$5 Powder Bath ‘Renovation’

I know this isn’t really a renovation … but we managed to ‘disguise’ all of the previous ‘builder grade’ aspects of the small little room.

This is what the bathroom looked like when we first bought the house, 6 years ago. The craziest part to me is that this bathroom was built in 2005. That is LINOLEUM on the floor. And brass hardware on the doors/sink/fixtures. Linoleum and brass.

In 2005.

CRIME!!!!

So, a couple years ago, while my husband was on ‘forced vacation’ for 2 months, we upgraded the floors to 18x18 tile. Tile … which was free. Before my husband was laid off, he worked in the construction industry and was given all sorts of materials. He was also the only Spanish speaking supervisor (or employee, for that matter) at his company. Which meant that when it came time to have a little tile installed … my husband’s tile crew was there. And did it for … nothing. Who does that?!

Since then, we decided to change out all the hardware throughout the house. No more brass. Anywhere. I hate brass.

Problem is … it’s expensive to change out every piece of hardware. I know, because I shopped. And shopped. And shopped. The cheapest that I could change out JUST door handles for the whole house was $400. Ridiculous for something totally cosmetic.

Well, we got creative recently and bought a few cans of Rust-Oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint. I’m telling you … that stuff is magic in a bottle. We got busy. And, here is the result.

 

My husband built that mirror frame a couple years ago out of some old flooring pieces he was given … but, we had painted it black, which didn’t match anything in our house. So, he took it down, along with the iron hanging above the toilet, and sprayed them to match the light fixture, faucet, toilet paper holder, towel ring, doorknobs, trashcan, and yes … step stool. That $3 step stool used to look like this:

And thanks to a little spray paint, it now matches everything and looks like this:

I know. I’m hysterical. Laugh yourself all the way to Walmart and pick yourself up some Rustoleum. :D
Here’s a few more pictures:

Like I said, yes, we painted the trash can … AND the toilet handle. Sounds silly. LOOKS awesome.

Oh. And the toilet paper holder. Can’t forget to spray paint that one. ;)

The light fixture (which doesn’t photograph very well with the lights on OR off), towel ring, faucet, and electrical plate:

The handles on the faucet used to be … you guessed it … brass, along with everything else. We simply unscrewed the handles and sprayed them along with everything else.

And, there you have a simple $5 bathroom ‘renovation’. Of course, you’ll want to budget a little more to lay tile. This was just one aspect of our overhaul that we lucked out on.

 

We found Rustoleum’s Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint to be the cheapest at Walmart: $5.77/can. (Although we also found it at Lowe’s AND Home Depot) Worth every cent!

Here’s one last side by side comparison:

Refurbishing Hardware

**** UPDATE to this post can be found HERE.

It finally happened. After 6+ years of living in this house with brass hardware everywhere … and cheap white plastic light plates and outlet covers … I decided to take the time to take off every single door handle, lock plate, dead bolt, outlet cover, switch plate, etc. and used Rust-Oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint to give everything a face lift … for pennies. That’s what I call MAKING CENTS!

So, here is everything before:



Builder’s grade brass …



… and cheap white plastic covers on everything.



Superman set up the garage, covered everything of value with tarps, and went to work.



He had everything down to a science. He stuck all the screws through a shoe box lid so that the tops of every screw got painted as well.



But, he wasn’t about to stick bright white safety covers into those outlets … so he rigged up a few more box tops and painted all of the safety covers to the outlets to match. Here is the result:



Uncovered, I think they look great (sorry about the blurriness) …



Slap the painted safety covers on and they blend in well and look so sharp on the wall.



I am not going to lie to you … this project was intensely time consuming. Plan on about 2 full days of work. It takes lots of time to get every piece of hardware off of every door and wall … and then a couple hours to get everything painted evenly without drips.



Speaking of drips … see how the handles are lined up across the 2x4 in that picture? Yeah. Don’t do that. Drip. City. Instead, paint them while they are upright (as shown in the picture just above that one). Much better result … way less frustrating. (ps- Check out the mismatched frames hanging up … they all got a coat of paint to match. However, again, I would lay them flat/horizontal, not vertical. Way less dripping that way)



This is the hardware on the front door (please ignore the dirty paint … we’ll get there eventually). It was so weathered and worn out. It used to be brass. But, by the time we painted it (and made it look amazing again) it was looking really worn out. I had priced out hardware to replace it: $180 on the low end. Um. No thanks. How about 50 cents worth of spray paint instead? :D



The inside of the front door. Light plate, handle, deadbolts … all painted to match.
Don’t they look so sharp?!

