Monday, October 25, 2010

Sometimes You Just Have To...

...Work with what you got!

This was the case when we first toured our home and saw the bathroom that would be for our children. Let me just say,
thank goodness that we had little ones because if we didn't, this room would have been getting a MAJOR overhaul right away!

WARNING! Busy striped wallpaper and fish tile ahead!!!

Here is the bathroom Before
Can you say "A lot going on in one little room"???
Those 2 sinks really helped me overlook what I knew would be a lot of work in store for us.
The wallpaper had to come down, the lights and faucets were all broken and needed to be replaced and the tile? Well, the tile I was just going to have to live with for awhile and decorate around.
After we began removing the wallpaper we discovered that it had been put right up on the drywall! ARGGHHH!!!
My fingernails have never fully recovered.

Here is what the room looks like now in the Daytime Hours...

Wallpaper...GONE! And with new light fixtures and faucets and cabinet knobs we brought it into this decade. I decided that even though the tile on the backsplash was "beachy" that I would go more in the direction of playing up the fun color pallette it provided, especially since it is a kid's bathroom!
Here is what the room looks like in the evening which will give you an idea of how drastically the paint color changes from day to night.


The 2 sinks are wonderful now but I know that they will be even more wonderful when we have teenagers in this house!



 This little red stool was a great find for only $12. The rag rug was $3 at Tar-jay and the colors really warm up the white tile.



I found these fun curtain panels at Lowes for $6 each and love how they add more great color and using Traditional Curtain panels versus a true Shower Curtain gives it so much more fullness. These little wooden letters representing the kids names were really fun to do and were such an inexpensive way to add some wall decor.


Just this weekend we finally got around to framing out the mirrors and it has added so much character to the room and really help to modernize the space. Even though they meet in the corner, we decided to accentuate the fact that they are 2 separate mirrors by adding the trim down the seam on either side.




How weird does my hand and the camera look sticking up in the mirror?
Do you find yourself contorting your body in all different ways to get just the "right angle"?
My one concession to the "Beachy" theme was to add these favorite family photos of our visits there.


Another inexpensive decorative element was to frame my kiddos' handprints and showcase them in their bathroom. Lauren's was obviously smudged so we helped it out by outlining it a bit!

I had to add a little bit of fall in here too of course!


I love this little red frame but love the photo in it even more!



And this is the little potty that is patiently waiting for my stubborn daughter to use regularly.

We are currently locked in the battle of the wills with a 3 year old over potty-training. So far she is winning!
And don't even THINK about leaving me comments telling me all about your tips and tricks and your success stories.
I promise you I have tried them all! Literally ALL OF THEM! She actually will hold it in until we get home and then soak through diapers/Pull-Ups which is even more frustrating because I know she has the ability to do it! Going potty and eating are 2 of the things you just can't MAKE your children do. I figure she won't go off to college still in a diaper so there is hope yet!


There is much more we want to do someday to this bathroom, but for now, the fishy tile delights my kiddos which, of course, delights me too!

Hope you have a great Monday!
From this Southern Girl at Heart,
Vanessa







34 comments:

Slice of Pie said...

I love your bathroom ... even the fish tile ... actually I really like the fish tile! Yes ... she'll go when she is ready to go!

Debbiedoos said...

Ha that looks fantastic. I am cracking up though over your last statement...don't even try to give you any advise...OK I won't:) She will get it sooner or later is all I can say for sure! Ok I am going to just sneak this in....did you try the timer on the microwave? Ever 30 minutes, ding...oh it is POTTY time!!~ and make a big hoot and howl out of it...I even had the video on...Yes where goin to a potty potty...LOL!!~ Good luck!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Loving the changes you have made. The bathroom looks great!
Hugs,
Penny
p.s. I am having a giveaway! Come enter.

Ashley said...

Your kids' bathroom is so cute! I love the faucets, two sinks, and the way you framed the mirrors. Funny today I posted about my laundry room and having to work with what we had for now. And you are right, she'll go when she's ready!

High Street Cottage said...

Vanessa, you did a great job! And this is coming from a woman who survived pink tile with 70's vegetable prints on them in her rental kitchen lol, but somehow I made it work, am glad I'm now a homeowner though. And tile can be painted too. But yours need not be, it looks fantastic, and I love your accessories , particularly the tiny hand prints.

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Love your kids bathroom Vanessa! The framed in mirrors look beautiful too!I don't know what to say about potty training other than they kind of do it when they are ready. Pulling your hair out, and being frustrated in a battle of wills is never fun! Some kids are early bloomers, some later. Sorry I am not more help! Good luck! :)

Jemsmom said...

Wow!!! You have made that bathroom look awesome! I love how the sinks are on separate walls! Looks great and I love all your little details. Your daughter sounds a lot like mine! We had to forgo the potty chair and just put the potty seat on the toilet. That did the trick for us! She didn't like the potty chair! Not that I am giving advice or anything... :-)

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Love the colorful bathroom and good luck with the potty training.

Martha said...

Like what you did to your bath and I especially like that sink arrangement! So unusual and so much clever than a straight run two sink arrangement!

You did a good job!

NanaDiana said...

Love all your color. It is perfect for a kid's bathroom....especially the striped shower curtain. Yep..like Kim said...good luck with the potty training! Did you read Dr.Phil's book on Partying In The Potty?>) Hugs-Diana

Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door said...

What a great bathroom makeover! It really is perfect for two kids. I love that the sinks are truly separated. His and Hers! "You stay on your side and I'll stay on mine!"

