Paint: To Antique the Vanity?

I was at home.  The location listing on Craigslist showed Belton- our sister city (and arch-rival!).  I knew I might need some more paint to complete this bathroom project.  The picture also showed a can of white spray paint- and I have a very specific need for some of that!  So I loaded the kids in the van, drove a whopping 3 miles and received a load of used paint from a guy who was cleaning out his garage.

Of course, it was a hot day, and as he kept himself busy cleaning out his garage, his young kids were playing in the sprinkler in the yard.  That inspired my two kids, and before I could get the paint out of the back of the van, our sprinkler was dispensing water to the giggly delight of Olivia and Easton.

Seriously, though, I found in the pile of paint a nice surprise: a couple of cans of antique paint.  You know, the kind you use to make new stuff look like old stuff.  Erica has been consdering painting my beautiful vanity black to add some pop to the bathroom.  At first I was cool to the idea, but the more I think about it, the better it sounds.  How about a black vanity, antiqued and distressed?

Below is a sample picture of a new, made-for-retail vanity, with a distressed-black color.  The color scheme would then be:  black vanity, white sink, toilet shower base and wall tiles, and earth-tone tile on the floor.  Any thoughts?

Source:  www.homeportfolio.com

The Long Awaited Bathroom Update: A Shower Faucet

Has it really been two and a half months since I posted the last update?  Wow!  Sorry about that!  Honestly, the progress has been slow.  There are a few reasons, and about eight million excuses.  First of all, Craigslist made some changes and shut down a couple of my favorite search-assistance programs (more on that later).  Second, I am down to a small list of items that I need, so my searching is very specific these days.  Third, I have been crazy busy with church activities, family vacations, family fun, etc.  Finally, we have experienced the hottest Kansas City summer in sixty years.  So basically, if I wasn't running somewhere with my family, I was sitting on the couch in the air conditioning.

I have wondered if anyone other than a few local friends follow my progress.  I was pleased to hear from an old friend that he enjoys reading the updates in this crazy project.  So I will keep writing!

What treasure might a small box hold?

My first find of the summer was a big one!  Actually, the packaging was rather small.  An offer on Craigslist for a small box of plumbing parts containing the guts of a bathroom update.  The picture showed a shower faucet valve and knobs.  After several emails and attempts to connect, I finally piled the kids in the car, drove for what seemed like forever, and found the house with the small box of plumbing parts sitting on the front porch.

When I got home and opened the little potential-treasure box, voila a shower faucet, complete with the rough-in valve housing, valve stems, knobs, shower head, arm, and plenty of flanges.  From a quick online search, it seems that these kits start at $80 at the local big box home improvement store.

From top: Shower head and arm, valve housing, knobs, flanges

This was another one of those really specific items that I wondered how long I would have to wait to find!