DIY

MASTER BATHROOM RE-VAMP

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master bathroom, decor, home, black paint

 

     Let me begin by saying that I do not enjoy the act of painting. I do, however, enjoy having a completed, comfortable, and fun nest.  To get from A to B…painting must be done!

     In this case, the house was complete except for the small crack den looking master bathroom that I hadn’t gotten around to yet.

     I’d been putting it off this entire year, but my husband asked me to have it completed as a birthday present to him. He did help with the paint roller part, but the trim work was the part I was dreading!

     So I put on my ugly “painter girl” shirt, which actually is an old shirt of his that he wore on our first date to church, and has paint splatters all over it now.  It is my painting uniform. We got it knocked out in our spare time.  

  

     I’d wanted to add some character to the small area, so I opted for metal decor candle sconces as well as a metal trim piece above the window instead of curtains.

I find the garden tub area to be so much more inviting and soothing with the darker color, which is a black paint named Francesca by Martha Stewart, which is also in the master bedroom, kitchen, and the fire place wall in the living room.

When adding things such as towels or art…I had decided to be thrifty and use what I already owned.  However, one trip to Kirkland’s for some additional pieces was all it took to complete the look.

For example, the crystal hurricane lamp, I already owned, but the silk floral arrangement for the tub area, I purchased. The crystal ball shown below and the metal wall piece I already had.  

The decor towels are mismatched on purpose to try and create an undesigned, old world look. Using the old multi colored runner that I dug out of the back of a closet, also helped to add to the old world look. 


So how much did the bathroom re vamp end up costing me? Just under $250, including paint and painting supplies!

master bathroom revamp, decor, black paint, black bathroom ideas, DIY, blogger, decor

It was my intent to focus on yard projects this summer, as well as a few other DIY type projects (like maybe hitting the gym again)but I am so glad to have this bathroom project complete! Happy Birthday, Ken…your private sanctuary is complete!

 

-SDS

June 22, 2013

     Let me begin by saying that I do not enjoy the act of painting. I do, however, enjoy having a completed, comfortable, and fun nest.  To get from A to B…painting must be done!
 
     In this case, the house was complete except for the small crack den looking master bathroom that I hadn’t gotten around to yet.
 
     I’d been putting it off this entire year, but my husband asked me to have it completed as a birthday present to him. He did help with the paint roller part, but the trim work was the part I was dreading!
 
bathroom re vamp
     So I put on my ugly “painter girl” shirt, which actually is an old shirt of his that he wore on our first date to church, and has paint splatters all over it now.  It is my painting uniform. We got it knocked out in our spare time.  
  
     I’d wanted to add some character to the small area, so I opted for metal decor candle sconces as well as a metal trim piece above the window instead of curtains.
 
     I find the garden tub area to be so much more inviting and soothing with the darker color, which is a black paint named Francesca by Martha Stewart, which is also in the master bedroom,kitchen, and the fire place wall in the living room.
 
    When adding things such as towels or art…I had decided to be thrifty and use what I already owned.  However, one trip to Kirkland’s for some additional pieces was all it took to complete the look.
 
    For example, the crystal hurricane lamp, I already owned, but the silk floral arrangement for the tub area, I purchased. The crystal ball shown below and the metal wall piece I already had.  
 
     The decor towels are mismatched on purpose to try and create an undesigned, old world look. Using the old multi colored runner that I dug out of the back of a closet, also helped to add to the old world look. 
 

     So how much did the bathroom re vamp end up costing me? Just under $250, including paint and painting supplies!
 
black bathroom decor ideas, Luxor Living and Style, Stephanie Dawn Sjoberg
       It was my intent to focus on yard projects this summer, as well as a few other DIY type projects (like maybe hitting the gym again)but I am so glad to have this bathroom project complete! Happy Birthday, Ken…your private sanctuary is complete!
 

 

 
-SDS
June 22, 2013
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UPDATE: LIVING ROOM ReVamp

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UPDATE:

LIVING ROOM RE-VAMP


 

I promised myself years ago, that I would never become a “storage” person. This is one who pays monthly sums to a facility to store meaningless and depreciating assets for years until the monthly sums finally overthrow the asset’s net worth.

     I, however, recently became that person.  So you can imagine I was thrilled to be able to make room for yet another storage orphan in the living room.

     This animal print chaise lounge is the cheapest piece of furniture I own, but I love it!

