Outdoor Lighting Update.....

Let's face it.... Our outdoor lighting had seen better days.  After 13 years of 365 days out in the elements, the brass fixtures had begun to wear away.  In some places, the finish on the lights were blackened. 

Close-up Before

Side of Garage Before

Therefore, last weekend, the time came to update the jewelry on the house.  It took some time to find a replacement.  We wanted to find an option that would allow for the lightbulbs to be easily changed.  The old brass model were a bit difficult becasue there was a piece you had to unscrew two screws before you could access the lightbulbs.  Also, because I have a height disadvantage, I always need a chair or ladder to access. 

On a trip to Menard's, we found the above option.  The look was right on, and the lightbulb access was through the bottom of the light.  They were also a decent price at about $35 a piece (this was important since we needed four for the garage, and one for our front porch).  Luckily, we were able to find the five lights we needed: Score!

Once we got home, my husband got to installing them under the direction of our neighbor.  This was my husband's first go around with installing lights, and he completed like a champ.  After about 2.5 hours, all the lights were up.  They are now ready for their close-ups.....

Now, that is so much better.  Instant update.... It is so refreshing to pull into the garage now, and this wonderful bling hanging from the house.

Master Bath Reno: Part 8- Towel Bar Progress....

Let's just say, I was hopeful to have more to update you on this week than towel bars, but let's just say I am starting to slow down now that I have entered my third trimester of pregnancy.  At any rate, I don't want to rush through finishing the space so it may take a little longer to accessorize than I thought..... As I weed through figuring out how to complete my space, let me remind you of the desperate towel bars we once had in our bath....

It is a bit embarassing to admit this, but these towel bars have been hanging out of the wall for at least nine months.  Because I knew I would be replacing them in the future with brushed nickel updates, I just couldn't bring myself to fix them.... Therefore, they just sort literally hung around..... Until now.... I spent about a hour replacing them, and let me just say I am so excited to have towel bars that are brushed nickel that do not hang out of the wall...I went with the Moen Glenshire towel bar line.  They were on sale for 20% off at Menards last week resulting in a bit of savings.  The template that comes with these towel bars is wonderful.  It makes installing the hardware a cinch....

Before

After

The towel ring took less than 10 minutes to put up... Easy Peasy, and boy is it conventient to have a place to hang your towel again.

Installing the towel bars by the shower took a bit more time.  I needed a place to hang three towels.  Of course I require two towels myself, and my husband needs a place for his.  Before, we used to have a towel bar on our glass shower door, but we went for a more seamless option without a bar.  Therefore, the Moen Glenshire double towel bar and single towel bar fit perfectly (well almost perfectly).  You see, the double towel bar comes in a 24 inch length, but my wall space would not allow for this which meant I needed to cut the bars down to size.  I went with the 18 inch length as the single towel bar was already this size, and the template that came with bars would be perfect for this (no customization needed).  Therefore, I marked my rods for 18 inches, got the hack saw out, and cut them to size.  I must admit, the cutting took a bit more time than I thought it would, but I think I got both rods cut in about 20 minutes or so.  Once I got the rods cut, then it was time to get the templates on the wall.

After drilling a few holes in the wall, I was able to get the hardware up.

I am just over the moon with the completion of this project.  Before the update, we only have one towel bar on this wall, and the other one was across the room.  It is so nice and convenient to have our towels an arm length away.  Makes showering that much easier...

Master Bath Reno: Part 7-Paint Selection

The master bath is really coming together this week.  Great advancements were made with selecting our new paint color, and painting the room.  I chose to move forward with Benjamin Moore's Wedgewood Gray HC-146.  I wanted a moody blue gray with a bit of depth to it so that the room would not be washed out by all the white cabinets, white doors, white molding, white cermanic tile, and then now the newly installed creamy/tannish  marble flooring.  I went with an eggshell finish in the Eco-Spec line as this is their no VOC paint.  The ceiling is painted Benjamin Moore Decorator's White in eggshell (Eco-Spec), and the molding is Benjamin Moore Decorator's White in semi-gloss (Regal line).

Before we could get the paint on the wall, the walls needed quite a bit of work.  The previous owners had painted this room themselves, and let's just say they did not give the TLC it needed.  Dried paint drips were plentiful as well as brush marks.  Therefore, we spent lots of time sanding and prepping the walls.  There were also the huge holes in the walls where the old brass Hollywood lights were located.  So after about four hours of prepping the walls, we were able to paint. 

Before

After

I hope the above photos curb your enthusiasm for the final reveal coming in the next week.  I am just so excited to finally be able to use this bathroom again.  It has been about two weeks of showering in the basement bathroom which isn't all bad, but that extra flight a stairs when you are pregnant can be a bit annoying at times.

Paint Colors: Wall- Benjamin Moore- Wedgewood Gray eggshell finish-Eco Spec; Ceiling- Benjamin Moore- Decorator's White eggshell finish- Eco Spec; Molding- Benjamin Moore- Decorator's White semi-gloss- Regal line.

