Half Bathroom Makeover

As I mentioned in a post a few months back, we were making over our half bathroom.  I have always wanted to dabble in home improvement projects, and this room happened to be the perfect size to repaint, construct, and makeover however I wanted.  Luckily, the husband was on board too.

Below is the before picture.  Or at least this was what the bathroom looked like when we bought the house from the previous owner.  The changes we made were all cosmetic, we didn't change any of the fixtures because they were pretty much up to date as they were, I just wanted to make it my own.

We kept the same color scheme-- I actually picked out a new wall color at the store and came home to find out that it was almost the exact same color as what was on the walls before.

Minus the color, we added beadboard features which has made the most dramatic impact on the small restroom.  Amazingly, this beadboard is actually Martha Stewart wallpaper sold online at Home Depot.  It was so easy and stress free to install.  The only issues I ran across were finding wallpaper paste (since wallpaper is a thing of the past) and trying to apply the wallpaper around the toliet and sink.

Once I applied the beadboard, my husband sealed the look with the chair railing and then renailed the baseboards. 

I added some decorative touches to the space including a lot of finds from Homegoods including two shelves that complimented the style perfectly.  I also created a few DIY projects for this bathroon including this "S" from JoAnn's and artwork that I made inspired by this pinterest artwork.  To finish the look, my sweet Mother-in-law stitched this awesome tissue box holder to go with the theme of the bathroom.

Lastly, I found this perfect wax warmer that was small enough to fit on the shelf.  It brigtens up the small bathroom with a little bit of light and a lot of amazing smell.

This half bathroom makeover was demanding at times, but I love the way it turned out!  Now on to my next house project...

Colorado, Here I Come!

Today I booked my upcoming trip to Colorado in March.  I was approached by my manager at work about an opportunity to travel to our other corporate office in Colorado Springs, CO.  I have been to Colorado twice before this, once to Denver with the hubby and also to Colorado Springs for work.  Colorado is such a great state to explore and I am looking forward to experiencing all of the great things Colorado and especially the Springs have to offer!


The view on my way to work in Colorado Springs

Below are three things I am looking forward to most on my trip:

Yoga
In the last two months I have started my yogi journey and lately, I have been obsessed with the way it makes my body feel and how the breathing and meditation relaxes me from the stresses of my day.  Since I have a gym membership to my work gym here, I will be able to take classes at the gym in Colorado Springs as well!  I can't wait to try their classes to see if they are similar to our classes here.  Also, it will help me focus on my healthy lifestyle and continue my routine even though I will be five states away!

Food
The food in Colorado is always amazing - especially for a vegetarian like myself! Every Colorado restaurant I have been to in the past, had some form of vegetarian or vegan option which is really great for me.  Also, they have one of my all time favorite restaurants there (which we do not have in Cleveland), Noodles & Company.  I will have to make an effort to stop by a few times just to get my fix.

Exploration
Even though I've already been to Colorado Springs, I have not been close enough to the mountains and beautiful natural landscapes that make it a great place to visit.  This time around, I want to make sure I do some sightseeing specifically, the Garden of the Gods.  Since I travel for work, I usually don't have the chance to explore much during the day, but I want to make sure on one of my travel days, I get a chance to see it!  Also, the weather in Colorado has been crazy this winter! They have seen temperatures upwards of 50 to 60 degrees whereas it is currently 1 degree here in Cleveland.  Here's to hoping that good weather sticks around until March!

The view of Pike's Peak from the office

All You Need is Love {DIY Valentine's Day Wreath}

Tis the season for love in the air this week and what better way to commemorate the holiday then with a Valentine's Day craft!  A few weeks ago, I made a Valentine's Day Wreath and have outlined the steps below.  I came across so many great ideas on Pinterest and to tell you the truth I didn't decide what to do until I came home with a bag full of supplies and started putting it together.

Supplies:

-Styrofoam wreath
-Screwdriver with a small point
-Multiple pieces of felt in light pink and hot pink
-Chalkboard
-White paint pen

I started with the felt and cut 1 inch squares into round circles.  This was the most tedious task of all and I had to make multiple trips to the craft store since I underestimated how many pieces of felt I would need. This task is ideal if you have something else to do to pass the time.  Danny and I were in the midst of a Friends Marathon which was convenient.

Next, I took the screwdriver and placed it in the middle of a felt circle and twisted it into the Styrofoam wreath.  Depending on the kind of look you want, you can twist it as deep or shallow into the wreath to achieve your desired look.  The nice thing about this project is if you mess up the felt circles, you can always take it out and redo it!  I continued these steps to make sure to cover both the inside and outside of the wreath.

To make the chalkboard, I used the lyrics from a popular Beatles song.  My husband is a huge Beatles fan and I thought it would be a cute touch to include those lyrics in my project.  I looked up a variety of designs especially for the LOVE drawing and came across this awesome chalkboard art tutorial that I used for inspiration.  The rest of the artwork is free handed and isn't perfect, but it's not supposed to be!

After outlining in pencil, I traced it using a white paint pen.  You can use actual chalk like in the tutorial above, but I wanted it to be permanent, so I could use it year after year and it wouldn't smudge.

Happy Valentine's Day week and spend some time with someone you love this weekend!