Tuesday, January 4, 2011

tool time

for christmas, i got a couple of gift cards. usually the gift cards i get are either for restaurants or clothing stores, but this time, one was to bed, bath & beyond. i was instructed to buy something that's been needing to be replaced for a while. whatever we felt we needed. i had to stop & think about that for a bit because a few years ago i realized that i can't afford (and generally don't have space for) both pretty & functional things & since function is necessary, i had to relinquish the pretty.

ever since then, i've tried to stop noticing how my house looks as long as it's not filthy dirty and then i don't feel frustrated. i try not to see the ripped up bedspread (thank you, cats) or the faded, bleach-spotted towels that are fraying around the edges. i am instead grateful that my bedspread keeps me warm & comfortable & our towels successfully dry our skin. (yes, my standards are very low)

i decided to use the gift card to buy a new shower curtain. we've been using all the same bathroom stuff that we got as wedding gifts 12 1/2 years ago & they work, but i'm so ready for a change. i tried to stick with the same color theme so as to be able to still use some of what's already in there, but i fell madly in love with this brown & aqua shower curtain. i looked through hundreds of options in 2 different stores & this was the one that called my name. i wasn't sure chris would like it, but it was such a rare thing for me to get out with no kid (sleepover, delight!) and with money to spend that i declared myself the decision maker & just got it. then i raced around 2 stores picking up every possible thing i could need for the new arrangement - towels of every shape & size, curtain liner, bath mats, memory foam rugs (angels sing when i stand on them). i was almost giddy as i carried my 2 fat bags in & ran up the stairs with my coat still on to rip down the old & install the new goodies.

my plan had been to keep the tags on things so that if chris detested it, i could return it all & let him help pick. he's not one of those guys who just says, "yes, dear. whatever you want, dear." and since he lives here as much as i do, it only seemed fair to let him have a say. but once i got the stuff set up & arranged, i knew that i couldn't bear to take it down or put the old junk back up. so without a second's hesitation, i grabbed the scissors & started chopping the tags off every single item & then i threw all the towels into the washing machine.

it's strange to me that i was once the girl who could shave her head & wear silver vinyl pants, but now i feel like i'm living dangerously when i cut the tags off towels before i got the hubby's stamp of approval.

anyhoo, once i got the stuff all in place, i realized that my new colors looked pretty bad against the old cheap wooden cabinets that are in there. this is a 30+ yr old rental & it was low end stuff when it was put in & it's never been upgraded at all. i decided that it needed to be painted white & thankfully my landlord is a young guy who knows nothing about decorating or colors, so he's told me i can paint whatever i want in here. it was 10:30pm by then, but i raced out to walmart with a stupid grin on my face to buy paint & the other necessities for the job.

the man who helped me find all my stuff in the hardware section told me that he was impressed that i knew exactly what i was looking for & would need for the job. i think he was also rather surprised to find that i own a toolbox & some power tools. yeah, i was feeling like heidi from tool time.


since brooke was sleeping over with a friend & chris was at work till the wee hours, i didn't have to worry about noise, so i cranked up some 80's tunes & was shaking my groove thang to def leppard and george michaels while i spackled, sanded & painted. i finally washed out my roller & brushes at 4:30am & crawled in beside my slumbering honey. the next entire day was spent working in there also. who needs food or showers?

i didn't think to take pictures before the frenzy began, but i did get pics of the cabinets that i painted before i started sanding. and i took a pic of the old software that i've had forever, so that you can fully appreciate the change.


i couldn't bear to put the nasty old handles back onto the one that had handles, so i bought new ones today to spruce it up a bit. and i decided to put handles onto the lower cabinet too since it'll make it look more modern. top one, using the old holes, no problem. then i got out my drill & marked the spots where i would put the new holes. it's been a while since i've drilled, but i felt confident that i could handle it. almost as soon as i cranked that bad boy up, i snapped the bit in half. crap! it made a gouge & ripped off some of my fresh, pretty paint. dammit! then i discovered that it broke because there was already the broken end of another bit in there. ok, get over it & try a bigger size. oh yeah, and put on safety goggles so that if another one breaks & flies into my face, at least i won't go blind. umm... i don't own safety goggles, so i settled for a pair of old sunglasses. cuz i'm cool like that, yo. that one started smoking & smelling like it was on fire, but finally popped out the other side.

safety goggle chic

on the next one, i snapped another drill bit in half because i actually had it going in reverse because i'm a dumbass like that sometimes. another gouge & scrape. more adventures in potty mouthery. (thank goodness chris had taken brooke to the grocery store)




ruination of paint job

drill bit cemetery

eventually, i got all 6 handles installed, but i've got to putty & paint the rotten mess i made, so i don't have pics of it totally completed, but overall, i think i've done well & i'm really happy to have one room in my house that's fresh & lovely.




contented sigh....


14 comments:

  1. I LOVE IT! It looks great, and to think you did all of that by yourself? So awesome! My favorite part was saying you felt dangerous, that cracked me up!

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  2. YEA FOR YOU!!!!!!!!! Awesome!!!! Brilliant!!! Well done stinkerbelle!!!! And I love it too!

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  3. btw... Heidi from tool time, has nothing on you girl!

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  4. Oh and I forgot to say, I love the new look of your blog... okay, I think I am done with commenting!

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  5. Nicely done!

    You make me(and my 'kind') feel redundant!

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  6. LOVE IT! It looks really pretty (btw the shower curtain is gorgeous).
    I have a hubby who likes to be involved as well (sometimes it's a pain in the butt)
    Anyhoo... well done.

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  7. That's more than I would ever expect from my husband! hahaha. Great job ;)

    adventuresinestrogen.blogspot.com

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  8. looks great- awesome job
    my bathroom is my nice room in the house too

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  9. What a beautiful fresh improvement over the tired but functional look of the room before! Yeah, and you did all this almost as fast as we got out the door to go home. Now I need to return just so I can wiggle my bare toes in your memory foam rugs. Enjoy! And I'm proud of you for what you accomplished!

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  10. I am impressed! You did a great job!

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  11. The drill bit cemetery cracked me up! Sorry it jacked up your paint job, but it's a sweet refresh!

    And it makes me grateful that my spouse is color blind, so I tend to have a pretty free rein. Although he does love to change up furniture placement.

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  12. well that looks hella good--aren't you pleased with yourself?

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  13. looks great! we usually opt for function over style, too. my bathrooms happen to be the only rooms in my house with cohesion and updated textiles. probably b/c they're small, so they are easier to completely re-do.
    anyway, yay for smexy bathrooms!

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