Beachy Bath

So I know it's been forever...I Know!  But that doesn't mean I haven't been doing stuff!  I have a couple of projects that I'm excited to share.  So this first project is my kids bathroom.  When we first moved in, I had 3 little girls, and thought pink and brown would be fun!  And for three little girls, it was.  Everything in this bathroom is pretty neutral, just brought in the colors with towels etc. And fyi...this bathroom is SO HARD to get good pictures of!  Believe me...I've tried LOTS!  anyhoo...2 years ago when my little boy was born, I knew the decor in the bathroom would have to change...cause I couldn't have a little boy using a pink bathroom.

I knew I didn't have to be in a huge hurry to change it, as
1. he wouldn't actually be using it anytime soon, and,
 2.he wouldn't actually be using it anytime soon.
  but what can I say...No, he is still not using it...other than for baths, but I'll take any excuse to redecorate! 

I love wall treatments...well wood wall treatments, and so I decided to try something I had never attempted before.

I painted the upper 1/3 of the wall an aqua-y blue, and then used 6 inch pine boards.  At first I thought I could evenly space them and that they would be straight (as I got the straightest ones I could find) but wood is not straight...so I did my best.

break for cute baby...this was on Halloween...he's enjoying his candy...can't you tell?

anyway, moving on...I nailed the boards as close together as I could, and did this wall, and the little wall behind the toilet  this picture below shows my three towel hooks that had to be installed before the top board was on...that's why I painted that part first...didn't want to have to try and paint around those babies.   As a side note if I did this again, I would not use attach from behind hooks, as I can never add more, or really even change these ones out without completely tearing this down.

here is a close up of the corner, after paint and trim were added, I also used a 6 inch piece of pine to top off the boards, then used a simple door casing to pretty it up, and the picture ledge on top was the smallest, straightest, cheapest baseboard I could find.

then I decided with all this white, why not add more, and frame out the mirror!  SOOOO, I did!
I followed a tutorial I found here, and it was EASY!  I will definitely do this again!  I'll spare you all the details, but if you are thinking about doing this, check out Shelley's blog!  I think it cost about $15 in supplies to frame out the mirror!

So after mirror was framed and everything was painted, I added some new towels ( cause towels are definitely one of my favorite ways to decorate a bathroom, bought a new shower curtain, and wa-la...a more gender neutral bathroom:

that we love!

bottom line, It is a really fun space, it's light and fresh, the colors in there really pop, and, I pretty much did this all. by.myself.  I really like it...I still need a couple more small accessories, then it will be good. 

On another note though...not sure I would do it again...I mean I like it, but I figure for the wood alone, it cost about $100, and I think I could have achieved a similar look and feel with bead board,  I'm still happy with it, and I wanted to try it.  So I'm glad I decided to try it in a little room, cause sometimes my ideas are cheaper in my head than in real life. 

Linking to Centsational girl

http://www.decorchick.com/molding/molding-link-party/

Easy board and batten in a bathroom!

Really, last board and batten post for a while..PROMISE!....at least until I do another one! :)

This is my girl's bathroom, it's in our basement, and it has a ledge...I know, kind of weird, but what do you do...SO, I wanted to do something with it, and I thought board and batten on this one little wall would be simple, and it was. This was my very first go at b&b. I just used regular old mdf... for my baseboards, vertical slats, horizontal piece, and then another mdf to finish it off as the shelf at the top.
The ledge makes it a pain to hang towels...I've thought about just putting some hooks right on the top board, but I'm not sure if the wall is tall enough...for now, a hook on the back of the door works fine.

I used a finish nailer (cause I had one), but a project on this scale could easily be done by just using small finishing nails, caulk it, paint it and you're good to go. If I remember right, about $15 to do this project...not counting paint.

Linking to:Workshop Series @Funky Junk Interiors

bathroom decor on the easy part 2!

This is the before of our half bath...you know the bathroom guests would use when they came over for a visit...and it needed help...in a bad way! When we built our house our builder insisted on satin paint...I HATE satin paint. it's just too dull for me, and with kids, you can't touch it, wash it...yuk! So I wanted to do something in there that looked good, was kid friendly, and actually looked like I tried.

before:

I decided to just paint the lower 5 feet of the wall in American Tradition, Milk Chocolate...in Semi gloss. (this pic looks really shiny, but the paint was still wet!
during:

Next, I bought a 6 inch mdf board, and 2 packs of brushed nickel knobs. (they were 9.99 each for a pack of 10 at Target), and I just screwed the knobs to the board. (if I remember right, I did every 13 inches)

and did the board all the way around the room!

It was easy, and fast, and a project I did all by myself. AND, I think it looks pretty cute too.

I like that the color is neutral, and this look can be dressed up or dressed down. It was simple, and really achieved the look I was going for in there! Oh, and my baby likes it too!

Bathroom decor on the easy!

One of my favorite ways to decorate a bathroom is with TOWELS!

I mean, you have to have them in there anyway...they might as well be good for something, well other that their obvious purpose! :) Here are a few ways I have used towels, to bring in color, and my favorite...texture!

This is my master bath counter...1 bath towel, some hand towels, and a few washcloths...Oh, and a green bush...just stuck in there!

OK, I stole this picture from my mom's house...she is a GREAT decorator...and since our colors are the same...
this is the view across from the toilet...love ribbon on towels...well if they are just the "decoration" kind!
this is in my half bath...I love the toilet paper in the basket...may seem funny, but I know if a guest uses that bathroom...there will ALWAYS be toilet paper, AND, they won't have to look under my sink to find it! SA-WEET!
same bathroom...just hung some on the knobs! Why in this picture are my reds such different colors? They really aren't...

And this is one of my favorite ways... just plain and simple on a peg board! This is my girls bathroom, and they can use their towel, AND hang it back up without much fuss, which is good for me, cause yes, I am a little OCD when it comes to having things look neat and tidy! hey, at least I admit...and Oh, I admit it!

and there...the back of this toilet didn't get left out either...are you noticing a trend?

that's all.