...because home doesn't happen overnight.

And they all live happily ever after. The end.

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Okay, there’s more to it than that.

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So, by now you know that I’ve partnered with Target to bring you the best of Threshold. {If not, you can catch up here and here.} This month I was asked to feature Threshold goodies in my bathroom. I’ve been wanting to add something to the wall above the toilet. {On a side note, do guys care what they look at when they pee?} I browsed the Threshold aisles and immediately zoned in on a trio of sea urchins.

I have a peculiar fascination with anything urchin-esque. I can remember going to my grandma’s house when I was maybe 5 and she had a children’s book {couldn’t tell you the title or story line} that included a picture of a child stepping on a sea urchin in the ocean. I read the book every time I was at my grandma’s and I was so infatuated with that bothersome urchin. That’s how it all started.

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Now, thirty years later, there are three sea urchins hanging above my toilet. I am not normal. Off the shelf, the urchins were a little too dark for my liking so I spray painted them gold – the same spray paint I used on our garden stool. If I may, let me correct myself: Now, thirty years later, there are three gold sea urchins hanging above my toilet. Still, not normal.

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I brought in a few gold accessories on the sink top so the urchins wouldn’t be all “Damn it! I knew the one time I made an effort to dress up for a dinner party everyone else would be wearing jeans and loafers. I’m overdressed and under-appreciated. Never again.” I bet you didn’t know sea urchins were so temperamental, did you?

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The soap dispenser and tumbler have an antique brass finish. My bathroom is quite the melting pot for metal finishes.

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Shop the look: brass soap pump / brass tumbler / rattan wastebasket / metal urchin

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I apologize for the artificial light in these pictures. It’s just that HH and I spontaneously decided to landscape our front yard. By ourselves. With three kids. {That’s contradictory, isn’t it?} As in digging, trenching, planting, shoveling, watering, wheelbarrowing, sweating, raking and seeding our crack house into submission. In the midst of our spontaneity {which totally isn’t like us}, I forgot to take pictures of the bathroom before the sun went down.

I am tired. I love Target. Sea urchins are fascinating.

***UPDATE: Daytime urchin pictures because I felt guilty.***

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This post brought to you by Threshold, a Target collection. The Threshold collection focuses on specialized design techniques including hand-painted accents and artisanal touches to make each piece unique yet affordable. What differentiates Target’s new Threshold collection is its unprecedented style coupled with its high quality and affordability. Thank you Tar-jay!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

79 Comments

01.May.2013

Very cute ! And I don’t think your bathroom has too many different metal finishes … Take care !

I enjoyed this one :) Strange how we all have strange little fascinations like that eh? I would never have guessed they were sea urchins, they just look like pretty gold sculptures to me. Great new additions!

01.May.2013

The urchins remind me of Curtis Jere sculptures. Very pretty!

01.May.2013

I’m not a huge fan of the urchins (they look dangerous/threatening to me), even in gold, but I love the rest of your bathroom! I have thought about buying some peshtemals as well after I had read your post on that! Esp. in summer they might be a great addition…
Jule {inside9B}

01.May.2013

The sea urchin-esque bathroom decor looks really nice. It fits with the rest of the stuff in the bathroom and even comes off as a fashionable wall decor. I love it! Thanks for sharing, you just gave me a great idea!

01.May.2013

I will speak for all the females that dare to wonder what needs to be a males line of vision while in the bathroom…and if its not gold, spikey sea urchins…than man up. And sit down. Anyhoo, love the mix of metals, as my 1980’s self would say, cool bananas!

01.May.2013

It looks gorgeous! And I giggled at this post – it’s so great to see your sense of humour/the ridiculous shining through. :)

01.May.2013

I read the same book at my grandmas growing up! Mine was a little golden book, I think it’s called Little Sister or Beach Day? Anyhow, I LOVE those sea urchins!

01.May.2013

I love that you painted the sea urchins. They were a little…ominous looking before?

01.May.2013

I seem to remember you and I and another encounter with a sea urchin of some type in the ocean in Panama City once…

01.May.2013

Love it! Please tell me, where did you get the hand towel? I love the stripes and little tassels. The round shape of the sea urchins looks great with the round shape of your mirror, too. Very nice!!

01.May.2013

Ditto Sophie. Your blog’s a daily draw for me as much for your humor (and grammar, said the English major) as for your taste and DIY tips. You and HH have been busy! But I’m curious about progress in your 2nd bathroom and waiting for more reveals. :)

01.May.2013

Target should sell them gold!!! So much nicer to look at! You should be on their design team. :)

01.May.2013

The hand towel is from West Elm.

01.May.2013

That was a sting ray! OMG!!! Those things hurt.

01.May.2013

I knew someone would be able to give me the title. Thanks! I’m totally looking for it at the library/book store for my kids.

01.May.2013

Um, dream job.

01.May.2013

I loved your comment about the landscaping you and the HH did. I’m super impressed with how you keep this blog going -all the projects, etc. with little guys at home. I know you called yourself a SAHM after you left your old job, but in reality you now have two jobs that you do simultaneously! (Or do you have a bunch of elves you’re not telling us about?) :)
The sea urchins look good in that little spot, btw.

