Fun Phinney Ridge Sidewalk

I love these kind of home-grown projects. Somebody got creative with their left-over tile pieces and decided to create their own, custom parking strip.  Well Done. ~ Rebecca

Art Tile, on Roosevelt

Whenever my clients need tile I go to Art Tile on Roosevelt, for many reasons. First of all the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. Secondly they have weeded out the crap available and only carry the tile worth looking at in Seattle without having to go down south to all the tile manufacturers showrooms. Thirdly, yes they have a little markup vs going to the manufacturers but the time you will spend picking is shortened drastically because of their good displays. Also their salespeople are tile installers which means they actually know what they are talking about when they recommend something. So needless to say, I use them all the time and have had great success for my clients and really enjoy the people that work there.
www.arttileco.net

Every little thing's gonna be alright.

If you are broke and need to tile your bathroom. back-splash etc. Here's an idea I am happy to share. Go to a building salvage, re-use store (The Re-Store in Seattle or Second-Use) and buy all of the tiles that "match" in your opinion. When I say "match", I mean you gotta be a little loose on that definition. For me "match" meant all the whites and creams that went together that I could find in the same size. I chose 4x4, 3x6 and 6x6. These are the most common left over tile sizes. You can reap the benefits of diy'ers & trades people who over-buy their tile!  Luckily, most people pick classic white subway tile or white /cream 4x4's, so it is plentiful! Take them all home for a $1/ sq ft  OR bring in some of your old unused/used building supplies/fixtures in trade for your tile.

To begin, take a deep breath, be flexible, and ready to be okay with varying tile sizes with give or take 1/8" difference. This was the hardest part to get used to. Also don't spend time making a perfect pattern, you may get stuck at the end without enough to finish. I just would grab some from each color pile and go for it. I admit bravery is involved. My hubby looked plenty scared throughout the weekend. I think his fear has subsided, because  he placed a single random pink stowaway tile in the upper right corner on Sunday while I was on a break. I was so proud of my linear, analytical man for taking the leap.

It was a couples breakthrough.

By Sunday night I began calling this room the Bob Marley room, because ........well you get it.

Bridget's Beautiful Bath. Ravenna, Seattle.

   As some of you know, I(Rebecca) love a good bathroom and could spend my life in the tub.When I walked into my friend Bridget's newly remodeled bathroom, I flipped. The outstanding feature is the tile work. Bridget chose a larger size sea-blue rectangle for the tub and created a border using the same tile pattern as the one around her sink. The sink tile work is floor to ceiling and has a smashing mirror/medicine cabinet floating in the sea of blue and green tiles. Well Done Tile Work.