Becolorful

Motivated Monday September 30th

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Casa de Dump.

Charming isn't it?

 

 

 

This is the view from the front door.

 

Yes, the flowers are dead. I gave up weeks ago. I just haven't gotten round  to pulling them out and replacing them with my usual fall mums. I'm kind of thinking that isn't going to happen this year.

:-/

Yes, old homes have charm (which is code for they are huge money pits) and they are usually very solidly built. This one is no exception. The demo work that was supposed to last a day and a half took an entire week.

I have to believe we are done with this phase. There's very little left to demo.

 

This is the master bath today.

 

We are down to the floor joists now.

Be careful where you step or you will end up in the living room down below.

 

Apparently, though, I am not alone in my life of demolishion and remodeling bliss.

 

I was gut laughing at a post that was shared by a reader here on Motivated Monday  who is also in the throws of construction and is learning to cope with the manic mayhem by distracting herself with pseudo internet shopping. I was definitely taking notes.

:D

The first line in her post reads,

Amazon is my Heroin like Pinterest is my Crack..

Classic. 

:D

Stop by Chaos With A Curve  for the full story and a dose of humor and tell her that mommies need to look sexy too.

In other words, she needs this coat!

 

What a cocktail doesn't cure, a little retail therapy will.

:D

(yes, this post is heavy with smiling faces but hey, a girl has to laugh to keep her sanity in all this mess).

So while life upstairs in this old house is so discombobulated I will perhaps focus instead on up styling a pair of shoes like

Geek In Glasses

 

She is a fan of the fifties fashion vibe and so am I. Love these and nobody else,except us, will have a pair.

Cute and unique. Gotta like that.

 

Maybe I will concentrate on my neglected fireplace mantel. Perhaps bringing in a bit of seasonal decor to a less disrupted part of the house would be helpful.

I'm thinking this Halloween ispired mantel

via

21 Rosemary Lane

would make me feel better about my life.

 

I want it but who am I kidding? I can't even get rid of my dead flowers. Still, a girl can pretend. You, though, will want to take this idea and run with it.

Actually, all kidding aside, I knew what I was getting in to and even with all the dust and the sixteen extra men in my house, I am so excited to see this project finally coming to fruition. I have all the faith in the world that when they are finished it is going to be worth every delay and inconvenience. I just hope they are out of here by Chistmas.

 

 

 

People, It's Ugly

 

The demo in our bedroom and bath began Monday. 

The pictures don't even begin to do it justice.

It's scary here.

If you dare, you can double click on the images to enlarge them.

 

The entrance to our room from the hallway

 

The wall where this sink was is now history.

 

Before....Today

 

 

And I thought those brass shower doors were bad. This is the shower today.

 

 

Looking into the bath from our bedroom side.

 

I thought we had removed most of this but we found yet some more knob and tube wiring. That needs to go.

Cha Ching.

You can see the closet doors that lined the short hallway entrance to our room in the before picture. Now you can see clear through to the shower area.

 

 

It seems we have toilets sitting everywhere but none of them are functioning. 

:D

The wallpaper has been stripped and we discovered the floors under that nasty carpet are oak and in good shape. They will need to be refinished but right now that seems like child's play.What's another week or two right?

 

They were back at it again early this morning.

 

So they think they will be done with this part of the house by Halloween.

Any takers on that bet?

xoxo,

p

Master Bath Inspiration - The Big Picture

The guest bathroom isn't complete yet but our contractor is already pressing me to make some decisons for the next project, our master bath.

The big impact elements are the tile, cabinetry and countertops. These items take up the greatest amount of the visual real-estate in this room and they will determine the style and color and finish choices of the ancillary details.

If you are following along with this remodel or preparing to undertake one of your own in the near future you might find it helpful to understand my thought process.

I was pretty confident that I would go with a neutral white bathroom so I began scouring the internet for inspiring images.

These were some of the pictures that I filed away on my Pinterest board.

