I had a funny realization this afternoon. You guys must feel like Dear Husband does…all the time. Lemme explain.
I say I’m going to start a project. I’m all gung-ho about it. I pick colors. I buy paint.
And then…
Something comes up. There’s an issue that arises. Something.
And, two weeks later, we still don’t have paint on the wall.
It still looks like this.
It drives Dear Husband crazy.
I understand you must feel this way, too. I said I’d get to work on the guest bathroom. I picked paint colors. I bought paint. And yet…
There isn’t a finished bathroom yet.
Why is this?
For one thing, I did get started on it (more on this below) and, when I came off the ladder from fixing the light fixture, I landed wrong. Nothing happened at first but, by this morning, I couldn’t bend my ankle. I have no idea what happened, but I know it means I’m not getting up on a ladder to paint any time soon. I’m heading to the doctor tomorrow to get it checked out.
Second, I think, in the back of my mind, I was still worried about the wainscoting. Would it be too high? Would it look wonky? Doubt crept in and stayed.
I think the wainscoting will be fine. I also think it’ll all come together once I finally actually get paint on the walls.
Oh, and I decided that the light fixture is staying. I removed the Edison bulbs that cast a yellow glow in the room. I added new glass shades and regular LED bulbs.
Now it looks like the light fixture in the kids’ bathroom (affiliate link):
This light fixture costs about $95.00. The three shades for the guest bathroom fixture cost $7 each, or $21 total plus tax. Not too shabby!
I still haven’t made a final final decision on the mirror yet. I want to remove it, but I’m afraid that, if I do, the light fixture will be too high for the mirror I would hang there. I don’t want to move the light fixture, which would require an electrician plus drywall repair. I’m going to try to hold the mirror up to the wall to see how high the light would be and, if it’s not too high, I’ll probably remove the giant wall mirror after all.
Anyway, all this is to say that the bathroom project is kind of in flux right now. I’m hoping I just sprained my ankle and can get back to it soon. In the meantime, I’m doing some projects that require sitting! More on that soon.
A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.
i love that you admitted to the idea -that sometimes we procrastinate for all different kinds of reasons and most of all that we PAUSE…and sometimes let that monster of self doubt creep on in…like what you did with the light fixture … as for the mirror theres always frame the mirror, a friend did that to the on a vacation property either slim molding perhaps painted chrome or thick mimicking the wainscoting and painted as such?!
Take care, Karen look forward to seeing the finished product!
You are so right, Mary! Thank you!!
That happens to me all the time too… I doubt the idea. I hope your ankle feels better and you’re back on the ladder in no time at all:) ….I also think your mirror would rock with trim molding around it!
Thank you! I am not sure I can do the trim molding because the mirror butts right up against the corner of the room on the left side. There’s no room to attach the trim. Dear Husband and I are going to try holding up the mirror I want to use to see if it’s big enough and, if it’s not, we’ll just leave the big one there.
Hope that ankle doesn’t keep you down too long! How about using some painter’s tape to hang paper over or hang a sheet over the mirror and have Dear Husband hold up the other mirror for you, so you can “look” and decide. I agree with Mary D about framing the original mirror as an option. Can the big mirror be removed and cut down, maybe to make it narrower and add a frame if you find the other mirror doesn’t work? You could take it to a glass & mirror shop for the cutting. I think your wainscotting will be fine! Can’t wait to see that blue on the walls—It’ll be great! I think there’s a “Murphy’s Law” of DIY projects! What you think is going to be simple has a domino effect uncovering other “issues!” I did lose patience with a certain TV designer who seemed to be constantly surprised by the existence of a bearing wall! : ) Speedy recovery!
Thank you, Karen! I have one more week at least in the boot before I’m released to my DIY adventures again. We are going to try to hold up the mirror to see how it looks this weekend and decide what to do. I can’t wait to get started on it again!!
Hope your ankle is ok. This is why I love your blog and always read it first.. You go through the same things I do. I always decide what I’m going to do, buy the stuff then hit self doubt. It also drives my husband crazy. I know it will always work out or I’ll fix it but it still freezes me before each big project, sometimes small ones also. It’s always nice to know I am not alone, in my slightly crazy doubt.
Thank you, Robin! You are not alone! Worriers unite! 🙂
We had a large bathroom mirror taken down after a flood in the bathroom…the water wasn’t that high, but we had to get new cabinets, which meant new countertops, which was all taller than our last cabinet situation, which meant the mirror had to go to fit it all in. I digress. Anyway, the wall when the mirror was taken off was not good. They had to patch the drywall. So boooooo…and we finally got our big new mirror hung up last weekend but it took a long time to get to that point! Hope your ankle feels better soon! Excited for your bathroom!
Ugh – that’s so frustrating, right? That’s what I was worried about – that the wall behind it would be in rough shape after removing the mirror. Plus, I think the light fixture might end up being too high if we replace the large mirror with something smaller. Thank you for the well wishes! My ankle is better, but I’m not released to do DIY yet – fingers crossed soon!! Thanks again, Jen!