Design on a Dime - Bathroom Edition

Being green, reducing consumption and living sustainably does not mean living with the same old stuff and the same old look day in and day out. I like new stuff and redecorating just as much as the next girl. But when you're trying to save both money and the planet, it's hard to justify a room make-over.

We recently decided that our time, patience and money for remodeling had all run out. Unfortunately, that meant living with this nightmare of a bathroom...

...until sometime next year when we could afford to gut it and start over. And since we are Compacting (not buying new) we couldn't even redecorate. Or could we? I decided to look at it as a challenge and see what I could do for free. After looking through tons of moving boxes and surveying everything in the house, I came up with a general look. I guess I'd describe it as sort of French Country (ish?).

So first up, we cut off the ridiculously long counter top. Why it extended a good foot past where the cabinet below ended is beyond me. I painted it cream with some paint we had left over from the living room, then used some scrap booking paper and mod podge to add a little fun to the doors. Then I got a little crazy and decoupaged some scrap booking paper on the counter top too. Judging by the look on my friend R's face when she saw it, it's a little funky. I have to admit, it's certainly not the look I'd go for if I had carte blanche, but for a free, temporary makeover....well we all need a little funk in our lives from time to time. Goodness knows my husband would never agree to this on a permanent basis!

There was a standard, old, boring mirror on the wall...cracked, and covered in half removed stickers. You can actually still see the outline - I guess I need to stain that wall now. Anyway, the mirror is on loan from my mom who bought it to put in her antique store. I found the little white shelf in the garage at our old house. I think my MIL left it there? You can barely see it, but there is a little glass ring holder on the shelf. I found that at Goodwill earlier this year for $0.99.

The only real problem I ran into was finding a shower curtain. It's just one of those things - like socks or underwear - that you don't really want to buy used. I looked at several thrift stores and didn't find any that were still in the package, so I ended up getting this one from Target with a gift card I'd been saving. I really love it and I already had the perfect robin's egg blue towels to match.

I picked up this mirror at Hobby Lobby months ago on a whim (before the Compact, obviously). I didn't have anywhere for it to go, but I loved the look. And the little birds have flown around our house, starting as a decoration in the entryway, then migrating to our bedroom. The colors matched so well in the bathroom though, that they've been relocated yet again.

And my MIL bought me a box of these antique mason jars for $1 at a yard sale a few months back. Perfect for little odds and ends!

I still need to make a curtain for that window. Our neighbors are up on the side of the mountain and probably too far away to see much, but to be on the safe side... A few years ago I had a pretty white shower curtain that I washed and shrunk (D'oh!). It's next incarnation will be as curtains for this bathroom.

So there you have it. What's old is new again. I spent about $3.00 total on scrap booking paper for this bathroom renovation (unless you count the $20 gift card used for the shower curtain) and I smile every time I go in there. (And not just because it's the only peace and quiet I get in a day!)

Be sure to check out other Thrifty Green Thursday ideas at the Green Baby Guide.