Magpie Ethel

Bathroom Revisited

It has been almost one year since we had our bathroom gutted and completely redone. You can see a post about that project here. (There are also a few more posts about that project on my sidebar link - bathroom redo)

Once the bathroom was done I did not want to rush to decorate it. I wanted to find things I really liked. I did the post on my most recent project with my medicine cabinet style shadow box earlier this week. 

I thought I would share a couple of other things I have done in the bathroom in the past year. 

I have a glass counter top on one cabinet.  I added some of my favorite plastic doilies under the glass.  They are all pink, turquoise or white.

I had posted about the toy tin shower I found.  It is the perfect decoration and I like it with the enamel pot with orchids. The orchids last forever and I get them every few months at Trader Joe's.

You may remember that I have my bird collection in the bathroom.

As a nod to that bird collection I added a couple of vintage bird themed mirrors.  This one was found at a local antique mall.

This smaller one I found on Ebay.

I hung the larger mirror on the wall. The smaller one just sits on the counter and leans against the larger one. I like them layered like this.

Just a few additions since the remodel.  Still really happy with this bathroom. The only thing I wish I would have done differently was make a larger shelf in the shower for shampoo.  Kate has too many hair products when she is home!

Love this room!

Toilet Paper, 1941 - Project

You may remember one of my crazier finds from Junk Bonanza was this roll of toilet paper, dated 1941.  For the past year I have been collecting vintage bathroom/medicine cabinet items.  I have had a project in mind.  It addition to the toilet paper it involved items like this.

A metal chippy box that I found last year at Farm Chicks.

An assortment of medicine cabinet items.

Vintage curlers in my favorite colors.

I finally got the project done this week.  I wanted to make a shadow box and was inspired by the kitchen one that I had made for me.

Collecting was the hurdle. It was fun putting it all together in the box. I think it looks like a disorganized medicine cabinet.

A few of the items I used had special meaning as well. Some of the shaving items came from my hoarder neighbor, John (RIP). I decided to tuck my kids retainers in the box as well. The retainers were from when Ben and Kate were in middle school as they each endured braces.  If I save an oddball item like that I need to do something with it! They are sprouting from the denture cup.

I was tickled to find the old Noxzema jar as I have washed my face with Noxzema since my teen years. The curlers tucked in nicely as a vintage filler.

I wasn't totally sure how I was going to add the glass over the top of the box. Tom had the bright idea to use magnets..genius..metal box! One trip to the hardware store.
I just added a magnet and the L bracket holds the glass in place.  Easy peasy!  I liked the cutout circle since it looks a little industrial. Tada!  The glass finishes the box off.

I also found the greatest hairdryer on our recent Alameda trip. It was the perfect shade of green and I love the Handy Hanna Hair Dryer wording. Tom did not even bat an eye when I asked him to hang it on the wall above the box.

This funny old cowboy/holster child's toothbrush also found a home with this project. 

Finished project.

Nice to cross it off my to do list.  No more hunting for vintage bathroom items.
Done.

 

 

 

 

Shower Time

I am still on the hunt for things to decorate my bathroom with after redoing it this past spring.  Those last decorating details will take awhile to fall into place.

I found this awesome tin child's shower the other day at a local antique mall. I have never seen another like it.

I love the details of the interior of the shower.  Towels, hot and cold faucets...just charming.

You add water fromt the top and it comes out through the shower head.

It has the Wolverine logo printed inside the stall.

Silly and unusual..always something different to look at here at my house.

Happy Day!

Ta-da....The Bathroom

The bathroom is pretty much finished. The contractor is done with all his work.  I am still decorating and fluffing. I don't want to just toss anything in willy-nilly so am waiting for the right things to come along (thus the empty wall spaces).  Those touches will come with time.

I am really pleased with how it came out.  I added lots of vintage charm.  I got to use vintage fabrics from my stash.   I added some quirky things.  I made it my own.

The windows, center mirror and wall light are original and one of the only things that were kept.

The rug is vintage.  The tile is a perfect vintage look for our 1940s Tudor house.  The shower curtain (with the cute little ruffle) is from Daniel Dry Goods on Etsy.

I got to use the bid box metal clothes hamper prize.  With my kids away at college I did not need this as a clothes hamper.  I decided it should hold extra toilet paper.

The vinyl fabric that was on the hamper previously was EXTREMELY faded and tattered in spots. While it would have been fun to save, I decided to recover the hamper in one of my favorite vintage fabrics from my stash.

I used a second favorite fabric from my stash to make a pair of valances for the windows.

