3 Things To Splurge On For Your Bathroom

While everyone loves a good kitchen, bathrooms can also be beautiful. We tend to spend a lot more time than we think in them. It’s the room where you give your children baths, relax after a long day, or an escape when you just need time to be alone (am I right, moms?!). Remember, you want to love every room of your home  even if the bathroom may seem less glamorous to some.

Since renovating bathrooms can be extremely expensive there are three things that are needed to splurge on. What are these 3 important things? I’ll share below!

Tubs and Showers

While you are building your home or removing what may already be there, you must first think about fitting a tub or shower in the space you are remodeling. Adding some of these items can be difficult because of all the additional plumbing lines you’ll have to put in. Usually by adding this, it means more money for you. However, if it’s what you really want, you can add that modern steam shower or gorgeous claw foot tub if you know it’s going to get the most use in this room. Try to build your design and ideas around an already existing plumbing line. If you do need to remove it, be sure that you to get what you want now to avoid additional remodeling expenses in the future. To help save money on your tub or shower, look for items that might be on sale at your local furniture stores.

Image: Premier Surfaces 

Countertops

The countertops in your bathroom don’t face the same amount of abuse as the ones you install in your kitchen such as hot pans, oven trays, or knives. So, picking the perfect bathroom countertop typically is based on budget, style, material, and the ease of maintenance. Of course, there will be spills from makeup and abuse from water so you’ll want to pick one that is functional and aesthetically pleasing. It’s really the number one factor that will contribute to the overall feel and look of your bathroom. One thing to consider is who will be using the bathrooms, how many people, and the amount of time you’ll be spending in the bathroom. One way to help you determine that are the friendly staff at Premier Surfaces. They have over 10 showrooms across the United States so you’ll be sure to find one close by for any questions or concerns you have. Some of the countertops that I found were the Calacatta Kitchen Countertops, which can also can be used for your bathroom. Calacatta is a rare marble and more luxurious (read = expensive) due to it’s pure white background. However, many do consider it to be a great compromise and more on budget because it adds so much to your room. 

Details

This can be anything from the prints that you hang in your bathroom, to the faucet or lamp fixtures you decide to add. You can make statement pieces with accents, over the top lights on either side of the mirror, or you can find vintage knobs for your vanity and/or drawers. You can even add some bold wallpaper to add some movement. Maybe bold roses, an accent wall, or a pattern texture. Your details can also be simple with framing fun sayings, a nice shelf to hold extra towels and necessities, or cute accent pieces. Whatever you choose, you will have a great time showing off you and your family's personality.

There are many other items you could splurge on for your bathroom depending on how large or small the room is and how much it is used. These three things in particular will work wonderfully in your guest bathroom, master bathroom, or your main floor bathroom. The staff at Premier Surfaces are there to assist, encourage, and help you with any issues that may arise, as well as the installation of your products in your home.

Are there any things you and your family have done to spruce and splurge on your bathroom in your home? I’d love to hear some examples in the comments below!

Why I Love Being An Indie Author

Since the first time I wrote a story and let someone read it, I have wanted to be an author.

My father loved my story so much that it was published in the Virginian Pilot - Ledger Star newspaper in my hometown (where he just so happened to be an editor of said paper) when I was seven years old. 

All through my school career, my English teachers loved me, I was in the newspaper club, the yearbook staff, and I focused on writing in any way that I could. I never thought I could make a career at it.

Then, I got swept up into life and got married, had two children, and wrote when and where I could. As I learned and practiced more, I started to enter my stories into competitions on the internet. I won and was paid for writing my story for The Legendary. 

After that, I began to consider writing and being published. I wrote and saved over the days as I took care of my family and researched at night while they slept.

I wrote about Drive In Movie Theaters for FilmSnobbery for about a year and enjoyed every minute of it. Drive In Movie Theaters are the best way to experience all movies, by the way.

Just in case you forgot like a crazy person.

I kept writing on Tumblr, and Facebook, and Twitter, and all of those other places you find yourself immersed in online and stumbled across CreateSpace. That was it. CreateSpace helps you format and edit not only your words but your book cover! It gave me total creative control over my book and I excitedly started putting my first book together. 

Of course you can still purchase it here

It was done! I had done it! And people were buying it! It was almost a surreal experience.

My second book followed shortly after and I was so excited for the whole process again. I put it together using my own creative control, published, and it was well received as well!

Also still available for purchase 

 Now, there are some pros and cons I've found being a self-published author and I'm going to share them with you.

PROS

• You have 100% creative control. You decide what goes in and what stays out. You have all of the creative freedom in the world.
• It's an excellent way to learn the process of your craft, all the way down to how books are bound.
• You get as many copies as you need for promotions, giveaways, and signings for free. 
• YOU DID IT. Yeah, just that feeling. That feeling of accomplishing a lifetime goal is the biggest pro of being a self published indie author.

CONS

• MARKETING. Get ready to HAVE to learn everything you never cared about! You should be able to get a marketing degree from Google for all of the tips, tricks, stats, graphs, blahhblahblah you have to research to get even an inkling of a tip or trick to get your book out there. You are definitely going to have to eat it on marketing and just pay someone to do it if you can swing it. I've tried myself and I've paid others to do it and when I've paid others to do it, it always turns out much, MUCH better.
• You are now grouped in with "What's Up With Needles?!" by Anti-vax Mom and "Hey, Aliens Are Real, Join My Cult!" By Crazy O'Ridiculous or the zillion "Marketing Master Entrepreneur Real Pro Tips" By Basic Business Guy/Gal In A Business Suit on the cover as the type of authors people associate self published authors with. 
• You are going to learn a lot about royalties. You'll have to learn to negotiate and fight for your work to get the money you deserve. Although, once you can negotiate the right terms, you'll be so happy, especially when you get your first check!
• It's A LOT of work. Expect to put a lot of work into it. It's more than just writing once you are publishing.

But, it's so worth it. I love being an indie author! I love having complete control over my words and how I present them to the world. But most of all, I proved to that little seven year old girl that yes. Yes, you can write a book. And you will.

And, you did.

I'm working on my third book at the moment which will be another collection of poems. I hope to have it out by next autumn but maybe I will get it out sooner. Either way, I'm excited to be closer to my next publication! 

What do you love about being an Indie Author?