DIY Disaster: The Night Our Bathroom Tried to Sink the House
It started as a simple bathroom upgrade. You know, the kind where you think, 'This will be easy!'—and then your house hears that and laughs. One fallen mirror, one busted pipe, and one surprise indoor geyser later, and we were starring in our own low-budget disaster movie. Spoiler: the bathroom won.
The real Old Faithful—majestic, powerful, and exactly the kind of geyser you'd expect to see... outdoors. Unlike the surprise version that erupted in our bathroom last night.
You know how sometimes you're just minding your business, trying to upgrade your bathroom, and then your house decides to test its emergency response system? No? Just me? Cool.
Here’s the story. Yesterday, my husband Denniss and I were in the trenches of a mini-bathroom reno. And by “we,” I obviously mean he – because my role was making the hard-hitting design decisions and offering the kind of moral support that only someone armed with Pinterest boards and strong opinions on tile can provide. He tackled removing the old vanity like a seasoned pro. We decided to leave the mirror/medicine cabinet for later. It looked like it was connected to the light switch, and I had to run to pick up the new light at Home Depot. The plan? Wait to take it down when we were ready to swap out the light fixture. It had been hanging there perfectly fine for, oh, 27 years, so we figured it was in it for the long haul. (Spoiler: it was not.)
In order for our new vanity to lay right we had to fill in the spot where our old vanity was sitting on the original flooring - so we pulled our extra laminate flooring planks we had stored in the shed. Turns out, they were about as straight as a curly fry, so my husband laid them out with some bricks over them to let them chill and straighten overnight. The plan was for him to install the vanity today. Easy. Simple. Foolproof.
Cut to 10 PM. Denniss and I are downstairs, editing a photo (just practicing some new techniques), when we hear this massive crash from upstairs. We sprint up, and guess what? The mirror decided it was done with life on the wall. It fell, smashed into the pipe, and suddenly we had our very own Old Faithful in the bathroom. Water. Everywhere. Gushing like it had been waiting it’s entire life for this exact moment.
Cue the chaos: It was all hands on deck. I was barking orders like a pirate captain—directing the boys to grab every towel, bucket, bowl, and random Tupperware they could find. If it could hold water, it was enlisted. Meanwhile, Denniss was racing to shut off the main valve like his house depended on it (which, considering the amount of water that was flowing-that is not an exaggeration- I am convinced our well was trying to empty itself). We were moving fast, but the water was faster. It slipped through the ceiling, gave our dining room table an impromptu bath, and then took a casual stroll down to the basement. Because of course it did. Why settle for ruining one floor when you can try to ruin three?
Thankfully, we were quick enough that our hardwood floors on the main floor were spared. But our chandelier? Swamped. We set up buckets under every drip, mopped up the puddles, and laid towels on the waterlogged carpets as best we could, and placed every fan we owned (which, surprisingly, were more than a few) on the most affected areas.
Last night as I dozed off to sleep, I was mentally preparing to become best friends with a shop vac and a drywall patch kit.
But, surprise! Turns out this was less of a DIY fix and more of a "call in the pros before the house floats away" kind of situation. The plumber came, the insurance kicked in, and a team of very nice gentlemen arrived to demo the bathroom, a few ceilings, and pull out some carpet. Now we get to live with the constant hum of fans and dehumidifiers—like a spa day, but for the house, and way less relaxing. Really it’s more akin to having a wind tunnel experiment in our own house. At least it’s only for a week. And really, it could have been worse. Thank God we were home when it happened.
Moral of the story? Maybe don't trust a 27-year-old mirror—especially one that's been clinging to the wall since the Clinton administration. Or at least give it a good shake every once in a while to make sure it's still committed to the relationship. Because if it's plotting an exit strategy, better to find out before it decides to make a dramatic exit.
Cheers,
Nicóle
Winter Skin Care & Sugar Lip Scrub DIY
It goes without saying with pregnancy come lots of changes. One of those being my skin. The cold winter weather isn't helping much as my normally sensitive skin is now also dry. I thought I'd share some of my winter skin care routine - the pregnant version.