I purchased it about 7 years ago, from a friend who was moving and didn’t have room for it.  She asked for $100, which I gladly paid.

     The funny part?  One day, I was sitting on the chaise, and realized I’d never put my hands down into the sofa cushion, to see if anything good had ever fallen in.   I felt something weird….oh, an old sock.  I dug again, felt something like a dead rat body which turned out to be a baggy rolled tight with pot in it!  Quite a bit. Very dry and old.  I told the girl who sold me the sofa a few years earlier and she just laughed.

     The original post of the living room re-vamp is here, if you want to see it, but basically the bench that was in the living room was moved to the master bedroom as part of that re-vamp!

     I love using things I already have, it’s like cheating on the expensive game of life.  Getting ahead.

 

January  25, 2013

-SDS

 

 

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STAR IN YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS CARDS

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christmas card

    Thanksgiving is around the corner and that means Christmas is on it’s way so you better hurry up and decide on your holiday card ideas!

     As a society, we have buried ourselves with responsibilities, and we do not have as much time for friends and family as we once did.  Because of that, I feel it’s important to still communicate your thoughts of one another  so that people know you do care!

     Recently, I was getting the mail of an older lady who was out of town last holiday season, and I was shocked at how many Christmas cards she received daily!  It was old school class and charm. We actually only received about four and one was from the Chiropractor and another from a Dentist!

     Every year, I usually make my own.  On Thanksgiving night, I usually allot time to put up my Christmas tree and other decorations.  To me, that is also the perfect time to take 20 minutes to snap some photos appropriate for a family Christmas Card. 

     Last year, the card above was the shot I chose, but I applied a sort of “Toon” app to the photo which turned us into cartoons, which is actually fitting! (Because we are funny like that.)

     I simply uploaded the picture to photoshop.com and then chose “edit.”  From there, you simply click the “Sketch” button on the left…and it gives you a few options to choose from.  

     If you do not have the photoshop.com available, some cell phone photo programs or cameras have the same option. Chances are, some one you know has this and can do it for you within a few minutes.

     Next, you just choose whatever verbiage you wish your card to say…and you could do this with either Photoshop or even a simple Paint program.  

     Then, after your finished product is downloaded to a disk, you simply go down to a place like Walgreen’s or Costco, that usually has a photo printing machine with apps for greeting cards. (Or just print from home on card stock.)  You can choose from whatever selections you want there, and they can print your cards within an hour!

     On my cards, I already had the lettering added on Photoshop, so all I had to do was have them print the photo postcards for me for about $10, and I was done!

    I’ve even made Jazzy pose in a Santa suit before for my Christmas cards.You don’t have to cheese your own grill in your photos!  If there is a great winter shot you took and were proud of, or maybe a really old Christmas photo, you could reproduce, that would be great as well! 

     The point is to have fun and connect, and more inportantly, make someone feel special that you went old school and thought enough of them to use a stamp! Just sayin.

     This is just a fun activity to keep in mind as Thanksgiving approaches!

-November 18, 2012

–SDS

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GUEST BEDROOM RE-VAMP

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     Forcing myself to get this bedroom painted was very, very hard.    I do not love the furniture in this room, therefore I do not love the room.  (There is another set of furniture that I want moved to this room which is better, prettier, more wonderful…but someone has an emotional attachment to the not so wonderful set, so here it sits. For now.

     Finally realizing that I was only hurting myself by allowing the abandoned bedroom to sit, with unpainted walls and no care…I broke down and gave it a little love.

     I’ve got to show the before picture. Although I tried to fill it up and hang something here or there, it just really was still a heartless box.


For the spare room, I finally decided on the same color, Molasses, which I used in the home office which is just down the hall.  I figured this made for some continuity. (See Home Office Re-Vamp Post.)

   I added a couple of animal print hat boxes that I’d already had to store items in my closet, and the molasses wall paint really seemed to add a wonderful backdrop to showcase the various items and artwork I’d already had on display.


     Most everything means something.   My love of birds, I suppose was inherited from my mom, and most bird things here had been hers.  Porcelain birds are very “old lady” of that I am aware, but I love them!


     The tiny porcelain bell was a gift from my mom when I was about 10 years old.  I figured that since it was technically a guest room…it might be a nice touch! A service bell…get it?


I had a spare curtain, so decided to make headboard canopy out of it for fun.


     

     This chair is extremely comfortable and I’d been deciding on what to reupholster him with, but now he blends so much better!

