So Jen and I had an epic night last night. It was epic on our level, so we didn’t meet the queen, or make out with Ed Sheeran (god I wish…) but it was one of our most fun nights ever and thinking back, I feel that there are a few tips we can throw your way to make an epic eve.
Step 1 – Pasta and wine
So in Vancouver, there is a restaurant called Trattoria, and they have this amazing thing, called Trat Tuesdays. All pasta is $11. And their house wine is $5 a glass. I won’t lie, we do this a lot. Secret fun fact, we used to go for $11 pasta after our Weight Watchers meetings. Whoops! Anyways, we usually get the same thing, their spaghetti and meatballs, because they are incredible. I would seriously recommend this to anyone. The only issue is that there is often a pretty significant wait time, but not a worry! Just find a nearby bench and gab until they text you telling you to come on in!
Not my picture. Mine would have had slightly more drool. And a large dent in a meatball.
Gently make fun of the group sitting next to you (preferably under your breath, it is far less fun if they know what is happening). If an approximately 50 year old man has a dye job and haircut similar to Barry Manilow, they are simply asking for it.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Step 3 – Impulsiveness
One of the topics up for discussion at dinner was the fact that I am going to my Dad’s wedding on Saturday and have yet to find a pair of shoes. So after we were finished our scrumptious dinner, Jen suggested that we hit Metrotown (the mall across the street) as there were 30 minutes until closing! We got there in 4 minutes and were shopping in 5.
Step 4 – Decisiveness
We went to three shoe stores, selected 5 shoes, one came in my size, and were purchased within 15 minutes.
It has become increasingly clear that neither Jen or I are very good at stepping out of the shopping box, mostly because of Old Navy. It is the favourite and standby for both of us, and as we had an additional 15 minutes to kill before we were physically removed from the mall, we had time to kill. So we spend 10 minutes shopping, and basically ended up purchasing the exact same thing.
We each got a white t-shirt and some epic leggings, and we were both going to get another top, that I did end up getting but Jen did not. Because she has self restraint, and I do not.
These make me infinitely more excited for fall
You can find the Old Navy Patterned Leggings here. The top I got does not seem to exist online, but I will update it if I find it!
Step 6 – FroYo
So I used to live down the street from Menchies. If you have not experienced this, I am very sorry. Menchies is the FroYo to end all FroYo. It has a single great flavour (Purely Tart) but endless amazing toppings. Jen came up with the idea to go there, 50% because it is delicious, and 50% because we really needed to go to the bathroom, and the ones in the mall closed before we were done shopping. Anyways, stellar call Jen. We also got to witness the coming of age of two boys who were listening to some old school rap, thinking they were real hip and hoppin. So we went back to Step 2 for a hot minute.
Aint that the truth
Anyways, it was a pretty perfect evening, and I was able to come home, and trot my dog around the block in my new shoes without them hurting at all. I hope this is a good sign.
What do you like to do when you get together with your friends? Let us know!
You may have noticed a bit of a change around here. Aside from a super sweet upgrade to the look of the site (so clean!) we’ve also made a bit of a directional change.
It was Thursday night when we finally admitted to ourselves that maybe we’re not fashion bloggers after all. We actually had discussed this for some time now, but it was Lilly’s disdain for white socks and Birkenstocks sealed the deal.
We’re not going anywhere, it’s just that we’re being honest with ourselves and what we’re doing here. Which is handing out questionable advice, a lot of opinions and some legit home shit… especially food.
Although this summer has been one of the most toasty I can remember, and I have been going to school all summer, I cannot stop thinking about back to school. I feel like back to school is not just for those returning to school, it is a state of mind. It is looking forward to one of the best changes in seasons, second of course to spring to fall. I cannot wait to wear scarves, boots and sweaters. So on the seventh of August, I am starting to look at the clothes I know I will covet in the coming months, and am going to share what I am checking out. I love neutrals and earth tones for fall as well as stripes and some subtle patterns. I am trying to branch out with my bottoms, as although jeans are my default, I am looking to broaden my horizons. I have been looking on my three favourite sites for plus size gems, ASOS, Forever 21 and Old Navy.