For my dry skin (it's mostly on my forehead, temples, and jaw line) I start my day with a warm to cool water rinse. I never use soap in the morning because my skin is clean (never go to bed with makeup on.) so I don't need to wash it. I follow that rinse up with a moisturizer. I LOVE facial oils. My two favorite face oils right now are L'Oreal Paris Extraordinary Facial Oil for a drugstore brand and L'Occitane Divine Youth Oil for a department store brand. I let the face oil absorb, usually I brush my teeth. Then I follow this up with a moisturizer containing sunscreen. I wear a moisturizer with sunscreen all year long. Right now I'm using Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with Broad Spectrum SPF 30.
Once that's all soaked in I apply my makeup. Usually this involves a CC cream a light smudge of eye-shadow, mascara, concealer and blush. (Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a slide show of the products I'm using right now.)
My biggest issue right now is dry chapped lips. Due in part to it being winter and dry and the other is a common symptom of pregnancy - a stuffy nose. My nose is perpetually stuffy these days and so when I'm sleeping at night, I fall into breathing with via my mouth. This of course only aggravates the dryness on my lips.
What I've found helps my lips immensely is to keep them moisturized with my favorite lip balm. I use Burt's Bees peppermint balm. The other is using a lip scrub to slough off the dry dead skin. I make my own, and I absolutely love it, because it has the added benefit of also moisturizing my lips.
To make this DIY Sugar Lip Scrub I use these products:
Brown sugar, coconut oil, and an essential oil that is safe for consumption.
The essential oil is optional, but I find it adds a something extra to it that can't be beat. The only essential oil brand I use is Young Living. In this instance, because it's going on my lips I use the vitality oil because these can be consumed. I am a representative authorized to distribute Young Living essential oils, if you'd like more information, please do not hesitate to ask.
To make the sugar scrub I make it in small batches, so enough for a couple of ounces. I don't really measure...
First gather your supplies: 
Next mix the coconut oil and sugar using more sugar than coconut oil. Then add in a drop of essential oil.
Once it's mixed together, put it into an air tight container.
The consistency you are looking for is clumpy and damp but not overly wet from the coconut oil. Enjoy your new lip scrub, or give it as a gift. They make excellent (and inexpensive gifts).
Here are my go to beauty products these days..
DIY Decoupage Dress Form & Homemade Modpodge Recipe
Last Friday morning I awoke with a mission. To paint a shelf and spruce up my office. The sprucing up of my office involved rearranging some books and tackling a dress form I had leaning against a wall because it was somehow broken in our move.It wasn't bothering me as you really couldn't tell it was "leaning" because the skirt of the Book Fairy costume I had on it kept it up right. However it was taking up serious real estate and I knew I either had to fix it. Give it away, or find some new purpose for it. I chose the latter and I got to recycle my costume as well.One handmade Book Fairy costume and one beat up dress form... Combined to become this lovely decorative addition that I love so much more.It was super easy to do.Here's how you can create your own DIY Decoupage Dress Form.If you have a beat up dress form like I did, simply remove the soft fabric cover and foam. Scrape away as much if not all of the foam you can. I used a sharp knife for the areas that were glued on and wouldn't just pull away. Once you've cleared away as much as the foam as possible you're ready to begin decoupaging.I didn't have enough Modpodge left to complete this project, and waiting the 10-12 days for Amazon to deliver it to me just wasn't an option. So I turned to Pinterest and discovered a ton of recipes for Modpodge, the one I used was so simple. I can't believe I'd not made some sooner. I found the recipe on this delightful blog called Lulatastic.To make your own decoupage glue you'll need:PVA Glue AKA Elmers Glue and water. That's it. Nothing else.I used 1 cup of Elmer's Glue All and 1/3 cup of water. Mix them together in a jar via a vigorous shaking and voila! You've got your very own Modpodge glue to decoupage to your heart's content! This formula produces a matte decoupage which is just how I prefer it.Once you've got your glue you're ready to begin to decoupage your dress form.In addtion to the glue, you'll need paper or fabric of your choosing to decoupage with, a brush and something to "smush" out the bubbles.When decoupaging I prefer to use a sponge-brush but you can use whatever sort of brush you like and something to flatten out the air-bubbles. On this particular occasion I used my fingers but a silicone spatula works great too. If you don't mind glue all over your fingers do it my way. If you'd rather not be taken back to elementary school, use gloves.To decoupage:Grab your paper dab the back with glue. Brush some glue onto your dress form, place the paper glue side down and brush the air bubbles away, any that don't come out smooth with your fingers or what-ever device you choose. Continue in this manner until you've completed your project. Overlapping as you go.Don't have a dress form? You can make your own. Grab and friend and some duct tape and head over to this page for the instructions on how to make your own DIY Dress Form.
