When I was setting up my shop, I talked about what it was like and what I wanted to do to it.  I haven’t updated any of that for a long time, nearly 2 years.  I have the before pictures on my shop computer and will make sure I load them on the original post about the bathroom.  Right now, I am writing from home.  But, I wanted to post current (Jan 2009) pictures of the bathroom.  So, here are some shots.

Since this bathroom doesn’t get wet from a bath or shower, it has allowed me to really go wild decorating it with items that wouldn’t stand up to the humidity of a full bath.  And, I hope it can inspire you with decorating ideas.

I did get a new vanity, faucet and mirror installed, not too far into 2007.  The vanity is very nice.  It is shallow, has a porcelain sink, and the style of it and the mirror go really well with the bead board walls and pressed tin ceiling.  The 3 came as a set from Lowe’s.  I found the faucet after much searching.  It is the only water source in my shop, so I needed it to be flexible.  High enough to fill pitchers with water.  And, be a good quality.  I finally went to Brickman’s in Waltham.  Unfortunately, they are now gone.  They were a “fixture” on Moody street for many years.  The faucet cost more than the vanity package.  Then, when the plumbers came, I found out that the installation was going to be more than the cost of the vanity and faucet combined.  This was because it was a commercial installation.  These are the hidden costs of running a business.  I have never regretted getting this improvement.

Two of the first things I installed in the bathroom were a toilet paper holder and a towel ring.  When I moved in, the painters had painted with the TP holder in place with TP on it.  There was tissue stuck to the wall! Uck!  And, the towel bar was just above it.  Standard-issue hardware store, bent square shaped rod, with screw plates at each end, chrome, of course.  I took a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond and got the holder and towel ring.  They are very sturdy, well-priced and look nice.
I hung a paper towel holder on the wall which use to be in my grandmother’s kitchen in Northern Minnesota.

Above that is a counted cross stitch of a bundle of pansies.  That was made by my Mom.  She is a dedicated cross stitcher.  I have another piece she did for my last birthday.  It is a Welcome sign.  It has sewing implements on it, which make up the letters.  It is hanging about the coat rack at the front of the shop.
The ceilings are tin and really high, so I had space above the pansies and the sink mirror.  I was at TJ Maxx and found a framed print.  I thought I would use it at home, but the colors and style made me think of the fabric and colors in the bathroom at the shop.  So, I brought it there and it fit the space sideways really well.  Plus, it covered a small (1.5″ dia.) hole in the beadboard.

The light fixture on the wall was ugly and operated by a twist switch.  I installed a wireless switch on the outside of the bathroom door frame.  Then I screwed the other end into the fixtures socket, then the bulb into that.  I removed the frosted glass shade and attached a beaded/sequined silk shade which has crystals hanging from the bottom.  I had those on some sconces in my old house which were above the fireplace.  I bought them from a wall lamp vendor at the Minnesota State Fair.  I cannot remember who he was.  But, he made lamps with would hang on the wall, and the cord was hidden in a pipe which curved and resembled a vine with leaves.  They were nice.
I bought swag finials and screwed those into the upper corners of the window.  I draped a black embroidered shawl over them and that covered a telephone junction box on the window frame.

I found a small, striped, wool rug at TJ Maxx & More in Woburn that goes well on the floor.

There is a painted wooden vessel at the base of the vanity.  I bought it from Target.  It looks nice, just a little decorative addition to the small space.
On the wall behind the door, I made a long curtain that fits on a continental tension rod.  It is a semi-sheer fabric with shiny holographic dots on it.  It picks up the light from the star lights hanging in front of it really well.  The lights were a gift from a friend who bought them from IKEA. The only problem I had making the curtain was that the dots would stick to the soleplate of my iron and somewhat to the ironing table.  I had someone give me some fabric and included was a multi-colored printed sheer.  I split it in half lengthwise, sewed both halves together at the middle so it would be long enough to drape along the top of the wall curtain.

