Contributor post by Rachel of the Crafted Life After seeing a few marble diys on Pinterest, I finally decided to take the plunge and try it out for myself. It only takes water and nail polish to do, so why not, right?! I ended up having to do the steps a few times before getting the results I wanted, so if you’ve never tried this method before, don’t worry you don’t nail it on the first try (it is possible, I promise!).  I recommend starting with a few practiceOnce you find the rhythm, it’s pretty easy! Time: 10 minutes + dry time Materials: glass bottle, nail polish, warm water, bowl, toothpick 1. Fill a bowl 3/4 of the way full with warm water. 2. The main thing I learned about marbling with nail polish is that you have to move quickly. Instead of adding polish to the water  drop by drop from the brush, you’ll be able to move faster if you pour paint directly from the bottle. The polish will spread once in the water so you won’t need to pour a lot in.

It’s best to keep in simple and stick to 2-3 colors. 3. With a toothpick, swirl the paint together before it dries on the surface. *Tip, if for some reason your polish is still drying before you can make your pattern, try pouring in two colors at once (one bottle in each hand). 4. Once you’ve achieved your desired patterned, immediately dip your bottle into the bowl, rotating the bottle to pick up the paint. It’s okay for the bottle to go into the water, and might be the easiest way to do this. Just be careful not to tear through your paint. 5. Make any corrections with nail polish remover, let dry, then fill with flowers! Be sure to wash by hand (not dishwasher safe).What a difference a little bit of art can make. After lugging home the big frames last week, and flattening the stored-too-long-in-a-tube art prints, I finally got a print framed and up on the wall. I think it kinda changes the whole look and feel of the room already! You may remember that I purchased two of the Ikea frames, but honestly I am liking the look of leaving the one long wall empty, and putting the focus of the room on the back wall.

It takes your focus away from the toilet (I hate seeing a toilet when you enter a bathroom, but this tiny powder room's layout wouldn't allow anything else.) The art is definitely attention grabbing and pulls your eye up and away from the loo. I have been contemplating installing a small marble shelf under the art. Simple brass brackets, white/grey carrara marble. What do you think? Would it make it too busy? I also swapped out the chrome toilet brush for the matte black one, and it has me thinking black loo roll holder is also a must. The question now is, to DIY or buy? Anyone seen any great black tp holders around? I have also decided the large towel bar needs to go (it never looks tidy, and the scale is wrong for the space.) I would also like to move the towel over to the left of the sink. It will stop the trek with wet hands across the room, and I also feel like a small towel bar on that big empty wall would look out of place. I fell in love with this towel holder (Jackson towel ring from Crate & Barrel), but I don't think it is going to work with my chair rail in the bathroom.

I would have to somehow bump it out from the wall so it would clear the rail.Prom Dress Shops ReadingWish I could have it, but I just don't see how its going to work. Prom Dress Shop ReadingOh, as a post script. Shower Head Quick ConnectWhy is it that companies don't make TP holders to match their towel holders?! Crate & Barrel does a few great towel bars in the Jackson series, but NO TOILET ROLL HOLDER. Where do people put their toilet rolls?! Please companies, make some tp holders to match your towel holders! Its a bathroom, people need toilet paper. This is another towel holder that I am considering. I saw these Muuto Dots coat hooks everywhere in Denmark, and think one or two would be great as towel hooks. I could sew simple ribbons onto the towels, and hang them from the hooks.

I am now kicking myself for not buying any while in Copenhagen. I am also contemplating moving the tp holder location to streamline the long wall, but the only other place it could go is on the back wall, and that might be a bit awkward from a usability standpoint. I also need to devise a way to store extra rolls of TP. As the room has no cabinets, there is not an easy place to stash. Perhaps a small basket placed somewhere? As for the rest of the room, I've made little progress. I went to the garage with a fire under my butt wanting to make the frame for the mirror, only to discover I don't have enough wood. I plan on using 1x2 pieces of maple to make a simple frame for the mirror, and when I thought I had a 8' piece, it turns out I only have a 6' piece. I have a piece of 4" maple, but it needs to be ripped, and I wasn't about to break out the table saw at 9pm last night. So a little progress, but not as much as I'd like, and I fear this weekend wont be any better. We have a commission for a dining table & benches, and that is going to take up a bunch of our time in the coming weeks.

