Keep it in the closet

One thing I love about our house is the abundance of storage. Our 1936 sq ft 3 bedroom/2bathroom abode boasts: two walk in closets, four 8ft dormers, a large downstairs closet, a coat closet, a linen closet, a pantry, and two additional standard closets. Did I mention my 10ft x 10ft "nursery" off of our bedroom that is my dressing room? Remind me to show it to you someday! To sum it up, we have a lot of space to put stuff, and not enough stuff to fill it all!

We are in the process of finishing up the man room and starting the guestroom (the projects never end in this life of ours). The problem we encountered was that we had no place for our office supplies. We're not the type of people who need an office, but we do need a designated spot for my craft things, typical office supplies, and our printer. So the criteria for our office was that we didn't want it to take up a lot of space, but we wanted it to be functional and attractive.

After debating how to solve our dilemma, that brilliant hubs of mine suggested we turn one of the closets in the man room into our office!

And that's just what we did- allow me to show you:

Here is the before: Once we removed the double sliding doors, we had a blank slate. It had not been painted and still contained the clothes rod and shelving.

We knew we didn't want to spend a lot on this project and as luck would have it, we stumbled upon this bad boy on the side of the road. I knew it had to be ours. Have I told you how much I love rescuing furniture from the curb?

 

All the closet needed was a little bit paint, some cute shelving and accessories to become the perfect office for people who don't really need a full - fledged office. Here is the after:

Aren't those blue baskets cute? Two for a dollar at Dollar Tree!

As for the desk...a coat of white paint makes anything look good!

All in all, we spent approximately $70 on this project (this was the shelving, paint for desk, and hardware). We are so happy with the result and love that our office is functional, full of storage, and out of the way. Stay tuned for the rest of the man room reveal.

A little lovin' goes a long way...

I've been pestering my husband, Paul, for a new dining room set for quite some time. Though I am more than appreciative of the donation of Paul's parent's 30+ year old table and Ikea dining room chairs that make up our current "dining room set," they are just not cutting it anymore! My little heart has been set on this (Sumner from Pottery Barn) for quite some time. Perfection.

Unfortunately for me, Pottery Barn and Paul do not see eye to table when it comes to what a dining room set should cost. This means, I have to be creative to achieve the look that I want.

Bring in the dumpster diving!!!

I found these beauties out on the curb last week while walking my pups on trash day. With their "tasteful" color, dirt covering, and shredded bottoms, they didn't look like much. However, I knew I hit the jackpot! Embarrassingly enough, the lady that threw these away saw me when I was scurrying to get these into my car (yes, I raced home to get my car to not miss out on this fabulous opportunity). She asked me if I was going to make planters out of them, I looked her in the eye and replied, "nope, these are my new dining room chairs!"

Before you judge me for trash diving, look at it this way. I've looked online, and cannot find ladder back chairs for under $120/chair minimum. Let alone, ones that are made out of good, solid wood. With a good sanding, paint job, and new seat, I knew I could get these babies looking good as new!


And... I was right! Check out my work:





With a little sand paper, two cans of spray paint , and wood for the seats, I have three "brand new" dining room chairs. I have turned trash into treasure and all for the grand total of approximately $20. Take that Pottery Barn!