New Year, Sorta New Projects!

Well, I have lots of ideas of what I'd like to do to improve the environment in which Mr. Tennis, The Bostons, the Cats and I live in, but it's hard to know where to start.  When you live in a house that's almost 50 years old there's always something that needs improvement.  Just like my 50ish self!

My main priority besides my "Don Draper" chairs are my "Harry Potter" dining room chairs:

I call them this for obvious reasons.  I bought the dining room set from a garage sale.  Six chairs, a great table and a really nice china cabinet, all for $500 several years ago.  I have never liked the chairs and always envisioned replacing them.  I would like to buy second-hand chairs and am not against painting them a color.  My latest brainstorm re Operation Harry Potter are two rattan or wicker end chairs and four other chairs.  Before I had this vision, I had the opportunity to purchase four decent side chairs for $5 each at the thrift store, but I couldn't get the number six out of my head at that time.  Now, I have a clearer view (depending on who you talk to) of what I'm aiming for.  As I know many of you won't sleep until I have resolved this dilema, please sleep.  I move very slowly as any of my friends will tell you.  Perhaps this time next year I will have an update on my "Harry" drama.

I actually got a bit of a start before Christmas with an area that I have always, well, yes, hated.  It's been improved, not redone and now I feel kind of good when I walk into it.  It's my so-called master bathroom.  I don't have any before pictures because I just never took any.  It's a small room, about 6 x 8. (My, that sounds like a jail cell!).  Although it is in our massive master suite (again, I am being sacastic), it is a one person, or one cat bathroom.  Yes, it is where the litter box has resided for the last 20 years.

It is a shower only bathroom.  We replaced the once beautiful 1960s era blue sink and toilet a few years ago.  I ripped down the wallpaper that hung there when we first moved in, painted it white and then did a hideous stencil.  At the time it looked better, but over the years I began to hate it - both the stencil, the bathroom as a whole, and in particular the very hard to clean, it-never-looks-clean tile in the shower area.

I woke up one morning in November and decided that would be the day.  I would scrub the infernal stall until my hands bled, I would march into Lowes, not fret over colors and pick one I liked by instinct, and then.... Yes, then, I would tackle my old enemy.

I scrubbed, bleached and cursed.  While the room aired out I took off for Lowes, looking quite wonderful I would guess.  For years I had envisioned that bathroom in a mossy green.  The tile is white and it needed some color.  I love green, so I boldly selected what I thought would look totally wonderful in that room.

Came home, kicked the cats out of their litter box. Told the Bostons to take a hike and began painting.

I panicked when the color first went on.  I panicked after it dried.  I panicked the next day.  But then I started getting a few accessories to "jazz" up the joint and now I smile when I walk into my "bathroom suite".  The shower tile is still hideous, the litter box is still there, but the rest of it makes me feel pretty good.

I'm not the best photographer, but you get the idea.  The blue towel bars remain and I think they kind of blend in with the look of the room.  I covered the ugly window with dish towel curtains and added a nice hook to hold the plastic bags (yes, for THAT) and put an inspirational sign above the window.

Close up of "curtains" and sweet sign.












Mr. Tennis and I have always been big fans of the "Life is Good" line of clothing and accessories so I was happy to find this...

...to hang over our mirror and get our days off to a good start.

On our one final wall I hung these two cute pictures I found at Marshall's.  My other wall hangings I found at TJ Maxx and Home Goods.  All were on sale and I estimate my entire "makeover" budget was about $100. Oh, and a basket on the commode to hold hairbrushes, etc..

Finally, I found a "green" shower curtain with a leaf motif on it at Bed Bath and Beyond (coupon used) and a pretty soap dispenser from Target.

My big problem area is the, ahem, feline lavatory area.  If any of my loyal followers have any suggestions.  And I don't mean things such as giving the cats away.  I would appreciate it.

I leave you with a little clipping that I cut out of the paper when Bill Clinton was first elected and brought the family cat, Socks, to the White House.  I realize it is scandalous that I still have that cartoon taped to the door above where the "girls" hang out, but I have come to my senses and will frame it.  Little, by little, I am becoming a cultured human being.

I promise, I will frame it and make it "pretty".  When was he elected, 1992? Okay, so I've only had it taped up there for almost 18 years.  Oh my...