How To Make Hair Ties Out of Old Pantyhose or Stockings
Today's DIY Upcycle post is brought to you by my long hair and lack of hair ties.Way back in high school I worked at a shoe store where I had to dress up. In the mid 1990's that equated to having to wear pantyhose.Panty hose and going up and down ladders to retrieve shoe boxes always didn't work out to the benefit of my stockings. As a result I went through quite a few pair.I can't take credit for this ingenious and rather industrial idea, as it actually came from my mother who had used her own pantyhose to create hair ties. She offered up this wisdom to me one day when I found myself in without a scrunchie.Way before blogging, when scrunchies were the go-to hair accessory I was using pantyhose to tie back my long locks.Panty hose actually make for a really good hair tie because it won't pull or damage your hair.All you need are a pair of scissors and pantyhose.
Step 1. Cut off the toe portion of your stocking.
Step 2. With a sharp pair of scissors (preferably one used only for fabric) cut the stockings, move up in thick bands. I prefer 2-3 inches.
Step 3. Gather the edges of the cut pantyhose to make rings.
That's it! Now tie back your hair!
Home Tour: Living Room [Halloween Edition]
Allow me to preface this post by saying, I feel dumb even including "Halloween" in the title because I have, like...5 Halloween related decor pieces that make up the sum of my ghoulish decor. I know I had more, and I'm positive it got lost somewhere crossing the Atlantic. Sadly I believe this to be the case for my Autumn decor in general as well as some of my Christmas cheer!Getting on, I began taking photographs of my living room to share with a friend, when I thought "Oh blog post!"I think it's cool to see what other spaces look like, and homes in other countries. Here is a look into my Italian living room.
This is actually a garland I made from old sheets, and a dress from Old Navy that had a stain I couldn't get out. I'm using it as a radiator cover and a nesting place for some Fall-ish things. Above that sign used to hang my collection of vintage plates. However the walls hate me and they (mostly) fell down.
I purchased this Halloween themed pennant banner at Target a few years ago. [I miss Target.] The white round table in the corner I thrifted when we lived in Virginia and painted it white. The table and chairs (and pretty much everything else in this space is via Ikea). I'll show you the tiered tray I made and the cutting board I stained in a future post as I failed to snap those details.
This console table I scored at a bargain here in Italy from another Air Force family who was PCS'g. Those grey buckets were a thrift store find from Pottery Barn Kids, originally they were pink. The starfish dish is a gift for my Mom I've not yet sent. I really love the silver candelabras with the burlap shades that have script on them. I scooped those up when I had a coupon for Hobby Lobby online.
The walls in my home are concrete a.k.a. my Kryptonite. My husband spent all day drilling the holes. I only got one chance at this arrangement and so it had to be just right. I plan on sharing how I got it so in a future post. As for the pictures they are all pretty dated 2009, right before we sold our home in Virginia. I do have to admit that it's sort of sweet to have the reminder of when my boys were teeny-tiny. I'll update a few of them. The center "eye chart" I made in about ten minutes. I used one of my favorite E.E. Cummings poems.
I love these pillows. The green ones I scored on clearance at Target [have I mentioned that I miss Target?]. The chevron pillowcases I purchased at Hobby Lobby online. I found the pillows to go inside them at a local grocery store called Coop.I am very pleased with my Ikea Ektorp sofas. They are so easy to maintain, and really don't get all that dirty, even with my bouncy boys.
This is a very SPOOKY porcelain pumpkin set on some very good books. I love using books as decorating pieces. 
My haunted house. It's filled with things that go bump in the night. I brought down a few scary stories from my library to set the mood. I figured I couldn't go wrong with Anne Rice.
