Bathroom Remodel: Progress Update & Fixtures {Part 3}

This week marks the third week of our bathroom remodel. Things are starting to wrap up and my contractor said the project should be done *fingers crossed* by the end of this week! Today, I wanted to share a progress update and my fixture selections for the bathroom, including the vanity!

Here is a sneak peek at the new shower that it being tiled! I decided to have the tub removed and just have a standing shower. You can see in the picture the tile selections from my previous update post!

So, let's go over my picks for the vanity, sink faucets, toilet paper holder, towel bar, and more!

1) Bathroom Vanity

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2) Sink Faucets

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3) Vanity Lights

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4) Toilet Paper Holder

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5) Towel Bar

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6) Mirrors

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Based on these selection, you can see we spent a pretty penny on the items above. In addition to these fixtures, we still have to pay the final amount to our contract for time and materials! I will do a final before and after post once the project is complete!

*Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. I am not affiliated with Lowe's.

Going Back to School!?

Several years have passed since I graduated with my bachelors degree, so I decided it was time for me to pursue graduate education!

I applied to several colleges and universities of different size and location but I ultimately made my decision before the Thanksgiving holiday. I will be pursing my Masters of Business Administration (MBA) part-time at Clarkson University!!

So, you're probably wondering, why Clarkson University? Well, a few things:
1) Clarkson has a hybrid program where you can take classes online AND in-person
2) Clarkson's graduate classes are held on Union College's campus, which is only a twenty minute drive from my house and office!
3) They offered me a scholarship to help with financial aid
4) My employer has an extremely generous reimbursement program

I will be starting classes in the Spring Quarter semester, which starts in March 2018! I am doing the program part-time, so my expected graduation will be in year 2021. I will be taking classes at night and online because of working a full-time job.

So, why am I going back to school? An MBA will help my grow professionally as well as personally. It has been a dream of mine for many years and it is finally coming true!

I hope to be able to share more about my experience once I begin taking classes!

Are you going back to school? What are you studying?

Bathroom Remodel: Progress Update & Tile Selections {Part 2}

Finally, the time has come!! Our bathroom remodel started on Monday, December 11th! The room was completely gutted to the studs and the walls now have insulation! I am already noticing a difference on how much warmer it stays upstairs!

Today, I wanted to share with you the tile I picked out for the floor, shower walls, and shower floor!

1) Floor Tile - Fronda Marengo Wood Look Floor Tile

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While I was looking for inspiration, I came across the trendy wood look for flooring and I knew I HAD to have this once we redid our bathroom! 

2) Shower Floor/Trim - Penny Round Thunderstorm

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This mosaic tile will be used as the shower floor tile as well as trim that goes around the top of the shower walls. Again, saw this when searching for inspiration and fell in love.

3) Shower Walls - Imperial Gris Matte Ceramic Subway Tile

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I knew I really wanted subway tile in our bathroom, so I picked out this light grey tile. The bathroom is following a modern, contemporary style and I saw lots of pictures using subway tile in the shower.

Next time, I will share my selections for bathroom vanity, sink faucets, vanity lighting, shower rod, and more!

So, you want to start a youtube channel...

Before you even THINK about starting a Youtube channel, you need to ask yourself "What types of videos do I want to make?"

Are there certain Youtubers you enjoy watching? Do you have any hobbies?

If your goal is to become an overnight superstar, it's not going to happen. It takes years to grow your channel and be successful. 

But if you want to do it, then DO it! I have been making videos for many years now and still enjoy it.

Here is the link to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/LizLovesMakeupx3/

My tops tips to getting started:

1) Good lighting: Don't film your videos at ten o'clock at night when it's dark outside. Natural light is your best friend but if you can't film during daylight hours, I recommend the following lighting kit. It costs around $50 dollars on Amazon. 

What about a ring light? I don't have one yet because I don't film a lot of in-person videos, mine are generally top-down facing but these again are a costly investment. 

2) Camera: You do not need the newest, most expensive camera on the market to make good quality videos. Shoot your videos with whatever camera you currently own, even if you are using your iPhone or a point-and-shoot camera to start.

My current camera is the Canon Rebel T3i. My sister upgraded her camera over the summer and I bought it off her for a relatively decent price. I also use the lens that cam with the camera. Another very expensive part of getting a DSLR camera is the camera lens. They can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. 

The DSLR camera is great if you know how to use it. My sister taught my some tips and tricks to get started. You also will need to invest in a memory card, I personally use a 64GB card.

Another tip of advice, get a camera with a FLIP-OUT screen. It is immensely helpful if you don't have somebody helping you film videos.

3) Tripod: If you have a big camera, like me, you will need a good tripod. A stack of boxes or piles of books will not be sufficient. I am using a cheap tripod I picked up on Amazon for under $50 dollars.

4) Editing Software: I recommend when starting a channel to use the editing software that comes on your computer. If you have Windows, it is Windows Movie Maker. If you have an Apple, it is iMovie. The professional softwares, Final Cut Pro and Sony Vega, costs hundreds of dollars and you might not have that type of money when starting out. Heck, I don't have that type of money :)

5) End-slates and thumbnails: These are very important because they will help bring the viewer back to your channel to watch the other content you have uploaded. It will also bring in new viewers. I make my thumbnails and end-slates using Picmonkey. It has a free option and a paid option, which gives access to additional fonts, graphics, extra. You don't need any Adobe products to make your graphics!

6) Tags and description box: Similar to above, these help surface your videos to other audience members. I haven't mastered this art but it's similar to when you post a picture on Instagram and you use hashtags. 

6) Having the right intentions: Make sure you are genuine in your videos.  Nobody likes watching a fake. You should be passionate about videos and it will show through when you are filming. Like I said, this is not a get rich fast business.

So, those are my tips to getting started with a youtube channel!

If there is anything else you are curious about, leave it in the comments sections!