Downstairs Bathroom Plans

My downstairs bathroom is giving me fits. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, but I only want to do it once and want to do it right even though my funds are limited. It's mainly my sons bathroom and you know what that means. No matter how much money I spend making it look good it will soon be filled with dirty socks, soap scum and toothpaste splashes on the mirror. It's a tiny bathroom but still has to be practical, functional and easy to maintain. This means clean lines, light neutral colors, good storage, no wall paper and no furniture. Here are some bathroom photos that I find inspiring.  

Woman's Day 2008

BHG 2011

Woman's D

House Beautiful 2012

                         

My contractor is a good friend of mine. He'll be ready to start soon so I'd better make some decisions about what I want. 

I've had all I can takes, I can takes no more

My home office has way to much stuff in it. A couple years ago I was getting dragged down by having my office in my bedroom so I converted my guest bedroom to my office/workroom. I didn’t use it often enough to justify holding the space for a visitor. It’s one of the best decisions I made because my bedroom is now more serene. More about that another day. So now I’ve got everything in my guest room and well….I’ll let the picture speak for itself. 
                                                

                                                                                                                                                   

I want to totally redo this office but I don’t have any definite plans as yet. For now I have to streamline. Step One…get rid of one of the bookcases and downsize to a smaller 19" TV that fits in the remaining bookcase. I gave the huge 27" TV to my son and told him he was free to sell the old one or give it away but it had to go. Wit h the bookcase gone I rearranged things a bit and now there is much more space. I feel more productive already. Here is my new office. 

Next step is to redecorate, or rather, decorate my office. But how?




 More to come in the future.

Me and My Roxie

My best friends name is Roxie. She is a sweetheart of a girl who is always there when I need her. When I need a hug she's there. When I need to smile she's there. She's the first one to greet me when I walk in the door and the last one I see before I fall asleep. She's my Pug and I love her dearly. Today she is not feeling well so neither am I. Tomorrow we are off to the vet. 

XOXO's

Crystal Lamps

I have a thing for crystal table lamps. New or old I love them and my favorites are the old bell shaped crystal lamps your grandmother may have had.  One of my favorite places to shop for them is at the thrift store and whenever I see one I have a hard time not buying it. I love the way they add sparkle and shine to a bedroom. Most crystal lamps I find at the thrift store have a brassy gold trim. I really don’t like the gold because it can be a little harsh so eventually I will paint the bases to bring them up to date. I haven’t decided if I want silver, white, black, or a softer shade of gold. Also I would like to change out the shades. I like to reuse what I already have so I’ll get creative with my own shades and add some type of embellishment or be on the lookout for a bargain. Here is a sample of what I’ve collected so far.

I'd love some ideas for transforming these. Think I'll check out what's happening around the blogosphere. Stay tuned.

We go, We go!

When I was a kid my brothers and I would occasionally drive from Chicago to Moline with my parents. We’d all pile in the car and my dad would say, “We go, we go”! Something about that saying always excited me. It meant every thing was set and it’s time to start our journey.  

I have wanted to start a blog for a long time. It wasn’t until I noticed that lots of folks were starting blogs with my ideas and I got really angry with myself. The only difference between us was that they had the gumption to get out there and do what I’ve only talked about. No more talking about it. It’s time to just do it and join the fun. 

I’m happiest when I’m being creative. I like taking used and abused items from thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales and make them look better than when I found them.  I enjoy scanning the internet and seeing the work of other bloggers and am totally inspired by their creations. I hope one day they will allow me to link to their sites. Some of their work is so beautiful that I want to share it with everyone I know. 

Part of why it’s taken so long to get started is I wanted my blog to be perfect and polished out the gate. I’ve come to realize that if I wait until all the details are worked out I may never get started. So be forewarned, the first few months of my posts may be crude but at least it’s a start and something I can build on. No more waiting, no excuses, no procrastination. Let’s get the party started.