{Long Overdue & More Free Bathroom Printables}

I know, I know...I have been a very bad blogger!  Man, the past few months have been a crazy whirlwind.  There has been so much going on, and I know I need to get caught up.  However, today, I am again in a rush.  I do want to share another fun little bathroom printable I made for Kevin's bathroom.  We are having the blue version printed on a canvas. While I was at it, I decided to make a couple of other color options as well.  Feel free to download them for yourself by right clicking on your favorite and saving the image to your computer.  Enjoy!

My original bathroom printables were kind of a big hit on Pinterest.  I have had over 100 downloads...such a nice surprise!  Sooooo, I decided to add a couple of colors to match the prints above.  Feel free to grab these as well!

 

 

 Have fun with these!  I should be back to blogging normalcy next week!

 

{Happy Friday}

As we go into this weekend, let's remember that Easter is coming!

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

John 12:13 NIV

^{Have a lovely weekend, friends!}

{Bathroom Printables}

As I have said many times before, the hubby and I are re-designing our bathrooms on a shoestring budget.  This especially goes for all things decorative.  Kevin is such a man...he sees no need for decoration.  I, on the other hand, LIVE for this part of the process!

Since my decorating funds are so tight, I decided to try my hand at designing some of these cute little printables that are taking over Pinterest and Etsy.  I wanted something that would be fun, pop art-ish, and easy for my 5 year old to read.  I am so pleased with how these prints turned out.  The boys love them, so I am beyond happy!

Feel free to download them for yourself.  They are high resolution images and should print well.  I actually sent mine to my professional printer, so that the paper quality and color are better.  I recommend Mpix.  I use their sister company Millers Professional Imaging for all of my Angel Kisses Photography print orders, and just adore them!  All you have to do is right click on the image and save.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

{Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Spray Paint}

Our house has approximately 5 different finishes scattered throughout.  I really did not think it was that bad (or I just chose to ignore it). Then one day, I decided to check it out.  I was horrified!  I am all about the little details.  When we started our bathroom project, the OCD version of me had a massive hissy fit for two reasons:

1) We have a billion different outlets, A/C vent covers, door knobs and hinges.  The time that would be spent changing these things out would be ridiculous.

2) The cost of replacing all of those items would be astronomical!  Of course, my favorite happens to be an oil rubbed bronze finish.  This is also the most expensive in most stores. Womp womp.

Enter Rust-Oleum's Universal Satin Metallic Spray Paint in Oil Rubbed Bronze...

This little $7.28 can of spray paint is really a thing of joy!  One can has beautified every item on my wish list and then some. 

Now, we went a little crazy with the spray paint.  I found a chrome faucet with a really great shape at Home Depot for $22.00.  A similar ORB version was a whopping $80.00...Crazy!  That's a big difference, so we figured we would give it a shot.  We sanded the faucet down really well and then spray painted the heck out of it.  After it was dry, we lightly sanded it again and added another coat of paint.  It looked great for the first couple of weeks, but now has a few chips here and there.  We are making it work for now.  The great thing is, that we can just do a little touch up when needed.  Hopefully, in a month or so, Kevin will let me buy the real thing.  A girl can dream!

Fake It Til You Make It, Right?!?!  I am perfectly fine with that.  Anything is better than the situation we were dealing with before!

Here are some after shots.....

REVIEW: Rust-Oleum's Universal Metallic Spray Paint might have just saved my sanity!  For things like light switches and outlet covers, it works great!  The finish is perfect.  You would seriously never know it was spray paint.  We have been very pleased with the finish and durability on those items.  On the faucets, the durability is not as impressive.  But, hey, it was certainly worth a shot.  And, it's given us some more time to save for the real deal.

{If you want to see more of our renovation photos, follow us on Instagram at #theburtchsrenovate}

{DIY: Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit}

Better late than never...right???  It is a well know fact that I loathed our yellow bathtub, shower and counter tops.  They were seriously the bane of my existence.  However, our tight budget on the bathroom renovations did not allow for us to replace them.  So, we got crafty, did some research and found the  Rust-Oleum 1 Qt. White Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit.  These kits allow you to refinish the bathroom surfaces with a durable, high gloss epoxy acrylic paint.  We watched tons of Youtube how-to videos and read about a thousand reviews before we pulled the trigger and purchased the kits from Home Depot.  They are not currently available in store, so you can check them out HERE.  We are trying to take care of both bathrooms at the same time (crazy, I know).  We ended up purchasing four kits, which have taken care of a bathtub, shower stall, and 2 counter tops.  We were able to take care of 2 coats on all surfaces.  I would have liked to do a third coat for good measure, but we needed a functioning bathroom ASAP.  So, if needed, we can always go back and add that last coat.

