My Bathroom: room by room re-do

Well, I'm finally on to the third room of the house to get a refreshing. First it was the pantry, then kitchen, now my bathroom. I don't scrap everything and knock out walls and get all crazy with my re-dos! No, I take what I have, deep clean, and then refresh by adding a couple new things and fixing what needs to be changed.

I've always liked my little bathroom. When we first built the house we were poor as church mice. When I found a single roll of floral wallpaper for a dollar I almost died. It was just enough to do the one wall in my bathroom. I should say almost. It had a huge pattern match and we ran out of paper. Thank goodness the bald spot was hidden behind the cupboard :). That lasted for several years, until roses that were as big as my head finally overwhelmed me. Taking down the paper was epic. It had literally grown to the Sheetrock. So I just painted it. Good ole paint, it solves a myriad of troubles!

A very grainy early 90's photo of the floral extravaganza!

My walls are now a pale ice blue. I like it because pale blue is such a soothing color and I'm not a huge fan of plain white. The pedestal sink has been great because it takes up so little space, but I never have had a towel holder; it always just lay to the side of the sink. I found an adorable little sparrow knob for a couple of dollars and my youngest son put it on the wall for me so I'd actually have a towel hook.

While we were at it, I cut a piece of Plexiglas to use as a back splash behind the sink to keep the paint from getting mottled. It is an idea that I got from my Grandma Tommy and have used in the other bath and laundry. We screwed that to the wall, and then Will cut a strip of wooden trim that I stained and clear coated. We caulked it and now there is a pretty little wall protector!

The bird picture beside the sink was from my moma and he is saying Carpe Diem- Seize the Day. A bolstering way to start the morning. Just look at that towel hanging up! I tell you, don't take anything for granted. It can be the smallest things that create happiness.

The garland above the door is one I made with copies of beautiful ladies from old postcards. Then I embellished with antique lace and ribbons and just a touch of glitter. I had so much fun making it and then didn't know what to do with it. I tried to think of someone to give it to, but I thought it might be too girlie for most. So finally I just hung it up.

My bathtub and surround came out of my Grandma Tommy's 1910 Victorian in Bentonville, AR. I am a tall person and I love that I can stretch out completely. Plus, the metal warms with the water and feels so nice. My grandma hated it because she remembered having a footed tub as a girl and having to scrub under it. When I pointed out that it was covered by a wooden surround and she wouldn't have to do that, she declared it was the principal of the thing. So she had it torn out and I got it just as we were building our house. The shelf above it was an upper door trim from one of the tiny doors they had to widen. I nailed hangers to the back and hung it just as it was. The small wooden floor cupboard is my only real storage in the room. Mom got it and a matching one for the other bath at an auction.

The round plates on the wall were all painted by my Great-granny that I write about often. The little arched mirror and the one at the foot of the tub, were leaning up against a shed at my parents' house and my boys salvaged them for me. I love how their missing mirroring makes them murky.

 I've lived in this house for 21 years and never had a toilet paper holder. Now there's a confession for you! The wall beside the commode is a short one and somehow missed having a stud in the center. My hubby always said that a roller attached there would pull from the wall and make a hole. So, I have had a concrete garden urn as a magazine and paper holder for years.

Grandma Tommy gave me the other bathroom fittings that went with the tub, such as the wire and wood toilet roll hanger. This weekend my son cut a piece of grey painted trim I had leftover from the guest room and mounted it to the wall. This is what he used to securely mount my paper holder. I promptly tossed the urn back out in the garden. You cannot imagine how ridiculously giddy it makes me to have that little toilet paper holder hanging there!

 The little bird painted on canvas is another thing that makes me smile. Such a plump little lovey with her little birdy toes tucked into ballet slippers. The Majolica plate above was a dollar at Goodwill.

 The Victorian magazine rack with mirror was my Grandma Tommy's. I use it to hold a few magazines that discreetly hide my extra toilet paper rolls. My Pop made the long narrow shelf. I inherited my love of bottles from him. He has an amazing collection that I have always admired. Most of these are ones that were too common for him, or ones that he had duplicates of. I love the soft tint to the glass. Some of them have sea glass inside that we found, and still others hold sand from beaches we have been to with the name of the local and the date. The two cottage pictures were picked up at fleas for a dollar each.

 This is a view toward the closet. The French enamel bucket that holds my hand towels was a gift from my moma. The picture of the bluebirds is marked 1890. Beneath it is a wren plate that was my Aunt Sharon's. (Do you think I might like birds a little?) Above the door I had a butterfly under glass. But then I found a wall transfer. They are usually expensive, but I found this one at TJMax for five dollars. It was bright and cheerful and had a lovely daily reminder. I put it over the door instead. It was very easy, a lot like a child's temporary tattoo. You just place it where you want it and use something stiff like a credit card to rub the design onto the wall. And if I decide I don't like it? I'll simply paint over it!

The bathroom is a dark little cave and so most of the pictures are awful, but you get the idea. I didn't have to change much (oh, blessed tissue holder! ;) to make the room feel fresher and brighter. And now the first thing I see when I walk in the door is this-

I hope you've been inspired to do a little something to a room in your home. Just something small, something to make you smile!