hellobeautifulcreatures

When some floor tiles outside our shower came loose, we knew we had a leaking problem in our master bathroom . We had to do something! Living in the Pacific Northwest, it gets quite cold in the winter months and our master bathroom was always the coldest room in our house. I longed for heated tile floors , so we decided to take this shower leak as an opportunity to re-do our master bath so it worked for us. Here's what our master bathroom looked like before we started: Vanity area before: We put tons of thought into our new bathroom design - I was thinking "glammy spa". We ensured we had every decision made on all fixtures, tile, etc. prior to demo. We had everything we would need for the new bathroom in-hand prior to the job starting to avoid any unnecessary delays in our project. We planned it to every last detail. How does that old saying go? "We make plans, and God laughs." Yeah, that applies here... in spades! The first contractor we hired said the full m...

This bathroom renovation from interior designer Lori Pepe -Lunché is the most dramatic transformation to come our way in a long time. The dark, heavy, cavelike “before” is my idea of a bathroom nightmare . Even if this room were spic n’ span, it would feel unpleasant. Now that doesn’t mean a bathroom needs to be white and light to be appealing, but there’s just no denying that this is a vast improvement. I love the open layout and the exposed, seamless shower design ; not only does it make the room feel spacious and airy, but it also prevents any chance for clutter (which is my biggest obstacle in the bathroom). Make no mistake: a large renovation with marble tile is an investment. But results like these seem well worth it. Amazing work, Lori! —  Kate Have a Before & After you’d like to share? Shoot me an email with your images rig ht he re! (Low res, under 500k per image , please.) More images and basic steps after the jump . . . Time: The renovation took about five weeks from ...

Danny Lipford: This week is the second and final show on the renovation of Today’s Bath. Announcer: Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford , the voice of home improvement , with projects, tips and ideas to help you improve your home. Danny Lipford: We’re right in the middle of a two part renovation called Today ’s Bath, it involves the renovation and updating of two different bathrooms, one being a very small master bathroom that was in this area and then on the other side of the wall even a smaller bathroom that was kind of the guest bathroom and we’re making them a lot larger by encroaching into this area which was once the master bedroom . Now, by taking up this space we were able to create this very nice custom walk -in shower than a very long vanity, two different sinks, and this cozy little niche for the whirlpool tub. Also the existing guest bathroom ’s a lot larger, a lot more functional and we had enough space left over by encroaching into this bedroom to create a very nice...

One look at that big ugly Block tower would be enough to give even an experienced renovator the willies. But trust Suzi, the Blocktagon’s worksite bombshell, to keep up the mood. “And I looked up at his big crane and I said, ‘wow that’s a big crane’. He said ‘I’ve got a lot bigger than this one’,” Suzi says. master en suite ." /> Kingi and Caro’s master en suite . Photo: Supplied The twinkle in Suzi’s eye proves this former Penthouse Pet of the Year and rookie renovator is smartly playing along with the game. It’s the first official room reveal on The Block and Suzi isn’t the only thing that’s raising the mercury. Wet rooms are a special kind of nightmare and starting off the season with a master en suite challenge has cranked up the temperature on the teams. master en suite ." /> Ebony and Luke’s master en suite . Photo: Supplied Dean and Shay’s Channel Nine- issued credit card is also getting a red hot workout . The couple has spent $40,000 on their penthouse bat...

How about this for a nightmare scenario? A family leaves on a long anticipated two-week vacation. A few days later a fixture in their home develops a water leak. Maybe it's the kitchen faucet, a failing water heater , or a break in the hose connecting the washing machine . Whatever the source, the family returns from their vacation to find thousands of dollars in damage to their waterlogged home. A survey by Chubb finds homeowners , for the most part, are oblivious to potential water damage from inside the home, despite the fact that water damage is more common than either fire or theft. "The time between when a leak occurs and when it is discovered is the single greatest factor in determining the amount of damage," said Fran O'Brien, division president of Chubb North America Personal Risk Services . "As a result, leaks that occur while you're away result in greater amounts of damage, in terms of both cost and severity." Frequency has nearly doubled An...

What is Epsom salt?  Known chemically as magnesium sulfate it is a naturally occurring mineral discovered in water in Epsom, England. It is a must-have for use in the home, garden and also for personal care. Below are 35 household, health & beauty and gardening uses for Epsom Salts. (Note: Amazon has just about the largest and best value range or Epsom Salts on the planet!) Epsom Salt Household Uses Cleaning Bathroom Tiles Bathroom tiles pick up grunge over time and Epsom salt is a cheap and effective way to clean them. Mix the salts with an equal amount of liquid dish detergent . Then rub it on the grimy areas and scrub. The Epsom salt, along with the detergent, works by dissolving the grime. Also see: Remove Mold & Mildew NATURALLY With Tea Tree Oil. Ridding Raccoons from the Trash Can For those plagued by raccoons foraging in the trash can, creating a real mess and making a din in the middle of the night Epsom salt could provide the solution. The reason is very simple; r...

We’ve made no secret of our love of Jane McDonald here at HuffPost UK, and her documentary ‘Cruising With Jane McDonald’ proved to be one of our favourite shows of the year, when it sailed onto our screens in February.  Much like ‘The Cruise’ - the BBC fly-on-the-wall series that Jane first found fame on nearly 20 years ago - it soon became a cult hit, and as a result, Channel 5 handed her another set of glamorous holidays to go on with a second series. For those who missed out on the last run (shame on you), the show basically follows the former ‘Loose Women’ star’s adventures as she enjoys a different type of cruise each week.  And while there’s a lot of Jane living her best goddamn life as she quaffs on champagne and gets over excited about Hermes toiletries in her cabin bathroom, it also serves as an insightful travel documentary , as she samples the delights of the (sometimes unlikely) places she stops off at en-route.  Oh, and then there’s also the musical number she treats us to...

The gentleman on the other end of the line was sobbing. A moment ago, he had been yelling at me, but when that didn’t work, he turned to an emotional plea. He told me about his wife and children that he needed to support, his mortgage, his car payment, his utilities. He probably would have tried bargaining, but we both knew that would go nowhere. This conversation was about one thing: ending his unemployment benefits. I wish I could say I was moved. But I was two hours into my shift, and he was already the second sobbing person I had talked to. I knew there would be many more before my day ended. It was December 2010 and I was working as an operator at the Pennsylvania Office of Unemployment Compensation. It was a rough month. Many people were ending their run on unemployment compensation after collecting for nearly two years. It wasn’t because they had jobs. It was because the special period of extended benefits that allowed people to stay on the program ended every December. None of...