Wednesday, January 5, 2011

What Took Me So Long?

I'm seriously considering starting a new series entitled,
"What took me so long?"

Dedicated to all of those projects that I put off forever and ever and then when I finally get around to it, the simplicity of it and the speed at which it's accomplished leaves me wondering why I didn't do it a lot sooner!

This was definitely a "what took me so long" kind of project.
And it would have gone even faster if I had not been fighting a Migraine off and on for the last 4 days. 4 DAYS PEOPLE! And, I'm not talking the slight pain of a headache. I'm talking hurting so badly that you pull on your hair because it actually makes it feel better. The nausea, the inability to bend over or turn your head from side to side. Praying that you will throw up because it actually relieves some of the pressure! Anyone out there relate?

Nothing like starting out a blog post talking about puking!
Let's move on to decorating, shall we?

When I left you on Monday I was getting ready to show you some small changes I made to our Master Bathroom in order to cover up the shower that I would like to rip out sooner rather than later.

Here is what it looked like Before


There is something about putting a picture of your toilet on the Internet that just feels so wrong.
And no, that is not frosted glass on the shower doors.
And yes, there is a reason that the light isn't turned on.
One time my in-laws watched our kids for a couple of nights and they ended up staying in our house and I remember telling my hubby that there is nothing quite so humbling like the feeling of knowing that your Mother-in-law is going to be using your very grimy shower. I scoured and scoured it, but I think there are just some things that are beyond help!

So, let's do the next best thing!
Cover it up!

I took 2 inexpensive drapery panels ($9.99 each) with built in Grommets and strung them up on an oiled bronze colored shower rod.


The length of the panels allowed me to add height to the space and using drapes instead of a normal shower curtain gave it the fullness I was looking for. The soft gold color picks up the 2 tones in the striped wallpaper.


 And when I actually leave the door open, you can see the curtains in the same eye as my window treatments and the colors work together perfectly!




The second half of this "What took me so long?" project involved the towel bar and toilet paper holder in the same space.
We have wanted to replace them with oiled bronze to match the rest of the bathroom hardware but because one was attached to wallpaper and the other to tile, it was very difficult to find sets that matched up with the existing holes.





So, once again, I did the next best thing and just sprayed those suckers! Using a can of oiled bronze spray paint leftover from another project, I dramatically changed the look of this little space. Painting the round bars took a little more time and patience as I had to wait for one coat to dry before I turned it to the next side, but it was well worth it!

Looks like the real deal, doesn't it?



So, now I can check one more project off the list and feel like I am off to a good start in 2011!
What took me so long?


From this Southern Girl at Heart,
Vanessa


Linking to
Anything Goes

47 comments:

Kim said...

Looks gorgeous Vanessa - great move!
xoxo,
Kim

Savannah Granny said...

Great punch for a quick turnaround. I know exactly what you mean. We sometimes stew over something much longer than it would take to actually complete the project.
Looks great! Ginger

Infatuated with Homes and Gardens said...

Wow Kim ,what a difference ,love the shower curtain colour it's very grown up ,no little fishies swimming over it ha ha.
I am glad to hear you are feeling better,My husband has had a couple of migranes that lasted no more than a day ,cannot imagine 4 days of it :(

PAINTORDIG.blogspot.com said...

Love that shower curtain. I need to go to the store right this minute for some spray paint-I know I could find something to painr with oil rubbed bronze!

Town and Country House said...

I am verrrry impressed--it looks great!

Karen said...

Love the shower curtain! But, you have me a wonderful idea using the spray paint. Just haven't seen that color ~ I need to spray a shiny brass buffet lamp. Did you prep the towel bar & tp roller?
Thanks for sharing. Hope you are feeling better.

Traci said...

What a great idea!! Why is it those showers get the way they do?? I spray painted my towel bars too & I'm sooo glad I did. Those things in ORB are really expensive! I replaced them in one bathroom before I learned of the greatness that is spray paint!!

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Great improvements...I know, I so often say the same thing...or why didn't I think of that before? I had one of those moments in our toilet closet before Christmas. I don't know if you saw it, but mercy, what a difference it made!

michelle said...