01.May.2013

That’s so awesome!! I have been trying to figure out what to out behind the toilet in our powder room…I have to think “outside the box”!

01.May.2013

Must be nice to be given things, that everyone else has to buy.

01.May.2013

I know exactly what book you are talking about!! It was my favorite Golden Book specifically for that page because they show you under the water and over the water in the same picture which just blew my four-year-old mind.

You think you are not normal? I read this at 5am when I was nursing my twins in bed and found myself at a Golden Book fan website trying to figure out the name of the book. I couldn’t find it, but I sent an email to the website’s owner to see if I could get it. So… not normal here either ;)

01.May.2013

I found it! My sister has my mom’s old copy and knew the book. You should order a copy because it is all about a big brother and his little sister. And sea urchins. Perfect for your family http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0307682560

Love those urchins! What a creative way to incorporate them into your design!

The Threshold line is just amazing! I can’t resist it every time I’m in Tar-jay. It’s a sickness really…but one that I’m TOTALLY okay with (although my wallet disagrees). Love the additions to your bathroom! :)

01.May.2013

FYI – LOVE the Look! and just a tip because I have raised a few boys in my day…you might want to move your shower curtain to the other end of the bathtub (away from the toilet) and I would reconsider the Rattan waste basket….perhaps a different location or a hard surface/washable waste can if it MUST stay next to the toilet. Once the younger boys are using their own bathroom it might be better, but big boys are known to splash/miss a bit too! :-)

01.May.2013

As soon as you mentioned that book, so many great memories came flooding back! Thanks for that. And for this inspiration of a bathroom – love the warmth the wood and gold add.

01.May.2013

That was a great idea to spray paint the urchin. I had it but returned it because the color was too blah. Love your version much better. Threshold should hire you!!!

01.May.2013

Eeek! Thank you so much for the link. Everett would LOVE this book! He and Mabrey have a very special relationship.

01.May.2013

Aw, thank you so much for not being normal with me! And breastfeeding twins at 5am?…you are a rock star.

01.May.2013

Sadly, no elves. But they are welcome anytime.

01.May.2013

I feel extremely lucky that I get to work with Target and incorporate some pieces of the Threshold line into my home. Would you believe I purchased the soap dispenser, tumbler and trash can a few months back before my partnership with Target even began? Well, it’s the truth. That’s how I knew I wanted to be a part of the Threshold campaign. It’s actually a brand I would buy and have bought myself!

01.May.2013

LOVE! Can you tell me where the mirror is from?? Maybe I missed it in a different post?

Looks great, and I think your nighttime/daytime pics are fun to see how everything looks in different light! On another note, how do you like the vanity? We are thinking of the same one (in the super bright red – no idea why my husband jumped all over it when I mentioned it jokingly) and would love an update on how it is working for you!

01.May.2013

Oh geez, Dana wasn’t “given” these things. She provides a service in return for the product. It’s part of how business drives blogging, and how blogging drives business (hence the word partnership). Am I envious that she gets some awesome products from Target? Sure. Do I have time to run an awesome blog like house*tweaking? Sure don’t.

As a mom who works outside the home, I am thrilled to see that Dana has found a way to provide for her family in a way that works for her, her husband, and her children.And I’m also glad to be a beneficiary of the great ideas this blog produces. Go Dana!

01.May.2013

Preach it, Kristy!

01.May.2013

Nice idea with the urchins. They look great in your pretty bathroom. I also like the one in your blog title ;)

01.May.2013

Yikes! If you’ve ever been snorkeling/diving in the Caribbean, you’d be scared of those urchins! I’ve never been stung by one, but they’re enough to give me panic attacks! (But they do look pretty cool on your wall.)

01.May.2013

I was walking down the aisles of Trget this past weekend and stopped to look at these urchins and thought to myself, “What the heck are these things?” And “What are these things doing in their Threahold line?” Thanks for the inspiration! It’s always nice to see how someone decorates with something a little differently and you would.

01.May.2013

Love the sea urchins! And I agree – the original black was blah, but the gold makes them fun! I have yet to buy anything from Target’s new Threshold line, but I think those sea urchins are calling my name!

01.May.2013

I love this bathroom, but really I want to thank you for a fun afternoon of emailing back and forth with my now grown daughters about “Little Sister”!!! We loved that book when they were little and this has been so fun! I enjoy reading your blog every day.

01.May.2013

The Little Golden Book was the FIRST thing that I thought of when I saw your sea urchin picture! The story has definitely stuck with me over the years too. :]

01.May.2013

Dana, if you get a chance to answer Brit’s question, I’d also like to know how it’s working to not have a backsplash on your vanity.

01.May.2013

Those are so funky and fun! love it:)

01.May.2013

Hmmm, sneak peak through the bathroom tweak? Is that a new light fixture I see in the mirror?
My you are busy outdoors and indoors. Man, I wish I had y’all’s energy. You are so creative. Very inspiring!

