New Master Bath Coming

We had a contractor come over last night to look at our master bath. 

He felt that our 23 year old bath is done and that it's time to remodel. 

Traditional Bathroom design by Dc Metro Interior Designer Liz Levin Interiors

We had a couple of loose tiles right outside the shower door. 

I pried them off the other day and found mold. 

                    

Traditional Bathroom design by Atlanta Photographer Erica George Dines Photograph  

 It has already dried out and it looks better, but I wonder what else is under the shower pan and so did the contractor. 

Traditional Bathroom design by Other Metro Interior Designer Shane D. Inman 

        I started browsing images to get inspired.

Traditional Bathroom design by New York Architect Daniel Contelmo Architects

I love white cabinets with a classic, traditional  panel.

 Traditional Bathroom design by Los Angeles General Contractor JRP Design & Remodel

 I think that I am going with chrome. 

It is classic and won't go out of style like some other finishes. Although gold in small measures is quite pretty.                   

  Traditional Bathroom design by Boston Architect Jan Gleysteen Architects, Inc

I would love a white vanity top. 

I think the solid surface countertop will be quartz. 

We love marble but I would freak out if it etched and scratched.

       Traditional Bathroom design by Denver Interior Designer Chalet

The leaded glass door of the cabinet below is just beautiful.

 I would love a cabinet in between my vanities.

  Traditional Bathroom design by Toronto Interior Designer Regina Sturrock Design Inc.

This bath won't be top of the line but I can't wait to do some upgrades from what we have.

   

        Traditional Bathroom design by Chicago Design-build Oakley Home Builders

I love the taller shower walls of the above bathroom.

Our contractor suggested something like this. 

The water spraying on a ledge is what causes some leaks. 

Bill wants a drop in tub.   

                     

      Traditional Bathroom design by Charleston Architect Frederick + Frederick Architects

Our contractor said that we could have a chandelier.

:)

A designer friend will be coming by next week just to make sure I am not off base.

I'm nervous but relieved. 

I think I have put all the cosmetic bandages I can on our old bathroom. 

I can't wait to fill you in as things unfold.  

Sprinkled with white, chrome and sparkle,

Katie

 

Ikea Curtains

I was stuck in a rut with the window treatment in the living room.
 

  
When we bought the house there was nothing on the windows except mini-blinds.   
I have always disliked mini-blinds even when they were the grooviest thing on the market.

Custom window treatments in a swag and jabot style were all the rage when we bought the house. 
 Instead I made a pleated valance with navy and mauve flowers. 
Eventually, I covered the bottom half of the windows with chippy shutters I found at a garage sale.
I think I paid $10.00 for the whole set.

These light brown valances are the third set of valences that I've made for these windows. 

I was over the brown.

A standard window panel is 84 inches in length so something off the shelf at a big box wouldn't work. 
I needed at 96 inches in length. 
  I would have needed about 20 yards of fabric to make custom panels. 
 I have found some drapery pairs at 
Tuesday Morning but they usually didn't have three sets and they were at least $99.00 for each window. 
I continued to shop around for 96 inch panels and finally found some at IKEA.

Fortified with coffee, we made the long haul over there.

 It was a great way to spend a Saturday.

 

They are the LENDA tab curtains in white. 
They are currently $24.99 a pair. 

We got the curtain rods at Walmart. 
 

I adore them. 

Do you live near an IKEA?

If you like it - pin it! 

Katie  
Linking with,
Between Naps On The Porch  
Savvy Southern Style   
Feathered Nest Friday

Kitchen Shelf

For some reason I just can't get the kitchen desk looking  right.

I am on my third display in about a year.
I used this little metal shelf for a while.
I liked this display but I changed it when I wanted more white.

When I painted the bathroom upstairs, I spray painted this cubbie and put it on the desk.
It was okay but not great. I couldn't center it because of the electric outlet and the phone jack.
I thought I would like it when I painted the desk.

Nope.

I ripped the guts out of the phone jack and covered it with a plate.

It's better but I still didn't love it.

 I found these shelf brackets upstairs in one of the closets.

 They were in Rebekah's room when she was little.

 I grabbed a piece of wood from the garage to make a shelf.   

I love my junk find canister and cow.
I thought I would love the tole tray, but it still doesn't look right.

I'm still tweaking the display because I am frustrated by the placement of that stupid outlet. 
I think the electricians were without a foreman the day this house was wired because the placement of some of outlets and fixtures is so wrong. 

I got a little window at Old Home Supply in Ft. Worth.
Read about it here.
I have wanted a window for a while but I didn't need a huge, heavy one.
This little darling is perfect. 
I can center it and cover up the outlet.:)

I can still plug in the lamp.

The decorating angels are singing!
Sprinkled with a window,
Katie 
Linking with,
Funky Junk Interiors  
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia   
Savvy Southern Style 
Homa Style  
Feathered Nest Friday
Between Naps on the Porch

My Chalk Paint Fail

I am about half way through my first chalk paint project.

I used Ce Ce Caldwell Chalk Paint rather than another product because there is a retailer close to my house.

But it is pricey.
This paint is supposed to be very green and good for the environment. An added benefit is that there is supposed to be no sanding and prep work except cleaning.

There was no odor. 
I went with chalk paint for the downstairs bathroom vanity, because I thought it would work better with a piece that wasn't real wood in places. 
 I think I was wrong about that.

Even with two coats of paint, the finish seemed to scratch right off.

I did a coat of clear satin poly and the original wood bled right through even though it was not at all visible with the chalk paint. 

So I did another coat of chalk paint.
 I will leave it "as is" for now.

I love the color and I didn't like the way the clear poly changed the color. 
I don't understand why clear poly isn't clear.

Now this may be user fail instead of product fail because as I look on-line the pieces do have a distressed look.



I have so many "distressed" pieces around here that I don't really need anymore.



So far I have put more coats of paint on the vanity than if I had stuck with my 
primer and Sherwin William's Satin Enamel. 



Sure I would have had to rough up the finish with sand paper a bit but I wouldn't have had to paint as many coats as I did on this.



Bill came home from a weekend away and he loved it.

S0, I will leave it for now and see how the finish lasts.



 If the finish doesn't hold up to the water and elements,
I will color match it with something from Sherwin Williams.

Before

After

 

Update: I've learned since I posted this that 
SC Johnson Paste Wax rubbed all over the finish will create a nice soft and durable finish.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sprinkled with chalk paint,
Katie   
Linking with,
Between Naps on the Porch
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia  
Savvy Southern Style 
French Country Cottage 

My New MacBook Pro

I am so excited to be writing my first post on my new MacBook Pro.

I can't wait to get to know this new computer. 

My music was the first thing I uploaded.
 Email loaded as soon as I put my Apple info in.
I was worried about transferring pictures, but it turned out to be no big deal.

My children recommended this machine.

They thought I would have fewer problems with viruses.

So far it has been pretty easy.

I needed a new laptop

and I knew that I would have to learn Windows 8.
I've done a little research and read that there are a few kinks with that new operating system. 

So, I thought if I had to learn something new, I needed to get a Mac.

I need to figure out how to set my bookmarks and get a 
"Pin it" button for Pinterest.

It took longer to do my photos than I am used to.

I have been putting this purchase off since the summer. 
I wasn't excited about a learning curve, but it has been great so far. 
Sprinkled with Apple,
Katie