First is the Old Navy. This is where I find my go tos. Their jeans fit me perfectly and are cheap to boot! I won’t lie. I go lurk in Old Navy about once every two weeks. The turnover is so fast you need to! If you don’t want to miss out on a possible favourite.
My favourite. Stripes. Goes perfectly with jeans, and is easy breezy. You can find it here.
So both Jen and I have a thing for sweatpants like pants that can be worn in public without looking totally like sweatpants. And these fit the bill. I love the army green and that they taper in at the bottom. Find them here.
I really really want these. I would wear them with a few of the pieces coming up! Find them here.
Now perfect jeans. These are exactly what I like. Skinny but not skin tight. Fading but not too much. They will go with everything. Check them out here.
Now to Forever 21. Their plus size section is affordably priced, and trendy. I often only find one or two things that I like, but some of my favourite pieces are from Forever 21.
I love the length of this sweater and I love the oatmeal colour. Although this does not look to be the warmest, I think it will be great for early fall when it is still warmish. You can find it here.
Now moving onto my all time favourite. ASOS. I love how the styles are not limited to smaller sizes and they not only make larger sizes of best sellers, but design styles specifically for plus size girls. One of my favourite things is when a friend of mine asks where I got something, and I have to say, sorry, they don’t carry it in your size. I know this sounds cheeky, but meh.
I don’t know about you, but this looks like fall in a sweater to me. It looks like chocolate, and is a bit oversized and slouchy. I can just picture wearing this with leggings, big socks and warm tea. You can find it here.
I feel like this is a top that Elle Woods would choose. Its professional, but feminine and fun. It could easily be worn with dress pants, but could be paired with a cute skirt to make it a little more fun. Check it out here.
This I love. It looks light and breezy but still would rock with a scarf when it gets a little chillier. You can find this here.
Who does not like a good flannel? I like that this has a smaller print and I LOVE the green and blue. Find this heavenly top here.
And my stripe obsession continues. This is barely a stripe though, so it doesn’t really count. I love that the strip is right around the waist, it would be super flattering. Find it here.
And to top it off, here is a lovely frock that is barely a fall dress, but it would totally work with leggings. OH! And a jean jacket. Maybe a cream scarf? Perfection. Find this love here.
Now if only my credit card would permit me to buy all of the above! I may need to choose a select few to find a home with me.
What do you like to wear in the fall? What is your favourite season to dress for? Let us know!
We are at the time in our lives where our newsfeed are filled with weddings, engagements, and babies. This has really just started for me in the last year, and it confuses me more and more each time I come across these things. Mostly because, at 25, I am a full time student with no job and could not imagine being at the point in my life where I appear to be a grownup. I honestly feel that when I do get married, and have kids, I will still feel 18. One example of this was going to the liquor store to buy beer for a party that my mom was hosting, and I took her wallet instead of mine. Obviously I was very concerned that I would not be able to complete the task as I had no way of proving that I was over the age of 19. The girl in front of me was asked for I.D. and then, when my turn came, I was not. I was both proud and disappointed at the same time. Which all comes down to the fact that I feel like a small child, terrified to commit my life to someone else.
There is also, a different experience with your parents. My parents separated when I was 18, and over the years, my parents have both found awesome people to share their lives with. My dad in fact, is getting married at the end of the summer.
Now when my dad initially told me that he was planning on getting married, I had a specific list of things that I would need to be able to enjoy myself at his wedding. I promise, I was not being a demanding pain in the ass, but as a girl with some anxiety issues, I know what I need to get through the day. My list was short and simple. I did not want to be a part of the wedding party, I could bring a couple of friends so that I have a good buffer, I have access to an open bar (this was the questionable one, what can I say, I am a bit of a lush) and I get a new dress.
Now the dress part is quite tricky. I have a number of dresses, but not one that I feel especially comfortable in, and especially not one that is good for the summer. Also, my dads one and only rebuttal to my list of “suggestions” was that my sister and I would be witnesses, and would stand at the front during the ceremony and sign the piece of paper. I agreed. But this makes the whole dress thing more challenging, because instead of just sitting down, I will be standing at the front and theoretically pictures will be taken.
