Thrift of the Century

For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of owning a home with a clawfoot bathtub.  Our new old home does not have one. But it does have an upstairs bathroom that we will gut completely someday.

Anyway.

Yesterday.

I was leaving a local thrift shop.  This particular thrift requires you to drive behind the shop to exit, due to the parking lot being a one-lane-one-way situation.  I was pulling around back and was on the phone with the mister when I spotted it by the backdoor of the thrift.

A vintage clawfoot bathtub.  

I screeched out an, "I'll call you back!"  Then I abandoned the car and scrambled to the shop's donation door.

I think I must have looked crazed.  My heart was racing.

The employees got the manager for me.  She came out and said it had JUST been donated so it hadn't been priced.  I told her that I wanted it.  Then she spoke the most magical words I have ever heard (except for the time when the mister proposed)......

"How about $37.48?"

WHAT????????????

The inside of this tub is pristine.  As in it has zero rust, no worn porcelain.  It has all four feet.  THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN!!!!!

THIRTY-SEVEN FORTY-EIGHT?

So, I went up to the register to pay.  (Side note:  the DAV has this "check-in" thing where you can get deals every so often if you've registered with them.)  I checked in.  AND YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS, but my deal was $5.00 off a purchase!  

I was getting this mint condition clawfoot tub for THIRTY-TWO DOLLARS AND FORTY-EIGHT CENTS?

(This is the wall side of the tub.....the other side 

is finished and will only need to be painted.)

*   *   *   *

Later when I went back to pick it up, the employees said they could have sold it two more times in the hour they'd had it.

*   *   *   *

Measurements have been taken, and I am 99% positive it'll make it upstairs when the day comes.   Until then, you might find me laying in it....... 

#thriftofthecentury

Random Wednesday

You know when you clean up a storm for company, and the house is in tip-top shape for a few days afterward?

It's glorious.

I should have folks over more often.

Because I do things like put flowers and candles in the bathroom........

It makes me happy for days.

Cleaning the house for the purpose of having company is like the gift that keeps on giving.

And yes.  That is a photo of my bathroom.

Moving on.

Today is the last day of school.

At 1:30 CST, I will be shooting silly string as the buses roll away.

Hello June and July.

Linking up with 

Rolled up Pretty, and

More Benefits of Hoarding

If my mantel isn't proof enough that good things come from hoarding, maybe this will convince you?

Exhibit A: 

What you're supposed to be looking at is that precious little picture.  Let's look a little closer.....

This darling little lady was tucked away in the special room.  I unearthed her recently and decided she should be placed in the bathroom above the toilet.

Golly, she makes me smile.

I love the little aquarium she's hovering over.  I love how her little legs are crossed.  I love the frame.

She was $4.95 on ebay.  I remember being shocked that I was the only bidder on this beauty.

I did not warn the mister before I put the nail in the wall for her to hang from.

He's over it now.

*   *   *   *

Exhibit B:

Behold the two landscape pictures:  

Both Salvation Army finds, although not on the same day.  Both $3.00 including the frames.  Both found under the bed in the special room.

*   *   *   *

In conclusion, I'd like to review two very important points......

#1.  The special room is, in fact, special.  Look at the loveliness that was recovered from the depths!  Who doesn't need a room filled with random things you've purchased in the past that are waiting patiently for their moment?

#2.  Hoarding thrifted finds in said special room yields decorating extravaganzas.  I didn't have to purchase anything new for those empty spots.  I simply walked down the hallway and crawled under a bed.  Now two barren walls in my house are beautifully filled with hoarded vintage treasures.
 

You wish you had a special room too.  I can sense it.

Love & Hate

Hate: Not being able to use my vintage cabinet in the newly remodeled bathroom........


Because the mister bought a new one (behind my back) that matches the vanity and hung it while I was at work.......


Now I realize that many of you are beside yourself at the sight of my vintage cabinet. But I had plans for it. Nothing a little wire brush and spray paint couldn't fix. Can't you just see it above the toilet?

Oh well.

Secretly, I do like the new cabinet.

Don't tell the mister.

And now I have new plans for the vintage one. Just wait til the laundry room gets an overhaul.

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Love: Sir Chester and amusement parks.......

Sir Chester: He likes to hang out in the kitchen cabinets, since the doors still haven't been installed yet.....


This pastime is coming to a close for Sir Chester as Bob made an appearance last week to work on the kitchen.

Amusement parks: Me likey some roller coasters at night. Especially when the temperature is perfect. And you're with great friends.

More on amusement parks: I also like winning prizes for looking younger than I actually am...........


This amusement park "game" consisted of me standing there while being asked a question or two. Then the worker guessed my age.

He guessed 27.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

And now I have another, more authentic, sombrero to dress JFK busts with.

Mirror Mirror

I am thankful for something today.

Actually two things.....

