Guest Bathroom Mini-Makeover

I've never loved this black shower curtain.  It matches our basement bathroom in NC really well so I don't mind it so much, but it's doing nothing for me up here.  I like color and Target came to the rescue!

Before:

After:

Towels: $4.99 each, Rug: $12.99

This caddy on the vanity is actually to hold utensils if you're having a buffet-style party.  It's really cute but doesn't get daily (hardly even yearly!) use, so I thought I'd put it to use here.  I think it's perfect.  The washcloths are accompanied by a couple bottles of shampoo, body wash, mouth wash, and Q-tips for our guests.  Wash cloths: $2.99 each

These are the softest towels I've ever felt!  I just want to snuggle up in them, and am seriously considering going back and getting some for our bathroom.

Hand towel: $3.99

I still need different shower curtain hooks (these are the cheapest plastic ones you can buy), but haven't found the perfect ones.  Other than that, I love it!  It's just a simple change, but I think it's 100% better and will match the yellow and black (ASU!) theme of our basement in NC.  I wish I could add some stuff to the walls, but it would just have to come back down so what's the point?

Seasons Paper Mosaics

Ever since we went to an art festival a few weeks ago, I've had this idea that I wanted to do some sort of square artwork inspired by the seasons.  This weekend, with nothing else to do, I decided to start working on them.  I went to Michael's and found a pack of four 6 x 6 canvases for $12.99.

I love how thick these are.  Perfect for hanging on the wall without a frame!

I also picked up some scrapbook paper.  I bought 12 patterned sheets for 35 cents each, and a pack of foil cardstock with 10 different colors for $3.59 (all of the paper was 40% off!).  I already had the solid colored paper.

The "Winter" color scheme.

I cut the paper in half-inch strips.  The Fiskars rotary cutter is my best friend!  I don't know how I ever lived without it.

I painted the canvas first in a matching color with paint I already had, then started laying out my design.  I cut random lengths of the paper strips and laid out each square, then glued each piece down with regular Elmer's school glue (best to work from the outside in, I think).

It took me about 6 hours to get them all completed, and I love them!  I'm not sure where I'm going to hang them yet, but I'm sure I'll find somewhere. 

It was so incredibly easy, just a little time consuming.  I had a lot of fun doing it though.  I watched Big Brother After Dark while I worked and it went by super fast.  I'm debating whether or not I need to spray some sort of protectant on them, but I'm afraid I'll mess them up, so I'll probably just leave them as is for now.

So, for about $22 (with tax) and 6 hours of work, I now have awesome artwork for a blank wall.

Linking to:

What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another What I Wore Wednesday.

Warning:  Fairly boring attire this week.  Just be grateful I didn't post a pic for Tuesday... I know you guys would NOT want to see that.  I am getting so tired of summer clothes.  I can't wait for fall to get here so I can wear jeans, sweaters, my cute flats, and scarves!  It's just been too hot here to do anything other than shorts and flip flops (especially for work).

Day: Thursday

Where: Sailing with Steven's co-workers

Jacket: American Eagle, gift from Nana a few years ago

Seed bead tank: Old Navy

Capris: American Eagle

Awesome boat shoes: Sperry Top-Sider

Day: Friday (sorry for the blurriness of this one!)

Where: Work

Earrings: LoriennaDesigns on Etsy

Necklace: Target

Top: Kristin Davis for Belk (I bought 7 of these simple, 3/4 sleeve cotton tops around Christmas time last year - I bought every color they had - for about $7 each!)

Shorts: Express

Shoes: Old Navy

Day: Saturday

Where: Out and about

White tank: Walmart ($4!)

Pink tank: Target approximately 2 years ago, but this was the first time I wore it.  I never had a tank to wear underneath it that didn't look funny in the back (it goes down in a low V in the back too).  Hooray for Walmart and cheap tanks!

Shorts: Old Navy (probably the most uncomfortable shorts ever so I only wear them if I'm not going to be wearing them for more than 3 hours)

Shoes: Store in Vegas

Day: Sunday

Where: Walmart

Earrings: Claire's (I think I've had these since elementary school)

Shirt: Hard Rock Cafe, Nassau, Bahamas

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: New Balance

(P.S. Photo flipped so you could read my shirt.)

Day: Monday

Where: Work

Tank: Walmart

Shirt: American Eagle

Shorts: American Eagle

Shoes: Rainbow

Day: Monday night

Where: Cleveland Indians game

Shirt: Store in Strongsville mall... on clearance

Capris: American Eagle

Shoes: Hadn't quite found their way to my feet yet

Day: Wednesday

(Confession: This pic was taken last night, hence the wet hair, so I wouldn't have to worry about loading pics today.)

Where: Work

Necklace: Hmm, good question. I've had this one for a while.

Dark green tank: Old Navy

Light green tank: American Eagle, bleach stained

Shorts: Hollister

Shoes: Rainbow

Linking up to:

What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another What I Wore Wednesday, hosted by The Pleated Poppy.  Thankfully, my outfits were a little more interesting this week because we went on a mini-vacation to Chicago.