Since finding out about the wedding, I have been scouring the internet, trying to find something that I would be comfortable in. I didn’t find anything that I loved online, so I decided to actually go shopping (which I do not love). After evaluating the different options for stores, I settled on The Bay. Mainly because they have way more options than anywhere else, and therefore the likelihood of success was much higher.
So yesterday, my mom and I braved the department store. We picked up every dress that I even almost liked the look of, in my size. We didn’t hit the plus size section, so basically it was a hit or miss type of operation, as I am just on the borderline. It is a challenge, because I typically wear neutral colours, especially black and white, and neither of which I believe are appropriate for a wedding. So I had the entire freaking rainbow of taffeta, chiffon, and jersey under my arm when we entered the change room.
As per usual, the process is slightly demeaning, as you try to squeeze your body into things that fit in some places, and don’t in others. Things that don’t make you feel your best. In the end, I settled on one of the first frocks that I tried on. It is a sweet yellow dress and I feel almost like the grown up that I deny being. I love the sunny colour, and the lace and the fact that it is not my typical fit and flare type dress. Check it out here.
And then there is me in said dress. And the recommended shoes from Jen. Manolo HO!
What are your dilemmas with dressing for a formal occasion? What are some tips and tricks you have to make the choice a success?
If there is one thing that I love more than anything, it is beautiful skin. Now let me tell you, this has not always been the case for me. I have had my struggles over the years with my skin, until September 2013. This was the time I found my one and only, my holy grail of skin care. Skoah. Skoah is a local company that focuses on amazing products and facials, their motto is “personal training for your skin”. Their locations offer facials, and nothing else. It is not your traditional spa, but man, do they know how to do a facial. Shortly after my first facial, I started buying their products, and noticed a real difference in my complexion. My skin was clear, glowing, and not fickle like it used to be. I am going to go through my favourites, and how to use them to get the best results.
My most wanted lineup in my bathroom
The Regulars
kleansing lotion – 30
This stuff is the bomb. It feels like a lotion going in, it smells amazing, and it gets all of my makeup off, leaving my skin feeling clean, but not stripped. It is gentle, but powerful. I put it on my dry face, rub it around, and then rinse if off.
tonik – 25
This is a miracle toner. It makes my skin feel balanced and refreshed. I spray about 5 times, directly on my face. No cotton pad needed!
face kream – 45
This is what I use at night. It is rich, but not too heavy, and is a great night time cream. Sometimes when I am feeling like my skin is a little dry, I use it under my makeup and it works like a charm.
eye kream – 38
I put a little bit under my eyes, and where my crows feet are planning on landing. I am of the mind that if you start young with skin care, you will not need botox. This is the plan and I am sticking to it!
face skotion 30 – 50
Face skotion. This stuff. It is light, and moisturizing all at the same time! And it has SPF to boot! I used to use the skotion with no SPF and a sunscreen over top, but I am usually quite irritated by sunscreen, and it causes me to break out. Also it gets in my eyes causing them to water all day long. No more! This skotion keeps me protected from the sun, and doesn’t irritate me at all. Another step in the goal of never using botox.
Secret Weapons
Now, the really amazing stuff. Skoah has some treatments that really kick ass and are totally different than any other products I have seen on the market.
aha mask – 35
When you go for a facial at skoah, the best part is their alpha-hydroxy acid mask called minty meltdown, which chemically exfoliates your skin, giving you a beautiful fresh glow. They don’t sell this, but they sell a less intense version called the aha mask. I use this about once or twice a week, and put it on at night instead of the face kream. It goes to work over night and you wake up looking like a sweet little babe. Just rinse off in the shower and you are set!
hydradew mask – 45
If you are looking for a tall drink of water for your skin, look no further. This is it. The mask gives you a dewy complexion, and is very forgiving. If you have a night with little sleep, lots of booze, or both, this will mask the tell tale signs in your skin. Trust me. Worth it. I sometimes put it on under my face kream at night, or in the winter, I put it on under my skotion in the morning.
skrubbin’ face wash – 35
I use this baby in the shower. It is a exfoliating face scrub, and smells like brown sugar and vanilla. It is a dream, and it wakes my skin up in the morn.
