Frugal Master Bath-Part 2

Thank you for joining me for my second installment of Frugal Master Bath Makeover 2nd edition. If you missed the first edition be sure to check it out here. I not only give you before pictures, but marriage advice. Yes folks, I like to sprinkle my post with a little bit of everything.

WB got busy tiling our tub.




The tile saw is downstairs and outside so he gets plenty of exercise during this little makeover. I have to tell him that several times a day so he doesn't feel guilty for oversleeping and missing his morning workouts. Tile work is hard work, really! If you've never done it try, you will be aching in places you never knew existed.


I love my new tub and fixtures he found. I've already enjoyed a nice warm, sudsy bubble bath in it. Oh, and I wasn't alone. I'm not sure what you're thinking, but if you are a mother of some little tots you'll understand. Any person in this family who takes a bath knows that if you dare to soak you will be joined by Little One. Doesn't matter if she's already had a bath that day. She loves a good bath.

Okay, the paint. That was my area. Here was my strategy. Go to the paint store. Look at samples. Pick out a few dozen colors. Stand in paint aisle and try to visualize what each would look like on my wall. Practice some yoga moves to help the visualization process. Go back and forth, back and forth until I'd narrowed it down to a couple I liked. Leisurely walk around the store thinking of a few other projects I'd like to do until inspiration struck.

Here's what happened. Went to store. Lost husband in fixtures while I went to paint section with all three kids. Little One decides she is tired and cranky and doesn't want to look at paint. Stand in paint aisle with fussing child while your two oldest children pretend not to know you. Look quickly at a couple hundred colors of paint. Grab the two colors within arms reach that look like they might work. Now carrying grumpy child take the paint samples to the desk to be mixed. Glancing over my shoulder I notice a pretty color demo on some drywall and ask how it was done. Plastic bags, base coat and glaze. Nodding my head I hand paint lady my paint samples and tell her that's what I want to do.

Here is the base coat, a pretty wheat color.

Let me just share what I learned about the plastic bag technique. It is messy, hard to control the amount of paint that goes on the wall, and did I mention MESSY. I painted the toilet area one afternoon while Little One napped and stopped. I wasn't sure of my color choice or my technique. I kept looking at the rest of the bathroom which just had the pretty wheat colored base coat on it and thought I liked that better. We left the paint like that for almost a week. I talked about blending in more colors, muting, being subtle... My husband just stared and nodded. Then one morning he sprung out of bed and declared, "I like it. Do the whole thing?" Long story short I traded the plastic bags for a sea sponge. I was able to control the amount of paint that went up and not so messy. After I sponged the paint on with one hand I had a plastic bag in the other to blot at it. This helped to blend it.

So there it is. Like it or not it is here to stay.

Next up is painting the cabinets. Join me tomorrow as I show you the three paint colors we picked out for that and the floor tiles we finally picked out! Please feel free to give input. I need it:)

Crafty Creations Carnival

Our sweet friend and former neighbor Maddie is hosting a Crafty Creations Carnival over at her blog. You are to post a link to some favorite crafty items that someone else has made. Isn't that a great idea? I thought so. Anyway, some of my favorite creations are from SashaSews. Sweet Sasha was one of my very first blogging friends way back when I started my first blog Eskimo Kisses and Air Hugs. She makes the most adorable stuff with the yummiest of fabrics.

Like this heart basket. I love to organize toys and things around the house in fabric baskets. They don't crack or break, they look pretty, and since they are fabric you don't have to worry about anyone falling and hitting their head on them:) Yes, I have a toddler in my house!

Please go check out her Etsy store where she has everything from Bible book covers to aprons!

If you have a crafty item of someones to share please head over the carnival!

*We're tiling the tub today, so I'll have a Frugal Bathroom make-over post soon.*

The Frugal Master Bath Makeover

Remodeling on a budget?

I'll give you two tips: 1. Marry an amazingly talented guy who can master just about any task he sets his mind too and 2. Do it in steps, so you can save up the money and shop for deals.

Oh, and please, you don't have to marry the above kind of guy to tackle this project, you can do it yourself. But I love to see my man in his work gear and so I'm all for the hubby doing most of the work while I take the pictures.

