Anyway, this is one of Adam's favorite meals so I figured I would share :)

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 boxes of Zatarain's Chicken Flavored Rice
1 can Sawanson Chicken Broth (the big one)
4 tbsp butter
1 can hot Rotel



First, boil the chicken in water for about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, add 4 cups water, the two boxes of rice with seasoning and 4 tbsp butter to a pot and bring to a boil. The reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Once the chicken is done cute into bite size pieces.



Drain the Rotel and add it to the chicken. (I normally use about half of the can because it is pretty spicy)



Now add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.



The rice should be done by now and that will be the very last thing to add once the broth is heated. (You don't want to cook the rice anymore so that is why it goes in at the last minute) Enjoy!

First Gallery Wall

Just finished my first gallery wall, and I love it! I printed the images from the New York Public Library that I talked about here on my printer at home. I picked up frames at Michaels; they came in two packs for $7 a pack. I also had to buy the mats for $3 a piece. The entire project only set me back $40.

I framed all of the pictures and then set them out on the coffee table to make sure I liked the way it would look.



I was trying to pair three pictures from one grouping with three pictures from another but decided after seeing them together to stick with one grouping. This is the result:

Pretty (and free) Art

Thank you, Little Green Notebook for posting this new art source. I will be printing some of theses to go on the wall in my living room as soon as I can choose my favorites! I am going to print them on cardstock at home and then pop them in the trusty white gallery frames from Target. You can find these, along with many other beauties, at the New York Public Library site.

Well that was fast!

The rug got here today, which means we finally have some color in the living room. I can't wait to start bringing in accessories to give the room some life. (pillows, wall art, lamps, etc.) The girls are pretty excited because they don't have to lay on the wood floor anymore! I also still need to paint my antique side table.

Rug is coming

We ordered a rug. It it is the moorish rug from PB. We bought it off of Ebay for $300 plus shipping. Not too bad since it retailed for $600! Finally, some color. And orange at that - Go Pokes!

And the winner is...

The most expensive one, of course! Just picked it up and it couldn't be more perfect!







Adam almost lost his life carrying the dang thing in, but we are good to go. Oh yeah, I will NOT be painting this one.

Armoire Options

Remember in this post where I said I wanted to find an armoire and paint it peacock blue to hold our TV in the living room? I have found a few good options on Craigslist and now just need to decide which one will work best.

Option 1:

This is an armoire from India that is handcarved. Pretty cool, huh? The only problem with this one is that the sellers are asking $500 for it. That is over budget and I would have to be able to buy it for much less.



Option 2:

A gorgeous distressed pine armoire with a much happier price: $225.



Option 3:

Another distressed option but with more drawers. They are asking $450 for this one.



I love all three. Hmmm...which one to choose? Any thoughts?

Ebay find

I found this great Ebay shop that sells vintage furniture at great prices!

I want this hollywood regency faux bamboo mirror in my bedroom. It would be dreamy in white. ($80)



And this mid-century sideboard would be perfect in the dining room painted or re-stained. ($110)



I submitted a quote for shipping; hopefully it won't be too much.

**Update: So I didn't strike gold. They don't ship to the town I live in. Better luck next time.

Want to check out some other vintage finds? Click on any of these links:
Mid-Century Buffet, Dining Table Chairs, Side Table

Eye Candy

Two of these are in my near future.



I teamed up with a gal from Etsy to make these for me. I ordered the fabric yesterday, but it won't be coming in for a few weeks. They are going to go on the couch in the living room and will serve as the color inspiration for the entire room. I can't wait!

Bathroom Before

We are coming close to being finished with the bathroom so I figured I would share a few before pictures so they end result can be appreciated even more. It was pretty bad. If you don't believe me, take a look.





There it is in all its green trim and green wall glory. It is hard to imagine someone would seriously pick out those paint colors.

Anyhoo, here are a few sneak peeks of what has been going on with the reno this weekend:

We added new knobs to the vanities! This is what they looked like before the pretty new knobs...



... and here is after with the new Hobby Lobby knobs. I'd say they look a lot like those high-dollar anthropologie knobs, don't you think??





I also found the mirrors this weekend. I have been looking for a couple of weeks and not finding anything I like for the budget I gave myself (about $50 a mirror). Well, I decided to go to Target to see if they had anything. They did. Let's just say $20 clearance. Yes.



They only had one in the store but luckily they were on clearance online, too. I just placed the order for the second.

I also made a little artwork to hang above the toilet. (Sorry for the bad picture)



Hopefully we will be completely done in a few days once the mirror comes in! Soooo close!

Want to read more about the bathroom remodel? Check out any of these posts:
Updates, And the vanity saga continues, Bathroom Update, Say Hello To My New Friend, Painting Mishap, My Husband Broke Up With Home Depot, Sassy Approves

I want...

... an aloe vera plant! I have been thinking about what sort of greenery I want to bring into the home and have decided I want things that I will actually use. My mom had one while we were growing up and I thought it was so cool to break the leaf and be able to use the aloe. I wonder where I can get one? I would also like to grow herbs that we could use to cook with. Yes, that would be nice.



**When I told Adam I wanted an aloe vera plant, he responded with, "I want a special cactus in a clown pot." Apparently this is something his grandfather owned. I am still a bit confused...

Craigslist Find

I found this awesome mid century wet bar/buffet on Craigslist (well, it is actually at an antique store about an hour away but was posted on craigslist). This might work for our TV in the living room. Even if it didn't, I would love to have it to use as a small wet bar. I love the clean lines and the texture of the doors. It is a beauty and is pretty reasonably priced at $325, but I would love to drive that price down a bit. That is what my handy husband is for!

Too Much Wood

Nebraska Furniture Mart called and the entertainment center is going to take at least another 3 weeks to get here. Secretly, this made me happy because I started having second thoughts about it. It is another wood piece when we all ready have the wood floors, wood coffee table and wood and glass console table. I didn't think this one through very well. I purposefully have made the room very neutral thus far so I can add in pops of color in the a few pieces of furniture, pillows, etc. I saw this small armoire over at isuwannee.com and want to recreate something similar to hold our TV in the living room.



Our piece will have to be quite a bit larger since we have a 42" (I think) TV. I love the glossy peacock blue and the brass ring pulls. Now, off to find the perfect Craigslist piece to transform!