The Upstairs Bathroom Make Over, from Victorian to French Country

It's not that I didn't like the bathroom upstairs, after all I was the one who made it over before, but the time had come to give it a fresh new look. I am sure that you have felt the same way with a previous make over you had done yourself.

At left you can see the "Before" Photo. There is a mural behind the sink that I had painted, along with copper back splash tiles, two tone wall color, and added stenciling for a chair rail effect. All of the wood in the bathroom had also been stained a medium brown color. It gave the bathroom a very classy look, and I was pleased with it.

At right you can see the new look. It has been brightened up a bit. I kept the mural, but replaced the copper tiles with classic white. I also added a "stone" wall to the mural to extend it down a little past the switch plates. That way I did not have to cut the ceramic tile, and there is still more than enough for a back splash. The light fixture remained, as did the faucet. If you look in the mirror's reflection you will see that the wall has changed color. Bead board, and trim have also been added to the bottom half all around the room. You will get a better look at that in the following photos.

Aged shelving, and assorted photos, and knickknacks add to that French Country feel, as does the bead board that I had spoke about. You can see that it has brightened up the area tremendously. More white ceramic tile was added to the entry around the shower area, too.

Along with "aging" the shelving, paying attention to the details, such as the small pieces of corner trim, help to give the space that old world feel. I am very happy with how the bathroom has turned out, and I will tell let you in on a little secret, the hardest part of all of the make over was getting started. That is usually the case, but once you get going all of the other things will seem much easier. Just have an idea, and go with it. Even just painting will have a tremendous change in the space, and if you don't like it, you can always paint over it. No harm done at all.
I hope this inspires you to change a little something in your own space. Go ahead...it will be fun.

Making Inexpensive Easter Crafts in no time!

Here we are getting closer to Easter, and you want to have fun and easy things around the house to add to the festivities, but what to do??? Have you thought of ceramics? Not as popular today as they once were, but still available (even online) and in many situations they are a fast, and easy way to decorate your home. First off, you will need the ceramic pieces, these (in fired form) are called bisque. Unless you have a kiln for baking it, you need bisque. The bisque is unpainted, and ready for you to decorate with acrylic paints, which are available in most hobby stores.

I like to put on a dark base coat, if there is a lot of raised detail to the piece. If you are just picking out plain Easter Eggs to paint it is easier, you just paint them however you wish.
As you can see, on the left, I have already started on the ceramic pieces that I wish to do. They have their base coat of black, and on one of them I have started dry brushing on the white paint for the bunny.

Dry brushing is done by dipping your paint brush into the paint (not very far), and using a paper towel, or something similar to take off most of the paint, and you then brush that on to your ceramic piece being careful not to get it into the crevasses. You will have to repeat this a few times until the paint covers the base coat on the high areas, but it is worth it for the detail that it brings.

On the left you can now see that the pieces now have their top coat, and you may also notice that detail that I mentioned. You would not get this if you just paint it the top coat color. It takes a little longer, but the end product is definitely worth it. Also, if you notice, I have 2 chicks in eggs in the photo. I have done these in the same manner, except for the eggs that they sit in, because they are smooth.

On the right we have moved on the the detailing, adding the eyes, pink to the feet, and inside of the ears. I also put blush on the cheeks just for the fun of it. On the chicks I have done the same, and I now move on to painting their eggs, and ribbons. After doing this step I also lightly dry brushed again with white paing to add highlights, and a littler more detail, and helps to cover up any mistakes you may have made.

Above you can see the finished bunnies. In all these, the other rabbit, and the chicks took about 4 hours. I don't think that's too long considering the money that I saved by doing them myself, and they are better than I could get in a store for a cheap price.

Easter Chicks finished.

Easter Rabbit finished.

Easter Egg finished. Are you ready to try it on your own. It really is easy.

Decorating for Easter, it's fun and easy!

It's spring time, and after the long dreary winter you want to get out and celebrate. You may find that you also wish to bring that celebration into the home to breath life back into your abode. Easter is the perfect time to show off those lively decorations with their bright happy colors.

It's not as hard as you might think. First you pick out a few baskets. They can be old, or new (I prefer old), then get some colorful Easter grass, and eggs, of course. Add to that your favorite bunnies, chicks, or various religious items, silk flowers, and you are well on your was to a lively Easter display!
On the left you can see my fireplace. On top are 2 square baskets with blue grass, and 2 tall silk flowers. Sitting atop the grass are silver and gold eggs. In the center of the fireplace is an Easter Egg wreath, and at the bottom of the fireplace sits another Easter basket decorated with silk flowers, colorful ribbon, and Easter eggs, and this took no time at all.

