It wasn't so much that I was scared "scared" per say, but partially embarrassed. The room was a pale disaster that showed dirt horribly and was in all together shabby condition. And this is the one room of my house where my house guests can be 100% alone.
:::shudder:::
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I give you, the before pictures:
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It was the rugs that did me in.
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I bought them 3 years ago, and after many, many, many, many, many, many washings, they had lost their grip. To step on one was to risk your life. One wrong step, and Slip! out the window you would go.
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Okay, not really, but you could slip and fall.
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Their edges were frayed and separating.
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Such a sad, sad sight.
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So I thought to myself, Hmmmmmm...
I should buy new rugs. But what color to get? What really goes with this nasty seafoam wall color?
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Nothing.
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But if I painted the walls, too...
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And so it began.
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I've wanted to do a chocolate room for awhile now, but J always vetoed me. His reasoning? Dark walls make a room feel small and closed in. I, of course, have always diagreed. Which led to a sign on the door, and only myself allowed admittance while I worked.
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The sign also kept my children out. Little fingers like to touch wet walls. It's a hardship.
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I baracaded the door with a couple laundry baskets of folded laundry as well, to ensure everyone stayed out.
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It took about 2.5 coats to paint the walls choclate brown, also known as plymouth brown (benjamin moore).
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Have you ever painted around a toilet? It's not fun.
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I opted to treat the cabinets like furniture, and paint them a bit different than the trim. I painted them bright white (with teflon!), and then rag glazed stone colored streaks on the surface area and doors. It's subtly nice!
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Once the doors were returned to their rightful positions, I started putting the space back together. I put up the freshly laundered lace curtains,
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Hung the shower curtains on their new hooks,
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Hung my 5.5 year old Home Interior's mirrors that have lived their foam box since the day I got them (loved them, but never could figure out where to put them)
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Returned the toiletories to the counter space,
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Placed the toothbrushes in the new tumbler I found on sale at K-Mart,
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Spread the new rugs on the floor,
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And called J in to take his first look. He, of course, was awed by how the brown DIDN'T shrink the room. He is quite impressed to say the least. His kiss said so.
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After showing the fresh space to J & the kids, we put the 3 urchins to bed, and I set about finishing the room.
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The last thing on my list: stenciling a gold design around the top of the room.
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I used my Cutterpead, cut the design I desired out of cardstock, and pounced some acrylic pure gold paint into the template.
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LOVE IT.
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Don't you?
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The completed space:
The completed space:
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It's soooo very, very different now!
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And finally, the cost breakdown:
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Paint, $20.53
Rugs, $26.98
Curtain Hooks, $7.49
Tumbler, $7.19
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Grand Total, $62.19
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Of course, now I want the matching liquid soap dispenser, 2 matchy matchy soap dishes, and the trashcan, plus new towels, and possibly some new tiles for the floor....
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