Frame Hanger Project
I love old picture frames. All kinds. I’ve got a hallway of empty ones upstairs. Sometimes I fill them. Sometimes I paint them. And sometimes I do something fun with them…
This frame I once painted black with a silver line. Years ago. I was over it. (Ignore the ugly paneling in the upstairs hall we hope to rip out soon)
I wanted something lighter and brighter for my office. And I needed a place to hang some of my beautiful Parabo Press photos. (If you haven’t ordered from them, you must. They are gorgeous)
So first I lightly sanded the frame. Then I painted it white. I used wall paint for this project because it’s what I had. And its quarantine. And this step wasn’t super important for this project. It took 2-3 coats, but doesn’t need to be perfect.
Then I sanded with a foam sanding block. I scraped the edges and roughed up the centers. Go slowly and start lightly. Keep going until you love it.
Then, because I wanted just a little something more for this one, I used a small brush and “dry brushed” on some charcoal gray paint. This means I dipped a tiny amount on the brush and then swiped most of it off onto a paper plate. When the brush is almost dry, wipe it on the frame. It will give you just a tiny bit of paint and give a smudge-y look. I used a paper towel to rub this in as I added it too. It came out nice and weathered.
Then to add some wire. You could use twine or ribbon, or whatever you have. I had some picture hanging wire from a hanging kit. I cut it slightly longer than the width of the frame, maybe a half inch extra on each side. Then I pulled it tight across the frame and used a staple fun to staple it in place. I twisted the extra ends into a little ball to help keep it in place.
You can get tiny clothes pins on Amazon.
And viola!
I’ve also done this before with chicken wire…
What do you think?
Doing any quarantine projects?!
XX,
Jess
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Chair Love
I have been wrapped up in work lately. Being couped up in an office is not very fun, especially when the winter weather makes things even more dreary. I am itching for spring! But, here is a beautiful office for inspiration. If I were sitting in this office while doing my work maybe I would be feeling a bit more motivated. Maybe. I will also have some WEDDING photos coming soon! 🙂
Is that not an awesome chair?! Hope that helps your winter blues, and that spring is on the way!
Chair Love
These have been a very busy past few weeks. Work, work, work, wedding, wedding, wedding. Time for projects? Maybe a little. I came across this gorgeous blue velvet chair on Pinterest this morning during my coffee. This office looks gorgeous and I think I’d be much more productive in a space like this, just in case anyone wants to help me out!
Aaaah, peace. Even while working so hard! Have a great day everyone! 🙂
One More Office
Things have been busy. Extremely busy. But, I have been productive, and coming up in the next week or so I do actually have some updates and projects to share! I finally started a new job in Iowa and have settled in living in our new home all the time now. This has kept me on my toes, and also been stressful, but at the same time I have been able to spend more time in our home and accomplish A LOT!
So, to tide you all over I wanted to share another adorable office I came across on VT Interiors blog. And, stay tuned for some peaks and projects around our house! 🙂
Home Offices
I have been pining away at lots of beautiful home offices lately. There’s a reason… I finally got a job in Iowa! Not only am I completely stoked to be officially living in Iowa full-time, but also, this job allows me to do a lot of my work from home! 😀
This is the perfect set up for me. It will allow me more spare time to get projects done, and we also have the office space set up for me to do it! But, currently our bright red and semi-cramped office space is needing a major spruce. So, enter blogland inspiration.Â
Some photos of offices out there are gorgeous. However, social work doesn’t allow me to be glamorous or clutter my work space with pretties. That leaves me fewer options. I need a functional space that I also feel comfortable and like myself in. Plus, we are hoping to leave the futon on the other side of the room and use the space someday for a partial play-room as well. Oh, and did I mention that I can’t change much as far as items because I am working with a non-existent budged!? Let’s see if I can pull this off…
Here are some faves for you all!
I love the bookcases in this photo. It utilizes the space well, which is what I really need to do!
This office also has great shelving for storage, while also remaining a bit feminine and glam. I need an office that can work for me from everything from my personal business, to kids and family projects, to social work moments.
I also like having my desk in the middle of the room or at least facing outwards instead of towards a wall. It helps if I need to meet with clients. Here is another one like that.
I’m not a huge fan of green walls, but I love the black frames in this office.
This office has been my dream office for years now and was the inspiration for the office in my last house being light blue. This one might end up light blue as well, with the addition of the red items. Again with the black frames!
Another blue office. Reminds me of mine with the couch. Something so sweet about this one!
I adore this desk. Enough said.
This one is so sweet and has that touch of glam I’d love.
I love the outward facing desk in this one too.
Well? What do you all think? I’d love suggestions for my new home office!
House Tour Continued: The Rest of the Downstairs
Finally here to finish the (inside) house tour! Coming from the living room tour, next you would walk into the “office” room. This room was already red, and I owned a lot of red furniture. It is wild in there. But, soon to look a bit different. This room is so handy. We have room to do computer work, crafts, store paperwork, and lounge. There is also a closet and plenty of floor space for kids and toys. Since it is connected openly to the living room it would be easy to keep an eye on little ones playing.Â
This is the one room that we have a box left to unpack. You know, that one pesky little box that has nowhere to go?
And next, the dining room! You can see there is that shelf in the way still…
The table and chairs we bought from the seller.
The window is a view into the sun porch we saw before. The stained glass door on the other side is the same as the sun porch door, but leads to a storage closet, which has proven to be super handy!
