fireplace before and after...

Finally got these pictures together from our latest DIY project.  We are so happy with how it turned out, the new tile brings a brightness to the room and we love the timeless, classic feel of the tile without it becoming traditional feeling (which is not our style-type generally). 

We knew we wanted white or a bold solid color, but in the end felt like the white would help keep that bright, clean feeling that is really important to me especially and allow our artwork and decor to bring the bolder color statements. Eventually we'd like to make a custom cabinet to fit in the odd shaped nook next to the fireplace but for now the toy baskets do a great job giving things a place. (which I'm a bit neurotic about...)

I try to have good "before" pictures as much as I can, to give a real and realistic comparison.  

The stonework we had before definitely wasn't AWFUL but it was darker, dirtier feeling and more rustic than is our preference.  (and the boys loved to try and climb up it)

So when we realized we had saved enough for a smaller DIY project (it is maybe our favorite shared hobby) we knew this was what we wanted to do. We also pulled all the gross, black logs from our fireplace, cleaned it up (the boys always got soot everywhere and it turns out it's super hard to get out) and put in LED candles instead.

*You can check out past DIY projects: main floor, master bath, shared boys room, second bath and nursery accents.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

no more linoleum: second bath before and after.

upstairs renovation: part three// second full bath.

The second full bathroom in our house got new flooring and paint too. This bathroom had the original linoleum flooring in it still and we LOVE having tile instead. The space is small so it was very manageable to have the flooring removed and replaced and it is amazing how much that can update a space. 

Though our changes in this space were even more minimal that in the master bath (see post here) I think it shows just how much a new paint color and updated flooring can do, like always we were looking to maximize the effect and minimize the cost. 

Like for the master, we purchased this tile wholesale through Home Depot, same style and model, just a slightly darker color. (link at bottom of post) We used the exact same paint color we did in the master in here, it is the perfect subtle shade of gray. (link at bottom of post)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

tile: home depot

tile baseboards: home depot

paint color: sherwin williams//first star

curtain: urban outfitters 

(They run a bit high but go on really good clearance sales, which is when I scored this one.)

towels: ikea

vases: cb2

eucalyptus: home goods

a room for the boys: creating a shared space.

upstairs renovation: part two// shared boys room.

With the birth of their sister fast approaching, Kevin and I have been working on turning our 2 year old's bedroom into a room to share with his 16 month old (nearly) brother.  

This project has been all fun for me, other than moving everything out of the room for new carpet (see upstairs reno part one here) and anticipating the actual process of getting our now baby to sleep in a big boy bed and have both the boys adjust to sharing their sleeping space with someone else (a process we haven't actually tried to tackle yet, baby is a tricky sleeper). 

We knew that a room for 2 toddlers had to be sturdy, practical and tough so there is nothing fragile within reach of little fingers in this space. We also tried to leave as much open play space as possible and have easy access places for toys, blankets and clothes.

We (like most) are always trying to minimize costs as much as possible so much of what you see in this room is handmade, made-over or the cheapest (that is still very hardy) that money can buy.  It amazes me how much you can do yourself. 

Luckily we both love creating, in our own ways, so this would probably fit the bill even if we had a bigger budget. (links/sources at bottom of the post)

It also helps us to plan way ahead for two main reasons; 

First, we can build or buy over a period of time and budget accordingly.

Second, it gives us time to do lots of searching and research for the very best deals and options as well as allowing time to look for items or paint or whatever to go on sale.

I'm all about rooms growing with kids, so nothing in this room (or the nursery for that matter) is innately babyish. Along this same line we chose to have full twin size beds instead of toddler sized beds that would necessitate the purchase of bigger beds down the road.

I really hope that getting these boys used to sleeping in each other's space goes as smoothly as creating a space for them to share did...suggestions or success stories welcome. :)

dresser: ikea// tarva five drawer

dresser knobs: home depot// liberty model#P65015C-SN-C

dresser stain: home depot
bed frames: kevin

art work/quotes: me, kevin and lee

pom pom garland: me (tutorial here)

duvet covers: h&m (both sold out but this would be awesome for a little guy)

storage unit (between beds): ikea// besta tv unit

baskets in storage unit: home goods

legs: home depot

stuffed animals on beds: amazon

quilts: grandma :)

bike hooks: hobby lobby

master bathroom bliss: BEFORE and AFTER.

Upstairs renovation: part one//master bath.

We weren't planning on this renovation, but our house isn't the newest one on the block and it became necessary to replace all the carpet on the upstairs floor of our house. We choose to get the cracking tile in our bath and the very old linoleum in the second bath replaced at the same time.

We did a lot of searching and got loads of quotes to find the best deal that still came with confidence inspiring reviews of the work. (if you are in the Houston area, you can check out the company we used here. overall we were pleased.)
We cut costs by ordering our own tile for the bathrooms wholesale for a fraction of the cost of anything we could find in flooring showrooms. (link at end of post)

I referenced this, then upcoming, renovation project when I did a very belated BEFORE and AFTER of the main floor of the house after we changed almost all of the flooring and some other things here.

The biggest difference between the two projects is the downstairs was all DIY, done by my husband, whereas for this project we paid for the removal and installation of the actual flooring. There are some really nice things about having someone do some of the work for you, the biggest thing for me was timeline, in total all the removal and installation took 3 days this time around.
We cut down on more costs by having Kevin put in new tile baseboards himself as well as reinstalling the toilets himself and building all the new shelves.

As with any renovation we started out with huge dreams and cut them down to budget-reality size and decided what was a must and what we could do to update the look without going over budget.

In the end, other than the floor and paint color, we only made minor changes, like changing out hardware, hangings, decor, adding shelves, etc...

Getting this work done with my 2 year old and 1 year old boys and being 30+ weeks pregnant was a bit of a hectic *adventure* to say the very least but I'm so glad we got it done before this baby girl comes.

BEFORE:

floating shelves Kevin built.

AFTER:

floor tile: Home Depot

baseboard tile: Home Depot

hooks: Home Depot

shelf brackets: Signature Hardware

towels: T.J. Maxx

frame: Home Goods

candle holder: T.J. Maxx

bell: Home Goods

tray: T.J. Maxx

wood boxes: IKEA

stone box: Target

wire baskets: Home Goods

basket: T.J. Maxx

hand towels: Home Goods

paint color: Sherwin Williams first star

We are so happy with how it turned out, even though getting ready for me these days is usually just  getting a shower in I still spend a good bit of time each day in our bathroom and I love having things be the way we feel is not only more functional but also generates a clean, crisp feeling in the space.