On the right you can a antique Chifferobe decorated with expensive store bought bunnies. I added to the display, a birch basket filled with green Easter grass, a primitive cloth bunny, and a few Easter eggs. I can tell you that it really adds life to that corner of the library.
Now, don't you feel like bringing a little bit of happiness, and fun to your own home? To see what else was done on the inside of the house just follow the link to the photos. Click Here

The History, Hopes, and Fun of Valentines Day

Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a celebration observed on the 14 of Febuary of each year. It is observed in many countries around the world, as well.

St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. A popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter (Julia) of his jailer, Asterius. The story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. Saint Valentine was buried in the Church of Praxedes in Rome, located near the cemetery of Saint Hippolytus. According to this legend, Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship.

Commemorations of St. Valentine’s Day are rooted in the distant past. In the Middle Ages the tradition of choosing a romantic partner on that particular saint's day began because it was believed that birds began mating on that day.
In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").
By the mid-1850s the sending of manufactured Valentine’s Day cards was popular enough that the New York Times published an editorial on February 14, 1856 sharply criticizing the practice. Despite the outrage from the editorial writer, the practice of sending Valentines continued to flourish throughout the mid-1800s.

Whether or not you have a Valentine should have no baring on your enjoyment of the Valentine Season. There are many ways that you can partake in the fun of it.
Decorating around the house lends a bit of cheer to the otherwise dreary days of February. Who can be sad when surrounded by red and white hearts, and heart shaped candy boxes. Yes, you can save those boxes for decorations, they are very nice. A little red and white ribbon on the mantel, a few red roses, and those heart shape boxes can do wonders for your positive well being. You have to admit, it would be fun to look at for a few weeks, and decorating for Valentines Day will take up very little time. Take a look at the photos.

At right is a photo of a mantle I did in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The Valentine decorations include read ans white ribbon, and hearts. There is also a garland made up of little heart shapes, and those heart shaped candy boxes that I had mentioned earlier. It took hardly any time at all to set up, and makes a world of difference. I actually have another mantel upstairs that is decorated with vintage Valentine photos, candles, ribbon, and hearts (bottom photo). Do yourself a big favor, and get into the Valentines Day frame of mind with a little decorating, a few cupcakes, and a little fun. It will change your whole season!

The Beginnings of an Epic Christmas Display Part 4

The house is now decorated for Christmas, and I hope you have enjoyed all 4 parts of this Holiday Decorating series. In this last part you will see the inside of the house as well. Comments are nice, as well as likes, and please subscribe for more!

A brief history of the Snow Globe, and how you can make your own.

Video Below

Erwin Perzy, came up with the idea by accident in 1900. Mass production started in Vienna in 1905, and 108 years later, the company - Original Vienna Snow Globes - is still going strong. Mr Perzy III has been in charge since the early 1980s and the company, despite having only 30 employees, 15 of which work from home, produces about 200,000 snow globes a year.

Nowadays kids have everything... I mean, they have computers and lots of other electronic things, and our snow globe has nothing, no battery, no nothing, Erwin Perzy III. Unlike cheaper rivals from the Far East, the company's snow globes are handpainted and manually assembled, and the actual globe is still made of glass rather than plastic.

This is all you need to create your own Mason Jar Snow Globe. 1: Waterproof superglue
2: Something to put inside. Mini Christmas trees, ornaments, a small house, snowman, toys will work.
3: Glycerin (available at crafts stores)
4: Distilled water (distilled water and glycerin in a ratio of 1:1 for best results!)
5: Glitter, or Fake Snow like crushed glass.

Instructions:
Use glue to adhere your trinket to the inside of the jar lid. Dry about 24 hours.
Fill jar with enough water/glycerin to fully submerge your toy. Add the desired amount of glitter.
Use glue to adhere lid to the jar's metal screw band. Let dry.
Apply glue to the lid's inner edge, and screw onto jar. Let dry completely before shaking.

You can also make "dry" Snow Globe Mason Jar scenes, just leave out the water and glycerin. Not to mention, you can also decorate the outside of the Mason Jar, and put a little battery candle in it. What ever you would like to do, after all, it is yours to create. Just have fun doing it!

You can make Old Time Christmas Decorations with your Ornamental Grasses!

What to do with those Ornamental Grasses? Video Below.

You can make Old Time Christmas Decorations with your Ornamental Grasses!

Directions:
1: Start by cutting the grass.
2: Choose a shape, or shapes, and tie with twine. I did 4 different ones for the inside of the house.
3: Decorate as you see fit. You can secure it to the twine, or use hot glue. You are limited only by your imagination.
See how easy that was!

Since you know that you will have more Ornamental Grasses next year, you can just take off your decorations, compost this grass, and start fresh next year. If you are like me you will have a different idea of what you would like next year anyway.

Be sure to let me know in the comments if you like this idea, and especially if you intend to do your own Old Time Christmas Decorations. They are very inexpensive to do, and easy as well.