Basement Bath Overhaul!

When we moved into our current home, I was very pregnant and very sick and couldn't have cared less about our basement bathroom. I told my mom to paint it the same off-white that we used in the foyer (which has also since been repainted) just to get it in working order. Since, we have made few changes and have actually had three different tenants use it over the last two years! After Linda, our latest tenant, moved out in May, I have been itching to make that bathroom more welcoming for our future renters and guests. Here is my project, done! It is SO gratifying and I now just LOVE it down there, a room that I used to avoid! And, might I add, this amazing transformation cost us a total of only $55!

BEFORE

AFTER

Wall color: Wal-Mart's Color Place paint in Pale Spruce $12. Since this isn't our main bathroom, using a cheaper all-purpose indoor paint will still last for a few years without chipping or bubbling.

Shower Curtain: Bed Bath and Beyond, though I saved $10 by buying on Ebay! Cost $30 after shipping.

Wall shelf: Target $14.99

I couldn't be happier with how it turned out, especially on such a low budget. I was motivated to finish it before our next renter moves in in August, now on to painting our upstairs bathroom and all my other projects... :)

Latest project to-do: A fixed roman shade

Even though my to-do list is still long, I've added a new project to it! I saw this on a blog I follow and am in love. I LOVE the look of Roman shades but nice ones (especially ones with a decent pattern) are so expensive and hard to find. I've been wanting some type of valance in our kitchen forever and ta da! I found this tutorial on how to make a fixed roman shade. A sewing project even I could master. In our kitchen, a fully functioning roman shade isn't necessary so this will be a great solution for me. I've never liked the dated look of any kind of valance so this is a great find--a half curtain that has the style of a whole one!

I still need to pick a fabric for ours which will be tough but I'm excited for the challenge. I am very picky when it comes to fabric but when I perused Joann's selection yesterday there looked to be some good options. The hard part will be finding something that will match now AND match whatever kitchen's we move into in the future, but I'll see what I can do.

For those interested in making your own, here is the how-to:

http://flythroughmywindow.blogspot.com/2009/06/fixed-flat-fold-roman-shade.html

Other projects I'm thinking about: I need to cover our existing couch pillows. I LOVE them and the fabric but they are falling apart, literally. They have button pulls in the middle and one-by-one they've started popping off or back into the pillow, a choking hazard waiting to happen. I'm so sad to see this fabric go though and will have a very hard time finding a replacement, I'm sure.

Did you know that amazon.com has an incredible selection of fabrics? I spent a few hours the other night looking through for these projects and a pack-n-play panel I'm making, and I was very happy with the thousands of options. The only drawbacks are you can't feel the fabric before buying and you have to pay shipping, but some projects don't require either. I'd definitely recommend amazon if you like to browse from home!