~Bathroom Makeover~

One of the things I miss most about our last home was the half-bath near the kitchen. This house now only has two bathrooms. The hallway bathroom serves as the boys' bathroom, Chris' office bathroom and a guest bathroom. I didn't want it to look too childish or too grown up so it has been somewhat neglected until now. Months ago I used some green paint I found in my stash and painted it in an effort to get it looking somewhat presentable. Neither Chris or myself liked the color and Kleven told me he hated it. The state of that bathroom has been torturing me ever since!!! Somehow, I found the time to pay it the attention it deserved while Chris was out of town. (For some reason I feel the need to start major projects like this when I know he won't be around to talk me out of them) :)

The boys were in the tub one morning and the paint closet is right near there, so I dug around and found a couple of colors, mixed them together and started cutting in around the edges of the room. By the time the boys' toes had turned to raisins, I had my least favorite part out of the way! That night, I rolled the rest of the paint on and had it finished in 30 minutes!

If I can find before pics, I might also find the guts to post them...

This entire project has cost me a grand total of: $4

However, I need to purchase a few small things, like:

A clock, a large candle and some hand towels. Eventually, it will also get crown molding!

My goal is to keep it under $30.

I love doing this!!!

Now it's YOUR TURN! Is there a space in your home that makes you cringe every time you walk past it? FIX IT!

Photography Class?

In case you're interested, I did a copy and paste of an email I just received from my uncle....
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I am having another photo class next week that I filled from a waiting list, but I'm aware that there are others who would like to come for the one day Photo Fundamentals class I've been teaching.
By way of review - this class is intended for owners of DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras. I've had people with point and shoot cameras attend and the principles apply, however that sort of camera is limiting where creative effects are involved. In the class I cover the fundamentals of exposure, composition, posing, using flash and camera operation (just what do all those buttons do???). I try to limit the class size so everyone gets special attention and also to allow us to cover your specific questions and issues.
The course is from 9AM to 4PM and is held here at my house (18478 E. Carriage Way, Queen Creek). It includes a few shooting exercises both inside the house and outside in the back yard where you'll practice the concepts I'm teaching and receive some hands on help. I've attached a course outline from previous classes. Snacks and lunch are included and the price is $100.
I'm aiming for Saturday, March 21 - just a few weeks away. If I can get a class size of at least four students I'll hold the class. I already have one person committed so I only need three more to make the class happen. The max size is six. I'll take the next five that respond and take names of additional interested people for a subsequent class.
Don't hesitate to write or call if you have questions.

Thanks, and happy snapping.
-- Bruce Barnes
BKBarnes Photography
http://www.bkbarnes.blogspot.com/
(480) 567-8422 Cell

Titus Update- about 8 months old

This boy LOVES his dog! Ezra is BY FAR the most affectionate towards our little beast. They were having So much fun together I had to take a few photos! Seeing as our puppy has consistently gained about 5 pounds a week, I'd have to say he's probably 110 pounds, give or take... just over the halfway mark! His daddy was 180, and his grandpa was 220, so we're expecting somewhere in between. It'll be like having another grown man in the house except this one walks on all fours but can still see over the table and counter tops! We love him! Even when he accidentally whacks us with his tail!

Happy February!

Here's a decorating tip I should have shared weeks ago... when you're taking down your Christmas decorations, sort your ornaments by color. I keep my red and green stuff out to use for the next couple holidays. If you horde apothecary jars like I do- you'll never need anything else........ Here's what my dining room table will look like for the month!

Try to imagine crown molding, white linen drapes on the window, and the wall full of framed b&w photos!

The chandelier is same as always.

The dress form is a favorite from my collection, adorned with ribbon, and sparkly hearts attached with super cute magnets.

The pink ceiling tile is my own design as well as the red chalkboard.

The letters that spell out LOVE I made a couple years ago, they're just propped up on the chalkboard with my super cute magnets for support.

The card on the chalkboard is my own design (using SU).

The apothecary jars are filled with red Christmas ball ornaments, more sparkly hearts and my everyday red pears.

The table is covered with a normal white tablecloth and a scrap piece of red silk fabric.

This whole look cost me less than $5 and took about ten minutes to throw together. I bought the sparkly hearts last week from JoAnn's (on sale 40% off) and one box of red shatterproof ornaments from WalMart during the post-Christmas clearance sale.

I sure hope that sparked some ideas!

Now tell me, how do you decorate for Valentine's Day?