Home Office & Craft Storage

 

Do you have a room that when you walk by it, you stop in the doorway just to look at it?  Our home office is that room for me!  I am just so pleased with how it turned out! It just seemed to fall into place!

 

 

It’s not a very big room, measuring 10X14, but now it has plenty of storage!  This room is right off the living room though a set of French doors. The above picture is to the left of the door.  This is the organization wall inspired by Pottery Barn with the rustic wall organizer, dry erase board and topped off with the vintage printer’s tray. I moved the little Lane chest from the back porch into here.  Right now it holds wooden furniture legs! The little case on top was my mother-in-laws dance case when she was younger.

 

 

Here are the built in’s that we salvaged from a remodel job.   I moved the suitcases to the top, along with the vintage copper pot, a pickle jar, and some green mason jars. The metal locker bins provide a lot of storage as well.  The baskets that I purchased at a yard sale are the perfect size for scrapbook paper.

 

 

I used green mason jars to hold rubber bands and paper clips.  I looked everywhere this summer for my green mason jars to use for the 4th of July and couldn’t find them.  I found three at a yard sale and then last week, Savannah was pulling out some Fall dishes for me that were in a lower deep cabinet and there they were! 

 

 

I have changed this out since I shared it with you before. I took an old frame, strung some wire from side to side and used clothes pins to hold some family photos.  I added the leaves for a little Fall décor.

 

 

And here’s the desk my husband made for me!!  He used bc sanded plywood for the top and an old porch post cut in half for the legs.  The back part of the desk is attached to the well using a small ledge.

 

 

Remember when I found the vintage printer’s tray in the trash?  This ladder was also in there!  I leaned it in the corner and attached the pail and pumpkin wreath with some jute string.  The pail holds foam paintbrushes.  The little wooden box I found in the barn holds odds and ends.

 

 

This wooden thing a magig was in a box deal that Hunter purchased at the auction.  We had set it aside for the burn pile but I walked by it the next day and thought that would be perfect for the desk!  I washed it up good but didn’t do anything else to it!  It’s the perfect size for envelopes, receipts, notebooks, etc.  The seagrass lamp has been moved from the foyer to the office.  This is where I was planning on putting it when I made it.  It just got made before the desk!!

 

 

On the opposite end of the room from the built-in’s is the balustrade table all decorated for Halloween.  Since I moved the suitcases to the top of the cabinets, I moved two locker baskets to the top of the footlocker.  On the opposite end, I put two large baskets.  One holds fabric and the other faux fruit and flowers.

 

 

After seeing the previous pictures of this room, I did move the large picture down a little.

 

 

At the end of the table, I hung this embroidered scripture. A family friend gave this to me.  Someone gave him an entire camp full of furniture and this was in there.  It’s very old and there are some worn spots on it but I love it and wanted to display it somewhere!

 

 

I purchased this capiz light fixture for Savannah’s room last year but she’s already changed her room up and it doesn’t go with her current theme, camouflage!!  She went from one extreme to the other!  Anyway, I loved the fixture and was determined that it was going somewhere in the house.  I know the capiz may not exactly go with the vintage theme of the office but I don’t care!!  When I’m sitting in the living room, I have a perfect view of it though the transom window/French doors.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Fall Into Fall Party @ DIY by Design

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Let’s Create @ Kristen’s Creations

Open House @ No Minimalist Here

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Furniture Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

November Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick

Organization Wall for Home Office

 

I finished my organization wall in the home office/craft area!  I am sooo pleased with how it came out!  Especially after all the stress of creating the rustic wall organizer.

There’s a pocket full of Confederate money…..no, it’s not real!  I wish!

Since I first showed you the DIY dry erase board, I have changed out the fabric to more of a linen like material.  My writing shows up better against this color plus it adds a little contrast by using a different material than the wall organizer.

To fill in this little space, I used an key and lock….both reproductions!

This post is brought to you by the letter “S”.  I think you probably know by now where a lot of the inspiration for this wall came from.  Pottery Barn.

Of course, it’s not exactly as theirs but I changed it up to suit my own needs.  I did pick up a metal letter holder thingie at a yard sale but there just wasn’t enough room on my wall.

Pottery Barn plus others sell these great pocket watch clocks!  I was going to try to make one but when I came across this one at Hobby Lobby for only $12.50 (it was 50% off), I just couldn’t pass it up!

Up top is my printer tray!  I have added a few more things since I first shared it with you.

My favorite is the vintage fire extinguisher!  Of course, it’s on loan from Hunter!  It’s quite heavy and made of brass.  I had to secure it with some putty so if wouldn’t fall off and conk me in the head!

