The Hall Bath

Green is my favorite color; all you have to do is walk into my house to figure that one out. My entry way is pea-soup-green. I love it, and so does Kody.

I have to say though, the teal-ish green tiles that were originally in my bathroom when I bought my house were not my kind of green. I didn’t hate them, and was fully prepared to work with them, but they weren’t what I wanted. Thankfully, I was able to score a ton of tile at a construction auction making it a lot easier (and cheaper - less than $30 with enough to do my mud room and bathroom) to say good-bye to the bathroom that hadn’t changed since 1952.

I actually didn't realize there was no shower, and just a bath tub the first time I walked through. Dad pointed it out to me when we were there for the inspection. I was just looking at the potential :) 


This was the first room in the house we finished. We started it mid-September when I bought the house and Mom put in the finishing touches in mid-October while I was in Nepal as a birthday gift.

Dad drew my plans for the custom vanity right on the wall. 

See the border that was around the room in the mirror's reflection? Classic 1952.

My grandparents and I both worked on tearing out the tile. We were careful because we weren't sure if we'd want to re-use it later. It is currently in my attic, but there are no plans to reuse it right now. It may be on it's way to Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. This is what a wall looks like after all the tile had been removed:

After we tore out the tile, Dad re-sheetrocked, and it was time to re-tile. I had this idea for built in cubbies in the shower. As he was working on them, Dad informed me that this made me high maintenance. Apparently they weren't the easiest thing to create. Luckily, he had my Uncle Wayne to help him.

Now time for the big reveal....

A friend of my dad's made the cabinet, then Dad painted it and made the formica top.

I brought in some green-glass-tile to compliment the white tile I got at the auction. I love green.

We used black hammered paint on the mirror and light fixture. I got the light fixture for free from Craigslist and the mirror was in gma's basement. They were both originally "builder's brass," but now they are boldly black.

One of my favorite things about the cabinet is the deep drawer on the bottom right and the width of the other drawers.

Yikes! That's a lot of make-up, especially for a girl who hardly even wears make-up. I guess I like the security of knowing it's there if I feel the need to use it. The front basket is all make-up brushes. I love my make-up brushes.

Grandma got this faucet at a garage sale for $5! I love how tall it is.

We got this shower curtain at a garage sale too, then had the "C" embroidered to give it a nice custom touch. 

So for about $500 and a lot of man hours I got a whole new bathroom that I love!!

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On another note, Kelly @ Kelly's Korner recently posted this post about "cardboard" testimonies. Here's the video she posted:

The video is powerful, but the comments on Kelly's post spoke to me even more. People who had experienced cancer, infertility, doubt, depression and many other valleys in life still praising the Lord for the great things He has done.  I encourage you to read through some of the testimonies written there. I love how to the point they are. In just a few brief words, the power, grace, and love of Jesus is shown. 

Feel free to share your own here or there. 

-Jenny

The Kitchen Episode 4

Lean Cuisines have become a way of life for me. I can tell you which ones are good (Did somebody say Baja Quesadillas?) and which are cardboard. I have come to appreciate plastic ware and paper plates. Kitchen items no longer need cabinets in my house, they live on top of the fridge, and in the buffet in the dining room. As well as I've adjusted to life without a "real" kitchen, all of this is coming to an end. No, my kitchen remodel is not finished, yet. In fact, it still has a full season of episodes left, but the end is drawing near. Much in the same way as LOST. (What? No, I'm not obsessed with the show LOST or The Office for that matter.)

So what's new in my kitchen? Last time I discussed the countertops. Since then, they have been stain, sealed and delivered. (I'm not sure what they were delivered from, but I've learned to copy song lyrics as much as possible in my writing.)

Who's that cutie modeling the unfinished bowling alley countertops? His name is Kody, maybe I'll write a post about him on here soon. Notice the sink. :)

Holy diamonds, Batman! Those counters are shiny! (Okay, I'm lame, might as well just own up to it.) The sealant isn't quite finished drying here, so there is still a fairly high shine.

Remember that sink I pointed out to you 2 photos ago? That is another of my dad's amazing Craigslist finds. For $10, I got a kitchen sink. Not too shabby. Pay no attention to the random stuff in the garbage disposal side of the sink.

Speaking of cheap, for the last few weeks I've been debating about what to do under the counters on the dining room side of the kitchen. My dad had the resourceful idea to use the original upper cabinets as shelves under the counter. They needed to be shallow since the countertop was not a full 24 inches, and I'd like the option to put bar stools there. The cabinets fit perfectly, all I had to do was yank off the doors. (Which is much easier said than done. Hinges that have been stuck for 58 years don't come off easily.) So this shelf was once an upper cabinet in this exact kitchen.

Oh, and internet, I must apologize. Last time I told you I'd be updating you about this wall. Well, life and laziness got in the way and the wall is still pretty much the same. You can see some paint samples I'm playing with, though.

In case you need recaps, here are Episodes one, two and three.

-Jenny

Thankful Thursday

New Goal: Get in a post between Thankful Thursdays!

• My 50 mm lens - I had a wedding and 2 baby shoots this week, and this lens is what makes my photos shine! You know that bokeh background? (where it looks all creamy like you could slurp it up) This lens is king of capturing that style.
• LOST - Yeah, I'm one of those crazy addicts.
• The Microwave - My kitchen is still in shambles, so everything I eat has to either be raw or microwaveable. Get excited, episode 4 of my kitchen remodel is coming this weekend.

That's all I've got! Short post because I'm working on photos!!!

-Jenny