Bathroom business.

Progress in the basement has been much slower than we planned for (shocker, right?). We wanted to have a mostly finished, functional and carpeted basement after the New Year, and that just hasn't happened. Admittedly, we have been total slackers lately and when it comes to our free time we've been spending it camped out on the couch, watching our favorite shows after the kids go to bed. I don't know about you guys, but with an extra hour of daylight each day, I haven't felt as tired in the evening time. In fact, I've been diving into more productive things rather than parking my bum on the couch for the night!

Last weekend, we got our basement bathroom finished and fully working- a huge task off our to-do list. Jon and I installed the tile ourselves and I am LOVING the choice. I picked out a tile that resembles wood planks both in color/texture (it has a very subtle grain) and in shape (6"x18"). I really wanted slightly darker grout than we ended up with (the color on the bag looked darker) but I actually am really liking the contrast between the dark, almost ebony tile and the lighter tiny grout lines. After it all cured, the toilet and vanity went in. All the bathroom needs is trim, a shower curtain and towel fixtures, which probably will happen when we're closer to finishing the basement as a whole.




Next up, the bar tile (which I haven't decided on)! On a sidenote, can I just say that I have the most awesome husband? He lets me do whatever I want with this house regarding all the design choices. From big things like choosing the style of our concrete patio and bar cabinets to smaller things like paint colors and bedding choices, he lets me have free reign. A lot of times I ask his opinion but for the most part, he just likes what I pick out and trusts my judgement. I love that!

A very fine house.

Maybe it's in my blood, or maybe it's just a passion, but I love building things- seeing a concept on paper (or in my head) come to life. For me, it used to be about saving money- why would I buy something that I can make myself, and at better quality, at that? Nowadays, I don't really think about DIY'ing from a money-saving point of view. Its more about a challenge and a love for making things for my family and my home.
This dollhouse bookshelf just about wiped my love for building things, as it was one of the most difficult projects I've ever built. For starters, I didn't have the right tools. That fact alone added a lot of time to what was considered a "weekend project".  I had to use someone else's band saw because my 10 inch miter saw was not going to cut it (haha, get it?) for this project. To this point, I've build everything from a mitre saw, jig saw, nail gun and power drill. Also, I've never cut out holes from wood- so that was a first. There were a lot of set backs and a lot of frustration and I was thisclose to throwing in the towel. My husband wasn't about to let me do that- he encouraged me to keep going and stick with it, so I did.

Did I mention that this project was considered a weekend project? Let me just clarify that little tidbit by saying that there are new construction homes being built in my neighborhood faster than I built this doll house (slight exaggeration there). I spent roughly 30-35 hours from cutting the lumber to my last coat of paint.

All this to say, I'm so happy that this is done and I'm really proud of this piece. When I was newly pregnant with Kylie, I remember saying "If I have a girl, I'm building her that bookshelf!" If you've read my blog for some time, you know that I love everything Pottery Barn Kids and I always loved the dollhouse bookshelf they used to sell (for $399!). I know that Kylie will love this piece for years to come!
I'm getting really close to the point where I'm happy with how her room is shaping up. I drew a little watercolor flamingo (got this inspiration here)to put over her crib, and I just need to finish putting pictures in some frames that hang as a gallery over her dresser.




I'll post pictures as soon as I'm done. We also tiled our downstairs bath last weekend and are installing the toilet and vanity today! I'm loving how it's coming along and I'll post pictures of that soon as well.