Desk phase 2

It's full steam ahead on the desk project.  I picked up 4 storage cubes at Michaels which put my flat-pack-putting-together skills to the test (more on that here).

I had the perfect space for the desk, a wall area next to the sofa.  The cubes are only 14" square, so the desk would be slimline, the perfect size for the space.

Here's Murph admiring my handy work, (or wondering what on earth I'm up to now!).

For the desktop I really wanted wood to contrast against the white cubes.  Ideally I would have used some wood we had leftover from another project, and stain it with some leftover stain, and seal it with some leftover sealer.  Unfortunately, we don't have any wood, or stain or sealer.  And we are on a major budget, so it was time to get creative and shop our house (ie rummage around to see what we already have).  I found lots of cardboard boxes and shelving and you can't get better than free!

I initially thought that a couple of sheets of thick cardboard might do the trick, but it was waaaay too flimsy, and wouldn't have held a cup of tea, let alone a laptop!  My next idea was to combine the cardboard with the shelving.  I started by cutting the cardboard the length and width I needed, and taping the shelving to the underneath.  It was all very technical :-)

Using a mixture of hot glue and packing tape, I sandwiched the second piece of cardboard so the metal shelving was covered on both sides by cardboard.  Just the lip was sticking out which would run along the back of the desk to help secure the desktop and prevent it from sliding.

I sealed all of the edges with some more tape.

I'm all for rustic, but even I draw the line at cardboard - could it look any more temporary!!

Check back on Monday for the big reveal - I guarantee you'll be surprised!  I've got a bit more styling to do and it'll be finished.

 

See the finished desk HERE

Kate

xxx

Dollar Store Ampersand Art

I really like the wood grain art I have seen popping up around the blogosphere recently, and was inspired to do my own take but on the cheap.  I mean really cheap.  I mean Dollar Store cheap!

What does Dollar Store have that is wood grain.........drawer liners of course!

I whizzed round my local store and picked up these supplies.  I printed out the Ampersand sign in a variety of fonts (I'm slightly obsessed with "&" art at the mo. but this would look just as great with your initial).

(Side Note: how amazing are these Dollar Store 11x14 frames!  I picked up two but will be going back for more).

I cut out the paper sign, traced the outline onto my wood grain drawer liner and cut around it with my Exacto knife.  I made sure the piece I used had a nice wood knot to really highlight the grain.

As if wood grain paper for $1 wasn't amazing enough, it's sticky so is super easy to mount on whatever colour background you choose.  I went for black card that we already had.  I added a simple matte and this is how it looked.

So for $2 I have some funky new art and if I still need to line my drawers, there's plenty left!

New here, thanks for stopping by. You can stay connected with me through Bloglovin:

Google Friend Connect (check bottom right in the side bar)

Or see my likes and loves on Pinterest

Kate

xxx
 

I'm a candle

In the Christmas clearance shop-a-thon, I picked up this little candle from HomeGoods.

It was just a couple of dollars and smells amazing.  The only thing was the ugly festive pine cone pic on the front.  Luckily it was just a sticker that I could peel off easily (easier than the price ticket was to peel off - thanks HomeGoods, a little less sticky goop next time please!).

But when the sticker was gone the candle was very plane and in desperate need of something to jazz it up a bit.

I looked around Michaels for some sort of decal.  I thought about a simple monogram or maybe a boarder around the top and bottom, but settled on some basic alphabet stickers.  I wasn't sure what I was going to spell out but really liked the font:

Now for what to put on the candle.  Hmmm, I got nothing!  Seriously, for about an hour the best we could come up with was "I'm a candle", but then the puns slowly started coming, and we couldn't stop.  Light my fire, get fired up, light up, fire starter, see the light, lights out, great balls of fire.  Ok, so we drew the line at great balls of fire, and opted for "Got a Light?" 

 

We have a lot of storms and power cuts in the south, so this will definitely come in handy.

 

Kate

xxx

 

See other Crafty projects HERE

 

Velvet spool

Anthropologie had the sweetest little spools wrapped in velvet, but they were expensive!  I want to say they were $12 - i gasped and put them back on the shelf so quickly I'm not 100% on the price. 

A couple of weeks later I saw the exact same ones in TJ Maxx, and decided to splash out the $5.  That's still a ridiculous price for a spool and bit of velvet but they were just so bright and cheerful I couldn't resist.

The only thing better that one velvet spool is TWO velvet spools!!  I already had a spool from one of my many thrift store visits.  I picked up some velvet ribbon from Michaels, wound it round and pinned it.

Ta-da:

Kate

xxx

See more crafty ideas HERE

 

DIY Desk

I've been on the hunt for a sturdy desk since we moved into our house.  Target has some great deals on their ladder desks, but they have no storage - something we're in desperate need of.  Craigslist has an endless supply, but most are either too big or would need refinishing.  And I really don't need another furniture project in the garage gathering dust!