I really, really love the old powdered soap dispensers that I had fashioned into light sconces. (A local company, GKA Lighting did this for me.) I purchase one soap dispenser at Farm Chicks. I got one off Ebay. The light shades are from Schoolhouse Electric. The mirror was from a local antique store.

The sconces are on dimmers.  I really like that I did that, they look great at night.I had some reservations about going with a pedestal sink and losing the storage and counter space. I got one with a wide deck and there is still plenty of room. I purchase the sink online from Signature Hardware. You can see my enamel heater that I brought home from Texas on the floor.  I like that it adds some funkiness to the room (it does not function).

I went with old school looking bath and sink fixtures.  The subway tile wainscoting with gray grout is perfect.

I love the toilet (Toto brand).  The metal trash bin I got last weekend at the estate sale fits perfectly beside it.

I bought a overhead light fixture from Lowes that was a plain cream colored fabric. I used some vintage fabric from my stash and spray mounted it on.  It is a super pop of color at the ceiling.

I have a big ceramic bird collection that lived in this bathroom prior to the remodel.  I wanted to display them here again. Before they were scattered about on various shelves.  I bought some glass bathroom shelves at IKEA and love them all grouped together.

They look happy here don't they?

I repeated the idea of the glass with a glass countertop that I had cut to protect the top of my cabinet.

I used my glass towel rods from my stash.  I also got to use some vintage towels that I love.  The one with the crotchet trim is a "do not use" towel. Please use the pink one. 

Vintage towel on glass rod.

I love my old knobs.  I found them in the original packaging.

I also don't care if things don't match exactly. I have the knobs above on one cabinet. These old glass knobs are on the cabinet under the window.

For a small bathroom this is a long post!  Am looking forward to adding those last few special details as I find them.

So glad it is done and could not be happier!

Bathroom Done Minus The Magpie Ethel Touch

4 weeks have passed since we started our bathroom remodel. Demo day was on March 20th.  I am happy that my contractor kept on task and the bathroom is pretty much finished except for a couple of things. (heater vent at bottom of cupboard and glass top to protect cabinet under window).

Here is the finished space.  I will do another post after I get it decorated and add my touches..that is the FUN part!

(ceiling drum shade will be transformed)

Vintage glass towel bars installed.
I love the round mirror and the sconces.  The mirror was found at a local antique store.

The sconces are one of my favorite things in the room.  I had an old style soap dispenser.  Remember the kind with the gritty powdered soap that were in schools and gas stations and such when you were a kid? (dating myself here) I knew I wanted to use it somehow in the bathroom and decided it would make a perfect sconce. I won a second metal soap dispenser off Ebay and took them in to have them wired for a pair of wall sconces.  They are awesome.  Really awesome. The glass shades are from Schoolhouse Electric (a local company). The sconces are also on a dimmer.

You may have questioned my decision to go with a pedestal sink since they often lack counter space. I went with one with a very wide deck. I love the scalloped front.

I had vintage knobs for some of my built in cabinets.

I used glass knobs on the other cabinet. Mis-matched does not bother me. This is also the cabinet that will have a glass top.

I love how the shower turned out.   The pink paint and white tile look so crisp side by side. This is the end of the tub that had that weird half wall previously which made the arch funny.  We added a recessed area in the shower for shampoo and such as well as a corner soap shelf. Even the toilet is pretty.   I am more than thrilled with how this space turned out.

You can see what it used to look like here.  I am busy getting the bathroom decorated and adding fun touches. Post to come when I finish that project!

Bathroom Is Coming Along

I got home from a wonderful Texas Round Top Antique Show yesterday. A crazy, vintage filled week that I will never forget.  Posts are coming...

I was hoping to come home after a weeks absence to some bathroom progress. My contractor was a busy man while I was gone.

When I LEFT FOR TEXAS this is what it looked like.

ONE WEEK LATER, when I returned.  (excuse the poor photos...gloomy, rainy morning)

The floor had been tiled as well as the shower.  Walls had been painted and custom cabinets had been installed (the drawers are not in place yet).

The wall along the one side of the room by this cabinet is where the sink and toilet will go.  The wall will have subway tile wainscoting still to be completed.

Tiled shower with insert for shampoo. There is still finish work to do.

I could not be happier with how it has come along.  Yes, the walls are pink....and my husband does not mind at all!

Happy day!

Bathroom Progress

My feet should be in Texas walking the fields of vintage goodies at this point in time at the Round Top show.  Before I hopped on the plane bright and early Monday morning this is what my bathroom looked like.