Dandelion and Daisy said...

Great makeover, I love the wall color. The tile isn't that bad and as you say in a kids bath you can get away with it...and it's kind of fun!

Lori said...

What a transformation. I love the hand shot in the mirror. Mirror pictures are hard to take. The tile color pops with all the changes. I notice no close up shots of the tile. Looks good from far away! I love curtains as shower curtains. Great Job!

Lisa ~Suburban Retreat~ said...

This is a really fun bathroom for the kids ~ lot's of great details. What a difference a few small changes can make to a space. Love the paint colour but the change from day to night is incredible!

Becca Bertotti said...

What a cute bathroom for your peanuts !! You guys did a fabulous job of transforming it to a bright and fun space. I love the shower curtain and lettering (and, of course, that precious picture on the counter) !! Best of luck with the potty training, too. lol Hugs, *Becca*

Jenny @ Simcoe Street said...

You did an incredible job transforming this bathroom -- amazing!
Jenny
www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Having never lived in a house with more than one bathroom I am extremely jealous.

Since you know she has the ability to hold her potty needs, have you tried reverse psychology? Tell he she is not allowed to use the potty? It is only for big girls? I do not think that qualifies as taunting and abusive.

michelle said...

You did such a wonderful job! Wallpapered to the drywall??? Oh my! I couldn't even imagine tearing that down! I love how you framed the mirrors. Someday I would like to do that to ours. The bathroom is such a great place and so fun for the kids. You did an amazing job working with what you had with the tiles and it really turned out adorable! Sorry about the potty training, I had the same issue. One of my friends said that I should write a book about all the little things that were said as to why my son wouldn't use the potty! I should have, it would have been good for a laugh now! :) Have a wonderful day!!!

Kim said...

What you have to work with is a LOT better than what I have to work with Vanessa! Ha! I'm so impatient with this particular DIY my poor hubby is sick of hearing me whine. You are lucky that your bathroom was already beautiful to begin with!
xoxo,
Kim

Melissa Miller said...

Oh my goodness I hope the trainig starts to go well soon. The childrens bathroom is really fun and pretty all in one. Love the precious red lamp and swirly frame. You did a great job Vanessa.

Happy week! ~Melissa ;)

La said...

It looks great!

Potty training was by far the hardest part of parenting for me. Good luck! La

Traci said...

You did such a great job with the room! It's amazing what a drastic change paint makes.

Debbie said...

I won't even THINK about giving you tips. I can't remember any that weren't the same old thing anyway.

I love what you did with the room. I really, really like that color and the way it looks different at night than day. The frames on the mirror coming together in the corner adds such pizazz, too.

Boy, can I relate to the dry wall and fingernails. UGH!!!
And you made me laugh out loud when I saw the camera peeking up for the picture. LOLOL. That is so much like me. I'm giggling again just thinking about it!!


Good luck with the potty!

Turquoise and Trine said...

Hi Vanessa,
Your kids bathroom is great! I love the idea of using curtain panels in place of a shower curtain. The double sinks will be nice when your kids are older.

Good luck with the potty training. My oldest was so easy to train but my younger daughter - well lets just say it was a nightmare! She was over 4 yrs old before she was completely trained! I tried everything but she had to do it on her own. I told myself the same thing - she won't go to college in diapers! Ha! : )

Gypsy Heart said...

I think you did a fabulous job! Lots of special touches and of course, I love anything red.

Have a great week!
Pat

Anita Diaz said...

Oh they are so funny when they are potty training!! This bath looks great!! You did a great job, and I'm loving the tile too! I'm so far behind getting around to see everyone this week, but we've had all the kids here and lots to do with them!!

Anonymous said...

ahhhh....potty training....those were the days.:-)

Wonderful makeover and to tell you the truth...I like the fish tile.

Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia said...

WHat a fun bathroom, love the hand prints and the shower curtain, it's all so pretty! Thanks for linking up
XO

DIYbyDesign said...

Love your bathroom...and your blog. Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm glad you like the armoire. I lost some sleep over that purchase hoping I made a good choice.

Melanie said...

First I am going to say that you did a great job with the bathroom. I think keeping the tile (even if you didn't like it) was the right choice. It is cute for a kids bath. You really have a great house.

Second, (just my two cents) she will go to the potty when she wants to. You are right, she won't be going to college in a diaper. When they get 16 yrs. old, you look back and see that a lot of things that you thought were a big deal really weren't. Don't let this be one. It will make you crazy. :)

The Pleasures of Homemaking said...

Your bathroom looks so pretty! I like the tile - I think it's fun! Love the handprints.

Really the wallpaper was what was so distracting and now with it gone the room looks great. I'm dealing with a bathroom that also wasn't primed before the wallpaper was put on. Actually all the bathrooms had wallpaper when we moved in and none of the walls were primed?!!

Anyway, good job!

Manuela

Traci said...

What a fun bathroom for you kiddos- you have done wonders with your home - each room is beautiful! I enjoy looking at all the photos!

maria said...

Great bathroom!!!You did a great job...
My son gave up on diapers when he was 3 and a half and i was worried for how long his going to wear them. And as a friend of mine told me "have you seen any adult to wear diapers?:)

Unknown said...

Nice job with baby-proofing the bathroom! Though I was expecting something like hiring walk in bath manufacturers for a baby-size walk in bathtub. Manufacturers would've been delighted to do something that unique! Good job, nonetheless!