The original vanity top

A close-up

After hours of internet research, I decided to try out a product called Rust-Oleum’s Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit. We would like to completely replace the vanity and tile one day; this $25.00 fix was meant to only get rid of the swirly brown for now.

We pulled the vanity off the counter (after disconnecting plumbing); the past owners made that part easy by not caulking the vanity top! (Yay)

The kit requires a certain amount or prep work; in our case, we washed the surface with Lime-Away and then sanded the counter down with fine grit sandpaper. We mixed the two chemicals and quickly used a low-nap, 4″ roller to do the first coat. (It already looked so much better!)

I used a brush (for the sake of experimentation) to do the second coat, and I would really recommend the opposite approach to anyone undertaking this project. The brush will allow you to get a really heavy coat first coat (no streaks). If you follow that with a rolled coat, I think the smoothness would result in the perfect finish. The brush definitely adds more bubbles.

Close-Up View

The directions indicate a second coat is ok after an hour drying time for the first. But don’t extrapolate & think that you can touch the top after the second coat dries for an hour. It feels dry, but those fingerprints will stay! Stay tuned for the finished product (after the full 3 days drying time)!

In this picture, we see the window in it’s full glory. The mobile hanging above is a fruit mobile that I remember as always having hung in my grandparents kitchen until they both passed away. The shelf itself is from Ikea; it’s the Marginal shelf with retaining edge (a must in the kitchen). Hanging below the shelf are some cheese plates I got at a second-hand store that function as both my homage to glorious cheese and an ironic reminder to my husband that he is very weird (in that he does not eat cheese). Texas (the fat cat) doesn’t always sit there, but she makes an awesome addition when she does! The large candle next to Texas was an awesome housewarming gift from aunt & uncle when I moved into my last apartment.

In this picture you see another cute cheese dish from a second-hand shop (more irony for Rob), a really handy vinaigrette mixer my Mom gave us, and geese measuring cups from Anthropologie (another gift from Mom). There’s also some older Ikea stainless steel storage cups in the background; we use those to collect rubber bands and paper clips. The curtain is from Pier 1, and I love the colors!

In this photo, you see the back of previously noted fat cat Texas (she’s such a sweetie). A gorgeous vase my friend Justine gave Rob and me for our wedding (it has our birthstone greens in it–the theme colors from our wedding–peridot & emerald) that displays/dispenses our collection of straws. I love the vase too much; I have to use it for something besides flowers, so it can stay out all the time. There’s also a handpainted antique dollhead from Etsy filled with pens, paintbrushes, and a bottle opener, a sake cup/dish from my friend Mariko’s wedding (coolest touch during the ceremony for everyone to drink/toast with the bride & groom), and a little second-hand deer toothpick holder.

And to end, one more picture of my gorgeous cat!

After browsing yellow rooms on Apartment Therapy, I found a post where someone had used the same bird pattern from Spool (download it here) as a wall hanging. Mama had just trimmed her Crepe Myrtles, so she brought me lots of branches to use. It didn’t take very long to get the birds on the wall, and all of the balancing problems with the mobile were made irrelevant.

I can finally enjoy the gorgeous gift Erin made me. It looks super in our guest room!

For lighting in the bathroom, we had 2 fixtures over the vanity, a fan/light combo (which I still have to get to because the light doesn’t work), and 2 can lights–one over the shower & one over the tub. I like can lights, but I felt like we could definitely go fancier over our bathtub. But, it turns out, you can’t replace a can light like you can just a regular ceiling fixture. They are generally attached to the roof joists, and to pull out the light, you’d end up making a pretty big hole in your ceiling. I thought we’d have to live with the can lights.

But Lowe’s sells can light adapters (check the model number for compatibility), and after carefully reading & re-reading the adapter instructions & the light instructions, I think we were able to install the chandelier so it won’t come crashing down. The adapter screws into the bulb for the can light, and then you wire the new fixture to that. It’s a bit tricky; and there are weight limitations (35 lbs in our case, on which we are on the upper limit), but it’s really not too bad.

And now we’ve got a chandelier over the tub! (Next we need the refrigerator in there…inspired by my friend’s house in Raleigh…)

You can see all the pictures here.

We’re currently working on three rooms:
1) Master Bathroom: Crown molding, replacing a can light over the tub with a chandelier, and refinishing the counter
2) Dining Room: Painting it golden, replacing the light fixture
3) Guest Room: Embellishing the curtains that hide the closet & working on some wall decorations…

This past weekend, we travelled south to Savannah to visit my best friend. She had deemed our visit worthy to display the pillows that my mama made her. (Normally, she doesn’t keep them out for fear they will get messed up.) They are gorgeous pillows, and they go great in Erin’s new house with her new furniture.

She’s really posing with a broken down State Farm Insurance sign…

Re-mix shoes are faithful reproductions of classic styles from the 1920′s to the 1950′s–famous for the sporty comfort of our wedges, sexy 194′s heels, classic pumps, 1930′s lace-up oxfords, saddle shoes, penny loafers, white bucks, blue suede shoes and more!

If you like vintage, they make the perfect shoe for you. I currently own 3 pairs, but one day I hope to own them all–in every color! Mine are pictured below: