H & Mmmm

Guess what arrived in our postbox last weekend (thanks mum!).

Our H&M cushion covers are finally here.  Can you believe they were only about $5 each (I had to order them from the UK site because they don't have a US online shop, yet!  The campaign starts now).  I love the bold geometric print and the dark grey colour.  The back is a teeny tiny repeat of the same pattern.

Luckily I had a pair of old cushions I'd been trying to sell on Craigslist for weeks (come on Birmingham, don't you know a good deal when you see one?) that were a perfect fit.

It's just a jump to the left:

And then a step to the right (see how I whipped up my own Captain Mirror HERE):

We have been making do with a couple of Euro pillows and a pair of side tables:

What a difference a headboard (more on that bargain find HERE), a pair of nightstands and some jazzy (yeah, that's right, i said jazzy) cushions can make. 

You can see I took the picture above the bed down.  I'm hoping having to look at the big blank wall will spur me on to finding/making something completely amazing to take its place.

Kate

xxx

Half Bath Sneak Peek

The half bath has been a sorry sight, pretty much since we moved in. Initially we used the ugly vanity to wash the paint brushes and rollers, until we couldn't stand to look at it any more, and we took the whole thing out completely.  The drawers were all jacked up and the top was in a shoddy condition.  Its fate was sealed and out it went.

The wall colour was a kind of dusty apricot.

 

This room is small (just a loo and a sink), so no amount of light coloured paint or ambient lighting was going to make it look any bigger.  We decided to go dark. Really dark.

 

 

We still have a way to go with installing the new vanity, hanging shelving or some sort of storage above the loo, creating an art wall, replacing all of the hardware.  And the list goes on.  Luckily I have found lots of good inspiration:

Houzz

 

Pinterest

 

 

Houzz

 

 Kate

xxx 

 

Scrabble Magnet = 830 points

Oooft, Monday again!  How did that happen?

This weekend was spent dodging thunderstorms, playing with the little man and watching the Grammys (still got it Johnny, still got it!).  Busy, busy, busy.  In between this hectic schedule, I did manage to squeeze in a quick project or two.

I was mooching around Dollar Tree when I stumbled upon this little treat.  Ignore all the bright colors and weird vent cover nonsense, ultimately it's a magnetic sheet.  For $1.  In the basket it went.

I decided to try and make a dishwasher "clean/dirty" magnet using an old Scrabble set I'd picket up a few months ago from a flea mall.  I'm not sure where the inspiration came from but really, nobody likes poking around in the dishwasher to see if its packed with clean or dirty dishes.  Guaranteed to end in a ketchupy finger. 

I cut a slice of the magnetic vent cover sheet and hot glued the clean/dirty scrabble tiles. 

Ta da!

And shock horror, it's actually being used!!

Kate

xxx

Nuts!

I couldn't resist sharing my latest buy from Etsy (Victoriana Sedona).  Get a look at these golden nuggets of amazingness.  I have no idea where I'm going to put them, or what on earth I'm going to use them for, but when has that ever stopped me before.

Seriously, no home is complete without at least a couple of golden walnuts.  No really.

I wonder whether you could spray paint some real walnuts gold?  Or would that end in mouldy nastiness?  Ain't no body got time for mouldy nuts! 

Kate

xxx

Fan it up

This has got to be the easiest update I've done - mainly because all I had to do was buy the fan.  I had absolutely nothing to do with wiring it in, so no tutorial here I'm afraid.  Me and anything electrical is probably not a good combination.  Luckily my father in law is super handy and had it installed in record time.  Here's the good old before and after.

Before - fugly.  Ok, so you can't really see much of the original fan, but you get the idea.

After - ooooh, swit swoo, that is one sleek looking fan.

Kate

xxx

Aye aye Capt'n

I knew these trays would come in handy, I just knew it.  Well, I knew they were cheap (on clearance at Target for a measly $4 each) so I snapped them up.

They've been hanging around in a box in the basement ever since then, just waiting for their big transformation.  Oh yes, they knew their time would come.

Now for the plan: I've seen lots of variations of the Captain Mirror.  From Ballard Designs, ringing in at a whopping $449:

 

To Horchow at a budget busting $725

The first thing I needed was a mirror to insert into the center of the tray.  I measured the tray and it was an awkward 13.5" across.  Michaels had a craft mirror at 12" and Hobby Lobby had a candle mirror at 13".  Ideally I would have gone for the 13" to leave as little a gap around the outside as possible but it was so heavy I didn't want to put any extra strain on the straps or bamboo tray (notorious for splitting).

The 12" turned out great, and I kind of like the extra border around the outside.  It was as simple as hot gluing it into the center of the tray.

Now for the straps/belts.  I measured the height of the tray and around the bottom half to make sure the buckles would meet the tray at the right point.  With tape measure in hand I hit up J&J Junk (more on that here) and found these 2 belts for only 50c.  That's right, just 25c each and unbelievably both are real leather (one is even Tommy Hilfiger).

 

 

See - I told you so.

 

 

I hot glued one belt around the bottom of the tray, then attached the second belt to loop around the top so the buckles were level on each side.

Here is my version of the Captain Mirror for under $10.

 

I used a chunky acrylic hook I bought, for I think $1 at a flea mall, to hang the mirror.

 

 

I love how the worn leather belts look.

 

 

Here's the captain in pride of place in our master.

 

 

Kate

xxx

 

Macklemore Challenge

This weekend I took a trip out to Pinson to visit Mission Possible thrift shop as part of Young House Love's Macklemore challenge (as if I ever needed an excuse to go to a Thrift shop).

The challenge was to see what goodies you could find with just $20.  You didn't have to spend the whole $20 but you shouldn't go over (Price is Right styleeee).  Then we'd have a good ole link party to share our spoils over on YHL today.

I immediately snapped up these two black candle holders.  They look like black glass but are only plastic (shhh, don't tell!).  That was a whopping $1.78 of the budget spent.  You've got to love Thrift Stores that just write the price on the item.

They had a couple of side tables that would have looked great refinished in a bright colour, but I couldn't resist these 2 lamps.  Ok, so the gold is terrible and they're not an exact pair, but I think when spray painted the same colour they will look great.  Now all I need is to decide what colour to paint them - any suggestions?

I only spent a total of just over $10 ($10.76 to be exact, the lamps were $3.99 and $4.99 each) and managed to pick up a pair of candle holders and a pair (ish) of lamps.  You can't beat that!

While I was in Pinson, I thought I may as well pop into Sonya's Stuff (think thrift store meets junk shop meets flea mall) .  I mean I was in the area so it'd be rude not too!  They had posted a pair of mid-century nightstands on Craigslist about a month ago.  I was sure they would have been snapped up, but thought I'd see what other goodies they had.

I couldn't believe it when I walked in and they were still available.  Clearly I grabbed them and ran. Here they are at home in the Master:

 

 

 

 

Lots more Master Bedroom updates to come next week.

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Kate

xxx