Pre-Nesting

I've heard of women nesting when they become pregnant, but I think I may need to coin the term "pre-nesting" if it hasn't already been coined. My husband and I have recently made the decision to start our family and I have gone on a home improvement rampage. I've always enjoyed updating small details in rooms from time to time, but now that I know we could have a baby in the very near future, I have this (almost) uncontrollable urge to truly turn our house into a home.

My latest conquest was our full bathroom. I wish I would have taken a true "before" picture (before I put up pictures or added decorations). The best I can do is paint a mental picture: an aqua blue shower curtain that shrunk in the dryer and became too short, grimy looking towel hooks/paper towel holder, a patch the size of a dinner plate on the wall by the towel paper holder, and a padded toilet seat that had definitely seen better days (something about using a padded toilet seat that had previous owners creeps me out). The picture I took before I painted still shows a major improvement. I tried to be practical since A) we're renting & B) we've got a little more than 2 years left here.

I tried to ignore the annoying buttery yellow color on the walls, the ugly patch, and the less than attractive towels hooks/toilet paper holder. I tried, and succeeded, for 8 months... until one day I just snapped. On a whim, I picked out a new shower curtain. This led to a new bathmat, coordinating hand towels, two pictures to hang, two candle holders + candles, and a matching soap pump/covered to go with the trash can I already had.

Once I got my new little pretties up, I could not bare the thought of that horrible buttery yellow on the walls any longer. Then I thought of the color my husband suggested when I talked about wanting to paint the bathroom long ago... gray. I had not given his suggestion much thought at the time, but it suddenly just clicked. I dragged Mike to Home Depot a couple of days later, stared at various shades of gray for about ten minutes, and settled on Behr's "Graceful Gray". Once I got it on the walls, I knew it was absolutely the perfect choice... I've got the pictures to prove it...

Before: better with the new decorations, but the butter yellow is still not cutting it

After: Ahhh, much better with the Graceful Gray

After: I call the bathroom's look "Beach Chic"

I wish I could wow everyone with an incredible budget, but the makeover kind of just happened. For future home improvements, I hope to make planning & budgeting a bigger part of the mission. Anyway, here is a rough rundown of what I got and what I spent...

Behr paint in Graceful Gray: $32

Towel bar/toilet paper holder set from Home Depot: about $47

Shower Curtain from Kohl's: on sale @ $32.99

Seahorse Pillar Candle Holders from Kohl's: on sale @ $9.00 & $6.75 (if I am remembering correctly, they were 55% off at the time).

Short Pillar Candle & Tall Pillar Candle from Kohl's: on sale @ $4.95 & $4.50 (I think these were also 55% off at the time of purchase. Normally, I would not include such a small detail... but these candles smell absolutely heavenly. Even when they are unlit, my bathroom smells a-maz-ing!

Bathmat similar to this one (from the same brand) from Kohl's: on sale @ $8.99

Hand Towels both from Kohl's: on sale @ $5.99 each

Framed Art both from Kohl's: on sale @ $24.99 each (I can't find a link, but the artist is Cynthia Coulter)

Soap pump & covered dish on the sink both from Home Goods: $9.99 & $7.99 (they are beautiful & made from 100% recycled glass).

Grand Total = about $226.12. I didn't realize I'd spent that much, but it's not so bad when you consider that the price includes paint, hardware, some linens, wall art, & quite a few accessories. Oops, I forgot about the toilet seat, so tack on another $15 or so to that total.

Items already owned: small green vase (purchased @ Ross for $3.99 years ago), coordinating trash can to the soap pump & covered dish (purchased @ Home Goods a few months ago for $19.99), shower curtain hooks (purchased on sale @ Kmart months ago for $8.99).

I know I could have worked harder to complete a similar look under a better budget, but I am completely happy with the bathroom (as in: I inhale deeply and let out a 100% content sigh every time I walk into the bathroom). I was feeling a bit superficial for swooning over a room because of material items, but then I considered something else. While it is basically just a room with stuff in it, now it reflects my (and my hubby's too) personality and it brings me a feeling of comfort. So, all this "pre-nesting" business is an effort to create spaces in the rooms throughout our house that make it a HOME. What better gift can we give to ourselves and our baby-to-be than a peaceful home that brings all of us both comfort and joy?

Happy Halloween!

I've got a basket overflowing with candy just waiting for all the little ghouls and goblins! Side note: I did not want to get a Halloween specific basket that I would use once a year for the candy, so I just pinned some festive Halloween ribbon around the edge of a regular ol' basket that I can use everyday once it's served its Halloween duties. Apparently in Illinois, the Trick or Treating starts in the early afternoon.. as in 1pm. That will take a little getting used to. In California, kids Trick or Treat starting at dusk. I think that adds to the magic of it all, but I'm sure it will still be fun.

I can appreciate all of the spooky & gory Halloween decor, but I prefer the more subdued, natural version. I like the pumpkins, leaves, & hints of a softer orange and green (versus the obnoxious neon colors). It's much more convenient since I can leave most of my decor up through Thanksgiving and it's still relevant.

Last week I thought I should have something a little more Halloween specific up to get in the spirit. I went to Hobby Lobby (aka: Heaven on Earth) and got my materials for under $3. I took my plain Halloween banner and perked it up with some pretty orange and green scrapbook paper. All I needed to complete it was my handy Elmer's Spray Adhesive and my craft knife. I sprayed the front of my letters and set them face down on the back of the scrapbook paper. I let the letters dry for at least 30 minutes before trimming around them with my craft knife. I was pretty pleased with my results! Not too shabby for $3 and roughly 45 minutes of my time (technically only 15 minutes since 30 minutes were for drying).

Before

After

With less than 2 hours before the Trick or Treaters arrive, I should go get ready. I have no costume planned, but am considering going as a Mid-Westerner. All I need is my plaid shirt, jeans, boots, and maybe pig tails for good measure. I know, I am completely stereotyping! I would be interested to see what a Mid-Westerner would look like dressed up as a Californian ;D