Pinspiration Monday: Green Living in the Bathroom

If you happen to follow me on Pinterest, you may have noticed that I’ve been pinning a bunch of bathrooms. If so, you probably also noted a color pattern…

Source: Better Homes & Gardens

Source: That Inspirational Girl

Source: Better Homes & Gardens

Source: Young House Love

Our little blog isn’t called DreamGREENDIY for nothing (italics, bolding and all-caps added by yours truly) – Green is my all-time favorite color, especially the soothing, sage versions. The problem (and baffling conundrum) was that we didn’t have a SINGLE green space in our house! So far we’ve painted a teal studio, a dark gray bedroom, a dark brown wall in the kitchen, a yellow wall in the living room and a light gray bathroom, but no green. Luckily I had just the spot to christen with my favorite shade.

Our master bathroom was devoid of color. It was a contractor white through which you could still see the chalky dry wall. Just not good. I made do with some colorful DIY silhouette art and striped shower curtain, but it still wasn’t enough to distract from the plain white walls.

I’ve been wanting to paint it for months and by the time this past Saturday night rolled around, I just couldn’t take it anymore. John was off to watch the Virginia Tech game with friends at a bar (P.S. You’ll get ’em next time, Hokies!!!) so I took the opportunity to bounce over to Lowe’s and pick out the perfect paint color. After a long time loitering in their paint chip aisle, I finally decided on Olympic “Aloe Vera” – Just the name itself embodies the idea of soothing quiet relaxation…

Within no time, I had the bathroom dismantled of all its artwork and wall organizers, ready to get down to business. I also had the iHome blaring Christmas music from the bedroom so that I had a little cheery motivation.

It actually didn’t take me that long to get the first coat up on the wall…I started around 7:45 that evening and finished by 9 p.m. – Not too bad for doing it all by myself!

The color looks SUPER “grellow” in the photos above (i.e. greenish yellow)…These next few show it more true-to-form in the natural light coming from the window. It’s definitely more granny-smith-apple-green then yellow-with-a-touch-of-green.

Oh, and now I’m going to throw you for a loop…A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was planning on replacing our dated light fixture globes with something a bit more modern. This option was a lot cheaper than picking out two brand new light fixtures since my favorites came in at about $80 to $100 apiece. Simply replacing the globes for around $60 total seemed like a MUCH better plan. So I brought four options home to try out. (sorry – the lighting in the photo is horrible…It’s not easy to photograph light fixtures head on)

I THOUGHT I was going to go with the ribbed one (the second one pointed out from the left), but after a week or two of looking at them, I completely changed my mind and decided on the big frosted one all the way on the left! You guys had a lot of votes for him anyway, so he was the final winning champ!

In the photo below, you can better see the linen frosted detail on the outside of the glass. I LOVE it…At first I worried that they were a little too bulbous, but they work and are much more modern than the original globes. Very happy with my final decision (especially with the awesome cost savings).

But back to the walls…I woke up early yesterday morning to roll on the second and final coat and then went out shopping with John for a new shower curtain and some green hand towels to coordinate. By mid afternoon upon further inspection, I quickly realized that what I thought was a “final” coat was definitely NOT. You may be able to see the splotches and uneven color below…

After a quick sigh and a nice chit-chat break with my friend Sarah who stopped by for an oil change a-la my wonderful, handy fiance, I was in a better mood and able to tackle what ACTUALLY ended up being the last coat. I am not going to show you the finished product because some things aren’t ready for the full unveil, but I should have the “After” shots for you later this week! Here’s a tiny sneak peek though before you go.

Hope you have a great Monday!

Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Since Monday’s proclamation of the official start of Christmas Time (read up on more of that here if you missed it), it’s time to unveil DG-DIY’s first annual Holiday Gift Guide! I have scoured the internet for the last couple of weeks (and also consulted with John on men-related wish list items. he secretly slipped an article containing the ratings for the top 10 soundbars. His Christmas wish.), looking for unique gift ideas for all genders, ages and interests. I’ve thrown in some inexpensive things and some for a bit of a splurge…But hopefully you’ll be able to find something for your picky family member, your special someone or just a good friend/acquaintance. There are even a couple of quick holiday treat recipes at the end in case you’re planning on gifting the joy of freshly baked goods to save a little $$ this year (go you!!).

Just to preface, I am not being compensated in any way for these suggestions – Most of the sellers (whether big or small) don’t even know I’m shouting out about their products! I like free advertising just as much as the next person, so here’s to them and their creativity – They deserve it!

