Pentimento

Cottage Style Brings You Some Hawaiian Punch Via House of Yates

How About A Nice Hawaiian Punch?

We had a pretty thrilling thing happen in our Yates family last week. Our neice and nephew had their home featured in an article in the latest issue of Cottage Style magazine! There were about eight pages showcasing several rooms in their self-renovated home. As you might be able to determine, the theme for their decor is Hawaiian beach cottage. Jill's been going to Hawaii for decades and fell in love with the laid-back lifestyle along with the warm climate and sandy beaches of several of the islands.When she and Eric married they continued the tradition of the (near) yearly trek to their favorite get-away.

Photos for the magazine article were by Blackstone Edge. You can read more at this link BSE "Really Rocks" Cottage Style Summer 2012 Issue.

Don't you just love this photo Jill took of the flowers used for the photo shoot? Jill and Eric make a great team when it comes to making their home into a showcase. Eric does most of the building and buying of the materials, and Jill does all the embellishments of his work. They are both very talented and creative, but then, I guess you can see that in the photos.

Jill's caption for this photo reads: "Poppy posing in our "Hawaiian Plantation Cottage Style" Bedroom. We have collected the art, most of the pillows, accessories & books on our Hawaiian travels. Some is new, some is vintage."

Jill is a tireless interior designer and almost everything you see in these photos she and Eric have either built, created, or chosen especially for the room. OK, the dog wasn't built. Poppy is an adoptee. Did I mention Jill loves her pets?

Want to see more photos of the House of Yates? There are several more in this month's issue of Cottage Style. From what I hear, each issue flies off the shelf as soon as they're released. We got the last two from the store where we got them.

I wanted to mention too that you can find Jill on Facebook at Jill Yates Interior Design. Contact information is: Jill Yates Interior Design - phone 360-866-8033

 

 

How To Easily Apply Con-Tact Film To Obscure Windows

Big Window? Cut it Down To Size!

Ok, not everyone has those stylishly frosted glass windows, so here's a way to easily obscure any size window using Con-Tact frosted paper.

• Measure the size of the window you want to cover. From that, you can determine how much Con-Tact film you will need.

It's likely the rolls you buy are not going to be the right width to just do one strip down the window. But you want it to look somewhat suave, and not overlap.

• Here's the solution: Using the grid marks on the back of the rolls of film, cut squares or rectangles, etc. to make it more easy to work with and apply them in a grid to fit your window!

It's been my experience that Con-Tact paper, no matter which form, only looks 'tacky' if it's applied sloppily and shows lots of wrinkles, overlaps and bubbles. (I know this because...I've done it that way.) Cutting the paper smaller makes it more manageable and less likely to present those three problems.

 

Image from Kittrich Corporation website. All opinions are mine and I was NOT paid to write this article.

Ranch Home Bathroom In Valspar Nordic Blue

Our Bathroom Remodel 2011

Wall Color, Cabinets, Knobs and Pulls and Rings

We began this remodel early this spring and it still isn't completely done (wrong color caulking for base of tub) but I thought I'd show you some of the things in the room that are completed.

The color of the walls look gray here, but it is really Nordic Blue by Valspar for Waverly. The following photos should give you more of an idea of the true color. It could be the settings on my monitor, but even the Valspar site paint samples didn't display the true color.

I want to say too, the shower curtain was purchased at Penney's, as well as the wall cabinet that is located above the toilet. The white shower rod (also from Penney's) is curved and we love it because now there's no more curtain adhering to our bodies!

It's a little fuzzy here, but I love these Wedgewood-looking shower curtain rings that I found on Ebay. The blue is a little darker than the walls, so it's a nice small accent. The metal is in unpolished silver.

Much of everything is white, with the small hints of blues like in the bath rug and lid cover from Penney's in Arona Blue. It actually goes quite well with the lighter Nordic Blue walls for a pop of color.

Even though this shot is a little 'wonky' it does give you the best impression of the actual color of the walls. The lights above the sink have three globes and luckily I also was able to get the towel hooks in the mirror on the opposite wall. I opted for the hooks for something different and yet functional. At first, I thought I'd have to buy a strip of wood, paint it white and then buy those hooks individually. But no! I found that whole rack already done on Amazon! Seperately, those hooks sometimes run about $25 a piece. (aff link)

The only 'improvement' to the hooks was that the screws showed when it was mounted on the wall, and Jim put small painted white wooden buttons in the holes to make it look more finished.

Just because I'm "me" and I wanted a little glam in the room, I also bought these drawer pulls from Knobs and More through Amazon. Vintage Style Glass Cabinet Drawer Knob Flower, Set of 6. I was very happy with my pruchase, but I would caution everyone to make sure the screws that go with the knobs will be long enough to fit through the cabinet doors. Our's were too short and had to be replaced. That was my fault, but Jim made it good.

Armstrong Vinyl Flooring - Safeguard Spa - Granite

Last, but not least, is the bathroom flooring we chose. It's called Safeguard Spa by Armstrong in granite color. This is a commercial flooring but our room wasn't that large, so it was cost effective for us. I really like it because even with wet feet I'm less likely to slip, which wasn't the case with our previous vinyl floor.

 

 

 

 

ModuTile Works Great For Your Basement Flooring

Wouldn't it be great to upgrade the look of your basement floor without paying a bundle for ceramic tile, carpet or something like laminate flooring?  Have you considered using a high impact polypropylene floor tiles instead? These floor tiles relatively inexpensive compared to the other flooring mentioned above. Not only that but it takes on average about 2 hours to lay the floor down and get the look you want. The diamond plate look shown above is just one of the designs available from ModuTile.