Here is the process that worked for us:

Step 1: Clean, Clean, Clean!  We used a hefty dose of Comet to get a really good clean on all of the surfaces.

Step 2: Give the surfaces a good sanding with a fine grit sand paper.  According to Kevin, this was his least favorite part, but it makes a BIG difference in the end result.

Step 3: Pull out the painters tape and tape off all of the surfaces.  If this product gets on your walls or cabinets, it's not coming off any time soon.  Be sure to secure the tape, and you should be good to go.

Step 4: Mix the materials as instructed on the box.  FYI - the smell is pretty intense.  We are fortunate and have an attic fan.  We did this on a nice, warmer day, so we were able to turn it on and cut back on the fumes.  If you have children, you may want to get them out of the house for the day, open the windows and wear a surgical mask.  Seriously...it's tough to take in.  The smell doesn't stick around for too long, though.

Step 5: Start painting the first coat.  We used a foam roller and foam brushes for a more even finish.  I was a little wary after we finished the first coat.  I seemed a little spotty, and like the coverage wasn't going to be great or even.  The first coat dries super quick, so you do not have to wait a long time to start on the second coat...maybe 1 to 2 hours.

  

Step 6: It's time for the second coat of paint.  This will make all the difference in the world!  Once the second coat goes on, you will forget about the crazy color of your old tub or tile or counter top.  It's like magic!

Step 7: We let this paint dry overnight...just to make sure.

Step 8: Remove the painters tape.  Kevin used an x-acto knife to do this.  We wanted the edges to be sharp, so we didn't just rip it off the walls, like we tend to do with regular wall paint.  It was a tedious and careful task, but the edges turned out perfectly!

Here are the after photos of the bathtub and counter top:

REVIEW:  The Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit was awesome!  The price is great and we are very pleased with the results.  Are the surfaces 100% perfect?  No, there are a few spots where bubbles dried in the paint.  But, those are few and far between.  Honestly, I don't think you could notice, unless you did a detailed inspection.  I will do an update in a few months to let y'all know how it is holding up.  Fingers crossed!!!

COST: $103.88 (4 units @ $25.97 each + free shipping)

{Bathroom Before & After}

At the beginning of December, Kevin and I bought my great-grandparent's home from the rest of my family.  This home has been more of a home to us than any place we have lived (and we've moved a lot).  I have so many memories in this house from childhood.  I lived here after college.  This is where Kevin and I brought Hayden home to after he was born.  This house is sort of my happy place.  Since moving back from Florida, we have been thinking about pulling the trigger and buying this house.  So we are very excited to get our hands dirty and make the updates and renovations that we have been talking about FOREVER!

We have 2 bathrooms in the house.  The kids and I use the larger of the two, and Kevin gets his own smaller version.  Both were clad in that awesome 70's mustard yellow.  I am sure you know the color...can't miss it!  Well, my Paw Paw must have loved the color when he built this house, because it is everywhere.  Yep...the tubs, the counter tops and even the toilets.  Indeed, I have two mustard yellow toilets.  I bet you weren't even aware that they made colorful toilets.  Oh, they do my friend, and they are pretty special! 

Here is a peek at our before photos:

There is also a lot of dark wood in the house to spruce up, as seen in the picture above.

Our goal in renovating this house is to do it as inexpensively as possible.  We plan to stay here for a while.  But when we do move, we hope to use this house as a rental property.  That being said, we don't want to dump a ton of money into it.  We are getting creative with our updates and it has been so much fun!  This week, I will share with you some of the great products we used to renovate the bathroom.  For now, I will leave you with the after photo.  I am very proud to share this.  I think I am still washing paint our of my hair, but the end result is worth every bit of it!

If you would like to follow our progress and see additional photos of the process, you can follow us on Instagram at #theburtchsrenovate

{Happy Valentine's Day 2013}

This is the Valentine we sent out to the grandparents and a few others.  Seriously...how precious are these boys?!?  They look so grown up!  I designed the card using a Photoshop template from Crave Designs.  Andee Tate is a creative genius in photography, editing and design.  I really love her work and use her designs frequently.  I did change some fonts and slightly altered the colors to make them as "boy" as a Valentine card can be.  If you would like to take a peek at the original, click HERE.

