Guest Bathroom Remodeling Completion

When we first bought our house nearly five years ago we remodeled its entire being. There were many choices we made intending to revisit some spots which we did something to for a temporary solution. Our bathrooms were both left unfinished. The walls and plumbing required alot of help over time. As a result the walls had plaster lumps which under normal circumstances you would smooth out but we saw very little point since we would just later cut the walls back open so we left them and chose paint we might want to keep. After five years the time came to finish the rooms starting with the spare bathroom at the back of our house.

First the drywall in one spot was not patched correctly so Patrick cut the wall open to properly patch.


This required a trip to Home Depot (though doesn't everything) where I found some great carpet names.


Drywall acquired and set up for cutting on our back deck.


And finally the patch os completed properly and the wall sealed back up.


I have always loved the look of Venetian Plaster so we decided to use it for the bathroom in a similar color to the prior color in the bathroom only a touch lighter to bring it down a notch. The great part about having finished the bathroom is that we knew what we liked and what we did not like about the bathroom.


And here is the first coat of the plaster being added to the walls from the right to the left on the screen.


And a close up after the application of the second coat with brandishing.


We kept the light fixtures the same but decided to replace the mirror.


I majorly scored finding a gorgeous mirror at Ikea for $14.99 as opposed to the $120 oval mirror we originally had hanging in this room that we hated. This shows clearly that shopping around is simply the smart thing to do but I only really knew much about Ikea recently and had yet to even walk into their store back in 2005-2006 when we originally remodeled the house.


These were a gift to me from my dear friend Melissa and have travelled from room to room in my house in gold frames I always wanted to paint. I needed artwork for this room and these were too perfect. I did, however, finally get gun metal spray paint and I retouched them giving them new life on our bathroom wall. I personally think they are just perfect for the space!


We kept the smae shower curtain and we just changed to beautiful new black fluffy towels and a bathmat with our wedding registry last autumn. Our color scheme gooes even better now in my opinion.


And my favorite part of the room now is the new shelving thanks to Ikea. These shelves are super cute though I highly recommend that when you buy shelving from Ikea you get professional drywall anchors ad do not use theirs, just to be on a the safe side. I love this look though and I think it really hows off the ceiling height in this room nicely.


Stay tuned for future projects!

Project 365: July 19th through July 25th

July 19th: I made lemonbalm and blueberry cake with fresh cut strawberries and fresh blueberry sauce.


July 20th: New garden blooms.


July 21st: Gladiolas blooming.


July 22nd: Sushi with Jen.


July 23rd: Macha knows I am leaving for camping so she packs her favorite toy and herself with my suitcase.


July 24th: Me and Jen playing backgammon by the stunning pond at the Thyme Garden in Alsea, Oregon.


July 24th: My dinner at the Thyme Garden in Alsea, Oregon. Alder smoked salmon with loads of salads such as the one up front with edible flowers.


July 25th: To welcome us home, Yuki ties herself up with our Willamette Valley Vineyards bag.

Tea and Croquet

When my mother passed away I inherited many things including a lovely Polish tea set. I began hosting a tea each year to honor this set my mother never once used in her live. I have this firm believe that our actions give things purpose and meaning. It would be tragic to break a tea cup or saucer but it seems almost more tragic to lock the tea set up in a cabinet on display. Sure it has purpose on display but it is a tea set mean to entertain people. My friends Michelle and Greg were kind enough to lend me their photos capturing our fun little tea and croquet gathering to welcome the Spring.

Project 365: July 12th through July 18th

July 12th: Going through the last pile from Boston.


July 13th: Macha likes to pose for us.


July 14th: Reorganizing my recipe book.


July 15th: Right before leaving to work the phones at the hotline, Yuki takes a chunk out of my nose. My offense? Combing her with a flea comb...guess she did not like that.


July 16th: Garden bloom...


July 17th: Celebrating Patrick's birthday is Yuki...


July 17th: Jordan was really happy when Richard scared Bernadette into perching on him.


July 17th: Pay close attention at the terror WHEN CHICKENS ATTACK! She is VERY scary...at least, according to Jordan..


July 17th: Macha continues to guard Patrick's birthday present.


July 18th: Baking Blueberry Lemon Balm Cake...

Pedicures, Wandering and Cars with the Voom

A few weeks ago I had some excellent me time which I am lucky. I get alot of me time but I do not always get photos of it.

A dear friend I have known 14 years graduated from college after 11 years, having three children, buying a house and getting married. She has been a bit busy but to spite all the odds, she has her degree and all of us are very proud of her. Me and another dear friend decided to treat her to brunch, desert and pedicures for the afternoon. While wandering around in Northwest Portland I saw so many beautiful things between houses and gardens...even people.

A simple rose yet so complex...the colors are almost their own entity.


This garage was amazing and alive...look at those ferns...


I fell in love with this person's garden - it was overflowing and the stone path is such a fabulous addition...


St John's Wart...


Papa Haydn has the most amazing deserts. Me, Dana and Danelle had a wonderful brunch there and took our desert to go. But, the pedicures and wine began...


And out came the sugar...and we did pass each others around which were all amazing but we each liked our own the best which was perfection!


Thank you Dosha for my pretty toes!



And here are two bonus shots from me taking my car in to get the trunk worked on. I tried to convince the owner of the shop that my burgundy MG Midget had tranformed into this but he, strangely enough, was not going for it.


Here is my car though and a stunning Triumph in the background the men just finished restoring.