Rustic Farmhouse Laundry Room Makeover | $115!!

We purchased our home in spring of 2015. Until this year I had nothing but a big bare wall in our laundry room. Well, its not much of a room. It's merely the passage from the garage to the kitchen, with the pantry on the other side. Finally, we have added a cabinet & hanging bar/shelf. All of this, on a budget.

This wall offered a few challenges, including oddly placed wall studs. 

Before

These are images from when we toured the property before purchase. I couldn't reach this dinky shelf, so I took it down immediately. 

I had grey and white paint left over from our bedroom, so guess what color the laundry room is. :)

I loved the look of encaustic tiled walls featured in farmhouse bathrooms. So I purchased a stencil and some chalk paint off amazon. 

Wall Stencil

$18.94 at time of purchase.

Sage Chalk Paint

$8.96 at time of purchase.

I decided not to use the grout line effect, which I kind of regret. I also wish I would have gotten a larger stencil size. Perhaps I'll change it someday but for now, I like it.

Next, I added this shelf above the washer & dryer. This is where the oddly placed studs became apparent. I tried to center the shelf the best I could given the circumstance.

Decor consists of some vintage finds from my Grandmother's estate, clothes pins, a drink dispenser I repurposed for my laundry liquids, etc.

I found an inexpensive cabinet & hanging bar on amazon.

Hanging Bar

$22.50 at time of purchase

Wall Cabinet

$55 at time of purchase

In a previous post, I made an inexpensive frame for the builder grade mirror in our guest bath. I purchased 2, 1"x4"x8' boards from Home Depot for $5.44. They even have a station where an employee made the necessary cuts for me. (Lowes no longer offers this in my area)

I had 2 sections of wood left over from each board, which I stained and glued together using Gorilla Glue wood glue.

It was then that I discovered the magic of wall anchors/ toggles. To hang the cabinet & hanging bar I used snap toggles that can hold up to 265 pounds!!! I was familiar with the small plastic screw type ones but not of those that can hold so much weight.

Snap Toggle 2 pack

$3.48 at time of purchase.

4 Drywall Anchors

$1.49 at time of purchase

The hanging bar requires 12 screws, I used 1 toggle on each side & some standard drywall anchors. Both items came with their own screws and anchors, but I don't recommend using them for so much weight. 

I used pipe straps to secure the boards to each side of the hanging unit.

Pipe Strap, 4 Pack

$1.18 at time of purchase.

Laundry symbols "art" was originally a thrift find, following a fall the only piece salvageable was the background. I then painted over it with cheap black acrylic paint and a chalk marker.

Finally something functional & not too shabby to look at.

Total out of pocket cost, $115.61

xoxo, -Josi

Repurpose & Reuse | Valentines Day Flowers | Zero Waste

I received some beautiful red roses from my hubby for Valentines Day. Once the flowers wilt I plan to repurpose them this year. 

Rose Petal Sugar Scrub:

Coconut Oil

Rose Petals

Sugar

Blend together & store in glass container

Rose Infused Facial Mist:

Boil rose petals in distilled or filtered water

Strain & store in amber bottle with spray nozzle.

Dried Rose Petals:

Hang roses upside down for a week or 2, until dry.

Petals & leaves can be crushed up to use in various ways.

Add to homemade soap, bath salts, bath bombs, etc.

Dried flowers can be used as confetti for weddings.

Guest Bath Update | Rustic Farmhouse Bathroom

We purchased our first home in 2015. The entire house had been painted the same yellow-tan. I'm not a fan but its also not the worst color in the world. The idea of repainting the, all connected, hallway, living room/entry, & kitchen/dinning (with vaulted ceilings) sounds a bit daunting. But I have slowly tackled other rooms. Starting with our master bedroom. I then had enough paint left over to also update our laundry-room. Now its the guest bathroom's turn.

BEFORE

  

INSPIRATION

Objectives:

Paint walls white

Frame mirror

Spray paint chrome fixtures brushed bronze

Replace glass lamp shades with a textured clear glass & led Edison bulbs

*We also plan to replace the flooring throughout the house, but that will come at a later date.

PROCESS

As I've mentioned before, I love the thrill of the deal. AKA... I'm a cheapskate. So I'm off to Walmart for painting supplies.

-Primer: $5
-Paint: $15.38

-Basic paint kit: $4.97
-Mask: $0.97

-Drop Cloth: $0.96

-Tape: $2.97

-Spray Paints: $5.27 & $6.76

I don't recommend spray painting your fixtures. It scratches off quite easily. I sanded the shine off, primed with an "Professional" Primer & then Oil Rubbed Bronze, both Rustoleum. I allowed it to cure for several days, but decided not to do the same to the shower pieces. For now it looks okay, but I'll just replace them over time.

I'm glad I primed with a bright white before buying paint. It made me realize the shower/tub insert is more of an almond tone. I went with a gallon of Antique White, off the shelf at Walmart.

While I have yet to replace the glass lamp shades. An addition to the list unfinished projects, I'd like to add a subway tile or something that more closely resembles the shower insert above the surround, as well as the flooring I mentioned earlier. 

I did, however, frame the mirror. I made a simple frame and just hung it like a photo over the mounted mirror.

This project only cost me $9.23, using some supplies from previous projects.

Wood-2x 1"x4"x8' : $5.44

Flat Corner Brace (4 pack) : $3.27

Sanding, 1 coat gel stain, 2 coats polyurethane, & some staples in addition to the braces.

This makes such an impact & I couldn't be more happy with how this simple project turned out.

The rest of the bathroom decor.

A Peak Inside Our Home | Thrifty Home Decor

I don't exactly know how to describe my decor. A little bit farmhouse. A little bit boho. A little bit of this & a little bit of that.

My decor consists of a hodgepodge of primarily clearance, thrift store finds, vintage family "heirlooms", craigslist, & Facebook "Buy, Sell, Trade" page finds. Some pieces, like the wall clock you can barely see in the left of the photo above, are from the downsizing of a title office a family member used to work at. The solid wood side table & iron bookshelf in my office, plus various knickknacks were a great exchange for the couple hours of work.

Anything I purchase at "full price" usually comes from Tj Maxx, Ross, or Walmart. The throw blanket & basket are from Tj Maxx. Walmart for the textured white pillow. Botanical pillow cases are from Amazon, 4 piece for $14.99. 

A lot can be done with a can of spray paint. The above picture includes an empty Carlo Rosse wine bottle. Thrifted candle bases, the small yorkie planter. A can of champagne spray paint gave several of these items a facelift. 

This rocking horse is a facebook find. Basket & galvanized vase on the wall are from a local Dessert Industries. The greenery in said vase was rescued from my Grandmother's 1960s bomb shelter. Even our furniture is from a discount furniture store.

This floor planter was saved from the garbage of a salon I used to work in!!  Bar stool is from the same D.I. mentioned before. A few Amazon bargains like the hanging basket.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077X6WR3X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1