That Time I Let A Mortar And Pestle Hang Out In Our Bathroom For Three Months

I kid you not, a mortar and pestle has lived on the back of our toilet since since early August.  See:

And a closeup for the cheap seats in the back:

I told you so.  For the record, mostly so you don’t think I’m the weirdo with a mortar and pestle on the back of her toilet, I picked it up and the tissue cover at Home Goods shortly after returning from Haven in early August.  I came back from the blogger/DIYer conference inspired to accessorize our home more.  I’m a chronic under-accessorizer and was bound and determined to course correct and rectify the situation, starting with our bathroom.  I thought the mortar part of the combo would make a cute little succulent pot for the back of our toilet.  It just took me three months to get around to it.  Truth be told, I really had no motivation to plant the succulents and accessorize our bathroom until I came across these beauties at the flea market.

They’re old trivets that were made by a shop here in Maine, Screen Craft Gifts in Yarmouth.  They went into business back in 1952 and are still in business making beautiful trivets.  The going rate on their new trivets is $69 each but we scored our stack of four for a whopping ten dollars (holla!).  We found them at our favorite flea market during an end-of-season coastal shopping trip extraordinaire on Labor Day weekend and knew immediately.  From the moment I clutched them to my chest and vowed to adopt them, I knew they should hang in our bathroom.  And after careful consideration (aka…Colby holding them up in various blank bathroom wall locations while I yay-ed and nay-ed), decided for the nook above the toilet.

As for hanging the trivets, we went the super cheap and easy route by using some Velcro command strips.

And just tacked them onto the back of the trivets, pressing down firmly for optimal adhesion.

And hung the trivets in a four-square grid above the toilet.

Being a card-carrying member of the under-accessorizing club (we even have secret handshakes), I thought the trivets-as-art addition was a bit on the crazy town side.  I wasn’t quite sure it worked.  So naturally, I decided to dive deeper into crazy town (and way outside my comfort zone) and added more art, since the trivets seemed a little off balance with the big, blank space above the laundry basket on the right.  I dove into our stash of misfit toys decor and came up with a Vermont waterfall framed pic, which was a freebie from Colby’s mom, and added it to the wall.

Now we’re balanced.  The waterfall art really helps balance out that empty space above the laundry basket and makes everything make a little more sense.  And after actually putting tissues in the tissue box cover and planting the succulents, our toilet nook was looking a bit less naked and a lot more interesting.

Although, every time I come into the bathroom to go take care of businesses (the term we use when it’s time to let Goose outside), I get spooked when I turn the corner and see the art and accessories.  Every time.  Good thing there’s a toilet nearby for those pee my pants out of scared-ie-ness moments.

My favorite “moment” of the accessorized nook is the addition of the succulents in the mortar.  Now that’s an appropriate way to utilize a mortar in the bathroom.

The added bathroom accessories definitely add a bit more interest to an otherwise boring nook.  Our bathroom is pretty much the most finished space in our home.  It is oh-so-close to done.  It just needs a little bit of noodling around and a little bit of editing.  Maybe I’ll lock myself in the bathroom until it’s done.  Although, that might be weird.  You know, when guests come over to visit and need to go pee and I’m locked in the bathroom until after I choose just the right accessories and finish painting those open shelves (which I shamelessly still have yet to do).  I’m not certain our guests would ever come over again.  Awkward!

Until then, I’m reveling in my small accessorizing VICTORY!  Any Entourage fans out there?  Do you also channel your inner Johnny Drama and shout “VICTORY” in your strongest Viking voice?!  And maybe throw up your hands and your head back in dramatic fashion as you yell it out for all the Viking Quest fans out there at Comic-Con?!  And maybe even sport that horned hat?!  Just me?  Okay.  I believe the term you are searching for is……anyway…one final shot of our bathroom accessories.

Pssst…So what odd object have you had sitting around your bathroom?  Any mortar and pestles?  Or anyone else want to join our under-accessorizers club?  We’re not terribly exclusive.  We meet on Thursdays.  Bring wine.

3 Comments

  1. Count me in your club. We’ll punch straws in wine bags for adult Capri Suns.

    Yeah, my downstairs bathroom is in the process of being made over and by that I mean it’s accumulating a lot of junk that may or may not end up working in the space.

    I love succulents in wooden bowls!

  2. I’m actually a member of the Over-Accessorizer club. (So this post about adding accessories made me happy indeed!) Love the mortar turned succulent pot. Super cool, Angie!

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