In all, we replaced 29 door handles and probably 100 outlet covers and switch plates. Total cost? About $15 worth of spray paint. Total savings? About $1,000. Win.

Here’s the side by side, one last time:



And yes, everything is holding up GREAT!

Repurposing an old picture frame

About a month ago, I hit the point where I was tired of everything looking 1. cheap, and 2. tired. However, I am a FIRM believer of ‘Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!’

Thanks to a trusty little can of Rust-Oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, I was able to give all of my picture frames a new lift and a fresh look. Plus, they all match now … even if they are different styles. The result was awesome. I’ll be continuing my quest to give all of my accessories a face lift, but for now, let me show you what I am talking about. Here is a $10 picture frame from IKEA that I purchased a couple years ago:



Boring and cheap looking, right? Right.

Well. Check it out  now:



It’s amazing what a little spray paint can do for something. I spray painted both the frame and the matting to match. Then, I flipped it horizontal and hung it up on a different wall in my house.

Mission accomplished.

Total cost: Probably 50 cents worth of spray paint. Win.

Here’s the side by side comparison:


We even got a little crazy and spray painted ALL the picture frames in the hallway so that they were all the same … but still different. I LOVE this.

If you haven’t done so yet … you need to go buy some Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint!! :D

How To: make rain gutter bookshelves

I love the look of rain gutter bookshelves. But, I hate the actual rain gutter ones. So, when I decided to turn a wall in the preschool room into a bookshelf, I knew it had to match the crown molding in the room … which isn’t in the picture. Because I’m just awesome like that. ;)

So, I asked Superman to pick up some 4” crown molding. He measured the wall before heading to Home Depot. He had them cut the pieces down to size so that his job wasn’t as bad when he started. He still had to make a few cuts and tweak things to make them work (who knew that walls could be so imperfect?!).



He used the 4” crown molding and then another 3” strip of wood, to act as the shelf for the books to sit on. Here is what the actual construction looks like:



Don’t forget to caulk all of the imperfections … and along the back of the shelf, by the wall. And measure the distance between each shelf with precise, exact measurements. Use a level when you install the shelves.



Then, putty the holes and paint.

I think, in all, it took him just under 2 hours, start to finish. It wasn’t a difficult project at all. Anyone with a nail gun can do this, especially if you have Home Depot make all the cuts for you.

 

The finished product is so dang cute and it really brightens up the preschool room. Thank you, Superman!

I love Pinterest

It's true.

I'm an addict.

I was once a skeptic.

And was once very frustrated trying to figure out how to get the 'pin it' button on my browser.

I didn't get it.

But when I finally did ...

... It was magical.

I've been taking mental notes of all the things I'd like to do around my house (for cents!) and now I am finally ready to begin the overhaul ahead of me.

You see.

We've been in this home for 6 1/2 years.

We've never really decorated it.

We hung a few things here and there.

Painted the walls.

But never really set out to make everything feel like it had a purpose and was thought out and done with intent.

So.

Here we are.

I hope you enjoy my anything-but-fancy-or-formal 'tutorials', if you can even call them that.

It's okay if you laugh at my ideas.

My husband usually does.

Amen.

No-Sew Austrian Valance

I am excited about this tutorial.  I have been sewing for 40 years and love fabric.  I used to own a fabric store, too.  I love dissecting how things are made.  I saw this valance in a catalog, Country Curtains, full-size curtains.  Very pretty.  This valance intrigued me and I wanted to make it miniature for you.  I sewed it together at first, and for those that have a sewing machine you can sew it together instead of gluing.  I know not everybody has a sewing machine and hand sewing can be tedious so I tried gluing and it worked just fine!

 

These are the patterns for the valance.  Copy them into a program that you can change sizes.  The single pattern measures 8-1/2" (206mm) from side to side and 4-1/16" (106mm) from top to the bottom, not including the "tails".  The double pattern measures 7-7/16" (188mm) from side to side and 4-1/16" (106mm) from top to the bottom, not including the "tail".  You may want to adjust the pattern sizes to your own tastes.

Trace the pattern onto your lining fabric.  Cut out on the traced line.

In this picture I am tracing the double pattern.  I am matching the middle.

The pencil line is light, but I think you can see that I've traced the double pattern onto the lining fabric.