 

For the colors.

Colors and counter top and cabinetry.

Cabinetry, colors and lighting.

These have helped me narrow down my choices.

The tile that I am considering is Virtue Porcelain Stone.

 

I like that it has a marble look but with a satin finish it wouldn't be nearly as slick as a true polished marble.

I loved the six inch base moldings that match until I realized that unlike a wooden baseboard, these would have a junction every 12 inches. I didn't think I would like that so back to the wood base boards.

 

I am also looking at Gallant Carerra tiles.

I would go with the 18" square tiles on the floor and the 9x16 on the walls.

We have an old home and the bath area isn't that big so the wow factor isn't going to come from some cavernous space. Instead I am going to have to make a statement with the materials we use here. Actually, after pricing this tile I am really glad our room isn't any bigger than it is.

Pulling it all together is definitely fun but actually committing the dollars has me second guessing myself.

Any input is always appreciated. There are a lot of things to consider; price, color options, availability, and how well it fits into the bedroom design. I know you understand that some of these considerations ultimately take priority over what might be the "prettiest". There are so many elements that enter into the total look and they all need to work together.  I hope to share some of the decision making process for lighting, hardware, flooring and bedding so stay tuned for the musings of a color inspired woman going neutral this time around.

xoxo,

p

Motivated Monday September 23rd

Sorry for being late with tonight's post but I was all wrapped up in one of the last episodes of Breaking Bad. Have you been watching too? Seriously obsessed.

:D

Real life was far less exciting but we did get the lights up in the guest bath and I changed out the hardware from the rubbed oil bronze that was there, which I still like, to a polished nickel that better fits my vision for this space.

I went with the Martha Stewart line from Home Depot and I love it and would definitely recommend her products if you are in the market for cabinet knobs and pulls.They are a heavy weight metal and came with two sets of screws in different lengths which really came in handy for me since the drawers on the base cabinet were a different thickness than the drawers of the old original cabinets that are built into the wall.

We went with the Bedford Canopy Cup Drawer Pulls and coordinating knobs. I really like the soft silver color and the shiny finish.

They bring in a bit of sparkle to the classic old school look I am going for.

I think they go well with the lighting we chose.

I also got the door candy changed out on the front door.

So I even though the inside of the house is a disaster, from the curbside view it looks like we have it together here.

:D

Tomorrow they are supposed to start the demo in our master bedroom and bath so we spent the weekend clearing out bathroom cabinets and bedroom closets. It felt great to purge but now I am clueless as to where anything might be.

:D

 

But enough about me. Look at what you have been up to.

 

I was truly inspired by this post from

Finding Fabulous
 

She showcased her new transitional dining room lighting and it is gorgeous and so on trend but actually I'm enamoured with the entire room. I usually think of red as being a color more frequently seen in traditional leaning dining rooms but her take on this vibrant hue is a knock out, a true modern classic with a definitely sophisticated edge.

 

Nicely done.

 

I was also mad for this motivating idea and

free printable

from

My Love For Words.

 

She shared her

Exercise and Food Tracker Chart

to help document daily exercise time and food intake.

Simple and to the point.

Love that.

These

Confetti Pumpkins

via 

Made In A Day
 

are a glammed up version of the white fall decor that works so much better in many of our homes than the more tried and true oranges, golds and browns.

 

And here is a great door candy idea. This one, from

A Spoonful of Crafts,

started out as an old frame. She embellished hers with winter greens but this is something that could easily be changed out with the seasons.

What made it so unique, I thought, was the way that if you or your guests missed one another, you could still leave a message or greeting.

 

Lighting For The Guest Bath

Who knew choosing lighting for a bathroom would be so time consuming?

I spent the better part of an entire afternoon pulling together a pair of sconces and a ceiling light for our guest bathroom.

Crazy, right?

I would find a sconce I liked...

Midtown Polished Nickel Sconce

but I wasn't sure I liked the ceiling fixture.

