Sunday Stills: The Letter T

Finally, our colors here are Turning. Fall comes very late when you live so close to Mexico. I've been thinking of it as Summer, since our Summer was Hell. This is the part of my house that used to be the Town Post Office until 1968.

I was inspired by dibear and the shot of her cactus earlier this week, so when mine opened I took one too. I know it's supposed to be a Christmas Cactus, but I think of it as a Thanksgiving Cactus as that's when it always seems to bloom.

Here's my Thoughtful Husband, Farmer Rick, icing a birthday cake he baked for me. Everyone tells me 50 is the new Thirty. This is because they are all older than me and it makes them feel better, too.

I was able to capture Starley, my camera-shy Terrier, giving me a kiss.

I got this nifty set of Tools. One of the advantages of aging is the gifts get better. Remember how thrilled you were at 14 to get just a dime store curling iron? Jewelers use dapping blocks and punches to form metal into curved shapes. This set ranges from itty-bitty to door knob size. Wow! If you've been following the progress of our chicken coop, then you'll know how much I like curves.

I also love the curves of my new Toaster!

Some friends sent me this  Ten Good Things About Getting Older card. I particularly like #5 You can take bets on which part of your body will conk out next. Remember the rib I dislocated earlier in the spring when we began the new chicken coop? Well, I did it again, on my birthday, no less! (By the way, my chiropractor goes by the name Dr. T. I will be calling him Tomorrow!)

How did this happen? Tearing apart our bathroom. Seriously, the space has been bothering me for a long time. Everything came out except the Tub and Toilet (this will eventually be traded out for a low flush model, since our water is like gold to us now). You may remember what I started with when I got this idea back in the summer. Ultimately I decided the only thing I really liked about the room was the switch plates! Well, you have to begin somewhere.

So, I began at the most logical place...by purchasing Toast, Tan, and Tangerine Towels to match...

...and collecting Tile for the mosaic mirror surround I plan to make.

But renovation isn't all fun and towels...it is going to be a Terrible Trial of our carpentry skills.  Remember that big mirror?...well apparently it was covering some hidden Trouble!

OMG: WWBVD? (What Would Bob Vila Do?) For more takes on the letter T, visit Sunday Stills.

A Call for Bathroom Renovation Ideas

Welcome to our "good" bathroom. It's old and small but has enough charm with which to work. I'm thinking you (homesteaders, artists, photographers, shepherds, poultry enthusiasts, and general blog friends) might have some good ideas to share with me, once I introduce you to the project.

Let's talk positives first. The vintage tub is nice enough (see previous post) and would be difficult to replace so it stays. I like this antique mirror in there, but it may need to be repositioned.

I also like these artisan plate covers I got on a trip to Arizona. Maybe it's the botanist in me.


Last year I purchased enough of this saltillo-like tile to do the floors and the walls. But since peeling off the vinyl wallpaper, I discovered a fake tile board wainscoting and painted it white. Now I'm kind of liking the half white look and thinking a smaller white tile for the wall wainscoting, and this tile only on the floor.

In general, I like Southwest style, as well as Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Mid Century Modern. My entire house is sort of artsy-eclectic. I wanted to replace the 1940's chrome fixtures with wrought iron, but I didn't want them to feel bulky or too primitive. So I just purchased these Tuscan Villa fixtures on sale. I like the curves.

Now, for some of the challenges. When this house was built it only had a bathtub, the shower feature was later added. I am not crazy about the surrounding shower curtains, it's sort of smothering. Even though I replaced the heavy ones with lightweight ones, I keep having to glue the fixture to the ceiling with liquid nails and it's about ready to fall again.

I would like to change all this out for bronze, if such a thing exists. Right now the shower curtains are white, for a simple spa-like look, but that's open for change. I like the tan walls, but I'm open for change in color, artwork, faux finishes, a mural, etc. I'm not too keen on wallpaper.

I'd prefer one of those single rods that curve out. But then, I'd have to tile the entire shower enclosure. Privacy isn't a huge issue here and I don't want glass block in the window. Since there is no ventilation in the room, the operable windows are used and I worry their hardware would rust. I suppose I could sew smaller window curtains out of shower curtain fabric to deflect water.

I know large mirrors are supposed to add visual space to a small room, but this takes up most of the wall...

as does the vanity. It feels cramped, like there is no breathing room. I would like something much narrower.

Worst of all, because of the curvature on the tub and having the vanity so close, a very icky black hole of a space is created that's nearly impossible to clean. If something is missing, it has probably fallen down in there. Also, I don't like having the t.p. dispenser on the door.

And finally there's the damaged door. The bottom was recently pecked away by chickens and the top scratched by dogs. I have rebuilt this door before using DAP to where it almost looked perfect, but I'm kind of tired of doing this and it's very time consuming. I wonder how other people make their doors pet-proof without losing style? Or should I just call Cesar? These same doors are throughout the house.

Would you keep the surround shower curtains and just tile the wainscoting?
Or would you get one shower rod and tile the entire shower enclosure?
If so, how would you protect the window hardware from moisture?
White or patterned shower curtains?
What kind of vanity/lavatory would you get?
What kind of mirror?
What would you do with the walls? A new color, faux finish, mural, artwork?
Other suggestions?