In my mind, my home decorating skills are living large with HGTV quality, but in reality, I have put many household renovations on the back burner for years. If I spent half of the time doing, rather  than just dreaming about all the dramatic redos I can accomplish in such a short time, my list of projects would be nearly completed.
For many years, I have been chiding myself that this small room, especially my half bath with no natural lighting, CAN NOT be painted a dark color.
Do you remember when the three tone sponge painted look was all the rage? I won’t ask you to guess what year that was, but I was SO excited when I executed the exact look  in our small downstairs bath.
Yes, it was about that same year when fake foliage of all colors were on my wish list, and brass accented multiple surfaces in our home.
So here is the before look of our small bathroom…and yes, it has screamed “update me” for years. The reality of how much change could accur in such a small time with such a small amount of money, astounds me.
It’s the Power of Paint!
sponge painting
redo the bathroom
(Please don’t tell me that it looks like your grandma’s bathroom. Looking at this pic, I am certainly thinking it myself.
The scary thing is that I was really pleased with this look for many years circa 1990’s. :))
laundry before
And now, “The AFTER” of our bathroom.
It’s such a small space, so unfortunately, there’s no way for me to get a better camera angle to show you the dramatic transformation (unless I invest in a special $1000 wide angle lens).
It kills me to know that for under $20, and only four hours of work, this bathroom has been completely transformed for only –
TWENTY DOLLARS…that is it!
My lesson to share – Do not procrastinate any longer. Trust me! I walk in this room every day and just sigh with contentment. The soft blue not only offers a completely fresh and clean look, but it’s soothing. I can’t believe I didn’t do this earlier.
Last week, many of you asked what color paint I used in our laundry room redo. I’ll  have to hunt it down for you, but please don’t ask about this color. I had a gallon of blue “oops” paint (the already mixed mistakes at Lowes/Home Depot) that ended up being much too close in shade to our laundry room hue, so I started mixing and matching about 3 shades of blue, white, and I even ended up with a squirt of my craft paint.
The color is supposed to be a complementary shade to the laundry room color since the bathroom is off the laundry room, but it is still too similar for my liking. Due to the fact that there is no natural light in this room, it was VERY difficult to achieve the correct color. I painted three shades in strips first, just to see how it would look at different times of the day. I went much lighter and it still looks darker than I anticipated.
yard sale hutch
The determining fact to finally start procrastinating on this redo and get painting, was this $5 Yard Sale Find. When I saw this “over the commode” storage shelf at the yard sale, I knew that it would be perfect for this downstairs bath.
I could NOT believe when I asked the owner how much she wanted and she said, “Five Dollars.” This is one of those yard sales that people passed by because it looked really junky, but it had one hidden jewel. I still need to finish accessorizing, but I pulled this in a few minutes.
I painted the insert of this silver tray with chalkboard paint, and purchased the aqua container for $1 at a yard sale. If you haven’t had the fun of chalkboard paint yet, give it a try. One quart will last for multiple projects, and it’s a perfect way to add a home-y touch.
thrift store find
See the small white vase on the bottom shelf?  It’s from Southern Living at Home – purchased for $1 (yard sale).
spray paint metal vase
Scroll back up to refresh your memory on how this brass tin vase looked in the before pics. (Yes, sunglasses recommended.)
Initially, I was going to just give the whole thing to Goodwill, but I decided to just donate the silk flowers and salvage the brass piece. I quickly spray painted it with Heirloom White, and then after it dried, I took sandpaper to antique it a bit. I swapped out some flowers (yard sale) and now I love it! I see those kind of vases for $1 all the time. They typically look horrible because the brass is tarnished, but if there’s one thing I know it is how easy it is to spray paint brass.
silver mirror from yard sale
I did not have plans to swap out the mirror, but I knew that a slightly larger one would pack a bigger punch. When I saw this mirror for $3 at a yard sale, I snagged it, and held on to it for the perfect time…now. I contemplated painting it white, but I actually love the soft look this gives. I think I will keep it this way for now.
(Peak in the mirror above and you can see the iron work piece I spray painted in lieu of the sassy silky, dusty flowers. 🙂
paint burgandy bathroomlaundry room redo (2)
What still needs to be completed? THIS ABOVE WALL! UGH!
My one nemesis is the main wall people see when they walk into the bath. This wall hook feature now looks dirty, instead of tan. I can paint it white, but until I figure out what I want on this wall, I am waiting patiently. Quite frankly, I have spent only $20 on this whole bathroom redo ($5 on paint, $5 on hutch, $6 on basket, $4 on accessories), so I am giving myself permission to check out some of my local discount stores -like TJ Maxx, or Home Goods. Our  ceilings are 9 1/2 feet tall, so picking out the right thing for this wall is a challenge. I’m thinking some great big open frames with plates?? Right now, I am just closing my eyes and wishing it away.
Any ideas? You all help me brainstorm. 🙂
white rug
My last little find for my bathroom redo was this fun white rug. I love it and it was only $2. The basket was a “splurge” a few years ago. I remember the woman saying she wanted $6 and thinking….that is crazy high, but she would not go lower when I negotiated, and I am glad I bought it. It has seen many years of free magazines.
I have one more surprise on the agenda for this room and I can’t wait to get at it. I had to order something on line, and when it came, it was flawed…such a bummer, so I need to take it back and wait patiently for a new one.
Often, the reward from Before and After Redo’s done on a beautiful budget require patience. It’s hard because I love instant gratification, but I can wait.
So what’s stopping you?
Do you have a room you’ve been procrastinating on like me? Get at it…four hours and a few dollars will make all the difference.
Posted at: Rhoda’s DIY Round up
Sarah’s Before/After party