You can find all of these goodies and more at skoah.com, or go visit one of their locations. All of their staff is super knowledgable, and they will set you up with what is best for you. I know is seems like a big initial investment, but they often have deals. I started buying the products when the had a back to school special where you get a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer for 75. This is a good start, and then you can slowly build your arsenal. Their products work, so they last much longer, a little goes a long way.
Clear skin! Plus a pooch. Few of my selfies are sans pug. I apologize.
What do you love to use on your skin? What are your HG products?
As a kid/teen, my favourite magazine was InStyle, I loved the different outfits, adds and more. But my favourite section was always what was in a celebrity makeup bag. It was always a fab looking makeup bag, with all of these amazing products spilling out of it. I always loved makeup products. Sephora was my mecca. I would save up money until we would go to the States, and spend about $300 every time. Eventually, once I graduated from high school and didn’t know what my next steps were, I decided to take the plunge and go to makeup school. I went to Blanche Macdonald and was in their 11 month makeup artistry program. While I no longer work in makeup, I love it with all my heart and soul. One thing though, that I learned from going to school is that you don’t need to look like you are wearing a ton of makeup to look amazing. Most days in fact I either don’t wear makeup or wear very little. But what I am going to do today, is give you an old fashioned, InStyle look in my makeup bag. Please don’t judge the state of my brushes.
So in my ancient LORAC makeup bag are all of my favourites. I will list them in the order in which I put them on.
Concealer: Revlon Photoready Concealer
This concealer is awesome. And relatively cheap. It covers dark circles, and zits with relative ease. Really well pigmented and creamy.
Powder/Foundation: Pür Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup
I have been using this stuff for years. It has awesome coverage and goes on like a dream. You can buy a brush from Pür as well, and it blends the powder in perfectly.
Blush: Nars – Orgasm
The best there is. Need I say more?
Bronzer: Cargo – Light
I don’t often wear bronzer, but when I do, this stuff is great. It is not sparkly and it is not orange. It just gives a nice glow!
Brow Pencil: Smashbox Brow Tech To Go – Taupe
This is my HG (Holy Grail). I have almost no eyebrows naturally. They are light brown and sparse. This little wonder almost gives me the illusion of having perfect brows like Jen. The reason this is awesome is because the pencil is angled, and you just twist it up to get more. The actual product is waxy and makes sure that everything stays in place. And if any of those little buggers find their way out of place, on the opposite side, there is eyebrow gel on a wand and can easily fix it!
Eyeliner: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
I don’t usually wear eyeliner, but this gives such and awesome crisp line. And it is waterproof to boot!
Mascara: Lancôme Définicils Waterproof
I switch mascaras quite often, depending on how much money is lingering in my bank account. If it is empty, Maybelline Great Lash for me. But last time, I got to get the good stuff. I hate thick clumpy mascaras. I usually go for length, not volume. This works like a charm.
Lip Treatment: Skoah Lip Love
Over the course of this blog, trust me, you will hear a lot about Skoah. It is my secret weapon. I have been using their products for years, and there is nothing better. You get this treatment when you go in for a facial, and I will be honest. Sometimes I just go for a facial because I ran out of this stuff. And you can’t buy it in store. No fair.
Lip Stain: Revlon Colourburst – 001 Honey
When I am looking for a natural bit of colour this is great. I never reapply anything. Its bad. But this stays all day and looks great. And when it does inevitable rub off, a little bit of the stain remains.
Lipstick: Marc Jacobs Lip Gel Rouge – 118 Roll The Dice
Who doesn’t love hot pink lipstick. Well, some people I’m sure, but I love it. This stuff is the bomb. ‘Nuff said.
Lipgloss: Stila Lip Glaze – C3 Majesty
This cherry coloured lip gloss just freshens me up. I love it to bits.
Now whenever I am looking for a new product, my first stop is http://www.MakeupAlley.com. It is an awesome website with almost every product on it. There are tons of reviews available and I am usually sure to find something great whenever I go on there.
