Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Going to the bathroom = education?

The paint has (finally!) dried on the door, most of the smell has gone away and I will get the final blotches of paint off of the tub one day soon. And, most excitingly, we now have a blackboard door!
From Jan 2011


From Jan 2011

From Jan 2011

We've decided to use the chalk markers they use on pub signs instead of conventional chalk (mostly so that it doesn't come off onto our clothes and/or towels).

And not only is it a chalk board, it's also magnetic - how cool is that?!
From Jan 2011

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Trials of the bathroom remodel

Lest you think that this bathroom upgrade has been easy and always enjoyable, I present to you the counter evidence.

Case #1
The downside of the lovely slate floors made itself known early. A drawer that stuck a little before flying out plus the hard slate sadly shattered the old wooden knob for the sink cupboard.
From Jan 2011

It was a very sad sight, so I replaced them with shiny new black knobs.
From Jan 2011


From Jan 2011

And, of course, added a strategic nail to keep the drawer from coming out too easily.

Case #2

You might have to squint a bit to truly appreciate this picture. Basically, after three coats of paint, one stretch of paint decided to blister.
From Jan 2011

Unfortunately, it was the section right by the toilet, right where one would be terribly annoyed to study it in detail. So, I called in the consultant, and together, we decided the best course of action was to pop the air bubbles with a pin and smooth them down....however, the surgery turned out to be too delicate, so we left it over night and vowed to put a picture over the offending area if necessary.

When we woke up in the morning, though, we discovered the blisters had melted away overnight...
From Jan 2011

leaving a smooth wall....all except for the pin holes and tears from our surgery efforts.

Case #3
Case number three is still a bit tender. Today, I decided to paint the bathroom door. Photos to follow, but let's just say black paint gets everywhere! And believe me when I say there is nothing as depressing as finishing a job, feeling terribly pleased, taking a relaxing bath, and then watching as the draining water reveals that mysteriously the whole bottom of the tub is covered in blotches of black paint. Thirty minutes of scrubbing the tub later, and the paint somehow reattached itself to my body...and then back to the tub...and the floor...the camera is definitely not going into that room until there is absolutely no chance that the paint could leap from the door and onto it.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

More about the circus cats

May I present the Amazing Stretching Esme.

She focuses in on the taunting squeaky mouse.
From

So close and yet so far out of reach.
From Jan 2011

A little more....
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And finally, the full stretch:
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Poor Lily can't really compete.
From Jan 2011

But what she lacks in stretchability, she makes up in compactibility.
From Jan 2011

A blinding bathroom

We spent the weekend cleaning the whole house and, as an extra bonus, finally painting the bathroom. Three coats later and it is.....very, very white.

View from the bath:
From Jan 2011


And in the natural light:
From Jan 2011

From Jan 2011

We still have the towel rail and some shelves to put up and have grand plans for the door, so more to come in the coming weeks.