1. Tomorrow is Friday (school started this week).
2. The mister is pretty darn patient with my ever-changing mind.

The bathroom still was mirrorless this week. And after hunting and hunting and hunting, I purchased two beveled oval mirrors without frames.

But after hanging one, I knew I hated it.........


It felt skimpy or something. Not big enough or substantial enough for the vanity. So after all the centering and measuring and leveling, the mister took it down (without grumbling), and we started from square one. That meant another trip to Lowe's. And more receipts to add to the vintage receipt holder too.

But that Lowe's trip was productive. We found mirrors that were the same COLOR and BRAND of our vanity. New stock had been added since the vanity purchase, and boy, were we in business..........


How bout those babies? The jewel in the crown? The cat's meow? The bee's knees?

Completely perfect.

And did you see the towel bars?

And did you notice the matching towels?

And how they match a particular shower curtain?


Heaven on earth, that bathroom.

Over Budget

You might think a vintage receipt holder would make me feel better about going over budget on the bathroom remodel.


Surprisingly, it really didn't.

But it was a handy (and super cute) way to keep all the receipts to Lowe's in one place.

I haven't totaled them up yet. But my dwindling savings account proves the over budget business. And that's okay, vintage receipt holder or not. Because does anyone need a reminder of how bad our situation was?


And how glorious it is now?


I hear choirs of angels every time I walk in the new bathroom.

Forget starting a new school year. I should design bathrooms for a living.

Fixed

And we're back in business.

The geyser has been fixed (knock on wood).

Let the showering resume.

Diary of a Bathroom ~ Entry 3

Regarding paint: My mind changed three times.

I started with this idea for my vintage dream:


Then moved to this, in order to match a shower curtain, after my vintage dream came crashing down:


In reality it looked nothing like this online sample.

So finally, I settled on this:


And on Day 6 ~ August 2, 2010 ~ the bathroom was painted.........


All the tile was grouted too!

On Day 7 ~ August 3, 2010 ~ the vanity and fixtures were installed!


Then on Day 8 ~ August 4, 2010 ~ I came home to an almost finished bathroom. Crown molding and trim were added.......


We thought that all we had left to do was agree upon a shower curtain, hang the mirrors, and install the towel bars.

We soon discovered we were wrong.......

Upon taking the first shower, we were surprised by what I dubbed as Old Faithful. Yes, a geyser of sorts appeared in our new bathroom, with a puddle soon to follow.

Now what?

I'll keep you posted.

Diary of a Bathroom Continued....

July 29, 2010 ~ Remodel Day 4

The shower tile was installed. And.....

I. Love. It.

I know this is very far removed from my vintage dream,
but the whole spa vibe is working for me. Really.

Still begging for showers though,
as the wall hasn't been grouted.

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July 30, 2010 ~ Remodel Day 5

The floor was tiled. I'm very glad we went with 18 x 18" tiles.
Even if they weren't black and white hexagonal perfection.


Don't the shower walls and floor look great together?


But alas, still no grout and a freshly tiled floor you can't walk
on. We might set up a hose and curtain in the backyard.

Diary of a Bathroom

July 26, 2010 ~ Remodel Day 1

The bathroom took on a few different forms on Day 1.

From this:


Which is how we left it for them.

To this:


Which was after the removal of sheetrock, toilet, tub, and vanity.

Then this:


Which was the laying of the new subfloor.

And at the end of the day, the front yard looked like this..........

Habitat for Humanity is coming next week for our
tub, toilet, sink, and the infamous shower doors!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

July 27, 2010 ~ Remodel Day 2

We got sheetrock on the walls...........

And an unplumbed tub installed...........

And we resorted to begging people for showers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

July 28, 2010 ~ Remodel Day 3

I was gone all day for a workshop at school. I left before Bob
even arrived, so I was anxious to get home to see the progress.

I was not disappointed.


Not only did the cement board get installed on the floor and
shower wall, there was progress on the sheetrock (patching the
seams) as well as the plumbing for the tub. And as if that wasn't
enough, I discovered that part of the kitchen wall we needed
work on had been sanded and painted! Bob is a rock star.

Oh. But can I use your shower?

The End of an Era

Upon returning home from our second camping trip of the season yesterday, we had list of things that had to be done for Bob's arrival today.

Unlike last time, nothing on the list included a Lowe's trip. So I wouldn't have to stand in a corner.

Probably.

Our skanky bathroom saw its last two showers. Then we had to finish demolishing the remaining tile. A few hours later, we chiseled the final piece of tile and carried the skanky shower doors outside. Banished forever. And as sentimental as I am, I shed no tears as we said our goodbyes.

After countless trips to the dumpster outside..............


We were finally showerless...........


And so begins the remodeling. Officially. Bob just walked by with my bathroom door. The sheetrock is coming out next. Here we go....

