2.13.2011

Weekend Recap: Office Lounge

This weekend, which isn't quite over, has been pretty nice and stress free. No major commitments and no hectic schedule. Don't you just love when that happens?

It's not like I don't have a to-do list. Right now, I'm writing this from my office, which currently looks like this:



I haven't gotten around to completely finishing it, thus avoiding posting any pictures of the space as it has progressed. But then I realized today, where's the fun in that? The point of blogging is to be able to share the progress you make on things (or the lack of progress, in this case) and the challenges and successes you come across on the way, right? I think sometimes I get caught up in wanting to have that "picture perfect" photo or outcome to post, and until something ends up that way, I avoid sharing it on my blog.

So to fight that habit, I'm sharing this completely messy unkempt look into my current office state as of five minutes ago. I've got details on how my mom and I painted those stripes and do look forward to sharing that little tutorial soon. It was the result of lots of blog searching, reading, assessing and, ultimately, just going for it.


I'm pretty happy about the bookshelf, though, that's finally starting to come together. So far I've just worked on the top half. I wasn't happy about any of the accessories I kept putting on there, then taking off, rearranging, then adding back, then finally I just took everything down! One trip to Hobby Lobby later, and I was in business. I actually got a clear plan of how I wanted it to look from this photo:


Then I drew a little sketch (yeah, I really did):


And then I picked up a couple items from Hobby Lobby, DIY-ed a few on my own and came up with a much more cohesive look that complements my ivory and cream color scheme in the office without washing everything out. I love the green that feels fresh and cool in here.


I took a cue from Centsational Girl and covered my various books in decorative paper. She actually hand-stamped white banner paper, but I bought the over sized scrapbook sheets at Hobby Lobby. They were on sale 50% off and cost a whopping 29 cents each!


I taped the edge inside the cover of the book, then stretched it around to the other side and did the same thing. If the paper wasn't big enough, then I cut a strip out of a matching sheet to make up the difference. No one will notice, because the books can be stacked together or on top of each other.


It really adds a nice finish, and I've got a couple more stacks of books and frames yet to add, but they're in progress.


As soon as I placed those green plants on the shelves, I knew the color was just what was originally lacking. So I took another blogger cue, this one from Perfectly Imperfect, to use split green peas as a decorative element. I had a large square glass vase and purchased a big milk jug-shaped one from Hobby Lobby and filled them with the split peas. Then I used mint green tea votive candles (I nabbed three votives and two large glass jar candles in that scent for $4.95 from Target!) to nestle in the center.



My other DIY piece was a super green bamboo leaf frame I got from a charity shop in Scotland. I don't even know why I bought it to be honest, it was missing the glass on the front and wasn't a complementary color at all. So a few days ago I painted the frame cream, purposefully letting some of the background color show through, and painted the easel stand part with chalkboard paint. Now I've got my only little chalkboard! I'd been wanting to try this forever and am so happy with how it turned out.





Yesterday I drove to my friend Lisa's house and we hung out and enjoyed a completely lazy Saturday afternoon, which I needed after a killer weights class I attended that morning. Soreness! We watched Sex & the City 2 since Lisa still hadn't seen it and she was the reason I ever got hooked on the show in the first place. We watched every episode of every season while roommates in our cute little town house at Texas State University.

I've also finally subscribed to a ton of magazines at last - some for research, some for the trends and writing style and others for personal enjoyment - so I hauled those over for some leisurely reading while noshing on Lisa's fresh baked blueberry bread and some lemon tea.


We also pulled out our all jewelry supplies but didn't get very far with those. I at least started organizing some of my supplies, as I hope to make a few necklaces and post them for sale. I am obsessed with turquoise and am focusing mostly on turquoise and silver for the necklaces. It's so pretty, I could wear turquoise every day!




But back to Sunday, I'm getting ready to take our dogs out with the husband so the pups can run and play in the sunshine for a little while (there's a field near our house). Then hopefully I'll tackle part of this messy office and see what else I can do to improve the, er, working conditions around here. Don't think I can even dub it "organized chaos" at this point . Clearly, it's just chaos!

The window is open and an almost spring-like breeze is fluttering through the curtains. It goes well with my soundtrack playing from the movie, Country Strong. If you haven't seen that film, you must! It was so good. My two cats are enjoying the fresh air, too. They seem to know whenever a window is opened in the house, no matter where they are, because they always flock to it in seconds. Can't say I blame 'em, it's pretty as a picture outside!


Hope you've enjoyed your weekend! Be sure to come back by this here blog tomorrow for a recipe post on Panko-breaded fish!

5 comments:

  1. GREAT post!!! I loved seeing what you have been up to! Good to catch a glimpse of the cats as well! Enjoy this lovely day! I am going to take a nap first- then a walk and finally.....work on my art projects. This is a perfect day for just about ANYTHING!!!
    Love the way your office is coming together!

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  2. LOVE LOVE LOVE the DIY chalkboard frame! I'm most def gonna make that. Did you get your magazine subscriptions through the magazine websites themselves? I ordered a few through Amazon and they have some pretty good deals.

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  3. Thanks you guys!

    SDB - yes I ordered the magazines directly from the web sites. I never even thought about checking out somewhere like Amazon. Unfortunately, I already ordered all the ones I need but good tip!!

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  4. I never thought about it either until I saw another blog mention it. I got Better Homes & Gardens for $5.99/year! I think it's still that price too. I also got Food Network magazine for $15/year. Last year I got House Beautiful for $5/year. So yeah, definitely check it out every now and then for good deals. =)

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  5. I am pretty much in love with everything in your office! That bookshelf turned out adorable, and I love the stripes on the wall! I can't wait to see the finished product!

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