For the ladies in your life:

  1. Pai Macadamia & Rose Organic Dry Skin Cream from Spirit Beauty Lounge – $38
  2. Glass shadow boxes from West Elm -$24 t0 $79
  3. Rodna Halter Dress from Anthropologie – $158
  4. Luxe Face Cream from Una Biologicals – $25
  5. BDG Suede Stiletto Heel from Urban Outfitters – $49
  6. Back in the Game Dress in Dutch Darling from Mod Cloth – $95
  7. Cotton full length leggings from OnlyLeggings.com – $15.00 (Come in 9 different colors!)
  8. Antique bronze filigree rose long drop earrings from oldisnewnow – $3.95
  9. Floral paisley print scarf (lilac) from My Scarf Shop – $12.72
  10. Owl charm brown leather bracelet from pinkyourlimb – $8.50
  11.  Startifacts epilators, the best balding clippers and shaving accessories – $45 to $110

For the men in your life:

  1. Krups Beer Tender from Crate&Barrel – $99.95
  2. Retro Series Hot Air Popcorn Popper from Nostalgia Electronics – $39.99
  3. Sony Bloggie Touch 8GB HD Camcorder with 3″ LCD Touch Screen from Best Buy – $159.99
  4. “Pugs Not Drugs” tee from Urban Outfitters – $24.00 (John would love this one – He gets a kick out of anything with a pug on it)
  5. 4-in-one pocket screwdriver from Amazon – $4.97
  6. Men’s Hipster Wallet from Overstock.com – $24.49
  7. Col. Conk lime shave soap from Target – $3.49
  8. Swiss Army Classic knife from Swiss Knife Shop – $14.95 (BONUS: Can be ordered in one of eleven different free color choices from this EDC knife list)
  9. Bar III Tie (Elliot Skinny Stripe) from Macy’s – $31.99
  10. “Wilco: Ashes of American Flags Live” Concert DVD from Hot Movie Sale – $8.07 (This gift could be an inexpensive alternative to actual concert tickets)

For the home:

  1. Herringbone throw from West Elm – $59 (BONUS: can monogram with the recipient’s initial!)
  2. Burgandy and mustard wreath from The Yarn Barn – $35
  3. Lights/Darks laundry bag from Crate&Barrel – $22.95
  4. Looking Glass Decanter from Anthropologie – $48
  5. “Flying Bird” rubber stamp from BlossomStamps – $5.50 (I bought these to decorate envelopes and the stamped image is exquisite…seriously)
  6. “Battle of the Sexes” board game from Amazon – $14.97
  7. Happy Family Illustration from oohmoon.com – $99 (your family portrait, cartoon-ified!)
  8. “Mid-Century Chairs” printable calendar from bluetricycle – $5.00 (I have this and LOVE it  – she also sells a beautiful “Nature” calendar)
  9. National Geographic Magazine from National Geographic- $15.00 for 12 monthly issues
  10. “The Fashion File: Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men” from AMC – $26.99

For the kids:

  1. Tic Tac Toe game from Pottery Barn Kids – $10
  2. Baby Octopus from thecuteoctopus – $25
  3. Barbie styling head from Mattel- $13.99 (will this ever get old? I don’t think so!)
  4. Moon Girl nursery wall decal from dezign with a z – $34
  5. Rock Star Mickey from Fisher-Price – $44.99
  6. Organic wooden rattler/teether from SmilingTreeToys – $14
  7. Nintendo 3DS from Nintendo- $169.99
  8. Kid-Tough See Yourself camera from Fisher-Price – $61.88
  9. Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes from Baby Einstein- $8.99
  10. Sassy Bathtime Pals Squirt and Float Toys from Sassy- $6.29

For the “kids” (i.e. pets):

  1. “All You Need Is Love” hemp dog collar from collarswithcolor – $17 (seller makes cat collars too!)
  2. Aluminum bar dog tag from DoglegLeftDesigns – $11.95
  3. Wood Chuck Orbee-Tuff Chew and Fetch Ball from Lands’ End – $24.50 (BONUS: Personalize with your pet’s name on the handle!)
  4. Fleece pet blanket from L.L. Bean – $29.95 to $79.95
  5. Home Again Microchip membership from HomeAgain – $16.99 per year (Ginny the cat had this when I adopted her and it gives me SUCH peace of mind…BONUS: You get emails of lost pets in your area and can possibly help reunite families!!)
  6. Zack and Zoey Brite Stripe Sweater from Zack & Zoey – $18.48
  7. Kong Wobbler from Kong – $8.99
  8. Bergan Turbo Track from Bergan – $24.99
  9. Custom pet portrait from Yellow Brick House – $44
  10. PetHoliday Rawhide Dog Treats from PetHoliday- $5.99

And as promised…Here are a few low cost recipes for delicious little Christmas treats in lieu of big store-bought gifts this season. Your friends will LOVE the taste and the special effort you put into it. Just click on the source links below the photos to get the full recipe info!

Treat: Holiday Chex Mix; Source: Living Locurto

Treat: Skillet Toffee; Source: The Kitchn

Treat: Snowman Brownie Pops; Source: Grin and Bake It

Treat: Holiday Pretzel Kisses; Source: Little Birdie Secrets

Well there you have it, folks! Hope you enjoyed this year’s gift guide and that we were able to help you pick out some fun options for your loved ones this holiday season. I know I’m enjoying typing this up on my new keyboard, after browsing so many of the coolest keyboards I just needed to get my little fingers on a new one. I LOVE Christmas shopping – I don’t think about it for a moment when dropping money on people who make my life worth living…Make it fun this year and remind yourself that this is the season of giving.

Merry Christmas!

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