It only took three months...

Well hello again.

I wish I had a better explanation for the lack of posting, but the most honest answer would be that life got in the way.

Since my last post, we have had a great end of summer and start to fall.  D has been very busy at work and I started traveling again around mid-July.  We have enjoyed cheering on our beloved Cowboys to 6 wins this season (and can't wait to go to a BCS Bowl Game this winter!)  We have been in our new home for six months and we are more in love with it than when we bought it.  We have enjoyed taking Maggie for walks around our neighborhood, decorating the porch for fall, and slowly but surely redecorating rooms inside.  So far we have tackeled the upstairs guest bathroom (photos to come) and the family room (again, photos to come).  However, our really big project has been to re-do the downstairs powder room.

When house hunting, I desperately wanted a powder room - I love the idea of a bathroom that is always spotless for guests and with a two story lay-out it is very convenient.  Below are some pictures of the bathroom when we purchased our home.

Other than a broken faucet, there were no mechanical issues with the room - I just did not want that to be what welcomed our guests (the powder room is the first room you come to when you walk in the front door).  I was not a fan on the teal 12x12 tiles, the silver flake light fixture, and boring colors.

I am a big fan of wallpaper and decided that wallpaper in such a small space could have a big impact.  I decided that by keeping the wainscoting below, it would make the wallpaper less over-powering.

I spent days at Sherwin Williams with my very patient mom pouring over wallpaper books.  We finally settled on a light blue with a creamy white pattern.  I ordered the wallpaper and mentioned to D that we'd need to start removing the texture from the top half of the walls.

We I finally decided that the time had come, to give up on removing the texture and to tear out the walls and replace the drywall with smooth that could then be wallpapered. (Keep in mind the wallpaper is already sitting in our house and costs us quite a bit to return.)

My Dad and I decided to tackle the project, and ripped out the wallboard with relative ease one afternoon.  We then replaced the drywall and my sweet husband taped and mudded and primed.  My father-in-law is an expert wallpaper-er and came and installed the wallpaper - only to run out with one wall left.  Both D and I checked the math over and over, but what are you going to do?  D called and asked if we could get the same dye-lot, unfortunately it was no longer available.  D's Dad cleverly left one wall undone so the color variation is not noticeable at all.

I found the tile on Pinterest (my new favorite website/app!)  Unfortunately the image was linked to a woman's blog who did not say where it was from.  I spent hours trying to Google it (but it is surprisingly difficult to describe.)  D then mentioned he had heard about a new Google invention where you could actually search for an image online.  So I copied the picture, and in seconds had several websites that were willing to sell and ship the tile directly to us!  Unfortunately it was not the most simple thing to lay - but D tackled the problem like a pro!

I had a terrible time selecting a light fixture.  I had my heart set on a chandelier, but could NOT find one that fit the size of the room and my budget.  Finally, I found this light fixture at a local light store and I am in love! I love the effect it has on the ceiling when the bulb is lit!

I couldn't find a mirror that I loved and in the end I purchased an inexpensive one at Hobby Lobby and spray painted it white with a new "lacquer" finish spray paint.

We added a variety of decorative items including a new faucet, towel holder, soap dispenser, etc.  My mom is a pro shopper and just today showed up with the perfect rug and towels!

Fortunately, we were able to use the original sink and toilet, which were practically brand new.

At the end of the day however, it looks beautiful.  Better than I had ever imagined.  I am so grateful to have such a supportive husband, father, father-in-law and mom who helped support me and make my dreams a reality.