Category: Home Decor

Jack’s Bathroom: Before & After

When I decided to give Jack’s bedroom a little refresh (see it here: Jack’s Room: Before & After), it also dawned on me that his bathroom could use a fresh coat of paint.

There was nothing really WRONG with it, but the blue color on the walls was just kinda… too blue. I don’t know. I don’t know why, just one day I decided I hated it.

Also, for some reason the inside of the bathroom door was painted a cream color, rather than the bright white of every other door in the house. So it just kind of seemed dingy and dirty.

And I do realize, I am pretty much the only person who would ever notice, because I stare at it while hanging out in the bathroom talking to Jack through the shower curtain while he takes a shower (I don’t know, the kid is weird). Anyways, I decided to do a little paint switcheroo.

I wanted something a little calmer and more muted on the walls. So, I went with Glidden’s White Sage. It’s like a whisper of yellowish green. Not too lime, but a little dusty.

I did 2 coats of painting the edges by hand with a brush and 2 coats of walls with the roller. While waiting for the walls to dry, I did one coat of bright white glossy paint on the inside of the door. All in all, it was super quick and only took me maybe a half of a day with the prep, painting, drying and clean-up.

I LOVE the change though.

I didn’t change anything else in the bathroom – keeping the same shower curtain, shelf and pictures – but it gives it such a better feel. So, even though nobody else in my household really cares… I’m happy with it and that’s what matters!

Jack’s Room: Before & After

Jack’s room has been updated many times over the past 10 years. First it was his nursery with a crib, then we changed to a toddler bed, then he went into a twin bed and finally we switched it out for a queen bed. The queen bed was pretty much unplanned. My parents had an extra bed they didn’t want, so we gave it a home since it’s only a matter of time before Jack grows into a giant like his dad.

However, I never actually painted his room. When we moved in, it was a blegh medium brown color. Two weeks later I went into early labor and Jack was in the NICU for a month. I didn’t want to paint the room and bring a brand new NICU baby home to lingering paint fumes. And then I guess I just got busy… for 10 years.

All this to say, it was overdue to finally spend a little time in Jack’s room!

Here’s a little look at the “before”

Here are a couple photos from my 2020 post, Organizing Frenzy: Jack’s Room:

There was wasted space next to Jack’s bed, because there was a heat vent on the floor that we didn’t want to block. There were a surprising amount of holes and dents in the walls from stuff that had been moved around over the years. Drywall anchors make quite a big hole when you yank them back out! Also, lots of just random marks from markers and pencils and whatever else happened in there when I wasn’t looking.

First step was to spackle all the holes. I like the kind that goes on pink and then fades to white once it’s completely dry. I let that dry overnight and then gave it a nice smooth sanding the following morning.

Then, comes the paint. I went with Behr Frittata which was a light cream with a hint of yellow. My goal was to make his room feel less like a cave and brighten it up a bit. It actually looks pretty similar to the original brownish color in these pictures, but in person it’s much more light and bright.

It took three coats of edging and 2 coats of rolling the walls to cover the old brown color. And WOW did it make a difference in making the room feel so much brighter and cleaner!

Before we get to the reveal, I also made a few little changes:

  • I rearranged the furniture to put Jack’s bed on the opposite wall.
  • I switched out the flimsy triangle block organizer with a more sturdy version that was inside Jack’s closet.
  • I bought a yellow locker nightstand because it’s adorable and cost less than $100
  • I bought this fluffy rug from Wayfair for $109 to break up the dark green of the wall-to-wall carpet.

I also made this absolutely groovy tie dye wall hanging. And I had way too much fun making this Instagram Reel showing my process:

I’m thrilled with how Jack’s room turned out and he LOVES it too. I can’t get over how great the tie dye turned out and Jack loved it so much that he literally kissed it

The little yellow locker nightstand actually has a working lock, which was super thrilling for my treasure-hunter kiddo. The silly animals in glasses canvases were relocated to over the toy organizer. And the fluffy rug feels fantastic on your toes and brings in some more fun patterns!

