Are you shocked??

I know that it's a major makeover no-no, but it was a last resort. We had wallpaper in almost every room in the house. The entryway and main bathroom came off with hot water and fabric softener. The paper in the kitchen was a bit more stubborn, so we rented a steamer and it came off with some work. Our bathroom was a different story. There was not one peel, one corner coming loose, nothing. It was stuck on there and had not budged for 30 years. We tried everything: vinegar, fabric softener, the chemical you buy in stores, and finally the steamer, but it was causing major damage to the drywall. I talked to my neighbors about it, my new friends at Lowes and Home Depot, the guy at the paint store, and they all said to paint over it if I had tried everything. Like the guy at the paint store said, "if it hasn't moved in 30 years, it ain't goin' nowhere."
Sooooo, that's what we did:

We sealed it with Kilz premium primer, waited a week or so to see if we had any bubbling, or problems. Everything was good, so then I textured over that, primed again, and then painted. Pain in the rear!

Some of you have asked what the arrangement between the 2 mirrors in my bathroom is.
Remember the $35 yard sale? That's what I'm calling it now.
The wooden yellow thingy on the right was part of the stash and I didn't really know what it was. Debilou told me that she thought it was a match holder, and I think she's right, although that's not exactly what I'm using it for.

our bathroom cabinets were nasty:

the holes didn't fit any modern handles, so we filled them with wood filler, let them dry and then sanded them down to smooth. I'm such a genius, I forgot that we only needed to fill one hole, the other would be for the knob. :) I eventually figured it out...
Then, we sanded the doors, primed them with a spray paint primer,

and we used these to paint them with:

I'm going to give you a break from going on and on about the bathroom (oh, but it will be back tomorrow :) I wanted to show you what Heather did with her monogram napkin:

Hello! Thank you so much for all of your kind words about the makeover~isn't that the great thing about blogging? If y'all didn't like it, you just move right on to the next blog, leaving compliments only. I don't think I could ever handle the rate my space stuff. You made my day :)

Okay, I promised you the details! You know I love to go on and on, so brace yourself.
Here is the other area of the bathroom~I found the shower curtain last year on clearance at Target for $6.24. We painted the cabinets black. I still need to add something to the window...I'll let you know when I do...it's on the never-ending "list..."

Did you think this day would ever come??

Me neither.

Okay, so here's a reminder of before:

Are you tired of me going on and on about yard sales?
Me too. :) Changing subjects...

My friend Wendy over at the Shabby Nest is having a Frugal Friday Party. I love Fridays, I love frugal-ness, and I love parties, how could I not join??

Here are a few frugal decor tips I like to use:

* old books *
They are like old friends~they just add something to your home by simply being there. You can use them to add some color and texture, give height to objects, and have wisdom in the pages to turn to any time you want to. There is just something comforting and wise about them...and are all over at yard sales and thrift stores.


* candles *
You can find at inexpensive prices almost anywhere nowadays in great colors. In the picture above, I just wrapped a strip of scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby around it, taped the back and added a ribbon. Place it on top of some old books and you're set!