Remodeling a Bathroom

SO what started as JUST replacing the bathtub and surround has become almost a total bathroom overhaul....we just remodeled this room about 4 years ago and this is how it looked...

We discovered a crack near the back of the tub a few months ago and knew we were going to have to replace it quickly because our home is for sale...

 So we bought a new tub and surround and my husband started tearing the old one out.  Then he and his Dad put this new one in ---on Father's Day week-end no less :)

 See that nice little gap in the flooring between the tub and the tiles?????  Yeah that would be because this tub is about 2 inches narrower than the old one....

AND you cannot buy our flooring any more...

So I'll be redoing the flooring as well...probably the same flooring we used in the dining room because we have 2 boxes left over from that project so it will almost do the whole bathroom.

It's the Allure vinyl flooring from Home Depot in the Hickory color/finish.

Which means taking the toilet out ---and then I'm thinking about redoing the floor and how I really don't like the vanity we have so we took that out too :)  Might as well go all the way right??!?!?!?

 Our bathrooms are small and I really like having the pedestal sink in our hall bathroom...

I'm shopping for a wall hung sink and something more creative for storage.
In my mind this is our bathroom!!!  Gorgeous huh?????

Barn Light Electric's Online Giveaway!!!!

Barn Light's Online Giveaway 2012!

Wow....I received an email from Barn Light Electric a few days ago about this years' giveaway...

I'm sure I won't win but boy could I use some new lighting...in the living room...our bedroom...we have 2 ugly brass ceiling fans in our dining room and kitchen.....

How cool is this belt driven ceiling fan?!?!!  Love that....can't you just picture that in these two rooms????

However...

 I think this light may be my favorite...

Crystalline surface mount light

I love unique....and this would look so beautiful here...

instead of the ugly, 80's ceiling fan at the top of the photo!!!!

Or even here...

there hasn't been an overhead light here since I moved in---8 years ago...

So here are all the details for entering ---you DON'T have to have a blog to enter!!!  Check it out.....  

We've been fans of Barn Light Electric for a long time and I've had them listed in my sidebar since I started my blog.....

Here's the skinny....


Beginning Monday June 4th, 2012 we’re giving YOU the chance to win a (1) $1,000 for first, (1) $500 for second or (1) $250 for third in Barn Light Electric Gift Certificates!
Our three lucky winners can shop to their hearts content. They will be able to pick out the lighting that will make the perfect fit for their home, studio or office. Whether you are currently remodeling, have a weekend project in the works, or just want a change.... everyone can use some new lighting!
Be sure to follow the rules below to enter, and share this opportunity on your blog and Facebook so your fans and followers can enter. Be sure to email marketing@barnlightelectric.com with the link to your post of Barn Lighting ideas once is up (this is how we will keep track of entries).
How to Enter:


Look around online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own
Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog article so others can enter
Once your personal article is up, you must email your blog link to:marketing@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win. The contest ends Monday, July 2nd, 2012
Don’t have a blog? Find out how you can enter by reading the Official Rules

Reupholstered Chair--FINISHED!

She's DONE!!!

 Get ready for photo overload ---I have been working on this piece (above) for quite awhile and I'm SO excited to have it done!!!!!

 This is the biggest piece I've reupholstered so far....I'd love to do more of this.  I think because it's all different skills combined.  Painting, sewing, fabric choices....all the fun stuff....

 I decided to try to use fabrics I had on hand since I have a lot left over from my purse making days.  

I had the brown linen but not enough for the whole chair so I decided to mix in some feed sack for contrast ---and I really like the way it turned out....

 The tufting was also a new step for me, and I did a separate post on that you can see here if you're interested....

 This is Duck Egg blue with a dry brushed coat of Old White and clear wax to finish....I also dry brushed pretty much all of the caned sections instead of trying to distress those with sanding or even water.

 It is so satisfying to see this piece come together...this is how it looked in my head from the start.

But being able to take it there from start to finish is so much fun for me....

 I'm on the hunt for my next piece :) and would even like to try replacing all the foam and cushions.

 The whole thing just works together...all those little details adding to the whole piece...

 We took her up to the shop this weekend and as we carried it in the door there were already some shoppers admiring her....

 nice to see some reaction to your work and know that others appreciate it!

 My husband is trying to finish up a few things for us...a chicken coop and a new kitchen island that is very industrial...

And of course we have a bathroom to remodel and our house is for sale and.....