Valentine's Day in our house is celebrated a bit differently than in most homes.  I sort of feel that it's silly to promote a day to celebrate something we are called to do EVERYDAY!  God called us to love one another.  I think some people wait until V-Day to show the love and affection that we should express daily.  I also believe that it is a commercial holiday...big time!  Jewelry stores and chocolateers are salivating about right now, knowing that their bankroll will be enormous come close of business.  While I love V-Day, and enjoy exchanging little gifts with the boys and Kevin, I like to take this time to celebrate God's love for us.  We are shown God's grace and mercy and love with every single breath.  We are his children and he is madly in love with us.  I am pretty sure HE deserves the special day far more than I do!

That is one reason I am so thankful that Hayden goes to a private Christian school.  We are free to express that notion and speak openly about God's love with his friends and teachers.  Below is the Valentine that Hayden helped me put together for his friends (again using a customized version of the Crave design).  I saw the bible verse on Pinterest and thought I would "barrow" the idea.  I love how it turned out!

This year, I had a ton of goodies left over from my Valentine Mini Treat Basket.  We were able to put together a special V-Day gift for the girls and boys in his class.  All items were purchased at Hobby Lobby.  I bought them right after they were loaded on the shelves and took advantage of a 40% discount they had just put up.  The bags were ordered last year for Hayden's birthday from The Party Fairy on Etsy. I ordered more than I needed because they were cute and knew I would use them again at some point.  I loved the football for the boys and the "My Heart Belongs to Jesus" bracelet for the girls...so cute!

My favorite items are the God Is Love Conversation Hearts. Hob Lob again. Man, I love that place!  Hayden picked out the Love themed magnets for his teacher at Kohl's.  They were originally $12.99 (way more than I would normally spend on something like this), but I had $10 in Kohl's Cash, so I got them for $2.99.  SCORE!

Here is the final product!  I added a little name tag on each one.  This is a Freebie on the Crave Design Website.  It's a pdf, so you can use them even if you don't have Photoshop.  There are several really cute designs. 

This particular Valentine is for Simone.  This precious little girl has been Hayden's girlfriend since the second week of school  They go everywhere together at school, and he just adores her.  Ah, young love!  What can I say...he's a one woman kinda guy!

Hayden & Simone - Fall 2012

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!  I pray that God blesses you all with an abundance of hugs and kisses from the ones you love!!!

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 1 John 4:7

{Living Room Re-Design}

I absolutely fell in LOVE when I saw THIS living room design from The Yellow Cape Cod By: Sarah Macklem Interiors.  Her designs are awesome, since they are affordable and practical.  I also love that she tells you where she gets the items for her designs.  AWESOME...this is a daily read for me!  The design that I linked up to is kinda where I intended my living room to go, by it went awry somewhere along the way.  So, I decided to make an inspiration board of my own so that I could keep track of the items that I have found that I really love, as well as have examples of some of the DIY projects I want to tackle.

I want to do this for every room in the house, since we hope to get this place really spruced up by the end of the summer.  So here it is...

As you can probably tell, Kevin and I are not afraid of color.  Don't get me wrong, I will gawk at a beautiful, neutral room.  I just don't see one in my near future.  The color works as a great distraction from the dirt and grime that come with having 2 young boys.  Plus, this is kinda where we are in life.  We're young, our kids are young, and we want to have a little bit of colorful fun! 

That being said, I prefer my walls to be a neutral color.  That way, when (notice I said when and not if), I change my mind, I don't have to go painting walls again.  It's probably my least favorite thing to do in this world.  If you want to make me super unhappy, just hand me a bucket and a paint roller and tell me to go paint the dining room...ugh!  The paint I want to use is Martha Stewart Living "Sisal" from Home Depot. I like that it's a tan, with a touch of gray.  I have done the red and yellow toned beige paints and I feel like they would be too heavy for our smallish space.  You can find the details on the color on the Home Depot Website HERE.

I adore our sofa.  It's deep, comfy and still in great shape structure wise.  However, between the dogs and the boys, the fabric is no looking so hot.  I was told by a very reliable source that I should consider a white denim slip cover.  At first, all I could think was that my precious Aunt Cissy had lost her mind.  But then, with one word, she made me reconsider....BLEACH.  She made a very good point and now I think I may give it a shot.  Here is a custom slipcover I found on Etsy.  The shape is exactly like our sofa and it seems to be about the same size:

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The additional seating is the next subject I want to tackle.  I already have the most fabulous chair, that once belonged to my great-great grandmother.  It needs a little (or a lot) of TLC, so I figured I would have it recovered eventually.  I would love to have another chair, in a different but complimentary shape covered in the same fabric to coordinate.  Here's my idea (chair #2 is similar to the one I already have).