Anyways, I hope this gives you some ideas! Now I want to go and buy more things. Vicious cycle.
What kinds of products do you love? We are always looking for the best new stuff!
Here’s something you need to know about me if we’re going to be friends… I’m brutally honest. I generally try to wait until we have a strong friendship going on, but once I feel comfortable with you, I will give my honest opinion if I don’t like something.
My fellow Rill Girl, Andrea, is one of the lucky ones who gets my absolute honest opinion. I am lucky that she appreciates it, or at least I think she does. I assume she does because she asks for it. But she’s a tough chick who can handle it, I’ve also found myself in trouble when I don’t sugarcoat my opinions.
The other night, we were out for dinner and she casually mentioned she was thinking of cutting her hair shorter. As someone who had their hair brutally chopped off years ago (I’ll tell that story eventually), I have a lot of cautionary advice. Specifically to a Rill Girl, the most important factor to take into mind is what you’ll do with your hair when you don’t want to spend time on it. Both Annie and I have textured hair (mine super curly, hers wavy) and if we don’t want to style it it’s simple to throw it up in a top knot or some sort of braided hairstyle. If you cut your hair short you need to make sure you have a contingency plan for the mornings your bed is more important than your straightening iron.
So I posed this question to my sweet little Annie and she said so innocently and matter-of-factly “I’ll put my hair pigtails.”
Me at an acceptable age for pigtails, wearing more makeup than I have in my entire adult life combined. #ballerina
This is when I lost it.
I took about five minutes to complete my rant.
I have very strong opinions about grown women wearing pigtails, and that is that they shouldn’t. Well actually, it’s ok if you have short hair and need it off your neck in the gym. Or you’re alone in your house. But that’s it.
Andrea was convinced that wearing pigtails to a university campus would be acceptable.
It’s important to note that the only person above 12 wearing them in public is Tori Spelling… her husband even has a tattoo of her in pigtails… and every time I looked at the photos I think of how bad they looked. And no one should be taking style tips from Tori.
Said tattoo.
Pigtails are cute on young girls, but once you hit puberty they need to stop. I feel like they’re not attractive and they’re degrading.
I think this stems back to the fact that I hate when people (mainly women) infantilize themselves. I just feel like by using baby talk, dressing like a child or inflecting your tone to make yourself fit into society’s idea of “feminism” is reducing ourselves and insulting. I also question the intentions of anyone who would be attracted to this, essentially I think it’s that Chris Hanson would like you to pull up a chair.
So accept this as my call to action, if I can have one person rethink the pigtail as an adult then my mission here is done.
And because I’m dedicated to the cause, here’s a quick and easy quiz to see if you should quit wearing pigtails (please answer yes or no):
Deep down, do you feel like you’re too old?
Do you look in the mirror and think you look like a 5 year old?
Have you hit puberty? Do you curse your reproductive organs once a month and have strong opinions on tampon brands?
Does your birth certificate say you were born in 2002 or earlier?
If you answered yes to 1 or more of these questions, I’m going to ask you to remove the elastics that are creating two ponytails on the side of your head and have you create a topknot.
Please note: braided pigtails will not stand either.
I thank you for your attention to the cause.
Tell me, do you still wear pigtails (before taking the above quiz)? If you’re a gentleman reading this (hi Diego!), do you find pigtails attractive?
I have something to confess… I’m not actually as young as I like to pretend I am. Thankfully, my parents have blessed me with great genes and my love of face creams with SPF 45 or more have helped me look younger than I actually am… or at least I think I do.
But sometimes, I’m reminded that I’m actually 33. For example, last week I was at a New Kids on the Block concert and I was the only one among my friends who was alive during the peak of their stardom. At one point they introduced a song by saying it was released 27 years ago, to which my friend/Andrea’s roommate, Diego replied that he wasn’t even born yet. I totally remembered the song being released.