The brick on top of the wall organizer is from the early 1800’s.  It’s amazing to think it’s over 200 years old!

I’m getting close to being finished with this room!  You know how something just clicks into place?  Well, this room did that for me!  Once we received the cabinets and then later the locker bins, everything else just sort of fell into place!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch
Twirl & Take a Bow @ House on the Way

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Inspiration Friday @ the Picket Fence

Tuesdays Treasures @ Myuncommon Slice of Suburbia

Fall into Fall Party @ DIY by Design

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground

Printer Trays

 

Recently I have went to the local antique store twice looking at a printer tray.  I really wanted one for my office but I’m cheap and was trying to figure out the most expensive option!  The first time I went, Hunter was with me.  He told me that my fil had one stored in his attic but then he went out of town!  How dare he go on vacation in my time of need?  Just kidding!  The second time I went my husband was with me and said, “Don’t buy that I can make it!”  Well, I already knew he could make it but WOULD he make it?  Anyway, I left the store and starting thinking of other options because I really didn’t expect my husband to make it anytime soon.
 

On Wednesday, for the first time ever, I purposely left my home to go check the trash!  As in other people’s trash!  In the past, if I saw something in the trash I wanted I have stopped and picked it up, especially if I have a kid in the car that I can make get out and grab it quick!  Hunter and I went to an upscale neighborhood that my husband works in a lot.  That’s how we know their trash cycle!  And can you believe that I found an old printer’s tray just laying on top of the garbage can?  I was so thrilled you would have thought that I had won the lottery!
 

 

I immediately came home and cleaned it up, attached some hanger bracket thingies on the back and hung it on the wall!  While wiping it down some of the varnish starting flaking away but that’s alright, it just gives it more character!  I started adding some little odds and ends to the cubby holes.  In addition to vintage items, I wanted to add things that actually meant something to my family.  On this side, there’s a picture of my parents and me when I was a baby.  Since we live in Louisiana, I had to put a crawfish and some shells on display!  The matches were from a MRE that was given out after Hurricane Katrina.  The shot gun shells are for the hunters in the family, my husband and daughter!
 

 

I can’t forget Mardi Gras!  Hunter loaned me a few of his things…a compass, electrical socket for the 1920’s and a Barq’s root beer emblem for a pencil.
 

 

The skeleton key is not old but it reminds me of our home!  All of our interior doors have this type of lock.  There’s a Dixie beer bottle opener, a broken locker pin and another shotgun shell.

Three days later, Hunter and I were out looking for thrifty deals and made a quick stop at a yard sale on the way home.  I found another printer’s tray!
 

 

Guess how much I paid for it?  NOTHING!  The back was a little damaged and the lady said “Oh you can have it!”  Can you believe it? Not one, but two, printer trays in one week and both were free!!!  This one is not as old as the first and it’s a little deeper.  I think I’ve got Hunter talked into letting me put it in his room.  I’ve already found a few of his little things that will fit in it!  A government issued first aide kit, an old jar of Vaseline and an old box of wallpaper remover stuff.
 

I found another oldie but goodie in the trash at the same house but I’ll show you that later!  Check back in the next couple of days to see my memo wall that I’ve been working on.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Newbie Party with a Twist! @ Debbie Doos

Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

The Office & Craft Room–Part 2

I wasn’t planning on sharing this side of my office yet since the lamps are not finished but it seemed that everything I’ve done this week just did not want to be finished!  Does that make sense?  I’ve been working on a Pottery Barn knock off memo board but I’m having trouble with the graphic transfers!  My hubby built my desk and I’ve finished painting it but haven’t got it all arranged yet.  The lamps for the balustrade table have to be sanded down and I really wasn’t finished with the white chest you see in the picture.  I planned on using some kind of wash on it to tone it down a little.  Oh well, I am super excited to have this table finished though!  Remember the cabinets in my china closet had originally been in a house that burned?  Well this table was too!

Here it is being removed from the home by my trusty assistants!  After letting it air out in the barn for quite a few months, I cleaned it up really good.  Hunter sanded it and I wiped it down with mineral spirits.  It had a few burn spots on the top and bottom but I just couldn’t let this go to the dumpster!  I’m guessing that the owner purchased it from Restoration Hardware since she purchases items there frequently.  I’ve seen a few things she purchased for her new home and they are gorgeous!

Since it’s eight feet long, there wasn’t much choice in where to put it!  I didn’t want to paint it so I applied several coats of Tung oil to restore the moisture to the wood.  The pair of tall lamps that I’m using on each end of the table also came out of the house.  You can see the top of one of the lamps in the lower right hand corner.  They are tall lamps and are very heavy, being made of cast iron.

