This being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’m joining the I Wear Pink sets on Polyvore in honor of my sister, a breast cancer survivor, and everyone battling this horrible disease.
I Wear Pink
Month: October 2011
Tiled outdoor counter
When we moved in to this house, we found a BBQ and counter attached to one of the outside walls. It wasn’t in very good condition and the fact that it was right next to the house concerned us. There was a kegerator with spouts both inside and outside. Awesome, right? Except we don’t drink beer.
The old BBQ finally collapsed, full of rust, and left a huge hole in the middle of the counter. We figured, since we were redoing the bathroom floor, we could use the same materials to re-vamp the counter into an actually usable piece.
The process was basically the same – clear off all old materials, layer backerboard, mud it, then lay and grout tile. For this counter, we purchased edging pieces and an extra pack of the tile we used for the bathroom. At 68 cents per tile, it was perfect.
Now we have a beautiful counter that is both useful and presentable:
On the top left corner you can see a switch box, we can hook up music, a coffeemaker, a fan on hot days, etc. so it is a very serviceable area for entertaining.
My awesome husband did a great job on this as well, didn’t he?
Fashion Friday: Fall is here!
I am deliriously happy because my favorite season has truly arrived – no more deceptively cool mornings followed by blistering hot afternoons. No. Now cold mornings are followed by cool afternoons, and sometimes, even rain! Swapped my summer shorts for my beloved jeans:
Source: polyvore.com via Joy on Pinterest
Aside from a pair of leopard print flats, I am not really shopping for anything this fall/winter:
Jackets are back in rotation:
Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Gayla on Pinterest
Tall boots make a comeback:
Source: polyvore.com via Milena on Pinterest
It’s all about layers, layers, layers!
Source: stumbleupon.com via Bethany on Pinterest
My beloved knit hats will be topping my outfits once again:
Everything in warm, cozy colors:
Source: polyvore.com via Breanna on Pinterest
What are you looking forward to wearing this fall?
Fall outdoor decor
I’m joining up the fall parteh at Sarah’s today with my BOO pumpkins. I saw this idea on pinterest and I decided to switch it up a bit. 
First, I spray painted the pumpkins with Oil Rubbed Bronze. Then, since my oldest was helping me with this craft I made it a little easier for him by scribbling the letters on paper first.
This made it easier for him to “trace” with the silver thumbtacks:
Once the letter was done, I held the thumbtacks in place and gently pulled off the paper.
My stylist-in-training decided that my Martha Stewart web ribbon would be perfect on the urn I painted a few months ago:
Pretty simple and easy, and I love how the thumbtacks reflect light so even if it’s getting dark you can see the pumpkins with their BOO 😀
Hope you enjoyed this outdoor craft!
Fall craft: Cinnamon candle
I’ve seen cinnamon sticks wrapped around a candle throughout blogland, and decided it was the perfect accent for a little vignette.
For my version, I chose a vanilla-scented candle, then wrapped a rubber band around it. I stuck cinnamon sticks between the rubber band and candle, then added a festive bow as a final touch.
Super easy, super cheap, and super scented! The candle was .99, the ribbon was a leftover piece from my fall wreath, and the cinnamon sticks came to $3.
Here is the candle on my little tray with a favorite fall picture of one of my boys and a blingy votive holder:
Hope you enjoyed my craft! I will be linking up to the It’s Fall Y’all craft linky party!
The Bathroom Saga – re-flooring
Back at the beginning of the year I shared the continuing saga that is the bathroom – we have two, one in the master bedroom, and this one which everyone who comes to our house uses. This is what the bathroom looked like a couple of years ago before we painted the walls:
The first major change was painting the walls in Ralph Lauren’s chamois:
Then it became a pressing matter to re-do the flooring because our splash-happy boys were getting water all over and several planks of wood laminate were starting to lift. Thank goodness the damage did not go under the cabinets or the tub so we do not have to replace either. The ugly orange brown vanity and medicine cabinet were painted a rich chocolate brown and the animal-themed curtain gave way to a rice paper print curtain.
For the flooring we wanted something very basic and neutral, so we went with Interceramic’s Grecciano Beige tiles which were on sale at Lowe’s for 68 cents each.
The beginning of the re-flooring process:
Steve’s uncle D, invaluable help with lots of advice, instructions, tools, etc.
The “lovely” vinyl we found underneath the wood laminate
The damaged sub-flooring is replaced
One of our enthusiastic watchers 😀
Backerboard layer is installed:
My husband figuring out tile placement
Noting down the cuts that need to be made
Tile cutting!!!
Ready for the new toilet!
Our old toilet was a major water hog to begin with, AND – in what we are told is common for houses built at the same time as ours – it flushed down twice, wasting even more water, so we got a new water-sense toilet.
Voila! The new flooring is installed:
Here is how our bathroom is looking these days – I am so happy with it!
I have to say I am so proud of my husband for getting this done – it was a big job, and thanks to Uncle D’s knowledge and help, we saved a lot of money and repaired damage that was just going to keep getting worse and worse.
The next step in The Bathroom Saga – sort of like The Twilight Saga but with no vamps or weres – is the sink/vanity top. That thing is FUGLY. Apparently it is top of the line marble but damn, ugly is ugly. I hate that it extends over the toilet, too. We will be adding a couple of floating shelves once that banjo-shaped counter is gone. For now, though, we are all enjoying the pretty new flooring – I hope you liked this transformation!
Casa de Berry 