Day: Friday

Where: Out and about in Chicago!

Top: Banana Republic Outlet, coffee spilled on it as soon as we walked out of our hotel (new)

Skirt: American Eagle Outfitters

Shoes: Rainbow

Day: Friday night

Where: Dinner with my hubby

Top: The Limited (new)

Crops: Old Navy (bought for $10 last summer!)

Shoes: Payless (looooove these) (new)

FYI: To see my attire for the Cubs game Saturday afternoon, check out my Chicago Recap post.

Day: Saturday night

Where: Dinner with my hubby

Earrings: Target (new)

Top: The Limited (Note: I blogged about it here) (new)

Shorts: Express (new)

Shoes: Rainbow (but I changed into the black wedges from Friday night before we went into the restaurant)

Close-up of the front of the shirt.

These earrings are so incredibly heavy that I can only wear them for about an hour at a time.  It wasn't long before they ended up in my purse.  They are really cute though.

Day: Sunday

Where: Lunch and walking around in Chicago before heading back home.

Earrings: Target (new)

Necklace: Chain is old, charm stolen from my mom many years ago.

Tank & Hoodie: Gap Outlet (new)

Crops: American Eagle Outfitters (new)

Shoes: Payless (new)

I wasn't sure if it this earring/necklace combo was too matchy-matchy, but I decided I didn't care.

Day: Monday

Where: Back to work

Earrings: Cubs souvenir store outside Wrigley Field.  I should have taken a close-up of them, but they're the Cubs logo. (new)

Shirt: Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse (Note: I flipped this picture so you could read what my shirt said without hurting your eyes trying to read it backwards in the mirror.  In case you still can't read it, it says Holy Cow!, Harry Caray's signature catchphrase.) (new)

Crops: American Eagle Outfitters (new)

Shoes: Payless (new)

Day: Wednesday

Where: Work

Tank: Old Navy

Shirt: Abercrombie & Fitch many moons ago

Belt: Abercrombie & Fitch (Stolen from the skirt it goes with)

Shorts: Hollister (new)

Shoes: Rainbow

What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another What I Wore Wednesday!

Day: Thursday

Where: Work

Necklace: Gift from a friend

Tank: Old Navy

Shirt: American Eagle (new)

Shorts: American Eagle

Shoes: Rainbow

Day: Friday

Where: Work

Red tank: Old Navy

Flowered tank: Walmart ($4!, new)

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: Payless

Day: Saturday

Where: Outlet shopping

Earrings: Target (new)

Tank: Banana Republic

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch

Shoes: Cool flip flop store at Mandalay Place in Las Vegas (new)

Day: Sunday

Where: Movies to see ECLIPSE and grocery shopping

Shirt: Banana Republic (new)

Skirt: American Eagle

Shoes: Payless

Day: Tuesday

Where: Work

Tank: Walmart ($4!, new)

Skirt: Old Navy

Shoes: Payless

Day: Wednesday

Where: Work

Shirt: ASU Bookstore (new)

Shorts: Walmart (new)

Shoes: Rainbow

(P.S. Notice the darker hair? Trying to get back to my roots.)

As always, linking up to The Pleated Poppy.

What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another What I Wore Wednesday!  I've decided that this week, I'm only going to designate if an item is new.  I've realized that it's really hard to remember how long ago I got things.  And I apologize for the boring outfits.  I'll try to do better next week.

Day: Thursday

Where: Work

Shirt: Gap (new)

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: Already taken off because I was doing about a million things around the house before I remembered to take a picture.

Day: Saturday

Where: Out to lunch with a friend, shopping (I'm at our house in NC, in case you were wondering about the change of scenery)

Shirt: Old Navy (new)

Shorts: Target

Shoes: Rainbow

Day: Sunday

Where: Church

Cardigan: Marshalls

Dress: Dillard's

Shoes: Hmm, can't remember... Shoe Carnival, maybe?

Day: Sunday

Where: Pool with friends for the 4th

Black bathing suit: Old Navy (new)

Cover-up: American Eagle

Shoes: Rainbow

Day: Sunday

Where: Cook-out with friends for the 4th

Necklace: Gift from my aunt.  It has a bead painted like the American flag.

Red tank: Old Navy

Flower tank: Walmart ($4!, new)

Shorts: American Eagle

Shoes: Payless ($5!, new)

Day: Monday

Where: Traveling back to Ohio

Shirt: ASU Bookstore (new)

Pants: Goody's

Shoes: Rainbow

Day: Wednesday

Tank: Old Navy

Shorts: Hollister (new)

Shoes: Rainbow

Also, check out my friend Crystal's Etsy shop.  She makes stained glass earrings, pendants, etc.  She only has a few things on there now, but there's a lot more coming, so keep checking back!

Happy Wednesday!