Chair #1 Source          Fabric Source          Chair #2 Source

I NEED a huge rug to cover all of the awful spots all over the carpet.  It can't be to fancy, but it also needs to be durable.  I loved this indoor/outdoor option from Pottery Barn.  If it's capable of withstanding the elements, then it should be able to hold up against hurricanes Hayden and Colton.  Not to mention, it pulls together all of the colors in the room.

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I love pattern...a lot of it!  I also adore all things chevron right now (along with everyone else).  Here are some fun drapes that I want desperately...3 sets please!

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I am beyond obsessed with the DIY coffee tables that are floating around Pinterest.  But, the factory cart design might be my favorite.  The antique versions are INSANELY expensive, but this DIY version would suite me just fine!

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We have some really great lamp stands that I found at Target that are braided wood and are stained a dark brown.  I love them, but am not so fond of the shades.  I would prefer something like these from Pottery Barn.  I am pretty sure I could make them myself.  Looks easy enough!

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I love this DIY mantle from The Lettered Cottage.  Right now, our mantle consists of about a 1" piece of faux gold colored marble.  It's hideous and makes me shiver a bit every time I look at it.  The brick of our fireplace was reclaimed and has a bit of a whitewash finish to it.  I would love to make it stand out more than it does with a beefed up dark wood mantle.  I would also love for it to be wider than it is right now.  I don't have much room to display fun items.  Which leads me to my next photo:

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This is The Nester's mantle.  I love all of the vintage pieces and would love to do something like this over ours one day...once I can talk the hubby into building me a new one!



We have a ton of wall space in our living room.  And, I love art.  When there is a blank wall, I get anxious, so I pretty much keep them filled up with photos and artwork that I create or find a good deal on.  I would love to have a gallery wall similar to this one.  I am just terrible at organizing these things! 

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I am a huge fan of subway art.  It allows you to put so many wonderful, meaningful thoughts, places or words into a very small space.  I like the cream with red lettering of this one I found on Etsy.  I would love something similar, only using the street names of Key Largo, FL.  That's mine and Kevin's happy place and it would be nice to go there (in spirit) every time we walk by the print.

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I would also like to incorporate some type of flag art into a future collage.  I think it would tie all of the colors together nicely, but also serve as a reminder to be grateful everyday that we are Americans.



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Last, but certainly not least, are the throw pillows.  This might be my favorite part about our existing sofa.  It's large enough to accommodate a bunch of these beauties.  I love them all, and would find a place for them all, if my husband didn't get so overwhelmed by all of the different patterns.  I figure...these are options.  Rachel Zoe says you can never have too many options.  As far as I'm concerned, she's a genius!

Source #1,     Source #2,     Source #3,     Source #4,     Source #5



Now, like I said, this is an "inspiration board".  I love all of these items, and would love to support the stores they come from.  But, let's be honest...Kevin would KILL me if I spent this much money decorating our living room.  100% positive he would.  But, since he is handy and I'm creative, I think we could work something comparable out on most of the pricier items.

What do you think?  Are you re-decorating any rooms?  Any favorite online stores that you buy from?  I would love to hear your thoughts or tips! 

{Dream Home Dreamin'}

One thing I am really into is interior design.  Not that I am great at it, but I love looking at beautiful homes and spaces.  I have a list a mile long of design blogs I follow, and I watch HGTV religiously.  After watching Secrets From A Stylist, I decided that my style is "modern cabin chic".  I love stone and wood inside the home, and I am not a huge fan of things looking too new (outside of the kitchen and bathrooms - the 70's gold toilet I am currently dealing with is never okay).    That being said, you can probably imagine my squeal of excitement when I saw the new HGTV Dream Home on the tube.  Seriously, in the words of Ms. Zoe, I die!!!!  Here's a little look at my real life dream home  All photos courtesy of HGTV:

Font of the House

I love the stone and wood (of course) and I ADORE the pops of blue!  Throw some Blue Willow in there and it would be perfectly ME! I am also slightly obsessed with the ikat prints that show up throughout the house.  This is not a new obsession either.  I had to restrict myself to throw pillows for the couch, but the framed fabric gives me some fun ideas!



Kitchen



Dining Room

Family Room

Mud Room

Changing Room

Changing Room Bathroom

Laundry Room...Really??? I would sleep there!

Guest Bedroom #1

Guest Bathroom

Guest Bedroom #2

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom Patio

Master Sitting Room

Master Bathroom

Outdoor Living Area

Deck

Hot Tub

Pinterest has only fueled my madness!  You can check out my dream home pins HERE.  What does your dream home look like???  I would love to know!