Ducks are LAME!! Bathroom redo

Once upon a time, I had two little girls (3 and 1) and a new house to decorate.  Me, being a nice mommy let them pick between a couple of choices for their bathroom. They, mostly the 3 year old picked ducky’s I thought it turned out pretty cute.  Now fast forward 6 years and another 3 kids and apparently “DUCKS ARE LAME!” On Saturday morning the kids are responsible for cleaning their bathroom.  One Saturday they decided to not only clean it but start the redecorating process for me, you know cause “DUCKS ARE LAME, MOM!” I had some really awesome pictures of them ripping down the ducky border in protest of its lameness, but I can’t find them, so lame.  But anyway it really was time for a makeover and really I didn’t do much but remove the ducky-ness. This make over cost me about $10.00.  I know, I know I’m a big spender.

Yes, it’s kind of a joke, the post I mean. Serious bathroom redoers beware

Now for some before and after.

Before duck shower curtain.

After – polka-dot shower curtain

Before ducky border & weird space behind the door.

After no ducky border & what about the weird space behind the door… still there.

Before – ducky trashcan

After Blue trashcan.  Sorry I didn’t take a picture of the new trashcan.  Devastating I know, basically it looks like the duck one, only blue.

Before- cool blue paint

After – cool blue paint, okay it’s the same blue paint.  Like I dug around in the garage for 20 minutes until I found the 6 year old gallon of the same blue paint. What can I say I’m dedicated. (feel free to pretend like it’s a different color since the lighting in the bathroom is so awesome it looks like 2 different colors) OH and 6 year old paint…works awesome!

Okay enough before and after here are some other random things.

These little guys stayed because how often do you see a sink and bathtub, toothbrush holder and soap dish?? Answer: not often

I really want something decorative to go above these towels but I just can’t decide what.  It’s annoying me. seriously

That’s it.  Hope you enjoyed it .

On the Horizon

• S’MORES 2.0
• 
• Homemade Pancake Mix
• 
• French Herb Bread
• 

.

The Boys Room

If you think the girl’s bedroom is small the boy’s bedroom is even smaller. Some of you will have bigger closets than my boy’s bedroom.  This is really the only way we could place the furniture and I really couldn’t get that great a shot of the room. Anyways the boys received the girls old twin over twin bunk bed.  Which was fine except the youngest is only 15 months old, and I was kinda worried about him being in a big bed so soon, but it’s been just fine.  We normally kick them out of the crib at 18 months anyway. 

In the boys room I painted the ceiling, cleaned the carpet and touch up the blue paint. I also painted over the stars around the top of the room.

The girls room

Last week I spent a lot of time cleaning, redoing and reorganizing the kids bedrooms.  I have been trolling craigslist for a while now looking for a twin over full bunk bed.  I finally found one for a good price that was in great shape. So there was only one thing left to do…get to work!

The girls told me they had out grown the pink, so it had to go. I didn’t take any before pictures with the furniture, but this space below is were the bunk bed was.

The toddler bed that is standing on it’s head was right there smashed between the two dressers. Then under the window was another dresser.

It also had a wallpaper boarder that had to come off, but it came off super easily.

The girls picked out a really nice green color.  I painted a couple of coats of the green, I was worried the stripes would be hard to cover but they weren’t at all. I also cleaned the carpets in here, it’s amazing what a little carpet cleaning can do for a place.

Their new bed, I have never had kids share a bed before but it’s working out great. My 7 and 3 year old share, and there is so much room I don’t think they even notice each other.  We had to put one of the dressers at the end of the bed so we could access the closet.  I’m not in love with the bedding and neither are they but we got it for free from a friend and my pocket loves free, so we will use it for a little while.

It’s a small room but the new bunk bed helps out a lot.  I’m happy with it and so are they.  Win, win!

It’s not one of those kid bedrooms full of antiques and looks like it came from Pottery Barn but it does look like a 9,7 and 3 year old live there and that makes me smile.

The Dresser Doctor

A lady asked my husband to take this dresser to the dump for her.  He brought it home and I immediately wanted to try and make it better. But it was missing a drawer and it looked kinda rough.  I asked my DH about it and he said that the lady had the extra drawer and he would ask her if I could have it and if she wouldn’t mind us keeping it.  I picked the drawer up the next day and went to work.

First I pulled off all of these lovely plastic things.  They came off really easily, then I patched, sanded and painted the holes/ drawers. 

then I cleaned, scrubbed and otherwise disinfected the entire thing.

I decided to keep the old handles, I kind of liked them, plus they just don’t make things like this anymore.  I know some of you are thinking that there is a reason for that.  BUT I kind of think they’re charming. Anyways I did spray paint them a nice black color. Then I sanded and painted my guts out.

And here she is now.  I didn’t get a chance to take pictures of it before it was put in my girls room, but I think you get the idea.

Again

BEFORE

AFTER

Someday I imagine it painted a nice red color and used in our family room under our t.v. holding DVD’s and the like.  But for now it’s still a dresser.

$5.00 Highchair Facelift

I love our highchair, it’s not anything fancy but it’s so perfect for our little guys. But the poor highchair as gone through four kids and with the fifth one just starting to use it (and I don’t want to get a new one) I thought that it was high time that it received a facelift.   So this is what I did. 

First I went on the hunt for a suitable material to cover the highchair.  My first thought was to get a red and white checked tablecloth out of the camping section of our local WM.  But they only had the disposable kind in.  So I tried the seasonal section and they had exactly the type of tablecloth I wanted and they were on clearance for a couple of bucks which of course I loved,  BUT they weren’t the style I had in mind at all.  So I marched over to the house wares department and there it was!  Exactly what I had in mind. This beautiful dark read vinyl tablecloth! The kind you need is vinyl on one side and has some cotton batting type stuff on the back, and at $5.00 I was ready to give it a try.

 

So I removed the old highchair pad.  I never was a fan of the Winnie the Pooh theme so I was happy to see it go.

Then I traced around the old pad using it as a template for my new pad.  I left about 1/4 to 1/2 inch seam allowance.  I know it doesn’t look like it here but I really did. 

  

Once both of the sections were cut out I placed the right sides together and I used my sewing machine to sew together the “leg” part of the highchair pad.

Then I turned it right side out and put the old pad inside of it. I looked at getting new pad but man that stuff is spendy!  So I just used our old pad for the filling.

To get this thing to stay on the highchair I decided to add a pocket that would just slip over the top of the high chair.  So using the pad as a template again I cut out a pocket the same shape as the top of the pad.

Then I used a really strong industrial strength epoxy to glue the tablecloth to the old pad.  First I glued the back to the front and then I wrapped the front over and glued it to the back.

   

I used mini cloths pins to hold it altogether while it dried. 

Once it was dry I used the same epoxy to glue the pocket onto the back of the pad.

    

While that dried I found the place in the pad that the seatbelt comes through and I cut a slit.  And I smeared a little epoxy in there to hopefully keep it from ripping.

Once it was all dried it was time to attach it to the highchair.  First I slip the top of the highchair into the pocket that I had created.

  Then I found the spot on the underneath were the leg parts attached and I punched four holes in the table cloth and attached it to the highchair.  

Then I put the seatbelt through the middle

     

All Done!! I still can’t believe it worked! I’m VERY HAPPY with the results

BUT  while I was feeding a cute little baby this morning at around 4:00 I thought of a better way to do it (I think)  Does anyone else do that?

  I forgot to take a before picture so this is the best that I have

                    BEFORE                                                        AFTER

(now to spray paint those highchair legs so that they match the cover)

Check it out here http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/