I always was a Jordan girl
Another thing that sometimes shows my age is my eyebrows. Being a teenager in the 90’s I somehow thought the thin eyebrow trend was for me. Actually no, the ladies who I paid to wax and thread my eyebrows thought it was for me and proceeded to pluck my eyebrows pencil thin, just like so many iconic 90’s ladies. Lesson for all the teenagers out there, a $3 threading session will only give you a lifetime of $3 eyebrows.
90’s Eyebrow Goddesses: Drew Barrymore, Gwen Stefani, Pamela Anderson (Lee-Rock-Salomon-Salomon)
After the trend ended, many ladies were able to grow out their eyebrows and are currently enjoying the thick brow trend going on.
Myself, I was not so lucky. My brows grew back in some spots, but not where I needed them to. There was also a dermatological incident in my 20’s where I had an extreme allergic reaction to Retin-A and as a result of the top layer of my face peeling off, many of my brows went along with the itchy mess.
So I resigned myself to a life of filling in my brows on a daily basis.
The problem with this is that I could never get them looking the same each day. Or even each other. One of my eyebrows had an arch whereas the other didn’t. When I had them freshly threaded I could make them look normal but if they were between threading sessions they never looked good (I can’t be responsible for my own brows… shout out to Bombay Brow Bar in Vancouver because they’re amazing and respect the full brow).
There is a secondary problem to this as well, which is that despite there being some great brow fillers, they never stay on all day. I do highly recommend the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz though, it’s the easiest to use, natural looking and stays on pretty well.
This past March, I decided to do something about this.
Last year I started following Shaughnessy Keely on Instagram after she was featured on a blog through my work. It turns out she’s a local brow tattoo artist and does fabulous work. I knew what I had to do.
For weeks I’d pour over her website staring at her work, trying to decide if I wanted to take the chance and tattoo my face. Finally, one night after a few glasses of wine, I went on her site and made the appointment for three months from that night (she books up fast!). And then I started saving my money, it’s $550 for the session plus follow ups, but so worth it.
Here’s what you should know about eyebrow tattoos
The first thing you realize is that while you are getting your eyebrows tattooed, it’s not the same as a tattoo you get elsewhere on your body. Instead of a tattoo needle machine, it’s a specialized thin needle scraping your skin. This way it looks natural and like hair strokes rather than the crazy sharpie drawn looking eyebrows.
I have two tattoos, one on my lower back and another on my foot, both were sensitive areas that hurt to tattoo, but I expected my eyebrows to hurt so much more. In reality, they did not. Shaughnessy put numbing cream on the area so that helped a bunch, but it felt more like a mild scratching on my brows. She said a few clients even fall asleep during the process, I didn’t but I can see how they do.
The process starts off with her drawing an outline of your brows and what you want tattooed. This process is the longest and we worked together to make sure they were exactly what I wanted. I sat on the table as she drew, I’d check it out and tell her my thoughts, then she’d change as needed. Honestly she was so great at creating my brows I had to make very few recommendations.
Once they’re drawn and the numbing cream is applied, she starts to scrape at the brows and applying the powder closest to your brow dream colour (as you can see in my above photo, despite me being a brunette my whole life, my natural brow colour is pretty light). And then comes the worse part, because when you’re lying there getting this done your sinuses work overtime. Seriously, that was the most annoying part, not the scratching but the fact that my nose felt so stuffed and I just wanted to get up every 2 minutes to blow my nose to avoid a bunch of snot from running out.
The whole process took 30 minutes. The drawing of the brows and prep took longer than the actual tattooing. Afterwards the area wasn’t that red, the brows are darker for the first day or two, but there’s nothing too noticeable. Most of my friends and coworkers just thought my brows looked great, but they couldn’t tell what was different.
It takes about two weeks to heal afterwards, during that time you need to avoid exfoliating or touching the area. Obviously you can shower, wash your face, etc. but you just need to be careful not to scratch as the individual hair stroke tattoos can come out.
After 6 weeks I went back for the touch up session. At that point we touched up an area that I must have scratched during the night as there was a small spot with nothing. We also went a bit thicker and darker, and this session took about 30 minutes in total.
I apologize I didn’t take a photo of my brows before they were touched up for comparison.
