Hook It (a War Paint Wednesday and a Before and After!)

Today’s post is a twofer. You get a War Paint Wednesday (Clarisonic idea) and a before and after. Don’t get use to the over achievement.  

We took down the towel holder in the bath awhile back. It was not centered over the toilet (see the photo here) and was looking shabby. However, we didn’t expect to see this under it.

We put a fake plant in front of it for well over a year (you can see that here) and have wondered what to do. We considered “stealing” a tile from behind the toilet but the tiles are set in such strong mortar we were fearful of it. Finally, I realized a hook would cover it well and was actually needed.

I looked at many hooks online and at the usual suspects – Lowes and Home Depot. I purchased a few and returned them. As most of them were brushed nickel and we needed chrome. Additionally, most of the backs/plates were too big or too small. A few weeks went by and I happened down the bath aisle at Home Depot, the one with the towel rack collections and such, and found this.

Seriously, I thought I heard trumpets.

The screw for it was on the underneath. So, we could still insert it but it wouldn’t require the same amount of work to look drilled in. (We have no desire to drill into the tile.) It was chrome and the styling fits the style of the bath. It was simple and a rectangle. I was sure it was the same size as the spot. I grabbed two and practically ran to find The Mister.

The Mister grabbed some mounting tape before we left. We chose Scotch’s Extreme Mounting Tape. We probably could have used something less “extreme” as it doesn’t need to hold 20 pounds. However, we decided it was better to be safe with too much than risk them falling off or being shabby. We would suggest using it if you’re doing a similar project.

Luckily, I was right and the hook was almost the exact same size as the spot in the tile. So, we quickly tackled this project. The screw in the bottom of the hook kept the flat mounting plate in place.

Then, we added a small strip of mounting tape to the mounting plate.

The Mister was a little nervous with putting them on the tile. It’d be reversible if not put on correctly, but I was being pretty specific on their placement. Finally, he agreed that I should just do it. I removed the red protective lining from the tape and lined the top of the hook to the top of the spot on the tile. Then, I pressed it on. I used a good amount of pressure.

I was super jazzed and put the other one up. Though the left side of our tile did not have a spot, I felt another hook was needed for balance and to look purposeful.

Here’s how I use the hooks in “real life.” (This is not totally true as the right hook usually has a face towel on it. I was washing them when I took the photo.)

Using it as a holder for The Clarisonic has been awesome for letting it dry. It was a happy surprise. I have found that when I try to dry my Clarisonic, usually the bristles get smushed on one side and heads are not cheap. So, I’m hoping this will extend the life of them. Full disclosure: you have to hit it at the right angle for it to stay. I haven’t gotten it to stay every time. It usually take a few tries. I gotta find the sweet spot.

We’ve had the hooks up for about a month and have had no issues. I’m so glad we found the hooks and it was a simple project. It looks tremendously better. Young House Love tackled the same kind of towel bar spots in their tile here (a good fix if it’s under the window) and here (I like our fix better for by the sink. However, it’s a good idea for above the toilet.)

Read Full Post »

Before and After: Using store finds

I’m sharing some photos of finds from this weekend and how I’ve seen similar items used. They may not look like much in the store but they can make a major impact.

There were only three of these tennis rackets, but I find them occasionally on hunts.

via theproperstranger.tumblr.com

 I will join any country club with this type of art.

I wanted this federal mirror.

It was a replica. It may have been plastic. However, they can increase your cool quotient significantly.

here

via Better Homes and Gardens

BOOM!

here

Orange built ins? Obviously. Of course, it’s Miles Redd.

I may have wanted this mirror more than the federal one.

I saw it recently on Little Green Notebook.

here

Here is the mirror painted to make a chalkboard.

here

Do I need the mirror? No. Does that stop me? Not always.

Read Full Post »

Before and After: Our dining room

You’ve seen our dining room here and here. This is not a true “after” but the place has made some progress. So, I’m sharing.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

This is the view from our living room.

We’ve stuck with our dining table, but we keep going back and forth on it. I still vote round table. We removed the rugs from the dining room and living room. They were beautiful but didn’t match. They are being store at The Mister’s parent’s home. We placed two tables, one in each corner, to create some balance and provide storage. The fabric covering the tables are IKEA curtains I purchased but we decided against using. I have left them “draping” as I don’t want to spend the time making them tailored. We’ve never tripped on them as the fabric is usually tucked/pushed/shoved to the side of the table and out of our way.  If they become a more permanent fix then I’ll change the fabric and make it more tailored. However, we believe we have found the answer to our storage problem. No, it’s not built ins. We decided to place those funds elsewhere.

This is the view of our dining room from our kitchen.

Call your friends and family, I’ve kept a plant alive for a few months. Yes, I’m going to count it. I, too, am impressed and excited about it. 

This is the view if you are going to sit at the dining table, which is unlikely as I don’t have dinner parties. I’m getting there. However, I will allow you to take a moment and respect my napkins because I made them. Not all of them. I made the horse printed ones. Remember, we only use cloth napkins

Sources:

Dining table: West Elm
Dining chairs: Pier One. We purchased them on clearance approximately three years ago.
Needlepoint seat cushions: Tuesday Morning. My mother gave them to me for Christmas after much lusting over them. This was maybe five years ago. I hadn’t move out yet but she is well aware of my unwaivering love of needlepoint.
Chandelier: Restoration Hardware – here
Art: Yes, that is the $20.oo find from here. It’ll be gone soon.
Stripe tray under plant: IKEA
Butter dish: West Elm
White bowl with napkins: Pier One
Napkins: The white napkins are all cloths from Dollar Tree. The horse printed napkins I made from vintage fabric I found at the flea market.
Stacked placemats: Pier One purchased at the same time as the white bowl
Blue and white fabric: IKEA curtains
Pink table runners: IKEA
Bamboo shades: Overstock
Curtains: JCPenney

Read Full Post »

Before and After: Making the grade

There is a lot of appeal to a good “Before and After.” They are usually of the interior of a house or someone’s new-found curb appeal. However, there is a lot work that goes into a house that is not sexy, beautiful or striking.