I've cut out both the single and double patterns.  I am using the same fabric for the lining as my "valance" fabric.  You could use a different fabric for the lining for contrast.

This fabric is the "valance" fabric, the fabric that will show.
For the single valance cut a piece 8-1/2 (216mm) x 7-1/4" (185mm).
For the double valance cut a piece 15-1/4" x 7-1/4".  I am sorry I don't have the CM measurement right now.  Please Google a conversion for that measurement.

Trace just the bottom of the patterns.

Trace on the right side of the fabric.

Now, measure and draw a new line 1/8" (3mm) from your original line.

Apply a line of glue onto the original line.

I use Aleene's No-Sew Fabric Glue.

I know it says temporary, but I use this all of the time and for miniatures it stays together.  We are going to machine wash these curtains, I least I don't think I will.  This glue usually doesn't soak through and leave marks behind.

With right sides together, lay the lining onto your valance fabric with the lining on the second line you drew.
You will have a little extra fabric that you will have to "ease" in, distribute the fabric evenly and press with a hot iron to seal the glue.

Trim the extra valance fabric from the bottom.

Cut "V" notches into the "seam allowance".  Remember it's only an 1/8 of an inch, don't cut too deep.

These notches allow the curves to be turned and lay flat.

I've turned the valances to the right sides and pressed with a hot iron.

Lay the pattern onto the lining side of the valance matching the bottom.  Trace the pattern onto the wrong side of the valance fabric.

I've traced both patterns onto my fabric.

I have no idea why this silly blogger with turn some of my pictures.  We will just have to deal with it!

Now, measure from the line you just drew and on the sides add an 1/8" (3mm) and draw a new line. 
Measure from the line you just drew and add 7/16" (11mm) to the top outside edge and draw a new line.

This picture worked!

This is showing the double valance with the new lines drawn.

This is the casing we are adding on.

Measuring from the raw edge of the lining, measure 3/8" (1cm) and draw another line.

Trim that 3/8" off the lining.

We don't need any bulk included in the casing.

Apply glue to this edge and seal with a hot iron.

Fold over the 1/8" on each side of the valance.

Seal with a hot iron.

The sides have  been glued down.

To make the casing lay flat when folded you will have to cut 3 "V" notches at the top and make 1 cut into each bottom curve.

For the double pattern you will have to make about 3 cuts in the middle to get the curve to lay flat.

Use the pattern as a guide to fold the casing over.  Be careful and don't burn your fingers.

This pictures shows the casing pressed into place.

Apply glue to the edge of the casing and press with a hot iron to seal.

Do you see the notch that the cut left?  We have to fill that in or the casing will be loose in that area and we will see it on the right side.

This is in the middle of the double valance.

Cut a curved piece of fabric and apply glue to the edges of the "V" notch.

Glue the curved piece of fabric to the casing.


Now, glue the bottom of this piece of fabric down like the rest of the casing.

I have the middle done on the double valance.

Press the valances with a hot iron to finish.

We are going to make the curtain rod from mat board.

Cut the mat board 1/4" (7mm) wide.
For the double pattern cut the mat board 12-5/8" long. Please use a Google conversion for this measurement.  Mark the center at 6-5/16 (160mm).  From each side of the center mark measure 2-13/16" (72mm).  From these new marks measure a 1/2" (12mm).
With back of your craft knife score on all of the lines except the center.

For the single pattern valance cut the mat board at 1/4" wide.
Cut the mat board 9" (228mm) long.
Mark the center at 4-1/2" ( 114mm).  Measure from each side of center 1-7/8" (48mm) and make marks.
From these new marks measure 1/2".
With the back of your craft knife score on all lines except the center.


You can change these measurements to suit your tastes.

Thread your curtain rod through the casing.

Ease the fabric through curves carefully.

I glued the valance at the last mark on each side.


I put the shortest length, the part right before the tail, at the corner of the curtain rod. 

Overlap the mat board at the back.  Make sure your front and back are the same length.

This is the double valance.

Do you see the shortest length at the corners?  The valance ends the the last mark you made.  The 1/2" stands out from the wall.

The folded mat board makes a box to hold the draperies.  That's the 1/2" we measured that's holding the draperies.

When you have your draperies made just glue them into the box and glue the whole assembly to the top of your window.

I am going to let you follow the excellent directions with the Pretty Pleater for your draperies.










I hope you are as happy with the results as I was!  TTYL  Kris

Have fun, expand on it, make it better . . . . .Just keep making minis! ! !