s January 2013 - The Kim Six Fix
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Master Bathroom REVEAL: 80s to Awesome

It is finally here! The day I share with you my finished master bathroom renovation! This is the largest project I have ever tackled on my own, and I am really proud of it. It only took about 6 months and a little more than $5000 but I did it!  Single-handedly and while pregnant, I renovated my bathroom.

Here is a quick before and after tour and then I will give you the nitty gritty details like the timeline, cost breakdown and more detailed photos:

The shower:
 

The tub:
 

The corner cabinet:

New paint, fixtures, lighting, plumbing:

Reused, stained cabinetry:
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Detailed Timeline 
(click links for step-by-step progress posts):

Shower and Garden Tub:

Vanity:
Wall/Ceiling Repair
Installing Corner Cabinet
Staining Oak Cabinets
Hardware Installation

The biggest project in the room was definitely tearing out and replacing the shower.  I framed the new shower, poured a new concrete pan, installed the liner, new walls, curb and tile.

More than half my budget went to two big ticket items that I had professionally installed.  The $1400 frameless door (and $1400 marble slab countertops ) are the only part of the remodel that I didn't do myself.
 

By leaving the shower and tub in their existing layout I didn't have any extensive plumbing to re-route. 

Both the shower and garden tub surround feature tumbled turkish travertine 2x3 inch tiles, with a glass pencil tile accent stripe.  The floor is 2x2 honed travertine.  The grout is a light bone color to blend with the travertine.

The new vanity no longer has the large fun-house plate glass mirrors.  Instead I bought 2 framed mirrors (on clearance from Home Depot) and centered each above the new sinks. 
  
Just like my kitchen remodel (the original "80s to Awesome") I was stuck with my honey oak cabinetry since the quote just to replace them was nearly $4000.   I decided instead of painting them like I did in my other bathroom, I would stain them like I did to my kitchen island.

I purchased stain directly from Thomasville (the cabinet company) and was able to match my lowers to my new corner cabinet. 

I installed the corner cabinet since I removed the ugly brass-trimmed medicine cabinet, I got the closet style I could find to the existing cabinetry.  I still have to add crown molding to the top of the cabinet.

The top cabinet houses a lazy susan which we use for all our medicine cabinet stuff, and the lower cabinet houses extra towels and my husband's electric razors, hairbrushes etc.

I also installed new sconces and relocated the can lights in the soffet so they would be directly over the sinks.

The chrome cabinet hardware was leftover from my mom's bathroom renovation so it cost me nothing. 


The chrome faucets are from Danze.
 

I used the matching Danze roman tub faucet but the shower is actually Price Pfister hardware (so that I wouldn't have replace the original shower valve in the wall.)

The wall color is Mushroom Bisque from Behr and the ceilings are Frost from Kelly-Moore.

If you go back to my inspiration post, you can see I pretty much nailed what I wanted, and stayed pretty darn close to my budget!  I'm very very happy. 

Budget:
(Detailed step-by-step budget breakdown can be found for each step in the project, listed in the links at the top of this post)

Plywood (for subfloor): $19.54
2x4s (for knee wall): $9.31
Roofing Paper: $11.71
Metal Mesh: $8.15
Mortar Mix: $12.06
Drain: $9.82
ABS plumbing glue: $3.07
Wood for blocking (salvaged from demo): $0
PVC shower liner (5 ft): $33.91
PVC liner adhesive: $5.93
PVC corner patches: $2.25
Silicone Caulk: $5.93
Cement board (5 sheets): $57.35
Mortar Mix: $21.63
Hardibacker Screws: $7.86
Cement board tape: $6.41
All Purpose Sand: $5.64
Portland Cement: $4.34
Mortar Mix: $12.06
Metal Mesh: $8.15
RedGuard: $44.62
3/4 inch roller cover: $3.77
Floor Grout: $8.47
Travertine 3x6 tiles (102 sq.ft. at $4.26): $314.96
Two 18-inch travertine tiles ($2.39/each)
2x2 Travertine (13 sq. ft. @$9.38/each): $121.94
Price Pfister Shower Retrofit Kit: $24.18
Price Pfister Shower Trim Kit: $47.51
511 Impregnantor: $32.27
Sanded grout: $27.10
Sanded caulk: $13.76
Glass door plus install: $1410.00
3/4 inch plywood: $24.27
Marble Slab (and Installation): $1404.60
Romex wire (25 feet): $11.67
6 inch HALO can light (I reused the old trim kit): $12.99
Junction boxes: $4.20
Romex wire clamp connecters: $1.49
Danze Roman Tub Rough In Valve Set: $66.97
Danze Roman Tub Trim Kit: $141.00
Danze Faucets ($80.97/each): $161.94
Water supply line: $4.87
Shut off valve: $7.63
ABS drain adapters ($1.48/each): $2.96
ABS angled junction pipe: $5.23
Cabinet Hardware: Free!
Towel Bars, TP holder, glass shelf: Free!
Wall Sconces: Free!
Wall Mirrors: ($35/each): $70.00
Corner Cabinet (plus trim): $1044.18
Cabinet Stain: $41.84
Wall paint: $31.98
Wall patching materials: $22.00

TOTAL RENOVATION COST: $5358.30
 
 I started demo on October 9th and I finished the entire project on January 15th.  It was a long project, but you have to take into account the holidays as well as having 2 kids underfoot and the fact I was pregnant and had morning sickness the entire time I was tiling.  I probably could have completed it in less than 1/4 of that time if I had set my mind to it. 

