building the exercise room

When I first came up with this crazy idea to carve out some space in the basement for exercising, I thought we could just hang some curtains to section off the space. It was Mr. Cabin who suggested we actually build a real room with real walls and a real door. I don't know why I am suprized with the way it came out. After all, this man did build me an entire cabin- he evidentally knows what he is doing! Yet his carpentry skills never cease to amaze.

He turned an icky section of the basement that looked like this-

...into this.

Because Mr. Cabin loathes spackling and sanding we decided not use traditional sheetrock. He suggested this beadboard paneling and because I love the cottage look of beadboard, I was all for it.

I wanted to leave the beams exposed in the ceiling but they were pretty disgusting and Mr. Cabin said it wouldn't look good so instead he used cedar planking.

I love the rustic combination of the cedar and the beadboard.

Mr. Cabin suprized me with these recessed lights and trim rings.

We used carpet tiles on the floor. The floor is very uneven so this was the easiest option.

Now that the building is done, it is my turn to decorate and turn it into an exercise room.

It has to be one heck of an inviting and invigorating space that I will use all the time. If I don't, Mr.Cabin has threathened to turn the room into his video game lounge!

Motivational Mirrors: Etching Tutorial

 While Mr. Cabin has been toiling away in the basement trying to finish building me my little exercise room, I have been busy with a few projects of my own trying to make the space inviting and inspiring.

Most traditional gym and exercise spaces feature an entire wall of mirrors. While I have nothing against giant mirrors, purchasing one for the space was not within our budget.
 Besides I already know what I look like, right? Only staring at myself sweating while I was exercising- not very motivating. So I decided to use several smaller mirrors which I am going to incorporate into a collage with some other art work.
To get more bang for my decorating buck and my wall space as well, I decided to try etching different motivational words onto each of the mirrors.
If you would like to try it out too, here's what you'll need: mirror or glass, etching cream, an exacto knife, clear contact paper and words or images printed on paper.

Here's what I did. First, I printed out the words I chose from the computer. Then I cut out large pieces of contact paper. I made the contact paper pieces slighter larger than my 12 x 12 mirrors.

Next, I taped the words upside down to the underside of the contact paper.

Then I flipped the paper over and traced each word onto the vinyl.

Then I removed the words and the paper backing from the contact paper and carefully adhered the sheet to the mirror. I used a credit card to help smooth out the bubbles. The extra contact paper I rolled over the edges, which helped protect me from being cut  while I was handling the mirror.

Next, I used an exacto knife to cut out each letter. I have to mention my new favorite letter of the alphabet is now v...such a simple letter to cut out- gotta love it.

Finally, I was ready to apply the etching cream. I will admit the warnings on the bottle did have me a little scared. "May be fatal," is not a warning I take lightly. So I donned my protective goggles, a pair of chemical resistant latex gloves and turned the exhaust fan on in the kitchen before I was ready to proceed.

I  followed the directions on the bottle. I applied a think layer of etching cream, waited five minutes then rinsed with water.

The finished product.

I was actually surprised with how easy this was.

I may even try etching words on a bathroom mirror soon too.

Anyone curious what the other words I chose were?
Come on back for the grand reveal of the exercise room.
Cross your fingers for me it will be real soon,

Bathroom Make-do

Centsational Girl is hosting a link party on bathroom makeovers. Our upstairs bathroom wasn't a make-over but more of a make-do. This bathroom needs to be gutted completely and totally redone!

 In the meantime,  here are the few things we have done to make it a more enjoyable space.

The bottom half of the walls is yellow FRP.

(I had no idea what that was- I had to ask Mr. Cabin. According to him, FRP is fiberglass reinforced panels. Basically it is vinyl yellow paneling.)

You really can't paint over the FRP so I had to find a way to make it work.

Finding inspiration in the rug I bought, I chose to paint the top half purple. The two colors are a bright combination that works well in the small space.

I brought in the tower from the girl's old nursery. It used to hold diapers and things.

 Now it is the perfect place for the towels and the extra toilet paper.

The dragonfly print and the frog loofahs add a bit of whimsy and fun.

 

This vanity was white with gold. Yuck!

 So while we wait to rip it out completely,

 a little decorative painting  has become my favorite make-do of all.

Be sure to check out all the rest of the bathroom make-overs at Centsational Girls blog.