If you have a concern about moisture in your basement, you might want to consider the perforated drain tiles also by ModuTile, and usable with their other flooring tiles.  Take a look at all the designs, styles and uses for ModuTiles and think about all the ways around your home you could use them.

 

Compenstated

 

 

These Black and Decker Scissors Cut Vinyl Flooring Too

When Jim was getting ready to install the new flooring in the bathroom he began cutting it with a linoleum knife. That didn't quite do the trick, but luckily he buys gadget tools for us and I got these electric Black and Decker scissors for Christmas a couple years ago. (aff). I've used them a lot for opening those bleeping clear plastic packages many times, but it never occurred to me they would work for vinyl flooring too. For the price, it's a lot easier than ruining a pair of regular scissors, or having your knees kill you.

Creating A Better Bathroom For The New Year

It's been in the planning stages for months now...Our house has one bathroom at the moment, but the plan is to get the main one done and then start remodeling our family room.

Currently, our family room is about 20 foot long and about 10 foot wide. Our plan is to close off one end and make it into a laundry room/half bath. We've been checking out bath improvement websites like betterbathrooms for ideas. I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of bath accouterments on their website. They look very European with space-saving models as well as standard sizes.

BetterBathrooms.com are located in the British Isles with delivery options and varying prices according to distance.  They're currently having a January sale at BetterBathooms with up to 60% off. I wish some of the items were available here in the States. I really like the designs of their corner showers and the walk in showers. It's nice to see how "the other half lives" in other countries and their ideas of efficiency.

The other items for the bath that I would love to have in ours is a heated towel rack. BetterBathrooms didn't say I could include photos from their site, but if you get a chance click on the link above and take a look at the Signal 18 Bar Towel Rail. It looks more like a work of art rather than a handy way to warm your towels.  One last thing, BetterBathrooms showrooms can be found in Wigan, Warrington, and Manchester, with a sales counter in Glazebury. 

 

Compensated post - opinions my own.

Where To Shop For The Right Bathroom Vanity

The first part of this year just seemed to drag along as we waited for spring and summer so we could start on some of our indoor and outdoor projects.

Inside, we're remodeling our bathroom with new flooring, medicine cabinet, vanity, and eventually new paint on the walls too. We looked around at all sorts of vanities and considered antique bathroom vanities as well as more modern versions, but we will opt for something in between. Bath, Kitchen and Beyond carries high quality products and vanities of all designs and sizes.

Compensated post

Solar Power Systems Are Alive And Thriving

I suppose you saw the news today about the oil platform that blew up and then sunk. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be if we could just do away with that kind of energy all together? Our government (USA) offers some pretty awesome tax incentives when it comes to installing home solar panels on your house.

Where we live, in western Washington State, we get a fair amount of sunlight that would make it feasible for us to have solar panels on our roof. Our house faces north, so the back of the house faces south and the whole length of it could be utilized as needed.

Have you been thinking of solar panel installation for your house too? I think you'll see more and more homes with the panels if our government promotes it as they are with the tax incentives. That will make it so more and more people can afford even a modest installation that will save them tons of money in the long term. 

Even adding a solar generated attic fan is a start for any homeowner. We looked into it and may still do it eventually. I'm a firm believer in cutting our ties to big oil and harnessing the power of the sun.  Technology from solar has enabled us to take our country and our homes back.  Let's do all we can to promote solar!

This is a compensated post sponsored by SunWize, but all opinions are genuine and mine.

Delfts Boch Freres Plates Aquired

I only meant to tell my friend about them, and that I saw them for sale at a local shop for $9.95 each. After we talked about them, and she told me they sell on Ebay for $45.00 each I felt compelled to go back and buy them. Yes, I did look on Ebay first to see if they did sell for that amount, and at the time (about a month ago) there were some listings more than $9.95. I thought about it for a few days and then decided it would be a good 'investment' and went back and bought the plates.

My friend has these exact plates, but that isn't why I bought them. For now, they are on the wall in the blue bedroom. Jill will probably tell me I need to 'merch' them. Hey, at least I got them up! Well, technically, Jim did.

These pictures don't really do justice to to the beautiful blue color of the plates. What do you think? Do you like them? (Oh, and yes, we do have "popcorn" ceilings. Our whole house has them, except for the kitchen and bathroom. I know, so last century!)

Pentimento: Changes Are Coming Soon

Changes Are Coming To Pentimento

You may see some changes to Pentimento over the next few months. I will still be writing about my everyday life, adding photos, and yakking about things I think are interesting. But, I have decided to go back to writing some adverts too. Why? Let me explain...

It's The Economy. And No, You Aren't Stupid

Going out and finding a job is just not possible for me. I need to have control over when I can work or not because, at the end of the day, I will always have fibromyalgia and there are just some days I am in so much pain I can't do anything but lay down and rest. But, I have my trusty computer, a reasonably lucid mind and spell check. I need a way to make some money to pay for my blog fees and other small incidentals. I always disclose when it's a compensated post and Pentimento won't just become a blog to sell you things. I ask for your understanding about this, and if you feel so inclined, please help me out and click a link now and then. It's appreciated, not mandatory. 

Home Improvement Update - Wilkerson House

Coming soon in following posts will be updates on some of our house projects around here. I'll tell you what products we've used and why, as well as any "light bulb" moments or "uh ohs".

• We've (as in, Jim, at this point) been working on replacing our Trex deck with a new one when the old one failed.

• We're in the midst of remodeling our only bathroom. (pictures of "before" coming soon).

• I'll probably have to do some more purging of closets and storage cabinets, all in preparation for the next major push: adding a bath/laundry room at one end of our family room. I'll have to find someplace to put all the stuff that's at that end of the room now. Ugh!

As always, thanks for visiting today and every day. You guys are the best.