Bathroom Makeover Challenge Update....

As some of you may know I am taking part in a #ckbloggerchallenge in collaboration with Cox & Kings, a travel company who offer some very luxurious tailor-made holiday's I have to decorate a room in my home in an Indian theme with a budget of £250 and need to have it finished by 9th March. There are five other bloggers taking part, you can see who on my post here and a short little weekend holiday abroad is up for grabs for the room who gains the most *likes* between the 12th-25th March on the Cox & Kings facebook page. Being up against some very talented bloggers, one or two who are even professional interior stylists does nothing for my confidence and certainly puts the pressure on a little. Many rooms in my home, have the Mary Poppins look, flowers a plenty, and as I wanted to really go for it, I thought it would be best to makeover the most neutral, untouched room in my home which is the upstairs dormer bathroom. Indeed there is still decorating to be done in there so I thought it ideal. I must have been very tired when I made this decision as I have really double challenged myself on this one. Now if I had indeed picked a living room, or bedroom I could have purchased beautiful throws and wall hangings, gorgeous Indian-esque sculptures and large dramatic mirrors. As it is, I have about as much scope as it would be working on a postage stamp, and have had to really work hard in choosing some of the items for my spacially challenged room.

Here are some little before photographs....

We had already purchased one or two DIY items, wood, paint etc to finish off the little bathroom (which is situated in-between the two children's attic bedrooms ) and I shall be putting in some new temporary flooring for this challenge as I have seen one which I think  hope shall work quite well within the theme. I shall also  be raising the tounge and groove a little and may draft the husband in for the really difficult bits ;) Mr. Poppins who works in architecture designed our attic conversion and drew up the plans etc and opted for a round window in this bathroom ( he has a thing about round windows, maybe from watching play school as a kid ) and each of the attic bedrooms have one.... 

I can tell you from experience though too, that they are a bu**er to wallpaper around and also finding suitable window treatments has proved very difficult. Though mostly I think a lovely design feature and I love that you can see the twinkling stars when having a night time relaxing bath....

  

Now if this was a competition about who has the shiniest taps....

I shall be doing some wallpapering in there, and am so inspired by my lovely Sister In Law's wallpapered bathroom and think is very pretty....

Of course when it actually came to choosing some wallpaper, I just couldn't make my mind up and wanted to search out ones suitable for bathroom use, here is only a little selection of my *maybe* pile ;) ....

You shall be pleased to know I have actually chosen some, it has arrived safely and a little clue is that it is a Harlequin design. I have purchased all the accessories, budget is pretty much all gone and now I just need to crack on with the DIY and put things in their right place. There is something quite motivational about having a deadline as you really have to make the time and just get on with it. I genuinely know am probably the behind runner in this race, and don't really think I have much hope of my bathroom being the most *liked* I just can't compete with the big room reveals that shall be taking place ( think the other bloggers are doing bedrooms, a living room and study ) though I am so looking forward to seeing the other bloggers rooms and we have been chattering away on twitter and we are all having fun with our challenge. 

And I just fell in love with the Indian style of this notebook and pencil set, perfect for some inspirational writing in the bath perhaps....

Ha ha being the enthusiastic shopper that I am, I have lots more items to share with you, and being me, there shall of course be a hint of pink in one or two of them, I just hope they all squeeze in. My budget hasn't really been spent on large items as I just haven't the space for them, though hopefully the accessories I have purchased shall evoke a lovely Indian interior style. Thanks for accompanying me on this make over journey, I really hope you come back for my next update and as I tell my daughter, it really isn't the winning in life, it is the taking part and joining in that counts. Actually I have come to quite like the fact I chose the little bathroom, and to face and conquer the challenges it has brought me. Hopefully she shall feel very proud graced in all her Indian-esque glory :)

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I Have Been Given A Blogger Challenge....

One thing I enjoy is a challenge, and when Cox & Kings, the travel company who offer luxury holidays challenged myself and five other bloggers to a *changing rooms* style makeover challenge, I certainly wanted to know more and decided to take part. We have a strict set budget of £250 and can utilise this in the way we feel best to come up with an India themed room in our home. I don't know about the other bloggers taking part, but I am finding this a real challenge, and if honest, am having somewhat of a creative block. I know I shall hopefully probably pull it out of the bag somehow, but feel I am certainly the last to leave the starting post. I wanted to be able to shop around and search out some fantastic vintage style/second hand items on the high street, but with the big reveal taking place on the 9th March, time at a premium, and with family life etc, am probably foreseeing much of my budget shall be spent online, and in the comfort of my own home.

I think India themes are lovely, though possibly part of my challenge block is that it is not a theme I would normally choose for one of my own rooms, so almost more of a challenge in a way. Then I have had to think of which room to makeover. At first I thought £250 would go a long way in terms of sourcing items, but actually there have been a couple of ( very nice) items that I liked the look of, and those two alone would have eaten pretty much all my budget in one go. I don't want to leave it too late to start buying, so I must pull my finger out somewhat. I have bought just a teeny, tiny little something though, and luckily has left me with £249 left in the kitty....

Am not totally sure what it is, but thought it had a lovely zingy Indian-esque feel to it, and so my first purchase was made....

And not bad for £1 ( all receipts must be kept and logged )....

Anyway maybe I have indeed just left the starting line up, and the creative juices shall overcome me very soon. We all have to take photographs of our chosen madeover room at the end of the challenge, and then they shall be posted on the Cox & Kings Facebook Page with the winner being the one with the most likes. I aim to update via my blog how I am getting on, though you can also see any updates if you would like to, using the twitter hashtag #ckbloggerchallenge on Twitter. One thing that is spurring little old me on, is that for the winning blogger, a little weekend break away has been offered as the prize, and with Mr. Popps & I in desperate need of some alone time, I am finding this a super incentive. It almost saddens me a little to think the last time we went away, just the two us was years ago, really. I guess I am just too darn attached to those children of mine, but know a special just the two of us break away would do us all, as a family, the world of good.

If you would like to visit the other bloggers taking part also, and what they come up with here they are. A lovely bunch they are too....

CosyHomeBlog.com
Home Gems
The Style PA
bibbity-bob
That's Yummy Mummy!

So, wish me luck, I think I am going to need it. It really would be lovely if you could share this challenge with me, especially on the inspiration front ( ideas welcome) and I can happily inform you my chosen room has now been decided....

The Dorma ( with a challenging round window in it to think about) Bathroom....

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