Master Bath Reno- Part 6- Light Selection

Good bye Hollywood...... Hello engery star lighting!  I am so excited to say sahari to the old brass Hollywood lights that just about everyone has in at least one of their bathrooms.  Hollywood served it's purpose, but everything has a shelf life, and it's life has come to a close.                                                              Before

Close-up

Choosing a replacement lighting option was a bit more challenging than I thought it was going to be.  I searched all the local hardware stores, and your usual suspects online.  I wanted to choose something that had an Energy Star rating with straight lines that was well priced.  Luckily, after about my third week of shopping, I stumbled upon the below option at Lowe's.  It is one of their new options on the floor, and I was excited to find two available for purchase.

Installing the lights were relatively easy once we were able to center the lights on the wall.  The challenge part came in when we needed to repair the giant holes in the walls left by where Hollywood had left it's mark.  Lots of spackling and sanding involved, but it was well worth it.

The bathroom project is coming together quickly.... Look for an update on paint this weekend. :)

Master Bath Reno- Part 5- Marble Flooring

We made great progress with our master bath this week.  The awful carpet is a thing of the past, and the gross tile in the toilet room is out.  Yeah!  Below is the how we got the job complete.....

Before

After (with Durock down)

We selected Turkish marble in a 16 in x 24 in size for our master bathroom.  In the spirit of working with some of the existing items in the bath, we needed to go with a pattern/color combo that was neutral that would work with our off-white fiber glass shower bottom, but would also work with our more white with gray specks countertops.  Of course, there was all the white tile to consider that surrounded the shower and bath tub.   Our bath is about 135 square feet, but there are a lot of crazy angles in the bathroom.  There were very few tiles that did not need to be cut to size. 

The Turkish marble color scheme is a milky cream color with grays and tans swirled throughout.  It is not polished which makes for great traction which is very important in a room where it is inevitable that water will be splashed on the floor from time to time.

We did hire our for the installation for this project since the bath is anything, but a standard size.  Below you will see a picture of the marble in, but not grouted.  It took our contractor one day to get the marble laid.  We choose to have the marble laid in a brick pattern. 

Here is another angle without the grout.

Our particular marble tile needed to be sealed before the floor was grouted.  The contractor used Aqua Mix Sealers Choice Gold.  This product claims to be low VOC, but it left quite an odor behind once applied for a low VOC product.  After airing the space out for a few hours, the flumes were gone, but we were quite disappointed with the stench it left behind for those few first hours.

View from the Master Bedroom with birch grout

Another view from the Master Bedroom (grouted)

Closer look at the Marble Brick Pattern

Angle from our Master Closet

So there you have it, after 2 plus years, the nasty carpet is gone, and we could not be happier with our marble selection.  Next on tap is paint..... Stay tuned!

I am linking up to the following parties.....

Master Bath Inspiration

I thought it was about time that I share with you my inspiration for our master bath. As you know, this has been a project long in the making. Since the day we moved into our house, our master bath needed some work. However, I was indimated by all that needed to be done so I focused on some of the "easier" transformations on the first floor. Well, the time has come, and the master bath is getting addressed.
So far I have shared with you our new shower door transformation, and the hardware choices we have made. Although the picture below has polished chrome, I went with brushed nickel. What I love about this inspiration photos is that it feels so spa-like, and relaxing to me. Just what you want for a master bath.... A little piece of heaven to relax in.

Future posts I will share with you the hardware installation, tile installation, lighting installation, paint, and finally the accessories.  I am really liking the art that Pottery Barn has showcased here.  I am thinking of trying a little "diy" project to see if I can get this look.

Nursery Update- Paint

We made one giant step in our progress in the nuresry.  It is now painted.  I had difficultities selecting the right color of yellow which delayed the process for a about two weeks.  I finally decided upon Hawthrone Yellow by Benjamin Moore.  I had entertained using Lotus Yellow too, but it seemed a bit too bright, and I also considered using Yellow Lilies, but at times this seems like it might be too pale.  Therefore, Hawthorne Yellow was just right.  We used Benjamin Moore's Eco-Spec paint as we did not want to pollute the air with any VOCs.  All the moldings in the room were painted Decorator's White in semi-gloss by Benjamin Moore, and the closet was painted Decorator's white, but in an eggshell finish.  I went with an eggshell finish with the Hawthrone Yellow too since this will be a child's room.  As for the ceiling, we went with 1/4 of the recipe for Glass Slipper by Benjamin Moore.

Before

After

The lighting is not great since it has been a bit cloudy, and we do not have traditional lighting in here right now.  Better pictures to come in future updates!

It maybe hard to see in the picture, but the ceiling has a small tint of blue to it.  I am considering adding crown molding for a higher impact.

I am hopeful the crib will be arriving in the next week or two.  I am considering adding some red stripes to the wall behind where the crib will be, but since we do not have the furniture placed in it's final resting place, it is hard to commit.  Also, I am not sure if the stripes would be too much. 

I am also wrestling with what type of window treatments to add.  I am considering installing Roman shades in red, but I am thinking long term it might be better to add 2 inch white faux wood blinds, and then pairing these with gigham curtains in red.  Any advice would be appreciated.