Midtown Semi Flush

 

Sometimes there wouldn't even BE a ceiling fixture or it was a full blown chandelier and much too large for a bathroom.

Sometimes I would find the sconce in one finish...

Cascadia Sconce

but I could only find the ceiling light in something else.

I knew I wanted the look of a shiny silver finish to give a bit of glam to this old school black and white subway tiled bath. The brushed look just wasn't what I was going for.

I'd find an inexpensive ceiling light that didn't resemble a "boob light" quite as badly as what has been here for the last ten years

and maybe it would come in the right finish but it wouldn't have a coordinating sconce. I didn't want to try and guess about glass colors so in the end this was my choice.

Artcraft Contempra for the ceiling

and Artcraft Contempra sconces.

Whew. Check that off of my list. Hopefully the hardware for the cabinets will be easier.

xoxo,

p

Timely Door Candy

When the calendar page flips over from August to September that is my cue that I can start thinking about dressing the house for fall. And what better place to begin than the front door?

I have hung the same decor here for the last two years so this year I knew it was time to do something fresh and new.

I have had this wall clock for decades. It really doesn't fit into my decor anymore but it was a gift from my brother so I can't seem to let it go. Then the idea hit me. I would use it on the front door. I would call it A Time For Fall.
 

                                       

 



All I would need for this project is some faux leaf garland

and a hay wreath. Both items can be found at any craft store I found mine at Michael's and with the current 40% discount on Fall decor I had less than fifteen dollars invested.

If you don't care about reusing your clock for any other purpose you could glue the garland directly to the edges of your wall clock. I did not want to use glue on this piece so I opted to create my door candy a bit differently.

I would tie the leaves to the hay wreath and then attach the clock to the wreath.
 

                                           This had the added benefit of giving my door candy a fuller more dimensional look. I did this by laying my garland on top of the wreath and securing the garland to the wreath every four or five inches with twine.

 

  Next I placed the clock in the center of the leaf embellished wreath and then using a longer piece of wire, I threaded the wire through the hanger on the back of the clock and then began wrapping it around the hay wreath several times to be sure the clock was well secured.

I used my wire to create a loop for hanging,

 added a bow and voila!

 

 Time For Fall

Door Candy.

xoxo,

p

Linking up here:

Motivated Monday September 16th and A View From A Remodel

 

Welcome to Motivated Monday at BeColorful.

Thank you to everyone that shared their projects here last week.

They were all so inspiring but what would motivate me right now is an organized house.

If you are a regular here at BeColorful then you know that we are currently updating the guest bath and our master bedroom and bath. It will be such a fantastic improvement when we are done but we are in the throws of the chaos right now.

I took a few pictures to document our progress and to remind me the next time we think about taking on a big project.

:D

 

Bedroom furniture SOLD and out of here - check.

 

Can you believe how nasty that carpet is? We were going to replace it fifteen years ago when we moved in but there were too many other projects and not enough money.

 

 

Now, the big problem is where to put everything that is left so it is out of the way of the framers, plumbers, electricians and plumbers that are continually filing through.

It is piled up in Liz's room,

 

down the upstairs hallway,

 

 

and what remains of the overflow has been dumped all the way up on the boy's floor.

 

 

 Daunting isn't it?

I will have to say though, that while I was carrying things up here to temporarily store them during our renovation, I was able to pull together an entire car load of clothes, bedding, and books to take to the Goodwill. Purging feels so exhilarating!

 

So even though our home looks like a major dumping ground right now I just keep reminding myself of how fabulous it is all going to be when it is finished.  I am sure I will wonder why we waited this long to take this project on. Oh yeah, that little thing called cash flow. 

:D

Even as my surroundings are total chaos I am still able, though, to be motivated by what is going on in your world.

I often am so amazed after reading your posts and I wonder, "How did she ever think to do that"? For example, how cool is this bar stool turned night table? I have one of these bar stools in the basement. I'm thinking it would be perfect in the boy's bathroom to hold a kleenex box, toilet articles or a stack of washcloths.

