For the last few years, my entire family of five has been sharing one small shower/bath combo in the hall bathroom.  Even though we added on to the house in 2006, we still only had only a partially completed master bathroom.  For years, the master shower was nothing more than a storage closet.  Not any more!  I’m talking about 35 square feet of pure bliss that we just finished tiling last week.

And my dream for just a bit of Oceanside glass tile finally came true.

Hello gorgeous.

Two weeks ago, the shower was in a very raw state, having only waterproofed sheetrock and a tar floor.  We started by

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A few months ago the marvelous John and Sherri at Young House Love turned me on to a great home improvement contest sponsored by One Project Closer benefiting Habitat for Humanity by featuring the best of Before & After DIY projects.  One Project Closer is a great one stop home improvement site for savvy DIYers. 

Of course, you remember all of the sweat that went into our staircase remodel from last month.  We are still getting emails about this one!

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Every now and then I write up a feature of some to the best places to visit in Northern California’s Wine Country.  Autumn is near, and the leaves are beginning to change.  The colors are so beautiful from September through November. 

When I visit my favorite wineries, I always pick up some special savory treats to give as hostess gifts.  In honor of reaching over 1,000 followers, and in anticipation of

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I had a little problem.  In my recent attempt to spruce up the guest bedroom space, I realized I had a small closet for my guests, but no dresser.  And the end table next to the bed was a bit small.  So when I spied a small three drawer chest at the local thrift for $13 dollars, my brain clicked into gear. 

Now most people would walk past this piece, and for good reason.  It had a spotty black paint job with gold trim and gold hardware.  It’s a Dorothy Draper knock off, but I’m just not a fan of this paint job.  Funny, because I typically adore classics.  I really loved the lines and the design, just not the traditional black and gold paint - this color combination was simply unsuitable for my blue and white space.

I’m all about freshening a classic piece with great lines in a new and modern way, and I am not alone. 

I loved the detail of this chest, just not the paint job, so I decided to make it my own.  As much as I long to paint everything white, I like to mix it up with dark wood tones or pieces painted something other than white.  

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One month ago, I bought a spindly old fashioned twin headboard at the local thrift store with every intention of turning it into a bench.  I’d seen the idea traveling around on some blogs, and loved it.  The headboard cost me a total of $12 dollars.

After some thought, I decided I had less use for a bench, and greater use for a coat rack in my guest space.  I had a bare wall, so why not fashion the headboard into a rack for scarves, sweaters, jackets, robes, or hats for my guests ?   You may recall, I’ve done this before, turning a footboard into a message center with some white and chalkboard paint.   

So I decided to do it again, but this time with a headboard.  I also used a different paint technique to give my coat rack an antiqued look.  Now, the twin headboard has been transformed into an architecturally decorative piece, providing both form and function. 

Follow along and I’ll show how I turned this:

into this: 

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