I love your new series! I know exactly how you feel! It look so glamorous in there now my dear!! We have a small stand up shower and it had the shower door on it, I hated it, it was gross and old and not hung right and it was a breeding ground for mold and ick so I ripped it out on day! :) I then just put up a boring shower curtain but it looks SO much better and so much easier to clean! I love your "new" toilet paper and shower rods too! Look at you go, you are going to get so much done now with your new series! ;)

I hope you are feeling better, 4 days is a long time to feel like that. Hugs!!

Turquoise and Trine said...

I love the shower curtain made from panels! It looks so nice! The towel bar and TP holder look great too. I'm always amazed at what a little spray paint can do.

Lori : )
Thrifty Decor Mom

DIYbyDesign said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your migraine. Hope you are feeling better. I love that shower curtain. Where did you find those drapes? When you gave us the sneak preview the other day I figured they were expensive silk drapes. They look amazing...but the price is even more amazing. Great job painting the towel bar. Such a smart idea. I did the same thing with kitchen chairs...when in doubt just repaint. Great job.

Petie@inspirednesting.com said...

Love those unexpected quick projects! Didn't know there was oil bronze spray paint, but I have a feeling I'll be using it in 2011. Tks for sharing.

So sorry you haven't been feeling well. Hope you're on the downhill side of that :)

Vintage Gal said...

Wonderful Job! Love that curtain fabric. And the Towels bars - beautiful!
Marianne

Debbiedoos said...

Look at you...that is awesome! And it looks awesome too Vanessa. I say and do the same thing ALL the time.

Susan deGeneres said...

Hooray for spray paint! Everything looks terrific.

I get migrains every once in a while. Their awful, and I'm so glad your feeling better.

Hugs,
Susan

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Hi Vanessa, The shower curtain made a big difference...love it! I spray painted my liquid soap holder and tissue box orb about a year ago and it has held up well. Your bath is beautiful!
xo,
Sherry

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Vanessa, the drapes look fabulous. Such a great idea. I love the bars painted ORB also. Isn't that stuff unreal. I painted my light fixtures in the bathroom 2 yrs ago and they still look like new. Love that stuff. Hugs, Marty

Pam - @diy Design Fanatic said...

Your bathroom looks fabulous and the changes are wonderful! So sorry to hear about your horrible headaches :(

Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia said...

Vanessa-
You seriously need to start a link party every week that you host called what took me so long! I'm telling you, if you don't jump on this someone will!
This shower curtain is fabulous!!!
XOXO
Kristin
e-mail me with your thoughts :)

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Vanessa...

Oooh...I love the changes that you made to your beautiful bath! I love the gold drapery panels...sure does soften up that space and I agree...so much prettier to look at a beautiful fabric! And...I love your oil bronzed (painted) towel bar and paper holder! Now I'm wondering...did you spray them while they were still on the wall? Just curious...hehe!

Well my dear, thank you so much for sharing more of your beautiful home with us and your latest projects! I am sooo terribly sorry to hear that you have been down with a migraine! I can sympathize! Take care, Sweetie...and feel better!

Warmest wishes to you and your family for the New Year!

Chari @Happy To Design

Melanie said...

I am going to tell you a little secret....use WD40 on that shower and the grim will come right off:)

I like the shower curtain. Gorgeous!

Tire Swing Mom said...

Looks great, Vanessa!

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Great new looks, Vanessa. Love the panels over the shower area. Thanks for linking up this week.

Sheri @ www.careergirlinterrupted.com said...

omg - so dramatic! I can't believe how awesome that looks for such a quick fix. This is the kind of fix i love. Unfortunately i haven't had a lot of those lately :(

NanaDiana said...

Vanessa- Those look great-Love the shower curtains over the doors..and then no one can SEE you showering either...and believe me, darling, when you get to this age you would like to shower with a towel AROUND you rather than inside a see-through glass shower...but that's just me~

The towel bar and tp holder came out perfect. They do look like the real thing. I wonder why we do that -put off doing some of those jobs that are really easy -it is just DOING it instead of thinking about doing it. I think there are a lot of us out there like that.

I'll bet it feels like a whole different room! Hugs- Diana

High Street Cottage said...

It was worth it...it looks amazing Vanessa. Well done. tami

Deserae said...

Funny how the smallest changes can made such a huge impact huh? Love,love,love your new shower curtain...it really finishes the space off nicely :o) I used the oil rubbed bronze spray paint on my window hardware and it really does look like the real deal...gotta love it!!!!
~Des

Chiara said...

