{vintage signs}

I've had a thing for old signs for quite some time now, but I can never seem to find one that suits my space. Also, I can't bring myself to pay very much for one. After finding inspiration from some photos I found while looking at bathroom remodels, I decided to tackle this job myself. I went to my new favorite store (Habitat for Humanity ReStore) and spent $2.00 on an old piece of wood. Below is my inspiration and the final product.

http://www.countryliving.com/homes/house-tours/contrasting-textures-colors-0206?click=img_sr

Ahhh...looking at these spaces just makes me want to slip away to them.

Anyways, I wanted to make a sign that looked like it came from an old greenhouse or plant nursery. I liked the idea of it having something to do with Tim's planting. I asked Tim to come up with the name and he decided on "Spriessen" which is German for the word "sprout". I really enjoyed making it and I think it turned out pretty nice. So, here is the progression of my $2.00 sign...

{unexpected fun}

Coming into this weekend, Tim and I had no expectation of it being a great one. We were expecting another quiet weekend consumed by our bathroom project. Fortunately, we got much more.

Last spring, Tim went with Carlos and Ryan to a beer festival outside Chicago. The day of the festival is the only time that you can buy Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial stout. The stout is rated one of the best beers in the world. Of course, the boys had to get their hands on some. Tim bought his with the intention of selling it on ebay later in the year (just the empty bottle sells for 20 bucks). Earlier this week, though, Tim decided he was going to have to drink the stout because he didn't want to waste money on beer when he, indeed, had some beer in the cabinet. On Friday, a few friends came for the taste test. The beer had to be good, right? I mean, they only sell it one day a year. We turned up the heavy metal music and all had a taste! We all agreed it had the consistency of motor oil and Meagan thought it smelled like Beggin' Strips, but the boys said it was smooth as molasses. The best part? The beer is 18% alcohol and after one glass, the boys were as giddy as could be. Dark Lord, thanks for a great Friday night!

if you want your own Dark Lord, visit http://www.3floyds.com/

The next morning, we made French Toast and headed out for an adventure (in our pajamas, I might add). I took Tim to ReStore - the place I found my sink - and he enjoyed it as much as I had. We didn't feel like going home, so we went to the Kemper Museum. They had some pretty interesting exhibits on display. One in particular was right up my alley. The artist made sculptures of deer and covered them in rhinestones. I wonder what my buffalo head would look like covered in rhinestones...

Then, we went to Planters, had lunch at Costco, and headed to the library. (I know...we are rebels!) Tim checked out some plant books and I looked for some interior design books. Apparently there is not a limit of how many books you can check out because we ended up coming home with fourteen! We spent the rest of the afternoon listening to music and reading our books.

Our Saturday ended with dinner and music at Jardine's. My grandma's brother was in town and the family took him and his wife out. We always have a blast when we get together. The music was great and it was so nice to see everyone. (did you notice mom got a hot new haircut...lookin' good!)

{i found it!}

I found it! I found it! This is the sink I've been looking for since the thought of remodeling our bathroom crossed my mind - and wouldn't you know, it was in my backyard! There is this new (and I might add AWESOME) store at 79th and Wornall called ReStore. It's the Habitat for Humanity outlet. They take all of the furnishings and hardware from the houses they remodel/tear down and bring them, literally, to my backyard.

Anyways, we started the bathroom project last Saturday. We pulled the old flooring and replace it with new plywood and tile. It is looking really nice. We ran into a few problems, mostly ones we made, along the way. First, remodeling a bathroom DOES NOT fall into our budget. So after a few tears were shed, we decided that if we were going to do it, we were going to do it right! That only meant the budget fairy (I bet you can guess which one of us that is) was not a happy camper. Regardless, we are both going to love the new space. Second, for some absurd reason, we decided to paint our current vanity turquoise. That has to be the least thought-out decision we have ever made. As you can imagine, it was HORRIBLE! Bad-kids-room-horrible!

Now that I have found the sink, we have to move a few pipes and figure out how to hang it on the wall. Sounds simple, but I can imagine it will take a while. Soon enough, though, we will have the bathroom I have been looking forward to.

Regardless of the frustration and headache it causes, I love the challenge of remodeling and figuring out how to make the small space of our house seem a little bit bigger and more usable. It is definitely worth it in the end. Tim and I make a pretty good team. He lets me know when I'm being unreasonable (and by that I mean when I am spending too much money) or overly ambitious. He always puts in his two cents about the design of the space and, thankfully, he always pulls me back on track. I always try and do the same for him. The product of our crazy overly-ambitious projects is this beautiful little love nest we call home.