I am happy to report that last week  the tub arrived Monday morning.  I had a plumber on Monday as well.  An electrician on Tuesday.  An inspector on Wednesday who was quickly followed by a drywall fellow who worked till Friday.

Walls make such a difference.

My arch is evened out and looks awesome.

I am hoping while i am gone the room will be painted and tile will be started on the floor and for the wainscoting.

I would love it if I return from Texas to find a pink bow on the door and the whole room miraculously finished. I know that is not going to happen, but a girl can hope.  Thrilled with the progress that has been made.

My other bathroom posts are here and here.  Happy day!

Demo Day and Vintage Bathroom Stash

I mentioned awhile ago that we are redoing our main floor bathroom.  We have been waiting for a bathtub to be delivered before we started demo. The bathtub will be here on Monday so today was demo day.  The dumpster was delivered this morning and demo quickly followed.

One crazy thing about this demo was the floor that we found under the brown hex tile that probably dated to the 1970s.  The original floor was white hex tile with yellow trim. It is similar to the new floor that I will be installing.  I wish it could have been saved.  Here is a bit in the dumpster with the brown tile on top. It even had sweet little yelow details.

We got rid of the weird short wall at one end of the arch and it is now evened out.

There was an original medicine cabinet here once.  Why did they take it out?  I am happy to report that after going down to the lathe and plaster that there are no hidden problems.  Phew.

With this bathroom remodel I have been gathering vintage goodies as they crossed my path at estate sales for the past year or two.  I don't know if they will all work, but this is my stash.

I had a major haul with vintage glass towel bars at one sale.  That is 7 bars with hardware on the ends, plus two extra glass rods.  I am going to use a couple but will not be putting up this many in my bathroom!

I need to clean up the hanging metal hardware on the ends, but at least they have the original hardware and I don't need to hunt it down.

I also have these towel bars and matching soap dish. I like the color, but they may end up elsewhere and not in the bathroom.

I got this laundry hamper the other day after being the high bidder with a bid box.  I am hoping it will work in the bathroom. I don't need it for dirty clothes as the kids are both off at college and have hampers they already use.  I am going to use it to hold extra toilet paper.

This tin soap container came from my hoarder neighbor's house.  I like the script writing.

I love this old floral bath sheet. It is huge and I don't think it has been used.

I also have floral towels monogrammed with an M.  I don't have any Ms in my name unless you count the magpie. I have bath towels and hand towels.

I love this old chenille bath rug.

The graphics on this old soap dispenser are awesome.  I got this at Farm Chicks.  I have a project in mind for it.

I am excited to put some of these finds to use when the bathroom is done.  I am sure they all won't work, but I know I definitely want some vintage details in the room, and these are a good start. 

More bathroom updates to come as the project rolls along.  The plumber comes tomorrow.

It was a happy day!

Big Bathroom Project

I am thrilled to FINALLY start a bathroom remodel.  This is the main floor bathroom that my kids have used for the 16 years we have lived in this house.  It was not in great shape when we moved in and I did about every cosmetic band-aid I could think of to make it work.  The time has come to say goodbye...those birds will have a new spot to perch.

These are the BEFORE photos.  The project will take awhile.  We are having a contractor do it. I will be posting on it periodically as it progresses. (looking in from the door, double sinks on left, shower on right)

Blech. I hate this old bathtub/shower. I can't get it clean anymore and the oddball shelf at the back of the tub will disappear.  It is also a really shallow tub so when you take a bath the water level is never very deep.

The light-switch is BEHIND the door. Visitors always ask where the switch is.

The built in cabinet is going away.  I will have a new cabinet built and I am going to go with a pedestal sink. The new cabinet will run the length of the wall under the window. Originally this bathroom had a similar cabinet to what I am putting in.

  This is looking into the mirror above the sink, but shows the super strange tiny wall by the top of the arch. It will disappear and the arch will be evened out.

Toilet. Beige. It is impossible to find a toilet lid that matches the rest of the toilet.  The cabinet beside it is a floor to ceiling linen closet. I can't lose that much storage so I am having a similar piece built in the same spot.  It will be shallower tho so the toilet is no longer in a dark little corner.

This is another view of that linen cabinet. It is attached to the cabinet where the two double sinks are. Where the tile and the countertop meet is  wood trim that I painted cream years ago. It is looking shabby. I will be glad to see it go.

I am keeping this original mirror and light fixture. I like that it is framed in with the window trim.

I will report in as we progress.  I have a whole stash of vintage goodies that will be put to use in the new bathroom. I can't wait to get this project started!