Like A Saturday

 

 

 

I am also thinking fall and even though I just finished up our front door decor for this season, I will be pinning this one from 

Made In A Day

for the future.

 

I also was captivated by this earring storage idea

via

Home 4 Sweet Home

 

What did she use? A baking rack! Genius.

 

 

Decor, painted furniture and organizational posts always grab my attention. Because I am not much of a cook it takes a pretty tempting recipe to suck me in, but this week I must have been hungry because these two caught my eye right away.

 Food Corner

shared a

Fried Bee Hoon.

I had never heard of such a thing but after reading her post I know this is something I would like to try.

 

 While

The Big Giant Food Basket

had me from the start with this delectable image of her 

Elegant and Easy Four Layer Carrot Cake

 

This is sooooo not on my healthy living plan but every once in awhile a girl needs to break the rules.

:D

For now though, I'm thinking that this tequila drink from

 

Pink Recipe Box

would be a well deserved diversion from all the remodeling, shuffling, and mess.

This

Raspberry Tequila Sparkler has my name all over it.

Just a reminder. I'd love it if you would take a moment and visit my new fashion blog. You can find me here. I'd love to have you follow me there if you are interested in what is trending and how to best make the looks work for you.

You May Say I'm A Dreamer

 

The tile is in and grouted in the guest bath. As that project is winding down I am starting to zero in on this next one, the master bedroom and bath.

 We have decided to sell all the furniture that was here and start over. I'm not a bit sad to say au revoir to our bedroom set, and yes, I did the whole matchy matching set but that was almost twenty years ago so I'm feeling pretty guilt free about letting it all go and starting fresh.

This time around I want a simple and sophisticated look with that wow factor.

These are three concepts that I'm leaning towards.

The first look incorporates a pair of Century Tribeca bachelor chests and a Vanguard upholstered bed with a grouping of mirrors behind each of the table lamps. I had thought about pairing up two different chests but in the end it was challenging to find two that I liked this well that were close in height.

Master Bedroom - You May Say I'm A Dreamer by pambecolorful featuring orange flower bouquets

The double dresser from Thomasville will sit across from the bed with a flat screen above it.

 

This second look features another set of matching chests but this time in a painted, what I call gilver, finish - silver with a touch of gold for interest. This time I am using floor standing, fretwork mirrors behind the chests for that wow factor. 

Good Morning Beautiful by pambecolorful featuring light lamps

 

The third option is actually all part of the same collection. Something I swore I wouldn't do again but by mixing finishes I'm okay with it. I like the more refined lines of this group and the side chests are a great height to use as night tables.

Spellbound by pambecolorful featuring a concave convex mirror

 

The finishing touches like lamps, rugs, chair coverings and bedding are still to be determined. Today I am really just narrowing down my choices for chests and chairs. If you have ever taken on a project like this yourself then you know it isn't just about what looks pretty. There are dimensions, storage needs, and of course cost to be considered. What will we ultimately end up with? Well, I'm still mulling over my options. Hope you will check in again to see our progress.

xoxo,

p

 

 Linking up here:

 

 

Motivated Monday September 9th and A Remodeling Progress Report

Ah remodeling. It is a life lesson in patience. Our demo began back on the 19th of August and that phase only took a single day.

 

Next came the drywallers.

Then the painter to prime the new drywall/green board.

We were ready for the tile, or so we thought.

Except the tile crew didn't like the way the dry wall looked.

So the drywallers returned.

They applied a skim coat to the areas of concern.

We waited for the tile guys.

The tilers looked at the drywall and said it was STILL not right.

Back to the beginning. 

Tear out the drywall.

Then came the holiday weekend and we all took a break.

This week we got new drywall.

This time the tile team was happy.

That made me happy and

on Thursday they finally installed the floor.

 

On Friday tile climbed the bathroom walls.

