Saturday, September 22, 2012

Happy Fall Friends


Autumn has Arrived
 

In Michigan we are blessed to have four distinct seasons.  It is always a joyful time when the seasons change. 

 
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1
 
 
 



 
We added some colorful Fall decorations to our house yesterday.  Now we will begin to see these beautiful colors forming outside.  Enjoy the splash of color along with the crisp air, cider & donuts, apples, toasty fires, and friends during this short and magical season. 
 


Monday, September 17, 2012

Mirror Makeover

Manufacturer Mirror Makeover
 
This bathroom is the main bathroom on the second level of our house.  It is mostly used by our three daughters and guests.  This blue scheme was inherited from previous home owners and is here to stay as the sink, toilet and tub are in excellent condition.  The decor is Holly Hobby inspired.  Notice the canvas above the toilet.  I took this photo of my little girl last summer.  She is wearing a coat and bonnet that were hand sewn by my mom and I used to wear them when I was a little girl!  Enough nostalgia, I am here to talk about the plain Jane manufacturer mirror that has functioned, but flustered me over the past four years.  I looked at it daily trying to figure out how to add trim over the plastic mirror fasteners.  After some pinterest inspiration I found my solution.  I was also scared to use power tools, however my husband gave me a fabulous tutorial on the reciprocating miter saw and I was well on my way.  I am very pleased with the results:    
 
 
 Here is a photo taken before the makeover. 
 
 
There were four plastic clips holding the mirror in place.  One by one I removed the clips and replaced the plastic clips with over sized washers. 








                                              

In order to build up the surrounding area by 1/4" (the thickness of the mirror) I added inexpensive 1/4" thick wooden strips to level the surface and to provide something to secure the moulding to.
 
The finished mirror now has a 4.5" wide moulding with 4.75" rosette corner details.  The trim and rosettes were primed when I purchased them and I added semigloss white paint to accentuate the details.  I adhered the moulding using liquid nails and small finishing nails.  To finish off the look I used latex caulk to fill the slight gaps between the wood pieces. 
 
 
This vanity is lower than most new vanities on the market.  I like the fact that it is lower so my little girls can easily wash their hands and brush their teeth without our help.  This  base cabinet is made of solid wood.  When we first bought this house the cabinet doors were white raised panel particle board covered in white contact paper.  They were torn and had seen better days.  The doors you see above were custom made by a retired carpenter and were less expensive than I could have bought the supplies for.  Such a blessing!  We also added the bead board panel to the left side of the cabinet to add more character.  Wood moulding, door pulls & light fixture came from Home Depot and the faucet is from
Costco.
 
Here is a picture of the cabinet doors before they were replace:

 
 
I am very proud that I was able to take this project from start to finish all by myself! Bet you can do it, too. The overall cost of my mirror makeover was approximately $30.00.