The Big Bathroom Reveal!

Well we finally did it...we're done!

It's been a long 4 weeks renovating 

the bathroom but it was well worth it.

We did it all ourselves

plumbing and wiring

putting in bead board

and crown molding

building a cupboard

caulking and painting 

and putting in new flooring.

Whew!

So...here are some before and after pictures.

The before pictures really don't 

show you how bad the room was.

One of the biggest changes was

putting the bead board on the ceiling.

When we moved in we replaced

the old sink and vanity with one

from Craigslist. It was used

and cheap but it was WAY

better than the old one but when we

got this one home...the sink had cracked

near the top edge. We put up with it 

for nearly 2 years.

Rather than put in a vanity and sink

I decided that I wanted a vintage sink.

We made up for the loss of under sink

space by building in a new cupboard.

The old door-less cupboard above

the toilet held a LOT of

things but we decided that

open shelving would be just fine

to keep the space more open.

I like the open shelves.

Now I need a few new towels!

I hated this wall between the shower 

and the door...it was so ugly.

Hubby cut a door into that wall so he

could get to the plumbing and then

put on some nice trim and beveled 

the edges. I replaced the shower

curtain with one I had bought while

living in our old Victorian home.

It's by Shabby Chic

and I got it cheap

on Ebay ;)

A new coat of paint around the window 

trim made them look like new windows.

I bought the cast iron brackets on Ebay

and picked them up about 25 miles away.

I sprayed them creamy white and then glazed them.

I love that bead board.

Hubby made the cupboard

mostly from wood we already had.

I bought more wicker baskets after these 

pictures were taken. I've been thinking

of spraying then cream then antiquing them

What do you think?

The walls and ceiling are 

Cotton Fluff 

by Behr

It's a very soft white with 

a yellow tint.

We still have to decide

what we're going to do for

the face cloth and hand towel.

Rather than buy a towel bar I just 

got hubby to use a piece of molding.

He cut spots for each towel hook and 

I painted and glazed it.

This old pail was found in the old

building we dismantled.

Someone really liked this pail 

as there was a hole in the bottom

edge that they filled with a nut and bolt.

I should have taken a picture of it.

For now it works perfectly for holding

extra toilet paper and of course magazines 

;-)

This old milk pail was found in the barn

before it burned down.

Now I need to fill these baskets 

and buy a few more and get

the rest of the house back

in order!

So...there you have it.

I hope you enjoyed seeing

what we've been up to.

It was a lot of work...but fun.

And I'm so glad it's finished!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Maura :-)

Hibernation Isn't Just For Bears

(Summer At The Cottage)

HIBERNATION

The internet described hibernation this way...

"To hibernate is to go into seclusion and sleep/rest

for an indeterminate amount of time,

sometimes days, weeks or even longer."

This is exactly what I feel like doing right about now.

The weatherman is predicting freezing rain tonight

and a 100% chance of blowing snow tomorrow

and a high of 18F

with a chance of more snow on Wednesday.

I'm beginning to feel like the fellow below!

(Internet)

I feel like I just want to crawl into my nice cozy bed

and cover up with one of these....

(Country Living)

(Country Living)

I don't know if it's just me or maybe a lot of

you are feeling the same way.

It seems like this has been a very cold

and misserable winter for most of us...

especially those of you in the upper

mid-west and north east.

This cold weather makes me want to go

back to bed after doing chores

and stay there while supper

simmers in the slow cooker.

I know spring isn't far off but in the meantime

I thought I'd share some cozy places

that would be wonderful to

'hibernate' in.

(Better Homes And Gardens)

(Layla Grayce)

(Layla Grace)

(Country Living)

(Country Living)

(Country Living)

(Country Living)

(Country Living)

(Shabby Chic)

Even this little fellows bed looks like a cozy place

to curl up for the night/day...

for days...weeks...or even longer

until SPRING finally

returns.

Until then...stay warm and safe.

Are you feeling the same way?

Maura :)

Cottage Hunting in England

I am sure that I'm not the only one who feels that selling my house and then searching

for another is an adventure.

To me and I'm sure to many of you ...it's the

'thrill of the hunt'

that makes it exciting.

You never know what sweet 'treasure' is

out there waiting for you to call it 'HOME'.

My sister in England ...and her husband are

trying to sell their home and move

closer to their children and grandchildren.

The kids live in a charming little village

far enough away from London to feel

like they are in the country but just

20 minutes on the train and they are in the city.

Can you imagine how exciting that would be...hunting

for a little cottage in a small English village that is close

enough to travel back and forth to the city for work

or just to shop for the day!

Oh my.

I know my sister doesn't find this as exciting as I do

but then she's lived in England all her life and has

worked in London since she was a teenager.

I guess the 'adventure and romance' of the whole experience isn't quite the same for her.

That's ok...what she lacks in adventure...I'll make up for

with excitment!

When I think of English cottages I think of cozy little homes with wonderful character like the home my sister lives in now.

I think one of my favorite 'visions' of the perfect cottage

is the one found in the movie

The Holiday.

Have you seen it?

 

The cottage from 'The Holiday'.

The Entry

I love the front door.

The Living Room

Another view of the living room

The kitchen...love the fireplace and those blue cupboards!

The little library. I love all the built in shelves.

The bedroom..love the bed and fireplace.

The bathroom. Think of the wonderful 'soak' you could have in that tub!

I doubt very much my sister will be looking for a

cottage in the country like this one but I'm

having fun dreaming about it.

Good Luck Sis!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Maura :)

All photo's are from Hooked On Houses

More Cottage Bathrooms

After bringing home my flea market dresser

last week I have been thinking a lot

about our bathroom.

I'm still not sure if I will use that dresser for

our vanity or use a smaller one that we have.

We're not ready to ready to do anything right

away as we're still working outside getting

ready for the people to come and take

down our large building.

Once that's done then we can start working on

the fun projects!

For now...I thought you'd like to see

some BEAUTIFUL cottage style bathrooms that

inspire me.

Enjoy!

Living Etc

I love the size of this bathroom and the

huge window.

Country Living

We have an old cast iron bathtub that I

would love to get re-enameled and

bring inside.

Country Living

I LOVE the ceiling in this room and

the vintage feel.

Again I love the ceiling in this room along with

the vintage mirrors and that huge custom made

vanity.

Love the tub surround.

See that door!

Country Living

Country Living

I love the way the area is divided with a half

wall and window.

Country Living

Wouldn't this be a wonderful bathroom to get up

to in the morning. How could you not

be in a good mood after spending

time in here!

Stacy Edwards Design

I like yellow.

After seeing these pictures again I'm thinking

maybe I need to find a different dresser to

use as a vanity as I'm REALLY liking the white.

That oak dresser we bought home is too nice to

paint. Back to the drawing board.

I hope you've enjoyed looking at these pictures as much as I have and that they gave you inspiration if you're

thinking of doing something different to your bathroom.

Any renovation or decorating plans in your near future?

Maura :)