 

Progress never felt so good.

:D

The vintage inspired look I am going for in this old house is actually coming together.

Next week they will get it grouted and we can start putting it all back together.

Then comes the big job...

our bedroom and bath.
We have some prep work to do before that phase can start. Mainly, I need to clear the room out.

 

I just listed our bedroom furniture on Facebook and Craigslist. Hopefully, we will get it moved out of here before the demo begins.

So, that's is what is motivating me this week. 

Here are some inspiring posts from you.

 

Moms and Munchkins

 

is already thinking ahead toward Thanksgiving and shared several appetizer recipes this week. This one, for crescent wrapped brie really caught my eye.

 

Let's Get Crafty

created this sophisticated looking Greek Key designed pin board.

She offers an easy to follow tutorial for us to make one of our own.

 

Jewelry Making Journal

 

shared another step by step guide for creating this fun fall leaf pendant.

 

Once you gather your supplies this is a quick and easy project.

 

Dapper Dressers

I really do love looking at furniture but when it really comes down to making a decision the process can be a bit stressful.

There a lot of things to consider; cost, size, color, and style. It doesn't help that I like so many different styles.

I am drawn to a more modern and clean lined look but I don't want to go too contemporary. I need this room to flow with the more traditional rooms in our nearly one hundred year old home. 

For starters, I know I want an upholstered bed but what do I want for dressers? Do I want them to match or maybe just coordinate?

Dapper Dressers by pambecolorful featuring a white bedding

I bought our current set of bedroom furniture in 1994 so unlike a sofa or end table that I may change out from time to time, these are purchases I will most likely live with for quite a while.  

The pressure is mounting. I need to commit. Ahhh decision making it definitely isn't for the faint of heart. 

:0

xoxo

p

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motivated Monday September 2nd

 

Welcome to Motivated Monday here at BeColorful.

I'm a bit late with my post this week because of the Labor Day weekend.

I love Labor Day when we can get together with the kids and this year we had a great time up in Galena with two of our three kids and a terrific son-in-law. There was a lot of golfing and shopping. The girls went for facials and we all made time for a football game, and Breaking Bad. Then there was the food. Lots of food.

:D

I love being inspired by all that my favorite peeps are doing. My daughter and I did a bit of furniture shopping and I always relish her input. I am anxious to finally make some decisions on our new bedroom furniture and I really appreciated her taking the time to listen to my ideas and offer some of her own great suggestions for our space.

So when I finally got back home tonight and started reading your posts looking for features for this week's Motivated Monday I was surprised to see that our own Liz had linked up a just completed project of her own.

Yes, I am a proud mama but I have to say that even if she wasn't my daughter that I would have featured her DIY lower level renovation because it is just that spectacular.

 

The bar area as you enter the movie room.

Life In Yellow

 

The sparkling chartreuse bathroom. I LOVE this color, especially when it is paired with the navy and the industrial touches.

Life In Yellow

This is just a sampling. To see the entire project you will need to stop by and see her here.

 

But enough of the nepotism right?

:D

Moving on to the non family features...

I love love loved this bookcase and I know you will too so make some time to stop by and see this fabulous Ikea Hack bookcase project.Great colors. Wonderful photography.

A Little of This A Little of That

I love these overlays and I have been saying that I am going to try this. In fact, I think I have been saying that for over a year. Now that I see how well her project turned out I am moving this idea to the top of my to do list.

 

I also loved this personalized ceiling fan idea. I don't have anybody young enough for this  sweet look but the same concept could be done with any type of pattern to create a unique look for any room.

Happiest Mom On the Blog

 

and you will never guess what she used to cover those fan blades... gift wrap! For all the how-to's you can visit her blog for an easy to follow tutorial.

Motivated Monday A Day Late

It's a family weekend here at Becolorful and time with the kids always comes first. Check back tomorrow for this week's link event. Thanks in advance for your understanding.
Xoxo,
P