Luckily, I spotted Michaels semi-annual storage sale in their weekly add.  There were no prices listed, so I thought I'd pop in to see what the options/costs would be (as if I ever need an excuse to visit Michaels!).

They had an amazing selection of stackable storage.  Basically a square pod with all number of storage options; some with shelves, or drawers, or containers.  I calculated that by stacking 2 together (they come with special plugs especially for stacking) I would have a counter top height of 29" - the perfect height for a desk.  One style was on clearance for $15 so I bought three of those, and one that was originally $35, but $17.50 with my 50% coupon.  All in all it cost $62 for the base.

 

They were super easy to put together (if I can do it, anyone can!).  The three holes are actually a file folder, and the drawer with the long opening is for ribbon, but will be perfect for posting letters in.  I have it all planned out.  Organisation here we come!!

 

 

My next stop will be Home Depot for some wood I can stain and run across the top.

Kate

xxx

 

Tacky Tinsel

For my sweet friends at work, I wanted to get creative.  I had amazing plans of wrapping their paper mache initial with red and white yarn and adding some kind of christmassy accent flower.

This kind of idea.  I wanted rustic-crafty-Christmas.

 

Pinterest.com

 

I got half way up an L and quickly realised this was not going to look good.  I ended up with rubbish-crappy-shitmas!!

 

Back to the drawing board.

 

I started with a basic paper mache letter from Hobby Lobby:

 

 

 

I added the magic ingredient (hot glue!!) and a lot of tinsel.  It was amazingly quick and easy to manipulate round the letters.  I also picked up some cute little owl decorations from World Market that I hot glued into place.

 

 

Here they are all together (J, G, H and L):

 

 

How cute are these little guys, and the handy hook on the top means you can hang them too:

 

 

 

 

 

It would be so easy to spell out a word for your mantle (Joy, Merry, Noel).  I love that they are bright and fun and maybe just a little bit tacky :-)

 

Kate

xxx

 

Linking back to Nifty Thrifty Things

Starburst - on the cheap

Pinterest to the rescue! 

I've been searching for a starburst mirror for above the sofa in the living room.  Those things are expensive!!  Even at my old favourite Homegoods they are at least $70 each.

So when I spied a diy starburst pin, I following the link and found the answer at JandJ Home.

I made a quick trip to Home Depot for the shims, and Michaels for the circular flower arranging bases.

I laid the shims out to get a rough idea of how I wanted the final product to look.

 

Then glued and glued and glued some more (and squashed it with some heavy books overnight).

 

 

The mirror was a bargain buy from Hobby Lobby.  I originally bought a 12" mirror, but it looked too big, so I went for the 10"

 

And here is my diy startburst mirror, made for under $15.  Bargain!  Thank you Pinterest!

 

 

 

 

 

Kate

xxx

 

Find more crafty ideas HERE

 

Oh Deer

I am officially jumping on the stags head bandwagon (sounds uncomfortable!).

I'm not too keen on a beady eyed woodland creature looking down on me while I eat my tea, so I've gone for the silhouette variety.

This was the easiest thing to make.  I Googled "stag head silhouette", printed it out, traced it out on the black paper and cut around the outline with my Xacto knife.  Cream paper underneath, stick it in a frame and I was done.  Jobs a good'un.

Kate

xxx

 

See more crafty ideas HERE

Have a seat

I've been in search of a desk chair for a few weeks (I'm also in search of a desk!), so when I saw this one on Craigslist for cheapo I snapped it up.

The blue bed sheet upholstery and slightly battered appearance aren't exactly what I had in mind.  But with my newly acquired spray painting skills (watch out Banksy) I am up for the challenge.

I'm planning on painting it white and then reupholstering it in some kind of funky fabric.  It will eventually be in the living room.  These are my options so far:

Robert Allen Jacquard Ikat

Braemore Emperor's Garden

Waverly Santa Maria Desert Flower

Swavelle/Mill Creek Glamis Oasis

Now all I need to do is get on with it!

Mirror mirror on the, well....floor!

The dining room stallion was nowhere to be found when we moved in to the house (how could we forget to add that to the terms!!), but the gold mirror to the left of this pic was.  Woo hoo, free (if a little ugly) stuff!

The gold, however, had to go, and the mirror quickly became my number one candidate for my first try at spray painting.  I wanted gloss.  A lot of gloss.  I was picturing something like this one from Z Gallerie, but a little less frou-frou.

I grabbed a $4 can of Krylon spray paint from Walmart.

I taped, and taped and taped some more until the mirror was completely protected, then got to spraying.

One coat in, and a lot of gold was still showing through, but everything I'd read said more lighter coats are better that one big thick dribbly one (not sure they put it quite like that, but you get the picture).

Coat two and the frame was starting to look good. 

Coat three and the obnoxious gold was completely covered. 

I sat it aside for a couple of days to dry completely.  And this is how it looks now.  I'm amazed at how well it came out.  Turns out spray painting is surprisingly easy.  The plan is to hang this somewhere in the hall.  I think.  Maybe.