My parents have been working on their new home a lot. They moved a few months ago and they’ve had one project after the other, if not multiple projects at one time. I didn’t know anything was being done to the house a few weekends ago till Momma texted me the photo below.

I called to ask why they had a need for heavy equipment. They were having someone clean all the debris from their backyard. The neighbors called and thought they were filling in their pool. (However, I’m sure my father would be okay with it.) Additionally, they had to re-grade their yard as it was draining towards the house.

Before:

After:

Read Full Post »

Before and Current: Sideroom paint

Our new carpet is being installed this morning. It was supposed to be installed earlier (as mentioned here) but we postponed it so we could paint the room.  We chose “cream in my coffee” by Valspar as the new paint color.

From left to right: new paint, old paint, trim

“Cream in my coffee” painted wall

Landing/foyer before:

 

Landing/foyer current:

 Coat area before:

Coat area current:

I rarely drink coffee. However, when I do drink it I need plenty of cream. We’ll see how the paint color looks with the carpet. I held the paint sample against the carpet sample, but it’ll be interesting to see when I get back in town this evening.

Read Full Post »

Before and After: Our sideroom (Look 2)

Awhile back I shared Before and After: Our Sideroom. I got rid of the weaved pillows from the past. They’re living another life at Goodwill. I had to make some sacrifices.  So, we went from this:

To this:

I moved my William-Sonoma covered pillows (seen here in the past) to the sideoom, laid a sheepskin rug I found at TJMaxx across the back and moved the lamp to the other side. Then, instead of the pillows being on an angle I stacked them.

We haven’t painted yet, you can see the same old swatches on the wall, but we are this weekend. We’re painting this weekend because our new carpet is being installed next Friday. Whoop whoop! Big things are happening my lovelies! Tomorrow, you will see our foyer/landing. I need to document it. Plus, I have to show off our current, awful carpet. We’ll see if everything stays the same after the installation.

Read Full Post »

Yes, Master

Last week, The Mister and I worked on our bedroom. We have plaster walls that the previous owner rushed in painting. When we moved in my father was sweet enough to paint and you can see the original green color below. Additionally, you can see a lot of patching and work. We decided it was time to sand, even out and basically give our walls some TLC.

It was not very pleasant. We got out the power sander and gave it a whirl. It took a lot more work than we originally planned. However, it looks much, much better.

Then, I got to cutting in. I went to Home Depot and purchased Cream Puff by Behr and hated it. After cutting in around the ceiling, floor, windows and doors I decided it was the color of a manilla folder. It was not the original color I wanted but was told (incorrectly) that I had to use a Primer/Paint specific color to get the Premium Plus option. I’m going to try to take back the gallon of “manilla puff” this week. I don’t think they’ll take it back but I dislike a misinformed purchase.

So, I went back and purchased tester pots in Aged Parchment, Antique White, and Natural Almond (in order). ( Below the sample spots is a curtain from Pier One and a throw from Barbara Barry.) The top two colors were practically the same Okay, I admit it. However, they were slightly different but not the right choice. So, we went with Natural Almond .

It is a great taupe shade. Yes, our bed is in the middle of the room and we slept on it like that for a night. Can you find The Colonel on it?

There he is. Watching us work exhausts him.

Read Full Post »

Before and After: Our sideroom

We have a room on the side of our house that we aptly call the “side room.” The room is the width of our house and is fairly narrow. We have not been sure what to do with it. However, the door that we use to enter and exit the house is in this room. It appears that this was the case with the previous homeowners as the carpet is trashed and we’re waiting to replace it when we replace the floor in the kitchen. Due to the gross ugly floor, this room has not been a focus, but I was getting sick of its tired appearance. So, last night I decided to style it.

Before:

See the carpet? Eww. I’m trying to “keep it real” for you guys. We’ve steam cleaned it twice and that stain isn’t budging. The paint swatch is underconsideration.

After:

I grabbed some stuff from around the house and ta-da! Here is the item breakdown:

Couch: It came from an estate sale for $50.00. Just say it. You’re jealous. It needs to be reupholstered, but the throws seem to do a nice job helping it along.

Art: A yard sale find for $20.00.

Rug:  This green and white striped rug is Sveje IKEA for $12.99. It reminded me of Kate Spade. I purchased it last month and it has been folded inside our laundry room.

Throws: The Mister purchased these two bright coral throws for me years ago from Homegoods. I loved their color and we’ve never  used them. They’ve been sitting inside a vaccum bag.

Pillows: The three beige/golden pillows all came from Homegoods. The woven pillows were on our living room couch but they began to look a bit worn. The middle pillow is for The Mister’s chair in our living room, but he always leaves it on the floor. (Boys…) The other two are cream with light blue stripes. The covers were on clearance at IKEA ($5.00 for two) and the inserts were from IKEA. They were sitting with the  previously mentioned rug. Don’t judge me. If you didn’t have easy access to IKEA you would purchase random things in a hurried madness too.

Lamp:  The floor lamp has a glass, orange shade and came from Homegoods. We bought it for our apartment around three years ago. I  believe it was $80.00.

Read Full Post »