Things I Learned While Fixing My Bathroom: Faucets

Here's my next installment of my bathroom re-vamp.

Task #2: CHANGE FAUCET


I called my dear mother prior to tell her of my renovation ventures. She doubted my skills.  Oh Sue...

First of all, I had a seriously ugly faucet:

Ugh. So much brass. Perma-spotted. Hot and Cold labels? AM I AN IDIOT? I can figure that out, thank you. Time for an upgrade.

I didn't look up any youtube videos for this one... I figured it was logical. I was right.  However, I did discover that:

a. You cannot put your body in a vanity with drawers. I would have to be five years old if I wanted to fit.  

b. Sometimes you gotta break shit. I ended up ripping up the sink from the vanity (see "a")

c. Plumbing tubes are a bitch to loosen up.

d. I was very lucky to have an adjustable wrench. Make sure you have one of these.

BOOM. I did it. And with minimal water spillage. I obviously called my mom immediately to gloat. I'm mature.

THINGS I LEARNED:

1. Faucets are easy. Drains, on the other hand, are the secret killer.

2. Mom was wrong.

Stay tuned for the next installment: Re-grouting! 

-Chrissy

 

Things I Learned While Fixing My Bathroom: Electricity

Ok, so I'm fixing up my bathroom (pictures to come!) but in doing so, I have learned some valuable things.

Task #1: REPLACE LIGHT FIXTURES

How hard can it be? Surprisingly not that bad.  HOWEVER, I did a lot of dumb things in the process.  I decided to tackle the ceiling lamp first.  Before I started, I obviously turned to youtube to tell me how to actually do it...

BOOM. I'M READY.  However, I didn't have a circuit tester, nor did I feel like driving BACK to Lowe's, so I decided to try it without it.  Potentially very dangerous. However, I lived!

Since I was on a roll, I decided to finally take down this ugly thing:

And in its place, put up a much more modern light!

Success! My bathroom is now so stylishly well lit! GO ME.

THINGS I LEARNED:

1. Having a circuit tester would have been a good idea. It would have eliminated a fear of my potential death.


2. Changing lights alone is possible, but hard. It's rather challenging to re-wire and hold up the lamp at the same time.


Life lessons!

-Chrissy

Custom Art

Ok, part two.  Here's where we get crafty!!

Wall art is great... but it can be EXPENSIVE! (Thus all my "clearance rack" references in my previous post).  However, you can make some pretty awesome stuff with simple supplies.


GRAFFITI!

I LOVEEEEE graffiti.  When I was in Spain, there was graffiti everywhere! And GOOD graffiti... not gang signs.  I happened to take a ton of pictures of it when I was there with my crappy Kodak camera.  But as I was moving in, I realized it would make for some really cool pieces.  So I sent them to Walgreens to be printed and picked up some $5 pre-matted frames at Walmart.  So at about $8 each, I got a bunch of one-of-a-kind art!

Take a peek:

My kissing fishies in the bathroom!

These bright colors really POP on my grey walls in my second bedroom.

A strange cupcake / house mash up. 

All of these are parts of a series. I have three in my living room above the couch and four in my second bedroom.  I also have two above the toilet in the bathroom.  I grouped them by color family.


SHOWCASE TRAVEL PHOTOS

Most of you know I have a traveling problem... and consequently have a million pictures.  Like before, I sent them to Walgreens and put them in some pre-matted frames (the mat makes all the difference!).  But before I printed them, I make them all black and white.  This brings some unity to all your photos.  And obviously, it's easy and makes your photos way cooler.

I have a staggered column of three on either side of my dresser mirror:

CRAYON ART

I have to give credit to my friend Kristine for this one.  However, it is a pretty easy DIY art project.  All you need is a canvas, crayons, black paint, and a hairdryer.  You can even trace if you need to!  A good project for the artistically challenged.

FINGER PAINTINGS

Again, this is all my friend Kristine.  But again, this is a pretty easy. Just grab a canvas and a couple of colors you like, and get finger painting! It will bring you back to your Kindergarten days.

I hope to have more ideas coming soon! I have big plans for a chunk of wood and a blank spot in my kitchen.

-Chrissy

Wall Art

This is a part one of a two part series.  I like the idea of creating your own art... But sometimes you find a few gems!  I found this oil painting in an after Christmas sale:

Yes, it is a cat.  I am a cat lady. BUT the colors are purrrrfect (sorry, I had to do it...) and it was only about $60... A good deal for art.

I also am in love with this mirror.  I bought it in Puerto Rico... Some people don't like it... But it makes me happy. It is MY house anyways!

It also conveniently covers up my not-so-pretty attempt in covering a hole in the wall.  Whoops.

I get a lot of crap for the following piece.  I found the next two at Kohl's in the clearance section. I don't know why... but I just like them!

Where am I? THE KITCHEN! Just in case I was confused.  And if I ever need a reminder...

Life sure is good!  The final pre-fab art I've managed to find is another Kohl's clearance find.  Love the colors! They work perfectly with my earthy green living room!

It's kind of hard to tell... but that's on my green wall.  It's a nice modern/natural element. Love it!

All of these pieces of art were bought on clearance... hey, I'm on a budget.  So ignore those displays! Head to the back and see what you can find :-)

-Chrissy

Holaaaaa

Ok, here goes.  I've decided to attempt to keep a blog of my various DIY projects.  I bought my condo over a year ago, and I'm constantly trying to fix things myself! Pictures and detailed posts to follow!