The large picture above the table was an auction buy several years ago.  It’s quite large but has been in this room since I bought her home.

I did re paint the room but it was hard to get a good picture.  I had all the blinds open but it’s overcast outside and if I turned on the overhead light, it reflected off the glass.  The first pic in this post is the closet to the true color.

Here’s one of Hunter’s vintage typewriters.  I went “shopping” in his barn yesterday and saw another one that was in perfect condition with the cover but I left it there because I didn’t feel like moving it!  Those things are heavy!

I found the larger metal suitcase at an antique this past weekend for $10!  The smaller one is from Hunter’s barn.  I’m using the larger one to store silk flower stems.  I wasn’t planning on putting a TV in here but I found this one at a yard sale this summer for $15! and it has a built in dvd player!  I just couldn’t pass it up!

This footlocker is also from the barn!  That boy sure has a collection of “merchandise” as he calls it!  This is what it looked like before.

I couldn’t remove the hardware so I started by spray painting them with a hammered bronze.  I then hand brushed it a creamy white, which still looks a little too bright.

 

I hope you enjoyed the little tour!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sharing with:

Newbie Party (with a twist) @ Debbie Doos

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Grove

Inspiration Friday @ The Picket Fence

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Potpourri Friday @ 2805

Furniture Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Home Office and Craft Space–Part 1

I’ve changed up my office again!!  As you may remember, I showed you a little peek last week while sharing some office inspiration with you.

This is before I started painting but AFTER I started moving stuff around. Yes, it is a total mess but I forgot to take before before pictures…you know what I mean.  When I took this picture I had already removed the desk!

This room is off the living room though a set of french doors.  It was originally part of the porch but when we started homeschooling years ago we closed in this section for the school room.  I wanted a new look in here and painted the built in shelf and dresser/credenza white.  I collected all my baskets and painted them the same color as you can see in the previous picture.  Then my husband brought home some salvaged cabinets.  Once again, I didn’t take a picture!!!  This happened very quickly.  Anyway, here’s a similar one that we have left.

They are nice custom built cabinets with a glazed finish and this is the other cabinet after I painted it.

It was a custom built entertainment center with bifold cabinet doors in the middle section.  We left off the bifold doors because I liked the more open look plus I did not like them at all!  As I said, this transition happened very quickly.  Last Monday, my husband didn’t work and he tore out the built in shelf and moved the dresser/credenza and installed this.  While he was doing this, I was at the hospital with my mom.  Everyday after this, I painted some and then went to the hospital!  Finally I finished! and my mom came home!  Feeling better but definitely bruised up!  While in the emergency room, she passed out and fell face first on the floor!  It was a very hard fall but thankfully, as of now, there appears to be no lasting effects except for the black and blue bruises but it did cause her to have to be admitted for several days.

Hunter, Savannah and I started an assembly line and cleaned up the locker baskets that I told you about last week.  Hunter used an electric grinder to remove the rust on the outside, Savannah used a wire brush to clean the inside, and I used vinegar and water to clean them.  The lovely Dianna left me a comment saying they reminded her of the baskets at the public pool when she was young.  She said you put your clothes in the basket and attached the pin to your swimsuit!

I love my new knobs!  I found them at Hobby Lobby.  They remind me of some that Ballard Designs on their site.

I got this pretty painting from the auction a couple of weeks ago for $3!

The letter tray was 50 cents from a garage sale.  The finish was a little worn so I spray painted it.  I need to get on the ball and do some paperwork!

I’m not satisfied with this area!  I think I put every picture in this house here but nothing looked right so I leaned a couple frames here.  The baskets on the shelf were more garage sale finds.

I stored some linens in a few baskets and old green jars in others.  In the baskets were there was just miscellaneous items, I covered a book in brown paper and inserted in the front of the basket to help camouflage the items.

I put my copper pot up top storing some silk flowers and I have a bolt of burlap from another yard sale, $2!, on top!

There is so much more storage here and looks a lot better too!  I still have a lot to do before I’m finished.  My husband is going to build me a desk so I’ll be bugging him about that this week!  I also have to paint the room, change the light fixture and refinish a balustrade table that is on the opposite side of the room.  But this week, I plan on working on a wall collage that will include a memo board.

UPDATE:  I've completed one memo board that you can see here and also Part 2 of the office is here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharing with:
Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick

Newbie Party (with a twist) @ Debbie-Doos

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Cowgirl Up @ The Farmhouse Porch
Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Vintage Inspiration Friday At the Picket Fence

Furniture Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors