Guest Bath Reveal

Finally, It's DONE!

We've actually had it done for months.

When I went to take the final pictures

for the reveal I noticed that our mirror

was a different color.

Noooooooo!

So I had to wait until it was warmer

weather to repaint the mirror.

Which I happened to get done yesterday!

Let's take a look at the beginning.

When Hubby decided to start

re-doing the guest bath he started

to rip things apart before I could

take pictures. I'm not one to tell

him to stop what he is doing just

so I can get some before pictures.

Heck no, let him rip!

We needed to get this bathroom done.

This is what we started with, minus the mirror.

It was a simple builder grade mirror.

Moving around the room to the left.

The upper half of the walls were

painted mint and the bottom half was

painted lavender. Little dragonflies were

stenciled on the walls in various places and

a wallpaper border was added.

This was the wallpaper border.

We went from this....

Drum roll please....

To this.

What a difference!

Things that we did to the guest bathroom.

1. Removed wallpaper border and repainted the room gray.

2. Replaced the light fixture above the mirror.

 3. Removed the builder grade mirror and replaced it with a framed mirror.

I bought this mirror from Walmart because it was the perfect size

for this bathroom. Wrong color, right size = no worries.

I painted it white and added

a coat of polyurethane to it which turned it yellow!

So off the wall it came yesterday and got a new coat

of paint which matched perfectly.

Instead of using polyurethane to protect the

paint I used Annie Sloan Clear Wax.

4. We added a solid oak cupboard above the commode

to store bathroom essentials.

5. I kept the same trash can but gave it a new look

by decoupaging scrapbook paper to it.

6. Removed the old shower curtain and rod and

replaced it with new drapes and rods.

Here is a close up of the design on the curtains.

7. I needed a piece of framed art for the wall

above the towel rack. I took an old frame

that I had and gave it a weathered look

with white and gray paint. I added a piece

of the same scrapbook paper to match

the trash can.

A simple inexpensive piece of art.

8. This bathroom has a tiled floor.

The tile was in great shape but

the grout was nasty looking and needed

to have something done to it.

Paint to the rescue!

So I got down on my butt and painted it.

This took me roughly 8 hours to do.

The top half of the picture shows the

painted grout. Check out the lower half

and see how nasty this grout looked.

9. Now it looks beautiful with a new rug.

Another room completed and checked off the To Do List.

With a little money and a lot of sweat equity

we were able to transform this bathroom to

a more neutral updated look.

That's it for this week.

Until Next Time,

Veronica

Scrub A Dub

Garden season prep is upon us.

Whether it be flower or vegetable gardens,

I'm the type of person who hates to wear garden

gloves. I would much rather dig in the dirt with my

bare hands. Unfortunately, I end up with rough, dry hands.

One way I get my hands back to being soft and smooth

before Summer season begins is to use a Homemade Salt Scrub.

I love the smell of lavender and vanilla together, so

this year I made a

Lavender Vanilla scented salt scrub.

Not only does it smell good, it's pretty too.

Salt scrubs help exfoliate, clean, moisturize

and sooth your body.

If you know how to measure and stir,

you too can make your own luxurious salt scrub.

I have also made this using Grapeseed Oil or

Sweet Almond Oil.

Measure and mix your Coconut Oil and Epsom Salt

together in a glass mixing bowl until completely combined.

Add in the Essential Oil of choice and stir.

Add 2 drops of food color and stir.

Place mixture into a pretty glass container and enjoy.

The Coconut Oil is used to hydrate your skin,

while the Epsom Salt exfoliates and scrubs away

dead skin and leaves your skin soft and smooth.

Let's not forget about the lavender and vanilla

scents. They provide the fresh, floral, clean smell

and have a calming effect.

Right before bedtime I will treat my hands
with this luxurious salt scrub.
The soft subtle smell of lavender and
vanilla helps me drift off to a peaceful sleep.

LAVENDER VANILLA SALT SCRUB

2 cups Coconut Oil

1 cup Epsom Salt

20 drops Lavender Essential Oil (or add more to aquire desired scent)

10 drops Vanilla Extract

Mix together the Coconut oil and Epsom salt in a medium glass bowl.

Add your Essential Oil of choice and stir to completely combine.

Add 2 drops of food color and mix to combine.

Place into a pretty glass jar.

That's it for this week.

Until Next Time,

Veronica

Animal Prints

I love to add animal prints to my outfits.

