Painting is one of those chores that require a lot of set-up and clean-up time. So, once I’ve got it all out, I like to paint, paint, paint!

When we moved into our house, the main bathroom had soooo many problems: it was painted a horrible army green; it had (and, unfortunately, still has) a molded bathtub–another left-over from the 1980’s. And, the piece-de-resistance:  the mirrors that are etched with images of a zebra and seaweed…well, it’s just too awful to talk about! Here are some photos to show you what happens when someone with too much time on their hands gets an etching kit for Christmas…(hee hee)

Let me show you my etchings…(OMG, they are a design travesty!)

                  And, these aren’t all of my etchings. There’s seaweed in one corner and a tropical fish in another. (They also etched masterpieces into the mirrors in the guest bathroom, too).

Anyway, back to my paint story. I never realized how much paint colour could change my mind about a room. As soon as I started to roll the Raffia Cream onto the bathroom walls, I could feel the difference. It looked bright, clean and fresh. I can even overlook the molded tub, for a while (until I win a lottery and replaced).

I am going to take the cabinet doors, complete with their etchings, to a glass shop this week and have the mirrors replaced. So, for now, I’m very happy with our redecorated bathroom. I still have some pictures to hang on the wall, but here’s a peak…

Just about everything in our house has a little story behind it. For example, my husband and I collected the seashells on the east coast one year. I bought two frames at Walmart for $5 each, used a complementary sheet of scrapbooking paper for the background and, voila, wall art for $10. I bought the pitcher and its matching wash basin for $5 (for the set) at a garage sale in my neighbourhood. The silk flowers come from the dollar store. I love the touch of colour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The starfish and the little fish are souvenirs from Prince Edward Island, $2 each. 

I love my seaside souvenirs!

…and my dollar store silk flowers in their vintage $5 vase…

I even love my soap dispenser (although the cucumber-melon soap that came with it smells really awful)

And, last, I love my $49 storage shelf from Homesense… it needs something colourful on it to give it some interest–I’m looking around to see what I can find in the house!

I hope that, if like me, you are on a budget, you will find something in my posts to inspire you. You know, it’s easy to have a gorgeous home when money isn’t a problem. But, it’s so gratifying to make your home warm and welcoming when all you have is your piggy bank and your creativity. Check out Pinterest for lots of great ideas. I know you will find something that will spark your creative fire!!