Kitty Nook

I am so so so so proud of my latest creation! Here's the backstory: our house is small and only has two tiny bathrooms. Our house also has two dogs and a cat. Said cat, and the humans who love him, likes to have a bathroom to himself if at all possible. And since we'll be completely redoing the extra bathroom eventually, we've let Ceti have it for now. Which meant having a litter box in the shower and his food and water on the back of the toilet....not anymore!



booyah!



It's taken a little getting used to for Ceti.

And my favorite part is the hinged brackets! This way, on the rare occasions we need in that closet we just pop the shelf down.

Err...pay no attention to those fail holes on the wall...

 Even better, the only things I had to buy for this project were the brackets and the dish towels I used as curtains. (And if I still had my mound of fabric I had to give away in the move, I would've been able to spend even less money!) Oh dear, looking at these pictures makes me think I'll have to buy Ceti a real water dish. And different flooring. And different paint.

Whaddya think?

Our main bathroom, now.

This is after what I'd like to call stage one in our bathroom's life. I finally found some colors that Ben and I both like that go together, bought the necessary items for a bathroom (remember, we moved in with almost nothing to our names!), and did a few repairs. But there is definitely more to be changed!



Small, right? Haha.



Our bathroom art for the past few years.





Curtains made from napkins I found at Tuesday Morning. Originally we had some cheap black cafe curtains just so the neighbors didn't get a show every morning, and boy were they dark! I think these work MUCH better.



Yes, the weight live in our bathroom. I like to do quick reps while waiting for the water to heat up.

The new toilet seat I installed. Who knew it was so easy, you don't even need tools?!

And here's my organizational skills getting a workout:


Before






After!

 



Before



After! I am in love with the little white bowl from World Market I got for my rings.
 Unfortunately, still haven't figured out what to do about that toothbrush charger...

Now here's what I would like to change at some point...


So far, haven't found anything better (that I'm willing to pay for).




Wondering if I can just give it a good scrubbing?




Brushed nickel, please!



This would be the biggie that I haven't figured out. Do we try to recover it and make it white? Do we take it out and tile? Either way, I can't stand the almond color and you can just feel how cheap it is.

 It's tough. I want to modernize the bathroom as much as I can, because you know it's a good place to put your money. Buuuut, I also love the original tile job and would hate to erase that part of the house. At least it's not pink or royal blue tile! Also, I forgot to mention we have to replace the sink bowl since there's a huge crack in it that is impossible to cover. By the way, if see something that claims you can paint it over a crack and it'll hide it, don't believe it. It ends up looking like a kid painted a weird-looking tree on your sink. And I want to tile the floor. Normally I love a checkered vinyl floor, but it's just too busy in a small bathroom and it doesn't even go into the closet. At least I already know what I'll put in though, just have to find the time and room in the budget for it.


Zoey says it's time to go now, she's ready for her bath!






Little, cheap projects.

After I managed to rake the entire autumn out of our backyard this week, I was stuck in the house due to the cold weather again. That and the threat of ice that still hasn't come. So I've been working on some little projects, organizing and cleaning. I did manage to get us another desk for the study that I lurve, even if it is brown.   :-P

Here's our entryway:

It doesn't look like much, but that's what we wanted. All we really need is somewhere to put our keys, place to keep mail occasionally, a wipe board and somewhere for the dogs' leashes. The white piece on the bottom is Umbra's Magnetter, and it is so cool! It's curved from the wall so you can put letters or whatever there, and the bottom has really strong magnets inside to hold your keys.

The top is a wipe board I made from scratch. I really like this one from Crate and Barrel, and one day I'll upgrade, but I just needed something cheap right now. It's just a $2 frame from the Goodwill I spray painted white and I spray painted the back of the glass white as well. Voila, $2 wipe board!


It really does, too bad the markers I got are too faint.

The only thing left is to get something for the leashes. Apparently I sold the really cute leash holder we had, so now I have to get another one from IKEA. Yes, it's the doggy butt one. Sigh...I miss living within 20 minutes of an IKEA.

 And here's our new fruit basket....

It was one of those old brass numbers I found in my parents barn the last time I visited. Cleaned up and spray painted it aqua for the kitchen. Good gosh, I love it! I guess this technically cost $3-4 for the paint? It really comes in handy having a family that never throws anything away...for 50 years!