What a tough few months it has been for the world at large. Our everyday lives have been turned INSIDE OUT…..upside down. Even a normal trip to the grocery store entails so much more preparation than we have ever experienced before. Masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing have become part of our every day conversation.
Early on in the pandemic, during the dreary weather in particular, it was downright depressing. For many of us, there has been very little outside contact and because my place is so small (only in square feet), I have not been able to host any dinner get-togethers or just have a friend over for a visit. The other night I realized it has been a full six months since I had my last hug. It was in a different state as I bid farewell to my daughter and her husband. I had gone back to take care of her doggies so that they could go on a much-deserved vacation.
They were gone for five days in early March. I decided I would surprise them with a mini redo of their bathroom. I had visited about four months prior and thought about what a nice and fun project it would be. You see, I have a really hard time sitting still. I am constantly keeping myself busy. I love projects. I love to check items off of my TO DO list…. so I knew that if I were to go back, taking care of the doggies would barely fill my days. The project would be an amazing way to spend my time… feeling productive and giving them a fun surprise upon their return.
And…I knew that it would elevate their environment…while feeding MY soul.
Their home is darling. The two of them embrace color and they have created a lovely flow going from room to room. The bathroom is the only room they hadn’t touched since moving in a year ago. It was painted blue and gold, including the floor. In order to not have it compete with all of the other colors in their home, I decided a basic black and white color scheme would be best. Their tub and shower surround were an off white gold hue so I decided to use the pale gold as a stencil color over the painted white tile.
Here is what the bathroom looked like before.
The floor and wall tile had been painted over…with sky blue paint. The gold on the walls was an attempt to match the tub, I suspect. I started with the ceiling and walls. I painted over the gold with black. I had purchased stencils and figured I would tie it all together with a pale gold stencil on top of the white. My original plan was to do the floor as well, but in the midst of it all, I got a couple of surprises.
I had painted the ceiling, all of the walls, and cabinet first. Now on to the floor. When I started to clean and prepare it for painting, the blue paint on the floor started to peel off. My initial reaction was not good because I really didn’t want to have to scrape the entire floor to prepare it for another coat of paint. But then I realized there was a definite silver lining….
The floor was an awesome vintage tile from the 50’s that would definitely go with the color scheme I had chosen. The black would go with the black walls above the tile walls I had painted white. The gold in the background would look great with the stencil color, and I just knew that my daughter and her hubby would love the pattern and movement and the fact it was original to the house. This was just going to be a temporary fix for a few years until they could update the bathroom, and the tile just had a really nice feel underfoot. Shazaaaaaaam!
I was in business!!! With some gold accents like the mirror and towel hooks, it took on a much more modern appearance.
Here is the finished product. It was such an improvement and all for the cost of some paint, a few new accessories, and a lot of elbow grease … oh, and one of my favorite cleansers…Comet. (I apologize for that being in the photo, ooops)
It was one of THE most rewarding projects I have ever completed. Talk about feeding MY soul!
I finished the project just in the nick of time. That night, the night before they were to return, I was in for another surprise– the tornado hit Nashville. I had never lived through a tornado, so I got to cross off another experience on the “been there, done that” list. Their home was not harmed, they returned safely, and all was well.
The day after that, I got my last hug at the airport as they wished me safe travels home. It was the last hug I have gotten since Covid began……. I have treasured those five days spent taking care of the pups and updating the bathroom and visiting with my lovely daughter and son-in-law. So many things we take for granted. Hugs are happiness, pure and simple. I can hardly wait until I can hug each one of my wonderful kids. They make my heart sing!
REMEMBER…
…always appreciate the little things, because whether or not you realize it, they are the BIG things.
I’m so looking forward to next time! Hopefully my kitchen project will be ready for the reveal. I told you, I love projects. In the meantime, make sure to….
Take good care of you by making some beautiful moments,
Eileen