I attached a dragonfly hook on the back of the door.  I purchased it from Restoration Hardware some years ago to put in the half bath of my old house.  It has a verdigris finish.  I thought it would come in handy when students use the bathroom as a changing room.
The plant on top of the toilet tank has survive my neglect for nearly 2 years.  I am terrible with house plants.  I do well with the window boxes because I have to water them everyday.  It is part of my opening routine.  But, give me a house plant and you are sentencing it to a long and slow death.  I should not have admitted this.  The plant was given to me by some very good friends as a “shop” warming gift.  I moved it to the bathroom so I might remember to water it more often.  Maybe that is why it is still hanging in there.

Classes started Saturday, January 6th. It reached 72 degrees that day! It was a lot of fun teaching in the new space. The sun was shining and we had the door open. People stopped by to check us out. Fresh flowers, home-baked banana bread, and some sewing, (oops), made it a great day!

It has been a little while since I have posted. We worked very hard in the last 2 weeks and Christmas was in the middle of it.

My sister, the talented web designer who built my 2 sites, and I took a day trip to IKEA last week. It was the perfect time to go. Hardly anyone was there and I had all the help I needed from the kitchen and office designers. We ended up with 3 carts and they all fit in my sister’s Honda Element. They man who packed it did an amazing job fitting it all in.

The traffic back to Arlington was a breeze. When we got to the shop, we started unpacking the vehicle and it seemed a daunting task. I spied 2 strapping young men walking buy and offered to pay them to help us. They unloaded everything in a matter of 15 minutes and offered their services in the future. It was a great topper to a busy day.

Just this week, Donna found a fellow who assembles “anything in a box.” His name is Paul Dennehy. He and his son showed up Wednesday morning and by 6 pm, everything was built and installed. They were pleasant and hardworking. Since the doors and drawer fronts are being shipped, Paul will be returning to install those for me, too. Here is his phone number for anyone who is interested in using his services. 1-866-KEY-PAUL His price was reasonable and relieved me of a large chunk of work.

That same day, I had 2 electricians by, and 4 old friends of mine showed up to do whatever needed to be done. I likened it to a Marx Brothers movie. Have you ever seen “Night at the Opera?” There is a scene where Groucho Marx’s character is shown to his stateroom, which is barely bigger than his bed. While he is there, every service imaginable comes into his room, from the maids to room service to a manicurist to the engineering crew. It felt that busy for me that day. But, it also felt like everything is working well and that I have a huge amount of support for all these changes going on in my life right now.

Yesterday, Tricia O’Neill, came to do the window lettering on the shop. It looks wonderful. The 2 large panes of glass say, “Laura’s Sewing School & More + website address.” The doors has a list of areas of interest taught. Let me know what you think. I do have some pictures. I will be learning later this week how to load them onto this site. It will make it all more interesting to look at.

The items are an office chair slipcover, a shirt that I copied from another purchased shirt that I love, a decoupaged dresser, a beanbag ottoman, a dog bed I covered and a lampshade. Also, I hung a quilt top that my grandmother made on her treadle sewing machine.
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I have set up a living room area at the front of the shop. I found a loveseat on the curb in my neighborhood, a couple of weeks ago. It was in great condition, the fabric was faded and could use a new slipcover or reupholstering. I just got some fabric samples from Fabric Place. They are having a 25% off Everything Sale, now through December 6th. I plan to make 2 slipcovers. One to match the chairs as they are. And, one to match the slipcovers I plan to make for the chairs. I have placed items near the window and have posted information sheets on the windows about each item that I made.

The bathroom was filthy, but after 2 heavy scrubbing sessions on the sink, the goop and paint splatters are finally off. I do plan to put in a new vanity, sink and faucet before classes begin in January. The floors are newly waxed and I have put up a balloon sheer in the bathroom window. I was able to use one that I had made for my old dining room. Since it was on a tension rod, I was able to shorten the rod and gather the curtain more. I shortened the support dowel at the bottom to fit inside the window frame. I had to adjust the length of the cords to make them even and pull up the bottom to fit the shorter length of window. But, it looks quite nice and gives needed privacy for the room.

I moved everything in on Monday, November 27th. We were lucky and got a gorgeous, warm day for the move. I used Gentle Giant and they were great. They really know how to work hard and fast. And, the guys were very sweet. They made sure that everything was placed where I wanted it. And, if it wasn’t, they insisted that they move it for me.

It’s a good thing that the storefront has a dry basement. I am able to store my large stash of fabric down there.