01.May.2013

We love the vanity! It’s still going strong with no problems. The only thing I’ve noticed is that the glossy finish shows the littles’ fingerprints but I keep reminding myself that *someday* they will have their own bathroom!

01.May.2013

The mirror was a find at Home Emporium in Fairfield, OH. Home Emporium carries a lot of discontinued/overstock from high end retailers at great prices! Not sure where the mirror is from originally.

01.May.2013

This is the first time we haven’t had some sort of backsplash on a bathroom vanity. Surprisingly, it’s not an issue – at all! – even with kids using the bathroom. {We do plan on tiling the wall behind the vanity in the kids’ bathroom when we tackle it.} I don’t know if it’s the sink/faucet combo or what, but we really don’t get any water splashing up on the wall. On a side note, I wasn’t sure about the shallow sink. I was afraid water would be going everywhere. But it doesn’t splash out. If you think about it, I guess the water has less distance to fall from the faucet, so less splash? Anyhow, we have no plans to add a backsplash in the master bathroom. Of course, every once in a while I have to wipe stray toothpaste splatters off the wall {kids!} but it just wipes off with damp toilet paper. No biggie.

01.May.2013

URCHIN POWER! so perfect!

Urchins look more than great…even better in the day light I would say. Thanks for sharing. :)

02.May.2013

beautiful bathroom! I can see your unmade bed and you kneeling down to take the pic in the sink reflection. Thanks for keepin it real. ;-)

02.May.2013

Yep, it’s all there thanks to that glossy vanity ;)

I love them! And want to squeeeeeze them for some reason. Urchins in a bathroom. Completely normal.

02.May.2013

I had and loved that book too! Thanks for reminding me… my girls would like it. This was the one we had as kids: http://www.amazon.com/Little-sister-little-golden-book/dp/0307102564

02.May.2013

i stepped on a sea urchin in hawaii last october – ouch!
there, they call them “vana” ~ as in “watch out for vana.”
not that you’d want to see, but there’s a picture at the bottom of my post here: http://five-ten-fifteen.blogspot.com/2012/10/aloha.html
the one i stepped on was blackish purple. i think your gold color looks more friendly ♥

02.May.2013

Well, first things first. I stepped on a sea urchin last year in the bahamas and that mother trucker hurt, I also had a bad run in with a jellyfish. You could say the vacation wasn’t as great as I hoped.. That’s neither here nor there… Second, the first daytime picture looked like there was a shark in the reflection, no? I (sea) what you did there.. ha. Kidding, but really… I see it.

xo
Rachelle

02.May.2013

OUCH!

03.May.2013

Wow, youa re such an enabler? I left work yesterday and promptly drove to Target, buying up entirely too many items from the Threshold line! I might go back today for the sea urchins since I also need something to dress up the bathroom walls. Love all of it!

03.May.2013

Off the Threshold topic, but what height did you mount your vanity at? I bought one from Ikea and I have heard that standard vanities are mounted at 32 inches, but that seems low.

05.May.2013

I love the sea urchins! (and the title of your post made me laugh way out loud!) It’s great seeing the little things you do to make something great even better–love your bathroom and the new additions! I also love that you’re mixing metals–that is so hard to pull off, but you totally make it work!

05.May.2013

The sea urchins on the wall is such a brilliant idea! I have been eyeing those at Target!

05.May.2013

Ours is mounted at 32″ but the sink top adds a few more inches. It doesn’t feel low at all. Our previous house had an “upgraded” higher vanity in the master bathroom and I hated it. It hit me at a weird spot and I had trouble bending over to wash my face/brush my teeth.

05.May.2013

Thanks! I will have to send you pics when we are all done!

LOVE the urchins! Very 60s!!

xo,
Katie
hellolittlebean.com

10.May.2013

The urchins are a wonderful finishing touch! Can you share where you found the squared off towel ring? I’ve been looking for one myself.
Also, in the reflection of your bathroom mirror I am loving your flush mount ceiling light. Could you share where you found that as well. Thanks so much!

10.May.2013

Towel ring is from IKEA. The light {not yet revealed!} is from Lamps Plus.

[…] (source) […]

22.May.2013

Random ? Where did you find the ceiling light (round cage light ) in the mud room / laundry room?

22.May.2013

It’s the hoyne pendant from Crate & Barrel.

07.June.2013

Love the tile in your bathroom. Where is it from?

09.June.2013

The Tile Shop!

09.October.2013

You are so creative! Do you have any “cute”/creative ways to store hideous toilet plungers that are stored next to the toilet?

09.October.2013

I keep our plunger in the linen closet at the end of the hall near our bedroom and bathroom. We don’t really have room for it in the bathroom.

[…] (source) […]

14.May.2014

I have these same urchins and need to spray paint them, too. Kind of a silly question, but how did you go about spray painting them? Did you just lie them on the floor on a tarp and paint them from overhead? Or did you hang them?

14.May.2014

I laid them on cardboard outside and spray painted them that way.

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22.July.2015

LOVE this look and the sea urchins :) Where is the basket from?

23.July.2015

It was originally bought for the pantry in our previous home, I think. Probably from Kroger!