Monday, March 31, 2014

Bathroom Lighting.

I'm a researcher. I can get lost in google for hours, shopping for deals, reading reviews. Ask Steph, he leaves all the vacation planning to me. I can answer all his questions about the destination before we've even been there. Another example? We recently decided to buy a Nespresso.. I read everything I could find about them for a little while. Have any questions? I'm well versed.

So why am I telling you this? Well, because I spent a lot of time looking at lighting and trying to find the "perfect" combination of one overhead light and two sconces for our new bathroom. I found a lot that I really liked and some that I loved. Most of them fairly expensive, isn't that always the way?



In the end, I couldn't make a decision and took the easy route by shopping local. All that time searching and I found something that did the trick right here in PEI (Kent Building Supplies, for those that are curious).



The sconces I chose were both affordable and accessible. I had them bought and up on the wall in an afternoon which is quite satisfying for a girl who does a lot of shopping online and is always waiting for orders. They aren't what I was dreaming of, but at the end of a renovation, you start to be happy with what you can afford. Bathrooms are expensive, in case you didn't know:)



That being said, I need an overhead light to complement them. Currently, we have a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. I was thinking something square to mimic the square bases of the sconces, but apparently that is not particularly easy to find.



I'm also not opposed to something with a little bit of personality either. I'm not exactly sure what I mean by that but basically I'm open to suggestions. My only musts are that it must be chrome in finish and if it's sold online, they must ship to Canada. Which I've discovered, is sometimes half the battle!

Our mirror is being custom cut and I'm anxious to have that up on the wall. Right now, it's a lot of bare white walls! Little by little though.. things are coming together!




Our extra long shower curtain.


Our bathroom is just about finished. There are a few little jobs that need to get finished but it's definitely almost there. Steph installed the door trim and baseboards last week so we need to get them painted. The door needs some work, as it doesn't close properly, and got pretty banged up during the renovation process. I still haven't chosen a ceiling fixture or a permanent curtain rod but those things will come in time. The important thing is that it's functional and we love it!

You may recall that I was unsure about what to do for a shower curtain. I  the loved the idea of going extra long and hanging the shower curtain almost to the ceiling. I felt it would make the room appear larger. The problem was finding a shower curtain that long. Not an easy task! Extra long is considered 84 inches in the shower curtain world and for our bathroom that was going to be about 5 inches too short.

Looked like custom was the way to go. I first thought about having it made, both through an online source and locally. Unfortunately, once you factored in the cost of fabric and labor, it seemed a little bit outrageous. Especially considering how much the bathroom renovation drained my bank account already!



Originally, I wanted a white shower curtain. I love white in general but I also wanted the space to feel as airy and bright as possible. Our tiler kept insisting that it was going to be too much white and that I should go with a light grey to pick up the grey in the marble floor. I told him he was so so wrong. But guess what? He was right all along. I admit it now!

I had a pair of grey Ikea Aina curtain panels that measured 98 inches long. They were actually the perfect color for the room and the big bonus? Free, since I already had them. I took them to my seamstress and she hemmed them to 88 inches, sewed the two panels together then cut it to 72 inches wide (standard for a shower curtain). She also added button holes at the top for the shower hooks.


They are linen so even after a hot, steamy iron, they are quite wrinkly but I like the relaxed look. Feels good to have one more thing checked off the list. Will share more soon!
 

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Excuses.


Hi friends! Those of you who follow me in Instagram know that we just got back from a week of sun, sand and relaxation in beautiful Jamaica. It went by much too quickly but I'm feeling a little bit rejuvenated. Now, here's the part where I list all my excuses for not blogging lately. 

I had been a little hard on myself about neglecting the blog and came to realize I was a little burnt out. School has been busy with report cards, interviews and upcoming provincial assessments. Thank goodness for a great class that I enjoy spending my days with. 

Living through a bathroom renovation was a million times more stressful than I'd ever imagined. It really left us exhausted. Steph, physically and me, emotionally. I do really need to get on the ball and share the progress, I know. 

My computer officially fried. 

We started crossfiting 5 times a week instead of 3. While I do believe it's been a positive change overall, it eats up our evenings a few nights a week. ie less time for projects around the house and blogging in front of the tv.

I'm at the 'I want to change everything in my house' phase. This is not financially feasible not to mention ridiculous, but means I need a game plan. Baby steps!


So that's my feeble attempt at an explanation for my absence. I think I'm back though. Let's try for a couple of posts this week, shall we?