Two reveals in one!

A while back I posted that we had made a little change to our laundry room.  This started out as a project that "I" had always wanted to try...tiling!  Crazy, huh?  I hear all the time that is is easy to do, and I feel it is one of those things that really makes a statement.

We went years without a tile backsplash in our kitchen (the granite was up about 5 inches all the way around)...but when we finally had one put in (this was going to be our first tiling job, but we chickened out!), I couldn't believe I had waited so long.  It made a huge difference.

Anyhoo, fast forward a few years and I mentioned to Ron that I thought maybe "we" should give tiling a shot...how about the laundry room?  I just about fell over when he agreed.  "Husbands love to do home improvements with their wives"...said NO MAN, EVER!  But risking the chance of divorce, we did it anyway!

I have to say...it really turned out to be a "one man" job.  I was there, but it ended up being for moral support only (and to make another trip to Lowes for a few supplies)...he pretty much took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and did it himself.  It is an understatement to say that this job was "outside his comfort zone".  You can ask him and he will tell you...I have more power tools than he does, and I know how to use them better than him...but bless his heart...he got her done!

This is the before:

  
And the other side:

I mean really...doesn't he just look like he knew what he was doing?!  I have to say, he was far more organized than I would have been...I would have never even thought to lay them all out ahead of time!

I should say that we bought these tiles at Costco...they were about $20 a box with a coupon.  Glass mosaic tiles are typically way more expensive than this...and since I really liked them anyway...it was a great deal all the way around! 

Here is the after:

Whatcha' think?  It definitely made a difference, right?  And for his first time ever...I think he did a pretty darn good job!  I had repainted the laundry room a few years ago, but since I still love the color, decided to leave it as is.

We did up buying a small tile cutting saw for about $90 (there is always some little added expense, right?), but we have already loaned it out once and Kelli still needs a backsplash at her house, so I think we will get our money's worth.  The cost of the project itself...less than $200!

Now, the rest of the reveal is all ME!  Well all me, and the help of the internet!  I have been wanting to make one of these ever since I saw one on Gail's blog, My Repurposed Life.  This girl has some serious skills when it comes to building something, and thankfully she is always kind enough to share her knowledge.

The other day, I showed you this picture and asked if you could guess what I was going to do with it.

When I saw it at the Goodwill, I knew it would be perfect for this project.  Cost $7.50.

This is what it looks like now:

And in use:

Cool, huh?  Gail said that the only thing she would change on her version, was to possibly use chain, so I went to Lowes and picked up chain in lieu of the "strap" like material.  It worked perfectly.  I already had the bead board, left over from Kelli's island, so all I had to buy was the wood to make the frame and a little hardware.  I splurged and bought white spray paint because I was too lazy to get out my paint sprayer so my total cost for this project...about $25.  Not bad!

I can honestly say that since doing this little "update" on my laundry room, I have been motivated to keep it clean, which makes actually doing laundry, a LITTLE more fun!

One last "share".  I picked up this little cutie at the most amazing yard sale last weekend:

It is already taken apart and being repainted as we speak.  Stay tuned for her reveal!

Till then...