     The animal print stool was a gift from a friend last Christmas and I thought a fun touch!


    The dresser is littered with more porcelain birds, pictures, a box of photo albums and a heavy iron cross that I have not yet decided where it will go. 

     

 I probably will add a shelf somewhere in the future to put these birds on.


     So this was my quick spare bedroom re-vamp which I feel connects the room to the rest of the house and helps the flow!


     Up next, the star attraction…the Master Bedroom Re-Vamp !  It’s never been upgraded because I forced myself to save that for last after completing the rest.  We decided on a color scheme last night so hopefully it will be completed by the end of December if not sooner, which was my initial goal!

     Let me know what you think or send in your re-vamps!

-November 15, 2012

–SDS

down the hall.  I fig
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Home Office ReVamp

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    ….and then there was the “home office” room to contend with.

     This room has some walls that are 12 feet high, was all white, has an inversion table in it (which is one of those things you hang upside down like a bat on, in order to stretch out your spine and muscles.)  This belongs to the athlete in the house and will not be going anywhere, period.  The room also comes with some very dated off white leather sofas which I do not like. At all. Period.  Additionally, there is a computer workstation to deal with.  

      Unfortunately my husband loves the sofas so in light of all the other changes I’ve made…this  sofa debate will just have to wait, so I had to work with it.  Here is  a  photo of the room after I’d already added the framed lion print, end table, coffee table and lamps, but before actually beginning the painting process.   You can see that even with adding pieces, the room is still “blah.” 

decor, home decor, home office, revamp home office, animal print decor, Luxor Living      This  room totally changes with paint to accent the 12 foot ceilings and wall nook .  I chose black again, as the accent wall in the nooked area, for drama and depth, yet a different color than the living room  for the other walls to add a touch of variety, yet still flows with the rest of the home.  

     I would normally never place a sofa in front of a window however, in this case, I am dealing with one entire wall taken up with a huge TV(another debate) as well as the conversion table contraption so I am having to do the best I can to fix up the man cave.

     This room flows now with the rest of the house and it’s functional and cozy.  He likes the warm, manly colors and doesn’t mind the dark brown and black animal print window swag or pillow!  


     The colors I used here were “Francesca” by Martha Stewart  for the black  and “Molasses” by Eddie Bauer Home. The goal was to use serious paint colors in order to compensate for the unstructured, bright creme leather set.  (Did I mention yet that I  do not care for these???)  A side note would be that if you’ve never picked out paint colors…it’s very hard.  It never looks  the same as the tiny swatch, so if you don’t trust yourself, just use one of the recommended design colors at the paint center you go to.  Each brand  has interior design cards in different hues, that mix and match great interior colors and give you good ideas.   

     Again, these colors throughout this house are masculine and warm, which will go great with dark wood flooring which I plan to have installed in the future, which will look expensive and be highly durable as well which is important since the long term plan is to turn this home into another rental property.                                   

 The next two rooms will be great fun,and include a total master bedroom overhaul !

-September 29,2012

–SDS

…..
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LIVING ROOM ReVamp CONTINUED

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    Finally, here we have the rest of the “Living Room Re-Vamp.”  This was a hard room in so many ways!  First of all, it’s small. Second,  I had hell getting my husband to agree to get rid of his white pimp sectional, and third…there is not one “solid” wall.  Each wall has either windows, archways or doorways which causes complications.

     The black accent wall in the living room, continues into the kitchen and wraps around behind the divider archways.  This was intentionally done to join the rooms visually as well as highlight the archways more.

     The bar area opening is used as a shelf with candles and  a silver mirrored photo arrangement. Bar stool would have taken up too much room .

     The mirror over the fireplace adds drama and it’s a family heirloom which I love.  Candles lining the mantle add to my fun “Gothic Latin Romance” theme.  The fireplace actually has candles in it as well.  They provide ambiance when lit and are low maintenance.

     This end table is perfect for the small room.  I can not stand to see TV remote controls lined up or thrown around, so I used this brass dish to store remotes as out of site as possible. 

                                                                                                 These 30 year old brass wall plates are 35 inches each from top to bottom and make a statement against the black accent wall.

Black cross embellished candles

in iron wall sconces add to the drama and theme. 

 I’ve yet to attack the TV situation (that is a delicate issue with men)  so for now, I will move forward to the next room…the home office!

Coming soon…”Home Office Re-Vamp”…this will be a challenge!

-September 23, 2012

–SDS

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