Reupholstering chair part two

So I started to share with you this little chair I have been trying to reupholster....to see the first post on tufting click here....

 But we've been a bit side tracked with a bathroom issue that has pretty much evolved into a whole remodeling saga...more on that in another post!!!

 The first part I tackled on the chair was tearing it down.  I've been using this book to learn how to do all this and I have found it extremely helpful.

 I used this section to help me with the tufting on the back.  The photos are excellent and it takes you step by step through the whole process.

They give you clear instructions for several different style projects from start to finish.

They suggest keeping the original fabric and ironing it out to use as a pattern ---which works great and saves you alot of measuring and time!!!

 I painted the frame ASCP Duck Egg Blue and dry brushed some Old White over that then finished it with just the clear wax.

 For the fabric on the chair itself, I decided to use some feedsack that had stripes that had faded to a brown color...I'm guessing it was originally a red

 This will be the back and the attached (support) part of the seat which is a piece of plywood.  This all just got stapled on with 3/8" staples.

I'm working on finishing up sewing the cover for the seat and she'll be ready to go to Winsome Cottage for awhile! 

Sprucing the house up with paint

 I've been painting outside and trying to spruce things up a bit....I painted the door this blue color. One of my aunts suggested drawing some good attention to the front of the house with some color...we also replaced the porch lights.

I spray painted our mailbox black and drew these numbers out on some graph paper.  Then used some saral paper (you can see the blue powder on the ridges of the mailbox) to trace it onto each side.  The powder washes off :)

I painted the numbers with my husband's One Shot Enamel paints....white and blue...

We lowered the price today....hoping to get some more people in to look and eventually get an offer.

The sewing machine is also FIXED so I'm working more on my chair...hoping to have it done soon!!!!!

Reupholstering a chair part 1 Tufting

I 'm really excited to get this make over completed but I 've been taking photos of the whole process so I thought I'd share some of what I've done so far.....

I picked up this cute little chair several weeks ago and have been working on it off and on for awhile now....

Last weekend I worked on reupholstering the back of the seat and did some tufting for the first time.  I used the buttons that were on it and the 3M General Purpose spray adhesive to hold the fabric in place.  

Just a little tip--

Let your adhesive set up really well before you put the fabric on the buttons.  If you don't the adhesive will soak into the fabric and leave a dark spot.

I've also been using a fabulous book that my husband bought me for my birthday.  I'll share that soon too.  If you are interested in learning upholstery it is full of wonderful information and tons of DIY photos.

One of the things they tell you to do is deconstruct carefully and iron out all the original fabric pieces you remove to use as a pattern for the new fabric.  I decided to reuse the foam so the button hole placement was already there holes were already cut, etc...

Again, using the old fabric I marked where the button holes should go then snipped out tiny holes with the scissors.....
These buttons were like huge brads so they were nice to work with.

I started with the top row then moved down each row.  You tuck your fabric (between buttons) as you go making sure the tucks all face down so they don't collect dust....

At the top and bottom there are actually vertical slits cut into the foam so that those pleats can be pulled nice and tight all the way to the backing board.

This is a great step towards doing more complicated reupholstery I think.  I find it all really intriguing and FUN!  To see it get reinvented...

Here's the back---I followed what they had done and stapled the ends of the brads down.  All of this was done with small 1/4" staples

While trying to sew the piping for this my thread got caught in the motor of my machine so my husband has to try to get it running good for me again before I can finish it all up---  I'm so close to being done and only need to sew for a few hours to have it wrapped up...

Can't wait to share photos of the finished chair

Funnel Cake Recipe

This recipe for homemade funnel cakes is AWESOME!!!!  We made some the other night so I thought I would share.  It's pretty simple although not very "healthy" :)

Ingredients:
1 egg
2/3 cup of milk
2 Tbls of sugar
1 &1/4 cup of flour
1/4 tsp of salt
1tsp baking powder
2 cups of Crisco

1. In a deep skillet heat oil until hot (I use medium high heat on my electric stove)
2. Mix egg and milk in a bowl
3.  In a separate bowl mix all other ingredients
4.  Slowly add dry ingredients to egg mixture beating until smooth
5.  Using a funnel (I use a gallon freezer bag and snip a corner off) drizzle batter starting in the center working outwards in a web pattern
6.  Cook for 2-3 minutes (flipping half way through) or until golden brown and crispy then sprinkle with powdered sugar