I hope this inspires someone to tackle that project you have been putting off and only dreaming of!  If I can do it, you can do it! 



I am proudly sharing this project here
and:
The Humble Brag Supporting Habitat for Humanity

Mickey Bokeh for Night Photography at Disney


We went to Disneyland for the week between Christmas and New Years and I had all these grand plans to shoot their Christmas lights using Mickey Mouse shaped bokeh.  Needless to say, in the three days that we were there that didn't happen because we either left the park before dark, I forgot the camera and/or filter or I just complete forgot my game plan.  But that doesn't mean you can't try it next time you head to Disney! 

There are a lot of tutorials on shaped bokeh out there.  Typically at this time of year people do a heart shape, but you can have any shape you want.  (Hence my idea for Mickey!) 

There also are a lot of ways of making a filter, but I found this method to be the easiest to work with (and the least permanent so it was easy to take on and off the camera as well as being easily to transport without it getting smashed in your camera bag.)

First you trace a circle the size of your lens cap onto a piece of card stock, and create 3-4 tabs around the outside.

In the center of the circle you cut the shape you want the bokeh to be.  I used a paper hole punch to make my mickey and the punch wasn't long enough to reach to the center of the circle so I punched in on a smaller piece of cardstock and taped it over a hole in the center of my filter circle:

I attached the filter with a rubber band to my 50 mm f1.4 lens.  
 

For this to work you want to have a pretty large aperture.  (The smaller the aperture the smaller the hole has to be in your filter or else you will cut off the edges of your custom shape.) I used f1.4 for all my images, but I know f1.8 is also commonly used. 

The other thing is that you need to make the image slightly blurry or out of focus. (At least the part you want to have custom bokeh)  Here is an example of my neighbors pergola lights, first with autofocus, then with soft focus, both with and without the filter on the lens.

Here are some shots of my Christmas tree:

Another advantage of the tab/rubber band attachment method is that you can rotate the filter so that Mickey is always oriented in the right direction.  When your lens rotates to focus, the filter will also rotate, so you need to adjust it if you want the bokeh to be recognizable as Mickey. 

So next time you head to a Disney park, and want some novel pictures, give it a shot!  


Baked Chicken Spinach Pasta (Chicken Florentine)

**This is my first post on my new URL.  I am hoping this comes through for anyone reading off my old RSS feed.  If you want to be POSITIVE you are getting all my updates, I would encourage you to subscribe to my new feed (or update the old feed address to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheKimSixFix )**

I made this recipe for my family the other night because I had a bag of baby spinach that was going to go bad.  Most chicken and spinach recipes are cream based.. but I wanted a more healthy alternative.  Here is my version of Chicken Florentine, which is usually made in a sauce pan.  This version is baked instead, and is a great low-fat way to sneak in some spinach into my picky eater's diets.


Baked Chicken Spinach Pasta (Chicken Florentine)
10 oz. rigatoni or mostaccioli (or any tubular pasta)
2 tsp. oil
2/3 c. chopped onion
2 lg. cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. boned, skinned chicken breast, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 (30 oz) can crushed tomatoes (Italian seasoning is best)
2 cups (1 bag) fresh baby spinach, washed and chopped (or 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 2 tsp. dried)
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook mostaccioli according to package directions; drain. While the pasta is cooking, saute onion and garlic in large skillet until soft. Add chicken; cook just until chicken loses its pink color, stirring constantly.

Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Add spices and spinach Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes (or enough time to wilt spinach), stirring occasionally.

Add pasta to tomato mixture (you may need to move to larger bowl) and stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Spoon into lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

 Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 The cheese should have completely melted when it comes out of the oven. 

I served mine with a garnish of Parmesan and the kids ate it right up. 



Here are some other Foster Farms Chicken Recipes You May Like: 

Grilled lemon chicken and asparagus skewers





Valentine's Day Mantle 2013


Like I said in my previous post, I am pretty psyched up for Valentine's Day this year, and so I have already tackled my mantle for 2013.


The beauty of Valentine's Day is that pretty much anything red or pink can be put to use in decorating, so I was able to use a bunch of stuff I found on Christmas clearance.. Like these Ikea lanterns (I used in my Christmas mantle) which were less than $5 each.  I also found a set of three red candlesticks for $3 (again at Ikea in the Christmas section.) 
I also reused my chalkboard silver serving tray I made (here) earlier this winter.   

I did buy a couple Valentine's Day specific decorations, but in my usual form, they came from the dollar store.  Since I love a good mantle swag.. I bought these two felt heart garlands for $1/each (it would have cost me more than a dollar to make them myself).  Then I cut up last year's paint chip heart garland and hung them over the mirror. Waste not, want not! 

I also found a dollar store pink watering can that I added some "outdoor" Cyclamen that were only $2 at Home Depot. Much cheaper than buying the same plants intended for indoors.. you just have to mask the ugly black plastic pots.
 

To round it out I was able to use some of my "faux milkglass" which is just thrift store clear glassware spray painted, and a small vase I got for mother's day a few years ago that my kids painted.   A pack of glittered cardboard hearts ($1 at the dollar store) make it clear which holiday I am celebrating. 

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