Sometimes a girl like me just needs a good kick in the pants to motivate her to finish a remodel project she’s had on the back burner, but has been ignoring for quite some time.  Such is the case with my hall bathroom.  Our hall bath is your basic contractor style1990s bathroom, with plain honey tone cabinetry and cultured marble counter tops.

So when the folks over at MirrorMate contacted me with the low down on their product and a coupon code, I was completely intrigued.  I emailed them back.  You mean there’s a solution for that plain wall mirror in my hall bath that doesn’t require me to purchase and install a brand new mirror?  That same hall bathroom I’ve been meaning to makeover but just was avoiding for the longest time because it’s ‘just the kids bathroom’  ?  Or so I kept telling myself. 

After a few email exchanges, those same kind folks over at MirrorMate offered to send me a complimentary custom mirror frame for my space.  Yeehaw !  Yes Ma’am !  Sign Me Up !  I filled out their user friendly form, faxed it to the company, and three business days later, I had my custom MirrorMate frame Fed Exed to my doorstep. 

What a difference it makes!  Here’s a peek at my hall bathroom before and after my custom MirrorMate was installed. 

What a difference ! 

Such a difference it puts the rest of my *ahem* outdated bathroom to shame.  This custom frame was just that kick in the pants I needed to get motivated on this bathroom remodel.  So I’ve got a plan to makeover the entire bathroom this summer (see below), but first, let me tell you how easy this MirrorMate product is to put together and install.

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As I dropped off my son at his morning preschool, I couldn’t help but notice this incredible wisteria vine in bloom – it left me speechless.  ‘Tis the season for this climbing woody vine bursting with intense color and intoxicating fragrance.

So I took a walk on a spring day to admire some of my neighbors’ climbing beauties, and to take some time to smell the wisteria.  

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Over the past months, I’ve been putting just a few finishing touches on my stepdaughter’s bedroom, and one of the last things I wanted to do for her was inject the space with a dash of big girl glam.  As you know from my fixation on metallic finishes, I’ve been wanting to silver leaf something, anything, for quite some time.  An inexpensive bronze Kmart lamp became the victim.  I’ve had this lamp for over three years and it was just looking a little, well, plain to me.  So rather than buying her a new lamp, I just decided to give it a glitzier look. 

For the faint of heart, the lovers of standard lamp bases, and the devotees to dark bronze, avert your eyes, look away, look away !   Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Now, for those like me who adore all things shiny, feast your eyes on my latest transformation, a lamp refinished in silver leaf. 

Before and After:

This project was incredibly simple, and took only a few hours to complete.  Here’s the play by play. 

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I get a hankering for the sand between my toes several times a year, then I quietly suggest to the fam that we head out to the beach, and it takes no convincing at all.  They race for their sandals and towels and can’t get into the car fast enough, then off to Bodega we go !

We happen to be lucky enough to live about thirty minutes from the Northern California coastline, so after a big weekend of gardening and home improvement, we decided to take a Sunday afternoon out at the coast to fly some kites and stop at our favorite seafood restaurant for the best clam chowder in the county.   

Bodega is fantastic in spring and fall, but incredibly foggy and cold in the summer, a lot like the weather in San Francisco.  So we head out the the coast as much as we can in April, May, September and October. 

I just love trails through sand dunes and coastal grasses. 

Inhale.  Breathe deeply.  Smell the salty air.  Life is good. 

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