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

 

Another bedroom!

I haven't taken many pictures of our 2nd guest room as it's been a bit of a dumping ground for half finished projects, picture frames and of course the ironing board!

But it was time for a tidy, so I took the opportunity to snap some pics of how it is now.

 

 We decided not to paint this room (for now!).  It's a neutral beige so is completely livable.  I painted the headboard an off white (more on that here), and we added the cocoa bedding.  The orange chair was a flea market find and the cream pouf a Pier1 clearance score.  Ignore the weirdly low bed, we'll eventually get a larger mattress for the Master and the old Master mattress will be moved to this room.

 

 

 The pictures above the bed were originally cut from scrap booking paper (it took all my brain power to measure and hang them so they were evenly spaced.  I would tell you how, but I couldn't remember if I tried.  I seem to remember lots of tiny calculations on the back of a receipt!).

 

 

This is how the room looked when we went to view it:

 

 

When we moved in:

 

 

And now:

 

 

 

The next thing on the list in this room is to get rid of the hideous giant black ceiling fan.  It's far too big and far too black for the space.  It's like the Darth Vader of fans.  I can't imagine getting much sleep with that thing looming over you. 

 



 

Kate

xxx

 

I'm a big fan fan

I've been on the hunt for a vintage fan for months.  The word was obviously out as any I came across were always mega expensive.  Well, too expensive for me anyway.  Etsy had a good selection, but when you factored in shipping it just wasn't worth it.  So I couldn't believe my luck when I came across this beauty in my go to flea mall (Bama Flea Mall).

 

 

 

I have no idea if it works or not - I haven't risked plugging it in in case it shorts the whole house!

 

Hopefully it will end up in a beautiful vignette like these (nothing a globe, a few lemons and a cactus shouldn't take care of!):

 

 

The Painted Hive

 

 

Miss Mustard Seed

 

 

Smile and Wave

 

Kate

xxx

 

Maybe next time

Unfortunately, the trip to Mall of America didn't happen after all.  David will just have to wait to meet me - I'm sure he was disappointed!

I did, however, manage to pick up another source of design expertise at one of our local thrift stores:

 

It's funny to read how much decorating opinions have changed.  It was published in 1976, and has some real decorating gems, such as:

 

"Making a man suffer in a pink bedroom or, worse, a pink living room.  Think of others when you plan a scheme."

 

"Being afraid to cover everything in a living room in a bright chintz.  It can be charming."

 

I'm not even going to tell you what I thought a "lambriquin" was before reading this book - and now I know, and can guarantee we won't be having one in our house!

 

To see decor we would be horrified to find in a house today referred to as crisp and contemporary (yes, paisley fridge I'm talking to you!) is hilarious.  Makes you wonder if we'll look back on in 35 years and wonder "what were we thinking" about ikat or chevron or chalkboard paint!

 

Kate

xxx 

 

Loving YHL

I couldn't wait for Santa to bring me the YHL book, so I ordered it from Amazon about a month ago(I'm glad I did - its been back ordered for the last couple of weeks!).

It's basically an extension of their blog with lots of easy (and cheap!) decorating ideas.

A great place to turn if you need a little kick start in the inspiration department (sounds painful!!), plus it gives you a realistic time scale of how long projects are going to take and cost.

 

Young House Love

 

I've got a couple of their tutorials picked out, so watch out for how they turn out.

 

Kate

xxx

Stalking David

This weekend I will (weather permitting) be at Mall of America.  Not doing any last minute shopping, but stalking David Bromstad.  By complete coincidence, HGTV have a special Holiday House set up at the mall with special guests throughout December.

I get the feeling there will be a lot of queuing involved!

 

HGTV.com

 

Even his signature is creative!!  I'm currently rummaging around the house trying to find something cool for him to autograph.  Can he really not have a book (I checked Amazon, and nothing!!).

 

 

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

 

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