Hi, Vanessa! Thanks for the sweet comments on my blog. I looked up your blog and couldn't believe the first post--this is something I've been dying to do in our downstairs bathroom. We have a GROSS shower that EVERYONE sees when they use our guest bath downstairs. I wanted to get curtains to cover it up until we can remodel someday. You have inspired me to do this sooner than later! : ) It looks beautiful!
I'm glad to hear your migraine is better--praise God for healthy days!
Chiara

Lori said...

What does take us so long! Amazing what a few tweeks can do. Lovin' it. My doorknobs just got the oil rubbed bronze redo.

Becca Bertotti said...

First of all ... I hope you're feeling better! Second ... your master bath is sooo pretty! I love the changes! The panel covering your shower looks fab ... yes, the color works perfectly in there! And, your *new* towel and toilet paper bars look great! You've inspired me to just spray paint some in one of our bathrooms. Thanks for sharing.

Susan Nowell @ My Place to Yours said...

Vanessa, I have sooooo many "what took me so long" projects I need to tackle in this new year! I only hope when I do that they turn out as great as yours! Nice job! (Glad you're feeling better.)

Tammy @BeatriceBanks said...

Hope you're feeling better. I absolutely hate shower doors! Someone told me you have to squeegee the doors after every use. I never could restore the doors and used every remedy I could find. So the next house we moved into, that's exactly what we did. Squeegee after every use. It works but so time consuming!
Love all of your finished projects! Looks wonderful!

Green Door Girl said...

ugh, I HATE migraines - 4 days is brutal! I am glad you are feeling better and the two things you did look great! I agree sometimes the easiest projects take FOREVER to get done! :)

Pamela said...

Looks fabulous Vanessa! We have one of those hope to tear out showers as well except ours are glass blocks.

KimMalk said...

You cracked me up this a.m., Vanessa - yes, it does seem wrong to show your commode for the entire world to see! I love your changes. The fabric really draws you in, instead of being repelled by not-so-pretty shower doors. The spray paint looks sup-er! I'm glad you feeling better, my friend. Thanks for linking with me today!

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of the drapes to hide the shower! It looks great! And then you just topped it off with the oil bronze accessories!

Honey at 2805 said...

Hope you are feeling better. I'm beginning to think you are my little sister or daughter.

1. I have terrible migrane headaches usually lasting 3-4 days.

2. I have a drape hiding a shower door in a rarely used (by guests) bathroom. Whats behind the curtain other than ugly tile? A storage closet!

Really like the idea of painting the hardware. That may go on my long list of things to do.

Honey at 2805 said...

I said "thank you" to you for your give-away gift in my post today! Love the poetry and the tea towel is so pretty!

Ashley said...

Its amazing how small changes can make such a big difference. It looks great! I hope you are feeling better, migraines are awful.

Donna@Conghaile Cottage said...

I LOVE every detail! I really like using shower curtains instead of doors, there is SO MUCH More room! I also am a fan of oiled bronzes... I hope you feel better! Hugs to you, Donna

Heather said...

Hello! I was out blog hopping, and I came across your blog! I think that we live in the same world!! My list of "why didn't I do that sooner?" would probably be the size of an encyclopedia! I also loved what you had to say about your mother-in-law and the shower. I know that I would feel the same way! I also wanted to let you know how wonderful your bathroom looks. You really have some fantastic ideas!

Debbie said...

First, I have only had a few migraines in my life but don't want a repeat. They run in our family as the Duchess, my sister, and my older daughter all get them. I'm sending a gentle hug your way for having endured a spell.

Second, I love the "what took me so long" concept. That's EXACTLY the kind of stuff I'm focusing on this year too. I knew what you meant immediately and happen to have a shower curtain to camouflage the uglies AND spraying some stuff ORB on my list too!

Great post.
Great changes!

Hope you're completely better by now.

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Your bathroom looks beautiful Vanessa~ I love the curtains- they really bring in a lot of warmth and the newly finished hardware is perfect! Hope you are feeling better!! Thanks for sharing this at my party this week! Hugs, Courtney

Alison Agnew said...

Love. It. Amazing what fabric and paint can do.

Thanks for linking up with me this week!

Lori @ Projects Plenty said...

Ha, ha about the shower door not having frosted glass. :) I love what you have done to the area... your master bath is gorgeous. The shower curtain fabric and your window treatments above your tub really add a lot. Thanks for sharing!

kitchen towel bars said...

Your towel bars looked so great. I like the look of it.

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