But here’s what that same brow from above is looking like right now, three weeks after my touch up session.
I am honestly so happy that my drunk self decided to do this (ps: don’t drink before or after your tattooing, the skin will puff up and this is a disclaimer for all tattooing procedures). It has made me feel better about myself and has drastically reduced my make-up routine. It’s a minor change, but has helped my self esteem so much.
Before, I would never go out with out make-up. My brows were too light for me to feel comfortable leaving the house without filling them in, and if I filled them in I was self conscious that they looked fake and needed to make up the rest of my face. Now on a typical work day I’ll add powder and blush to my tinted moisturizer, some undereye concealer (yeah, they look worse than the above picture without it), some mascara and lip gloss and go. Before there was also foundation, eyeliner, shadow, etc.
And unlike before, if I’m running to the store I sometimes won’t put any make up on. Seriously… who knew eyebrows had this power?!?
Tell us, have you ever had face tattooing? Would you do something this drastic to make improve your self esteem?
I have this hanging in my bathroom as a way to remind guests to keep it clean.
Every other week I run into the same problem. It’s like I forget about the importance of being a proper adult human being and not living in a disgusting mess.
It’s because every other week I need to clean my bathroom. When it comes to cleaning my bathroom, I will find anything else to do. I can find a million side projects to procrastinate and I don’t even know why. I know that it is a 20 minute project and that it’s not that hard. I mean, I live alone and I’m not a disgusting human being.
And it’s not like I find a minor project to distract me, instead I take on some sort of redecoration project. In March I decided I had enough of this large mirror in my kitchen and wanted to do something about it. So I dismantled it, sanded down the wall underneath and then painted it.
In April, I decided it was time to paint my kitchen table and chairs. I had wanted to for some time now, but when I had to clean my bathroom last I decided it was time. I thought it would take three days. At most four. I was wrong.
It took 12 days.
In my defense, since I work full time and live in a rainy climate most of the work was done in my kitchen and living room after work. Also, painting kitchen chairs with slats is the worst.
Here’s how it started out…
I’ve had this table for as long as I’ve lived on my own, so about 5 years. It was a hand-me-down from friends of my parents and I always hated the colours. The green was too dark for the rest of my place (which is light blues and greys) and the mahogany tabletop was too red for my taste. Plus it had some discoloration, as you can see in the photo.
Why it took so long for me to do something about it, I don’t know. It was probably because in the back of my mind I knew that it was a bigger project than I initially thought.
After trolling Pinterest and some blogs for tips on how to get this done I settled on colours. The chairs and legs of the table would be a light blue (since I had almost half a can leftover from when I painted my living room) and the table top would be a dark walnut. Sounded simple. Until I realized I had to sand the entire table top, which I originally thought would be something I could do by hand. Which I definitely could have, if I wanted to spend 3 days sanding and create permanent nerve damage in my hands.
This next part was the hardest, because I’m stubborn and wanted to do this on my own… I had to call in my dad, because he has a sander and knows how to use it. We ended up taking about 1/4 of an inch off the top and found this underneath…
That right there was gorgeous. I almost called it a day and thought I should keep it like that. But I had already painted two of the four chairs blue and I would’ve had to varnish the table top anyways. So I kept on.
I painted the legs first and then stained the top of the table with Minwax Wood Finish in Dark Walnut. Once I finished two layers of stain I covered it with Varathane Wood Finish in Satin, I also did this on all the chairs and table legs after their two coats of paint. It helps protect all your hard work and gives it a nice shine.
And here’s how it looked when it was all done…
I did that! I almost cried after it was all back in my kitchen, partially because I was so pleased with the results, but also because I was just so happy to be done and not have this project cluttering my kitchen and living room anymore.
Don’t worry, I cleaned my bathroom during this project. And I’m proud to say that this past Friday I cleaned my bathroom on the same day I said I would do it. Mostly because the lack of projects to tackle, or more appropriately lack of money to tackle these projects.
Tell us, what chore do you procrastinate the most? As for bathroom cleaning, is every two weeks normal, how often do you guys clean your bathroom? I feel like two weeks is good for me.
The Rill Girls 