And here’s a little “after” video:

The whole total of the change was about $300 between the paint, new rug and new nightstand. But Jack’s reaction to his new room was pretty much priceless!

UPDATE: I’m on a roll… I just made another Instagram Reel showing a quickie-speed version of the process.

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6 Things Stories: Our Kitchen

I thought it would be fun to revisit my 6 Things series, having previously written about Our Den and My Office. The thought is that everything in a house has a story behind it and it’s fun to take a closer look and share a little.

So, lets take a closer look at our Kitchen.

Thing 1: Jack’s Creative Corner

This corner at times has been Jack’s art table, Jack’s Lego table and Jack’s messy table… but the one thing that hasn’t changed is that it is Jack’s space in the kitchen/eating area. It’s a place surrounded by his art, full of his art supplies and notebooks and Legos and snap circuits and random little toys and it’s ALL HIS.

It’s usually pretty messy, but it’s also where I get to watch the mad scientist at work while I’m going about making dinner or enjoying my coffee at the kitchen table.

Thing 2: Antique Butcher Block Table

Growing up, this antique chopping block lived in my paternal grandparent’s kitchen. According to my dad, my grandmother who went by the nickname “Net” enjoyed antiquing on the Eastern Shore and this was one of her finds. I did some internet research a few years ago and my best guess is that it’s from the early 1900’s.

I’ve always loved it and have many memories in my head of Net leaning on it while we were chatting. When we were cleaning out my grandparent’s house after my grandfather passed away, this was one thing that I absolutely wanted to have. My husband and his generous friend were much less enthused though since they had to get it from my grandparent’s house to our house and apparently it weighs 300+ pounds. I love it so much though!

Oh, and the mess on top belongs to Travis. All of it. Except for like a pen and a measuring tape.

Thing 3: Let’s Talk Avocados

Everyone complains that avocados take forever to get ripe and then BOOM they’re rotten in a moment. Right?! Well, let me tell you my trick. I actually didn’t realize that this wasn’t widely known until my aunt told me how many avocados I’d saved at their house…

Leave your unripe avocados on your countertop in a cute basket. Fondle them each day to figure out when they get ripe. They should have some mush to them but not be completely smooshable. They’re ready. Now, put the basket in the refrigerator. Your avocados will stay that level of ripeness for days and days until you have a chance to use them all. MAGIC! Also, I got this cute wire and wood basket at TJMaxx a while ago and it is my avocado basket.

Let’s take a closer look at the fun little collection next to my stove….

Thing 4: Pig Wooden Cutting Board

I mean, how cute is this?! This wooden cutting board was one of those random things that turned up at my grandparent’s house when we cleaned it out. I liked it. I took it home. Then, a year or so later my dad commented on it when he was at my house… he made it. That’s right, this adorable wooden cutting board was a shop project that my dad made when he was in high school. So, I love it even more and it keeps my oils and salts corralled.

Thing 5: Marble Salt Box

I recently got it in my head that I really wanted to be able to PINCH salt when I’m cooking rather than always SHAKE salt out of a shaker. I don’t know why, it just became very important to me. I did a ton of clicking around for just the right salt jar… I looked all over the internets and etsy and almost ended up with a gorgeous hand thrown pottery version from an etsy artist for $40. Which now that I’m out of my MUST-FIND-A-SALT-BOX zombie-like state, I do realize that is pricy for a box you keep your salt in. So, I found this marble version off Amazon for something like $13. And I love it. I have smoked salt in there right now and often grab a pinch to add when I’m cooking. And I feel damn fancy doing it.

Thing 6: Bread Basket

Remember how I said every thing we accumulate has its own story? Yeah, buckle up. Way back 15 years ago or so, Travis and I were friends with another couple. She was a consultant for a MLM (don’t @ me… because it was totally a MLM) called Home Interiors. And I let myself get influenced into becoming a consultant. But I didn’t actually care about consulting or having ‘home parties’ at people’s houses to make money. Or building a team. Ew. What I cared about was the discount on home décor items and the ‘introductory consultant package’ to become a consultant which had a bunch of stuff I wanted for my house. At some point I bought this basket and it’s been helpfully holding bread and bagels ever since.