One thing leads to another...

 It all began last winter when an advertisement for wallpaper popped up on my Facebook feed. I am not a wallpaper kind of person. Rather, I am a white-paint-on-everything-that-doesn't-sit-still kind of person. But this wallpaper, with a smoky blue background and huge, fat roses, well... I found it wildly appealing. It occurred to me that it might look quite pretty in our teeny downstairs bathroom. Weeks passed, and I kept seeing that ad pop up, and every time I saw it, I got a happy feeling. I liked it so much, I asked Chris to buy some for me for Valentine's Day. And he did.    

Once it arrived, I held it up in the bathroom and liked it even more. Except it sort of clashed with the blue vanity top, which was here when we bought the house 21 years ago and was showing signs of wear. I looked at replacements and found they were quite reasonably priced. I asked the terrific guys who did our recent carpentry work if they would install a new vanity top, and they put me on their "rainy day" list.  While I waited for them to come, it occurred to me that I'd really like to replace the huge mirror that was firmly affixed to the wall. This was a concern because our house is very old, and much of it has ancient horsehair plaster walls. I imagined that taking that mirror down would leave some big holes in the plaster. 

My friend Angel was here visiting when the guys came to install the vanity top. She and I had discussed the hanging wallpaper project. I was having cold feet and questioning my ability to do the job well. Angel sneakily arranged to have the contractor do it for me and left him a hidden fat envelope of cash to pay for his work. Whatta friend! (I'll have to plan for a new project when she visits next year!) 

Here is the bathroom before. I had a funky little wooden thing with hooks to hang towels on, but it was impossible to properly affix to the old plaster and was constantly falling off. Maddening. In this picture, it had recently resisted my hanging efforts yet again. 

Here is the potty shot. 

The contractors removed the mirror, and I was right. HUGE damage to the walls. There was a lamp over the mirror that only worked when it wanted to, and it rarely wanted to, so I decided it needed to go as well. Another hole in the plaster. Fortunately, the contractors were adept at fixing such damage and did so beautifully.  Here is the new vanity top, new faucet, and the repaired wall. 

We got some paint to go with the background of the paper, and once the walls were repaired, the paint went up. The trim got a fresh coat of white. Then, today, Bill came and began working on the wallpaper project. My excitement knew no bounds! 

 

 The finished project was well worth the wait. 

I found this mirror while antique shopping with sister Deb in Massachusetts. I love the way it looks, and treasure the memory of the day we spent together. 

          

Rachel and Evans picked out this marvelous wreath for me at the Common Ground Fair. Made locally and both fragrant and beautiful. What started with a glimpse of pretty wallpaper turned into a rather extensive project, but I am delighted with the results! 

Our tiny bathroom got a glow up, Facebook roped me in with an advertisement, then one thing led to another. Beautifully.