I am giddy.

I Win & Other Stuff

The tub battle is mine. Bob agreed. It'll be a 30" tub. And I'm sure to behave in the future in regard to all remodeling projects.

On an unrelated matter, I googled the trial I had a chance to be apart of (but wasn't due to an unexpected torrent of tears). The jury came to a decision, and this article explains the whole incident and verdict very well.

And lastly, today while I bake in the sun at our annual garage sale, I'll think back to Tuesday's poolside sushi date with Nancy..............


And wish I'd done one more cannonball.....

Tile: Take Two

The shower tile is taking a different (and cheaper) direction. And I think I'm starting to like it. Now it's looking like this will go on the shower wall........


It matches the floor tile very nicely.....


And every few feet, we'll throw in a horizontal row of the glass tile as a fun little accent. Can you picture it?


This makes painting the bathroom a fun color MUCH easier. I'm thinking Marlboro Blue by Benjamin Moore........


And getting a fun shower curtain with a bold pattern will be easier too. Since I have skanky shower doors, I've been longing for a fun shower curtain all these years. I was so excited with the tile development, that I bought three shower curtains. But I probably won't make the final decision until the tile is up. Until then, you can weigh in on the choices.....

My fave of the patterns......from Target.....


Love the blue in this one, again from Target.......


And the last option is from none other than Wal-mart.......


Once the shower is done, I'll hang each one of them. Then I'll probably hem and haw over the decision for awhile.

So help me folks! Faithful readers, this is a chance to make your voice heard. Even if you've never commented before. Be crazy! Comment! Help me decide!! Cast your vote, if you have a fave, and give a detailed explanation why it's your pick.....

How teacher sounding is that?

June 30th, 2010

Yesterday was monumental for a few reasons.

1. It was the fourth anniversary of the day I closed on my very own house. Bought by me. All by myself. GIRL POWER!

2. I was one of those people. I stood in line outside a theater waiting for it to open so I could see Eclipse on opening day. I am not usually one of those people. But I was, suddenly. Yesterday.

3. Yesterday was D Day. D stands for demolition. We tore the tile out of the bathroom. Flooring and walls.


It was fun at first. I did 80% of the floor on my own. I left the toilet area for the mister to tackle. But then we started the walls. I was over that in seconds. And in that moment, I decided that doing your own demolition, for the sake of saving a few bucks, is for the birds.

But this morning, now that I'm rested, the tile chunks are in the trash, the mister put plastic over a scary part of the bathroom wall, and I'm clean and no longer bleeding (yes, bleeding.......flying tile chunks are dangerous), it's not so bad. A day later.

What is bad is what we found under all that tile. We knew we had some issues to deal with. Remember that patched floor?


We were prepared for a bad floor. The floor tile wasn't even on cement board. They'd tiled directly to the wood sub-floor. COME ON!

We weren't prepared for a bad wall though......


Rot, rot, and more rot. A terrible patch job. Poor workmanship. And talk about creepy. That toilet has seen the last of me. Even though the mister put plastic over that area. No. Way.

Anyway, some of the demo is done. I have rugs strung out everywhere. We'll wait on the vanity, tub, and shower tile a little longer. It's our only full bath. And after all, we still need to shower. But thank goodness for another toilet.

Ugly Bathroom Contest

Tomorrow is D-Day.

The day I find out if I'm a finalist (or not) in the Ugly Bathroom Contest.

I'm optimistic.

Cautiously optimistic though. I feel great about my 500 character essay. And I feel like my bathroom is ugly enough. But it's out of my control. And who knows how many horrific bathrooms are floating around out there in 417 land???

I submitted my entry about two weeks ago. I wrote my poem (exactly 500 characters ~ easier said than done) and had been sitting on it for days. I was absolutely downright nervous about actually hitting the "submit" button. I had uploaded my pictures a time or two before and hadn't been able to go through with it. Then finally one night, I just did it. My heart pounding all the while.

The submission required a 500 character essay and two photos. Limiting myself to 500 characters was the biggest challenge of them all. I decided to write a poem (thank you to Whit for this idea). My first poem was about 700 characters. I whittled and whittled and finally got it down to this:

Please fix my bathroom oh the reasons why
If you saw it it'd make you cry

The floor has a hole patched by plastic and nail
Tile is coming up so your foot you may impale

Walls are adorned in vintage wallpaper
Its velvety texture must undergo a scraper

Sliding shower doors are a haven for mold
The stained tub floor leaves me feeling cold

An outdated light fixture and countertop too
This 1967 time capsule makes me very blue

Come to my rescue 417 Magazine
Begging you please overhaul this latrine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then I uploaded this:


And this:


And now it's in the hands of the 417 Magazine staff, I suppose. No matter what happens, I'm happy with my attempt. And I'll never regret trying! It was worth a shot!