Life In The Valley Of The Sun: I've got the home improvement/craft bug...

Big time! I'm so ready to get more projects done around the house. It feels so great each time we get something accomplished. Now that we have some guys that can help us out with some of the larger projects, we can get started. We have a list about a mile long of what we want to do, but obviously the time line is dependent on cash flow. We've decided to set aside a predetermined amount each quarter that is designated for home projects. Weather permitting (and if the guys have sufficient experience with this type of work), we're going to try and do a few outdoor projects next. As much as I'd love to check the kitchen projects off our list, I REALLY want to be able to take advantage of our fantastic yard by creating some outdoor spaces.

In the meantime, I did some cosmetic updating in the guest bath. I still need to swap out the faucet, change out one picture (the non-black&white), and reorganize the ceiling shelves, but just having new rugs/towels, etc is a great start.

(*Edited to add: The pictures are currently not sizing correctly, so they're all cut off. Ugh! I'm hoping that may adjust soon. If not, I'll have to come back re-size everything again. Either way, it will hopefully look normal soon.)

This is the faucet I plan to put in the guest bath.

The guest bath with some new duds.

The ceiling cabinets that are currently housing our pool towels, as well as random towels (soon to be tossed). I'm hoping to get a nice looking trunk to put in the laundry room or outside to house the pool towels so they don't have to "live" here.

Next up will the master bath. It's currently a sort of pear green and while it's OK, I've never really loved it. I didn't have the heard to ask Craig to help me repaint it right after we originally painted in a year or two ago. Well, I can take it no longer. :) I'm going to paint it a really pale blue called "calm waters". It's a Dunn Edwards paint and it's in their "Whites" collection. It's very pale, but when you put it next to an actual white or cream it has nice blue tint. I was going to post a sample paint chip on here, but it's so pale that it looks white online. lol

I don't really plan to change any of the decor except for removing the capiz shell curtain hanging on the wall and most likely my funky Buddha print will be replaced with some sort of beachy or spa style print instead. I also plan to take down the towel hooks that were here when we moved in. I hate them. I'm going to replace them with a shelf with towel hooks. I'm hoping it will give a nice casual feel. Some before shots and a few of the projects have planned for the bathroom.

This is the shelf I picked up at Michaels. It needs some sanding (I just finished doing that) and a coat of black paint. Hopefully I'll get to that today too, but that depends on the wee one who is currently fighting her morning nap.

I plan to place these, standing, on top of the shelf. Not sure of paint color yet. I may just clean them up and see how they look, maybe give them a fresh coat of white paint, or I may paint them in something fun for a pop of color. I'm going to wait until the bathroom is painted and the shelf is up to make that decision. Orange sounds kind of fun, but I may want to stay with a more tranquil feel and just stick with white. We'll see.

I also need to make a trip back to Michaels. While the S is labeled exactly the same as the other letters it's noticeably smaller and it bugs me. I need to go back and compare the size of all the others to this one. Maybe I just picked up a dud... or maybe it's supposed to be that way?

A few before shots. Sorry about the clutter. I didn't bother picking up just to take the "before" shots. Maybe that will make the "after" shots more dramatic!?

The wall hanging here is already up on Craig's List. Buh-bye. This is the wall that will have the new black shelf with towel hooks.

The funky Buddha. I still like this print, but I don't think it's going to work with what I have in mind. If not, I may ship it to my brother and sister-in-law since they love Buddha accessories. I'll have to check with them first to see if they even want it. Shipping art ain't cheap!

Another project. This mirror sits at the end of our hallway and it's just been bugging me for months. We've had it forever and I'm not even sure what color it used to be, but Craig painted it silver sometime after we moved here. It may have worked in a different location or with a different paint color, but it wasn't working. Craig is painting the hallway as I type this (same color as our family room: Dunn Edwards, Tan Plan) and I think a nice glossy black frame will look great!

So here is before... all prepped and ready for paint.

A fresh coat (actually a few coats) of black. Waiting for it to dry, but I'm already happy with the change. I can't wait to take the tape/paper off and see the new look. It will be a few days before we can actually hang it since the hallway now has a fresh coat of paint as well.

The shelf, ready to be sanded.

Tools for the project. :)

All primed and ready for some black paint. My finger hurts from all the spray painting. lol That sounds so lame.

I'm going to have to do some more sanding before the black goes on. You can see here (along the top of the shelf) where it's still pretty rough.

The hallway coming along. Not sure why this came out so blurry. It does darken the hallway a tad, but there is a huge window bringing in lots of light ... and I just wasn't happy with the white. I think once the art/mirror goes back up it will look great.
We sure are getting a lot done today while McKenna sleeps! :)