Bathroom Ledges

This past weekend I decided to do a few things that I had been putting off for months... and I mean MONTHS.  Things like "clean out the laundry room so I can walk in there again" and "go through Brynn's closet and rid it of all the clothes in there that are too small (she is six... I seriously had 2T stuff in there-- why??)."  I had just been like an ostrich putting its head in the ground with these projects that needed to be done.  Walk in, do what I had to do, walk out.

Well, I at least knocked two of those projects off my list!  And this is how the trickle down theory works... as part of my laundry room clean up, I was finally sick and tired of seeing these floating picture ledges I had built leaning up against the wall and doing nothing!  Guess how long ago I built them... go ahead... guess.  ONE YEAR AGO.  Can you believe it?  Just before I started blogging myself, I was obsessed with all the DIY blogs out there.  So I started on doing something about my boring half bath on the main level.

Here, have a gander:

Pitiful, I know.  And that patch job over there on the right?  Yeah, someone may have bent down and knocked the toilet paper holder off the wall with her butt.  It was me.  This bathroom was like this for a good five years.  Thank goodness for DIY blogs!

I had just seen this tutorial on Sweet Pickin's about framing out a builder's mirror and I went for it!  It was so easy!  I didn't even have my compound miter saw then so I just used a miter box and a hand saw.  Totally doable and it made a HUGE difference in the space.

I also painted the whole place a sagey green (I may redo that in a nice grey at some point).  Here was the after of the first phase.

(sorry for the iPhone pics, my fixed 50mm lens could not capture it all in that tiny space)

That blank wall opposite the mirror was screaming for me to do something.  I came across these plans on Ana White for "10 Dollar Ledges"... again, no power tools were involved.  Just me and a hand saw.  I worked up a bit of a sweat cutting the wood but I did it!  

So I built three ledges a YEAR ago and they had been leaning up against a wall in my laundry room ever since. ::sigh::

Thank goodness I cleaned out the laundry room which made me have to find a place for those shelves.    This is starting to sound like a "If you Give A Mouse A Cookie" kind of a thing.  

Now, to hang the ledges I decided on the good ole french cleat.  Totally easy way of doing it.  I simply attached one part of the bracket system to the wall (making sure they were level and to hit at least one stud), 

and attached the other part of the bracket to the back of my ledge

and then hooked the two brackets together!

Eek!  So exciting to have another area to decorate!  

I started running around the house and gathering all the pictures I had in white frames and anything else I thought might work.  Of course my white frame from the Orange Blossom Shop got involved!  I think it makes the whole thing.

(quick reminder of what it looked like before)

 I grabbed some stuff I had used in my summer mantel last year, took a frame off of my magnetic command center and put some of Brynn's artwork in a spray painted frame.

I bought nothing for this and the only thing I didn't immediately have on hand is that fun chevron board that says "WASH YOUR HANDS love, Mom"  I made that specifically for this after playing around with the accessories and realizing I needed something with a little zing in there (I added it to my shop if you're wanting one too!).  The good news is my 12yo came out of the bathroom the next day drying his hands on his shorts and said "Hey Mom, your love note worked."  Ha!  

So, it may have taken over a year to get this project done but I'm so happy with how it turned out!  I keep making up excuses to go in there or walk by.  Styling shelves is way too much fun. I have a feeling I'll be tinkering, adding, and taking away stuff from these ledges indefinitely.  

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Someday Crafts, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog, Flamingo Toes, Thrifty Decor Chick