art, bathroom, decor, powder roomNo one is as organized as they wish they could be. But with so many great ideas floating around the Internet these days, it’s getting much easier to get your life (and your home) in order. The following items and ideas have either been created or found by us and are very practical and creative ways to start living in a more zen-like fashion. Jars — be them mason, baby food, or even jelly — are definitely on our Top 10 Favorite Supplies Ever list. From DIY chandeliers to organization containers, there’s no limit to what you can do with these suckers. We especially love the idea from the photo above from Craft Gossip – spray paint a small toy and a jar lid and then glue the two together. These come in Brushed Stainless Steel or White and work great because they don’t damage the walls or cabinets. You can use these for a variety of things — hanging cords, purses, cleaning supplies that have holes, etc. And, since they aren’t permanent, you can move them as your needs change without the worry of damaging the walls.

Don’t want to buy hooks? You probably already have some in your house that might accomplish the same thing! Repurpose your old shower hooks for closet storage. Check out our tutorial with the how-to. Speaking of shower hooks, if you happen to have a spare tension rod around, try mounting it inside one of your cabinets for easy bottle organization. Remember to utilize that vertical space! The Simple Human Bag Organizer is such a minor item that comes in such handy in the household. Every time you go to a store and come home with plastic bags, just put them into the organizer. You can reuse the bags for so many things: small bathroom trash bags, pet use, whatever you want. And, since you’re reusing them, you’re helping the environment too. Save your egg cartons! They can be reused for a number of things, from storing underwear (just roll them up in a ball) to jewelry, to small odds and ends like buttons and safety pins. Great for oh so many things. We especially love them for keeping game pieces together (our Settlers of Catan pieces tend to get lost easily) and also for storing small items like pens, SD cards, and even jewelry together.

A fantastic way to organize ribbon in your craft room. Just stack the spools from largest to smallest. The must-have organizational item, these are great for organizing and storing different sets of objects like medical items (Tylenol, Band-Aids, etc), extra bathroom supplies (toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper), styling tools (brushes, blowdryer, flat iron), and more. By putting these types of miscellaneous items in containers that fit your cabinet or closet space, anyone can find the proper items without searching all over the place. And, by having them in labeled containers, you can stack the containers and maximize the space that would otherwise not exist if you placed the items individually on shelves. These can be used for many other things as well — try using them as shoe bins to store shoes neatly in a closet by stacking them up (or placing on shelves). Take a photo of whatever you’re storing in the bin for even easier access. Use a wine rack to organize all of your gift wrap and/or any rolled posters you are storing.

Purchase an old typesetting tray (or if you’re a letterpress nerd like we are, use one of your own) and refinish the wood with a sealer. Hang it on your wall to use as an accessory organizer. Have a retired racket lying around? (Or, just too lazy to use yours as often as you should?) Use it instead to organize earrings, necklaces and more. Don’t have an old racket? DIY your own accessory organizer! Combine chicken wire with an old shutter to showcase all of your gems and jewels. Window shutters are also fantastic for storing mail, thin books, and magazines. Put it in your entry way or even in your bedroom. Don’t throw out your bread tags once you’re done with the loaf! Label them and use them as cord organizers so that you know which appliance you’re disconnecting while you’re reaching behind the couch with a plumber’s crack showing to find a new outlet. Not just for shoes! Use these handy over-the-door organizers for everything from cleaning supplies to styling tools.

Simply attach woven baskets to your walls for extra storage space and easy access to towels, linens and more. Hooks can go anywhere and hang so many things! Try using them in unexpected places, like appended to a dresser or entryway table. Also great for organizing accessories, from hair bands to earphones. Just clip and wrap! These work equally as well on the edge of your desk for organizing the ends of USBs and power adapters. Want to take it to the next level? See our tutorial how to decorate your binder clips. Purchase magnetic tape with adhesive backing to stick onto walls, inside cabinet doors, or on any flat surface, then mount magnetic items like bobby pins, tweezers and hair clips for easy access. So easy and simple. Though we’re not sure we’ve ever actually purchased a shower cap, we love the idea of taking extras from hotel stays or beauty salon visits and using them to wrap shoes before packing in a suitcase for travel. Keep those clothes clean! What clever storage or organization tools do you have?