Okay, I'm getting off track. Anyway, last year WB redid our shower. We had a leak that was causing big problems for our dining room ceiling. My dear father-in-law fixed the ceiling (my MIL obviously also knows my tips on marrying ). But the whole shower pan had to be replaced, which meant tearing up the shower floor which lead me to getting a whole new shower. That's how things work around here, one little thing leads to one big thing and off we go.

Here are some before pictures:

Okay, the wall was green when we bought the house, obviously it used to be this red color. Even with the toilet tank on you could see the red peaking through. Did the person who painted this really just walk away and think no one would notice?

My vanity area

Sink area

Tub area after WB tore off the old tiles.

And here's the plan. We are going to paint the walls first, so we don't have to worry about dripping paint on new tiles or floor. Next is the tub will get retiled to match shower with brand new faucet, yippee. Since WB is also good at soldering pipes he will be replacing the leaky tub valve while we're at it. See those 2 by 4's along the tub. We will be making a little ledge covered in tile. My sweet man thinks I need a place for some candles, bubble bath etc. So we need to add extremely romantic to the above "what kind of guy to marry" list above.

There is a plan to put a cedar beam across ceiling above the tub to frame off that area. Next we'll save up for the floor tiles. No more icky, yucky peeling up laminate floors! Then finally we will replace the counter tops and paint the cabinets. Painting is much cheaper than replacing. Some day I'd love to update the lights and mirrors, but we'll just see how that goes:)

I'll share more pictures tomorrow of the paint job. I was scared, really of my color choice and of my technique, but I'll tell you about all that tomorrow.

Easy Black Bean Soup Crockpot Recipe

My sweet friend Connie over at Smockity Frocks is hosting a Crockpot Recipe Carnival. I am so excited because I have been using my crockpot like crazy recently. I've used this recipe several times and we LOVE it. Not only is it healthy it is frugal. Healthy Frugal, those two words together just make my heart go pitter patter!

Here it is:

4 (15 1/2 oz) cans black beans

if you use dried beans you've soaked overnight you will need to also add more chicken broth

2 medium onions chopped

6 garlic cloves pressed

1 can chicken broth

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon chili powder

dash of Worcestershire sauce

Throw it all in the crockpot and cook on low for about 4 hours. I like to serve it with some grated Cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. It is so yummy with a big chunk of cornbread too!

I've made this so many times and sometimes I leave out the tomatoes if I don't have them, or I add a can of dark beer, or a squeeze of lime. You can even add some crisp bacon if you don't wait it to be quite so healthy. I don't think you can hurt this soup! Enjoy:)

And head over to Smockity Frocks for some other great recipes!

Sledding Fun

With another 5 inches of snow last night this is proving to be the best snow we've had for at least 6 years! We are having so much fun, that the thought of living somewhere where this occurs on a regular basis is becoming to grow on me.
WB was home again today so after some Pioneer Woman's scones we were ready to sled. This time WB broke out the huge raft we got for our water adventures in Galveston one year. The whole family fit on it and away we went. I love these times as a family. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Here's a little video I put together of our adventure over the last week. Enjoy!

Sushi Making 101

We love to eat sushi, particularly California rolls, around here. Usually after church on Sundays we stop by the local grocery where they have a sushi station. We can watch the sushi being made and pick some up to take home. It's become sort of a tradition.

My 10 year old Em recently asked if we could try to make our own. Why not? So off we went to World Market to pick up the Sushi rice and bamboo mat for rolling, as well as the seaweed sheets. Then at the grocery after church we picked up the imitation crab meat, cucumbers, avocado, and carrots. If you live somewhere where you could get super fresh sushi grade Tuna etc than try that. But the Panhandle of Texas just really isn't that close to the ocean, so we'll pass on the raw fish thank you:) That night we made our first round of sushi and it was very yummy. Some friends have asked if it was hard to do and the answer is no. To prove it Em made a sushi 101 video to share.

Winter Wonderland

This photo was taken several hours after sunset. The city light in the distance bouncing off the snow and overcast snow cause the night to glow!

Well the promised snow storm hit us early this morning and it has been snowing the entire day. It is supposed to continue throughout the night and maybe even tomorrow morning. No sledding yet as the wind has been blowing too hard. We're hoping it will be better in the morning:)

I think tomorrow may be a bread baking day to go along with our leftover Creamy Bacon and Potato soup!