This lovely vintage dresser I purchased a few months ago for $25. I painted it a lovely shade of grey. I'm still debating on the knobs. Party of me likes them just the way they are because up close they have a nice patina to them, and part of me wants to spray paint them white. For now it serving it's intended purpose as linen storage quite well.That's it for my living room and dining area. Hope you enjoyed it!xo,nicole
DIY Canvas Wall Art [Old T-Shirt UpCycle]
When we moved into our Italian home one of the first things I asked my boys was if they would like a particular theme for their bedroom. They did and with out question they proclaimed Star Wars!Yay. I love my little geeks!So I set about finding things for their room that would bring Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, aliens, and distant galaxies to life in their bedroom. It's definitely a work in progress as finding Star Wars themed items here in Italy is a lot harder than I anticipated it would be, so we are slowly deciding on things and ordering online.This summer as I was going through my youngest son Evan's clothes I came across an old Star Wars t-shirt I'd gotten for him at Old Navy. I knew immediately I had to incorporate it into their bedroom some how.As it turns out I had a few old canvases that were perfect for this project and this DIY Star Wars Canvas Wall Art Upcycle was born.Once I gathered my supplies it took me about five minutes to complete.So easy. So cute. My boys love it. I am even debating taking one of my Star Wars t-shirts and using it to make another.The best part about this project. It cost me absolutely nothing to make. You can easily make one of your own using fabric (think pillow cases, sheets, anything really) and even an old piece of wood or a cereal box would even work for this project. If you make one of your own please come back and share your creation with me!
DIY Laptop Cover
One of my favorite crafty activities to is cover something in paper and glue-otherwise known as découpage. This DIY laptop cover was super easy to create and it's all about the découpage!
de·cou·page - the art or technique of decorating something with cut-outs of paper, linoleum, plastic,or other flat material over which varnish or lacquer is applied.I’ve been searching for a cover for my laptop for well over a year, but couldn’t find anything I liked at the price I wanted to pay. A few weeks ago while browsing in Best Buy I came across a clear cover I liked. It was $50 which was still more than I wanted to pay, so it stayed in the store and I went on my way.That cover stayed in the back of my mind, until one day a few weeks ago I was at a Starbucks and I saw a woman with the same case in pink. Seeing it in action I got an idea for a craft project.I came home and searched Amazon and came across this clear case and instantly I knew, if I couldn’t find a case I liked, I’d make one! The best part, it was only $20.When it arrived I was momentarily disappointed because though the description said “crystal clear” it wasn’t. It was sort of foggy, I thought I’d have to return it, but a quick check proved that it would be suitable for my idea and I went about gathering the items I would need to craft a personalized lap top cover for my Mac.Supplies:
- Lap top cover. I used this one from iPearl.
- Mod Podge I like the matte version.
- scissors
- flat paint brush – a good size for this is about 1 inch.
- Paper, photos, post cards, what-ever you fancy, so long as it’s paper.
Then be sure to seal the outer layers -the ones on the inside of the cover with more Mod Podge.I suppose one could use any lap top cover they chose, if they decoupaged on the out-side, but for this project I wanted all of the crafting done from the inside.If you’ve never decoupaged before check out this tutorial. Here is a tutorial specifically for reverse collage -which is essentially what this project is. It’s also a good idea to practice on something first, to make sure you’ve gotten a feel for the technique, before you begin work on your cover. The good thing about this -if you’re not 100% satisfied with the end result, or you eventually get bored, you can soak your cover in a bit of acetone.
In case you’re wondering what/why I chose the things I did. I’ll tell you.Comic book strip -For it’s melodrama and color. There are three references to my favorite book, Pride & Prejudice. Swans are probably my favorite bird, and it’s got some meaning to my first novel. Rhett Butler & Scarlet O’hara, because these two characters, are probably among the best ever written. That little mirror graphic with “Yes you’re the fairest of them all.” I love Snow White, and I think it’s a good thing to look in a mirror and like the person you see. A snowy owl, I also love owls-but the vintage kitschy home decorating type. This one is to pay Homage to J.K. Rowling. Unicorns to remind me of magic. Freckles…because I’ve got them. “Corner of awesome…” -because I am. “Tell you’re story” and “you’re a writer”-just because. Finally, my husband and I-because he is my very own, story book, Prince Charming, come to life, romantic novel, drives me crazy, love at first sight, leading man.