This is the door we use most frequently, but it is actually a side door. The little screened in porch is out that door and there is a big circle driveway there.Â
Directly the oposite direction of this picture is the kitchen…
Isn’t the arched doorway adorable? There will eventually be a small table under the window.
Yes, the curtains are currently mismatched. Soon to be fixed, when I can make up my mind!
I also love the rustic cabinets! The little silverware drwaers are like cigar boxes!
The ceilings are low, but its cozy. Out the door by the window is a stairway to the basement and a storage woom we lovingly call the “dog room.” Unfinished and super ugly, but this area is a life saver!
Now to backtrack into the dining room. The door next to the dining room entry is to a 1/2 bath and a laundry room. Oh, how a mainfloor bathroom is wonderful!
Not fancy, but perfect to us!
Well, what do you think? That is pretty much the whole house, flaws and all! I can’t wait to start making chnages and show you all!
Desk Chair Redo
I was in an office chair conundrum at the new house. The office is large enough to hold the futon, DVD rack, desk, book shelf, and even file cabinet. But, its just not very comfortable. I loved using the comfy and gorgeous blue wingback chair in my last home office, but in this office there just isn’t enough space for a nice layout with the chair. So, the blue wingback moved to our bedroom. More pictures of that to come. Then there was no office chair. What to do?
During a recent (and quick) trip down to the creepy basement to store a few boxes I noticed a computer chair with wheels! It was ugly. No other way to put it. But, it was sturdy and heavy duty, and in good shape other than the abused crudiness of it.
The before:
First step? Remove the ugly arms. Then it was some paint and fabric…
Not too bad, eh?
So, what do you think? I think for being a completely free project it turned out super cute and will work for us for a while, while we have zero money. Oh, and don’t worry about the BRIGHT red walls. Come winter they will no longer be so obnoxious. It is especially strong paired with a big red filing cabinet and on the other wall is a red futon and ottoman! lol.
A Special Gift
Tony gave me this special little Christmas gift early…
A Michael Jackson poster for my office!
It says, “If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with,” Michael Jackson.
Isn’t that so sweet of him? And a great addition to my (kinda drab) office! There is a small shelf project in the works to hold some things in the office that will go under the Keep Calm poster, so don’t worry, the space will fill in even better. And, stay tuned!
An Office Project Finished
As I said before, I have recently started a new job. With that has come a new, but bland, office. So, I got to work. The first project I have completed is a table for the office. I found this ugly guy with a paper top for a couple of dollars at the thrift store:
I started by sanding the wood legs and sides a bit and then painting them black. I then used scrapbook paper on the top. I taped the paper down, starting with a full sheet in the very middle of the table. When the sheets were lined up nicely, I used ModPodge to cover the sheets, using a foam brush. I did several coats of this, drying in between.Â
Black and white, of course!
One thing I learned from using the ModPodge was that it makes the paper wet, so at first it will bubble up. This smooths out as it dries. But, I did make the mistake of lining the paper sheets up perfectly edge to edge. Lining them up with a bit of overlap would have prevented the sheets from moving as they dried. I do have a few tiny spots where there are gaps between the paper now. I learned! 🙂
My Office and Easy Tips
We did do work at home over the weekend, really. But, the snow on Sunday (snow!?) hindered us from accomplishing too much. I will have a few things to show you later on in the week, but for today I am going to show you my work office.Â
When I started at this job one of the first I thought about was how to dress up my first personal office. I wanted to create a fun and unique work space without spending a bunch of money. Of course I was not about to go out and buy new furniture, but I do have a few simple and very cheap ideas for dressing up the drab office. Although you may not be able to produce your dream office with a space that you don’t own, you can make it a comfortable and productive space!
1. Posters.  Not the priciest artwork, but good enough for a work office. I hung the Keep Calm poster as you enter my doorway (Yup, cliche maybe, but I still love it!). I also hung an inspirational quote from Muhammad Ali on the opposite wall. These were so fitting as I work in a hospital as a medical case manager. And, they give me some color, but stay in the basics I love!
2. Use your printer. I made these blah magnets cute by printing a sheet of white paper with a paisley pattern. I cut the sheets down to the size of the magnets and glued them on. I then covered them with clear plastic tape. I also used paper to fill the letter opener magnet. The other side of the desk is a sheet of paper I printed with the Chinese symbol for “happiness.” I have a few printed quotes around the office as well. These are cheap enough to switch out once in a while too!
3. Paper flowers. I wanted to add some brightness to my office, but am horrible at caring for plants. So, I made paper roses with tissue paper. I stuck them in a thrift store vase and now have flowers all year round. (the candy is a crowd pleaser as well)
4. Organization! Staying organized is the simplest, cheapest way to keep an office space looking its best. I have some open shelves that I make sure are always orderly. This is also a good time saver. I always know where things are and never have to hunt!
5. Personal but professional. A nice touch to an office space is something personal. But, remember to keep it professional. Too many pictures or tchochkes can make an office space cluttered and unprofessional. I have some pictures hung and framed in my office, but only ones that I don’t mind if clients see. I have a magic 8 ball on my desk for those real tough decisions as well ;). My desk top is also an example of keeping organized. And, the calendar is a free printable version from calendarsthatwork.com. I love these, as they look cute and are simple instead of busy! Also notice my mouse pad and pen. Little touches that were inexpensive!
Hope these simple ideas help you with your office. Mine is just like my home, always changing. Enjoy!
Make Mine Eclectic 
