DIY – Page 4 – M O D F R U G A L

Towel Bar

I looked at tons of too big/too small hooks and bars of all shapes and sizes for a hand towel in here. It finally occurred to me that maybe all I needed was another toilet roll bar under mounted, and out of the way visually. I hate it when obvious stuff seems to come so slowly. $19 price tag helped too.

Bathroom Update

Above photo added 11.15.12

So we got it done, just under the wire with a few days to spare. Granted, we didn’t go out much at all last weekend to make sure we didn’t fall short of this goal. Progress posts on the bathroom are here.

To refresh your memory on how we started out, here’s a snap of our previous half bath.

I moved my beloved Tretchikoff in here so she can judge all who come to do their bidness.

No pressure.

Those following on Instagram know that I had to do this wall twice. I’m still not thrilled with it, but I’m going to live with it awhile.

What job or photo shoot would be complete without an Otto photobomb? OTTOBOMB.

Here, we were trying to mark where to mount it propped up on scrap lumber.

The reason the soap dispenser and faucet are different finishes is simple – we had a hard time matching the Grundtal, so we decided to stop trying and go for contrast.

After multiple sandings, the CC finished the slab with Arm-R-Seal, which is a combination of oil and varnish that gets sanded in over successive coats to fill in any slight imperfections. The oil brings out the natural wood sheen and the varnish protects. After the sanding coats, the last few passes were just a wiped on finish. The recesses in the live edge had to be sealed against water, so multiple applications of epoxy sanded smooth with the wood allow them to show for character.

Those wondering how it is supported underneath can have a look-see.

We recycled the old mirror and mounted it lower so that it could act as a backsplash, and the other live edge could be seen.

I got the vintage Lightolier (we think Sciolari but are not positive) from the flea market. New bulbs and a little cleaning, and we were good to go.

And added a dimmer….

The monoprint is by our dear friend David Mah.

I think I want to get a tiny hook to hang next to the sink for the hand towel, but for the party, we just had to roll with things as they were.

The faucet had a tiny leak that dripped onto the counter, and we didn’t have time to fix it before the party, but the CC took it apart and fixed it yesterday…he’s kind of a rock star like that.

Rough Cost: $1000 ($963 plus a few screws and small hardware purchases where we misplaced the receipts)

White Oak Slab $80

Faucet $98

Sink $65

Stainless Undersink Bottle Trap $40

Quartzite Floor/Mortar/Grout & Sealer $425

Toilet $200 (American Standard Cadet with Apron/skirted bottom)

Lightolier Pendant $25

Soap Dispenser $30

Thanks for your patience on this one…we had a lot of fun doing it and are glad to check it off the list. Master bath? Hmmmm. Hopefully soon.

UPDATE: Took another couple of pictures today and I wanted to add my favorite here.

Mummy Bunting

When I saw this post from Shannon at 8footSix, I knew I had the solution to my creamy colored old sheet I picked up at Goodwill to use as an extra ghost or something that never materialized.

Mine would NOT be pristine and white like hers, so I took the concept away from ghost and more towards mummy. This sheet had more of an “I’m old and may, or may not have been underground.” vibe, so work with your challenges instead of fighting them, right?

Behold the Mummy Bunting.

This was a fun and easy project I could do while watching TV. Just cut into strips and knot on the twine. I used a luggage tag/cow hitch knot.Â It’s secure, but easy enough to loosen so I can slide the strips where I want them.

I have some black sheets that are getting tired and I think I’ll make another one with them. What I love most about it is the weather tolerance. Too many of our decorations are paper based, and that about killed us this year when it was still raining on the morning of the party. Everything had to be put out the day of, which threw us way behind schedule…so much so, that I have ZERO pictures from the party. I failed you again. When the choice comes between having food ready, and a photo shoot, I’m afraid my inner hostess feels compelled to feed people.

I DO have bathroom pics though and I plan to edit those today, so I’ll make it up to you…k?

Haunted Forest

I don’t know when I’ll get the full bathroom pics up since I don’t have time for a photo shoot…the Haunted Forest is this weekend and we are slammed. I baked about 180 pumpkin chocolate chip mini muffins today, so that’s happening.

To see previous posts on our annual Haunted Forest shindig, click HERE.

Bathroom Update

Things have been rolling over here….at a snail’s pace. Last we met, we were removing the sink. Got that done, and then it was on to the floor…the messy bit. Messy bits take awhile..OK?

So after removing the tile, the mortar bed and wire mesh embedded within it…we are down to subfloor…wheeeee!

That brings us to this mess…we’ll deal with that later.

Subfloor of cement board was laid and now we’re on to laying the new tile.

And that’s where we still are.

We’ll finish that by this weekend and then we’ll start focusing on the sink/slab situation.

In the meantime, I did order the stencil I plan to use on either one or maybe 2 walls. The paint will be Behr’s Granite Boulder as the base layer, with Martha’s Precious Metals Silver Leaf on the fishscale stencil. Apparently the Martha paint is fiddly, but the dude at the Home Depot said it’s just like the Ralph Lauren metallics. I used Ralph without problems in the past, so I’m hopeful.

Why use Home Depot paint? Maybe it was the time I painted over a glossy chocolate brown with a pale grey satin in ONE COAT with Behr’s paint and primer in one line?Â I don’t buy Ben Moore or Farrow and Ball, or other expensive paint, as my personal experience has not proven these to be worth the price tag. I don’t need interior paint that will last 10 years because I guarantee that I will be sick of it and wanting a change well before then anyway. That’s just me.

I’m still shopping toilets, and while I really wanted the Kohler Persuade…after looking at the installation instructions and reviews…we are gonna give it a miss. I’m in the market for a modern looking one with an apron to the floor (no pipe shapes showing in the porcelain) for less than $300 which I think is totally doable. We are still sad we couldn’t have the wall mounted model, but we’re holding out hope we can have it for the master bath, whenever that happens!

Firewood Shelter Update

The CC has all but finished the shelter.Â It’s super simple, but it will make this whole process of retrieving and storing SO much better. We are debating staining the wood, or just leaving it to grey down.

We already had the 2 log racks with these brown covers, but it just never really worked with the wind and rain, especially once the wood got low. The cover would sag and hold water etc…

He’s been talking about wanting something better since we moved in, so it was time.Â Now our wood can season over the summer in its new, fancy house. The Woodhouse? Woodshed? Yikes! No, it can’t be that. There’s no switching or woodshed treatment here, even if it is Tennessee.

Anyway, here’s how it went.

So once the roof was up, you could still see the ugly of our air units.Â Plus the wind and rain blow straight into this direction, so we cut up the old tarp that used to be on the log holders and added grommets to make easily removable walls to the structure. We left the sides open for air circulation.

Excuse the mess all around..it’s a work zone!

Those side brackets give it extra stability from the wind.

Shall we peek inside?

Just as this was getting finished, the electric company cut down a Hackberry tree in our front yard and left the big pieces of wood laying in our grass for about 5 days. The CC decided it was a good opportunity to refresh the stumps at Camp VÃ¥gÃ¶. Making the lemonade people…making the lemonade.