For this outfit I started with a turquoise colored tank

and tan Jeggings. Next cam the cream

colored jacket. To add a little bit of interest

to an otherwise bland outfit I draped a silk

animal print scarf around my neck.

The animal print scarf really makes the turquoise top stand out

and pulls the whole outfit together.

For footwear I chose a pair of suede wedge sandals.

If you become too warm, simply remove the jacket

and you still have a finished look.

That's it for this week's fashion.

Until Next Time,

Veronica

Kentucky Derby Celebration

Every year we look forward to watching

the Kentucky Derby.

The Kentucky Derby is on my Bucket List

of places to visit.

To see the majestic, graceful and elegant Thoroughbreds

in person would be awe-inspiring.

Not only is the Kentucky Derby known for the

beautiful, majestic Thoroughbreds, it is also

known for it's world famous Mint Juleps.

You just can't celebrate the Kentucky Derby

without a good Mint Julep cocktail,

even if you are just watching it from home.

Start with fresh mint.

Then choose your favorite brand of Kentucky Bourbon.

Add some Simple Syrup and crushed ice

and you have a Classic Mint Julep.

Oh how I love a good cocktail made with Kentucky Bourbon.

Hubby's not a fan of hard liquor
and I'm not a beer drinker.

Give him a Sam Adam's Boston Lager and

he's one happy camper.

Me, I'll take the Kentucky Bourbon,

Thank you very much.

The running of the Kentucky Derby is May 6th.

I'll be ready and waiting with drink in hand.

May the best horse win!

CLASSIC MINT JULEP

10 Fresh Mint Leaves

1 oz. Simple Syrup (I make my own. Recipe at bottom of post)

2 + 1/2 ounces Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

Crushed Ice

Wash the mint leaves and place into the bottom of a short thick glass.

Crush the mint leaves with a muddle to release the mint flavor. If you don't have a muddle, use the bottom of a spoon and press the mint leaves against the sides of the glass to crush.

Add 1 ounce of Simple Syrup and stir to mix.

Fill the glass 3/4 full with crushed ice.

Add 2 + 1/2 ounces of Bourbon and stir.

Fill the glass with additional crushed ice.

Enjoy your Classic Mint Julep.

*SIMPLE SYRUP*

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup distilled water (can use filtered water)

Combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking until sugar has completely dissolve and liquid is clear. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.

That's it for this week.

Until Next Time,

Veronica

Coral and Bell Sleeves

I have to say that the color coral is

one of my favorite fashion colors.

Whenever I wear it I always get

tons of compliments. The color is

the perfect match for my skin and
hair tones and seems to bring a glow to my face.

The sheer scalloped bell sleeve top adds a touch of femininity.

Bell sleeves are so in right now. I've had this top for some

time now and can't even remember where I bought it.

It's a timeless classic that is still in style.

To put this look together, I started with the pretty

sheer, bell sleeve top. I pulled colors from the

 top and added a coral colored tank top

and tan Jeggings. The only accessories I wore were

the flower shaped necklace and my favorite brown watch.

For shoes I wore cream colored wedge sandals.

That's it for this weeks fashion.
Until Next Time,
Veronica

Concrete and Wood Design

There's something about concrete and wood

together that draws me in.

I wanted a cake stand made from concrete and wood,

except I didn't really want concrete because it would

be too heavy. I just wanted it to look like concrete.

I've looked high and low and couldn't even find a

cake stand that was made with concrete and wood.

So I started brainstorming to see if I could create

what I wanted.

Here is my new concrete and wood cake stand.

Did you happen to notice it in my post about

the Chocolate Mint No Churn ice cream?

Hubby came home and I showed him what I made.

He asked me where I got the concrete top from.

He thought it was real concrete!

Mission Accomplished!

I started with an unfinished wooden pedestal

and gave it a coat of stain.

For the top I used an unfinished round wooden disc

and painted 4 different layers of paint on it.

I used white, light gray and dark gray paint to

create a concrete look.

I pulled these colors from my paint stash.

I used a cheap paint brush because I wanted it to

have a textured look.

Sorry I forgot to take pictures of each layer as I went along.

Here is the top completed.

What do you think?

Does it look like concrete?

The hole was filled in with wood putty and painted over.

I let the top sit overnight to completely dry before I attached

it to the base using wood glue.

It turned out exactly how I envisioned it.

It is a natural beauty.

I like to display my cake plates when I don't

have them in use.

Here is a picture of it styled on top of our Pie Safe.

That's it for this week.

Until Next Time,

Veronica