My Little Red Desk

You know that saying, better late than never, well I finally got my office cleaned up and things pulled together so I could show you my small but powerful workspace, the space where all the creativity happens.

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I’ve got a space in my garage where I tackle big projects that involve paint and crafting but my little red desk is where I spend most of my days working on design projects, writing blog post and fueling my creativity.  My work area shares space with a guest bedroom but allows me just enough space to do what I need to do.  In addition to my work area, I have a large walk-in closet in the room where all my supplies, fabrics, crafting tools and Etsy shop items are stored.  I like keeping my desk area clean and organized so the closet is the perfect storage option for the items I use on a daily basis.

A few months ago my desk looked like this.

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And then I got a wild hair to paint it red and it was transformed into this.

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Red is my favorite color so having a red desk was long overdue.  To give the desk even more of a facelift I replaced the metal pulls with beautiful horn pulls  and a piece of glass for the top.

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Once the desk was painted all the other elements fell into place.

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Above the desk hangs a large cork board that I made using a frame that was given to me by a client.  Given that my mom taught English for 27 years, I’ve come to love the power of words so my inspiration board is filled with quotes that lift me up everyday.

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Most of the accessories I use to hold pencils (I’m a fancy No.2 girl), scissors and such are vintage milk glass pieces I thrifted.  The vintage glass lamp was a .25 cent purchase at the Longest Yard Sale two years ago.  I covered the shade in a black and white print.

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I bought my desk chair at a local thrift store for $7.00.  It didn’t have a seat when I got it and the wood was stained an oak color but the frame was in good shape.  I painted the chair black, had a piece of wood cut for the seat and upholstered it in a fun print.

The door you see in the background is the closet where all the goods are stored.

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The mouse pad was a diy project you can read about here and the basket under the desk holds a few binders that I access frequently.

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Between the closet door and bathroom door is a file cabinet I covered in a black and white stripe skirt.  The TV sit on top and above that is a handmade piece of hand-painted fabric art my mom purchased in Africa when you took a trip years ago.

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Framed prints I downloaded from Sarah M. Dorsey hang on a side wall.

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One wall of the room has a gallery wall which I’m in the process of completing.  And you’ve seen in previous post that I am a basket fiend so here are a few that hold crafting supplies and add visual interest to the room.

My work space is a definite reflection of my love of color and an eclectic design style.

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 So there you  have it, my little red desk and where I work!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Make it a great week!

Shelly

Creating a Stylish Clutch from the Craft Store

Ok, so we all know I love handbags and clutches have a special place in my heart.  A couple of week ago I was wandering around Hobby Lobby and came across their “blanks” section.  This is the area of the store where they have plain t-shirts, canvas bags, baseball caps and other items that you can embellish, paint or do whatever crafting magic you want on them.

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I came across this grey felt clutch and was inspired to create a clutch based on one of my favorite designer handbag lines.
This was the inspiration ($173.00)…..

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And this is my finished clutch!

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How to:
I purchased a band of black textured fabric from JoAnn’s and measured it to a 3 1/2 inch width.  I folded the edges under and used black stitch witchery to secure them down.
Once that was done I wrapped the black fabric around the clutch starting at the under side of the front flap, around the back and on the inside front of the clutch.  I used dabs of hot glue along the edge of the black fabric to secure it in place.
Next I took a length of green grosgrain ribbon and centered it on top of the black fabric.  Again I used hot glue to hold the edges down.
Next I added silver corner pieces to my clutch, attached with E6000 glue.
To add the finishing touch to my clutch I found a vintage black tassel earring in my jewelry supply chest and took it apart.  I placed the round piece of the earring on the front flap of the clutch and stitched the tassel part to the top corner.
All in all my designer inspired clutch cost me less than $ 9.00!
Here’s the breakdown:
Grey Felt Pouch $ 4.99 less 40%=$2.99
Black Fabric $2.50 from JoAnn’s
Green Grosgrain Ribbon–from my stash.  You can find grosgrain ribbon at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 less 40% if you have a coupon.
Silver corner protectors $1.69 for pkg. 8  available from Articuss Studio
Vintage Tassel Earring–$ 0.50 found thrifting
 
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Style on a budget.  My favorite kind of fashion!
 
Shelly

Gift Wrap Inspiration: Easy Monogram Ribbon

I love a gift wrap idea that’s easy to execute and results in a stylish gift.  I’ve worked a lot with monograms lately on design projects and in my home, and that got me thinking about an easy and simple way to tie monograms in with gift wrapping.  The idea was easy to come up with and the execution is even easier.
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If you’ve been in a craft store lately you know that there are all types of alphabet stickers you can choose from.  For a kid’s gift use stickers that are colorful like crayons, for a men’s gift go with a more block type front and if your gift is going to a woman go with stickers that are more feminine and scrolled.
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I hope this inspires you to take a visit to the craft store and get creative with your gift wrapping using stickers.
Shelly
Do you love gift wrapping and think you have creative wrapping skills that could win a contest?  If so, I want to urge you to enter the 2013 Scotch Most Gifted Wrapper Contest.  The grand prize is $10,000 and being a contestant is an experience of a lifetime.  I was blessed to have been selected as a finalist in the 2012 contest and came in second place which was a thrill.  Besides winning a trip to New York and being treated fabulously by Scotch, I also met some incredible women in my co-contestants and have been inspired by them ever since.  The Scotch Most Gifted Wrapper Contest is your chance to show the world your wrapping skills so don’t miss this opportunity and ENTER TODAY!  You can read all about the contest and entry rules here!  And you never know, I just might be there to root you on!

Entertaining Idea: Embossed Napkins

I always keep my entertaining ideas folder filled with ideas for quick, easy and inexpensive ways to up-style a party or sit-down dinner.  My latest fixation is Embossed Paper Napkins.
Embossing guns are used a lot as personalized address stamps but you can also get embossing plates with monograms and designs on them.  With minimal investment, usually under $50 you can buy an embosser and a couple of different plates.
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This classic monogram is one of my favorites and once stamped on a plain paper napkin, the napkin takes on a high-end look.
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Think about using up-styled paper napkins for large parties to save on money and they can also become part of the color theme.
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Single initials are always stylish!  The next time you’re invited to a house-warming party think about giving a embosser as a personal and unique gift.
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Embossers can also be used on gift tags, cards, gift wrap and other paper items.
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Embossers are a great item to add to your party planning kit and will turn a $3.00 pack of paper napkins into the star of the party!
You can shop for embossers here:
Paper Source {great selection of embossing plates to choose from}
Williams Sonoma {nice embossing plates for food related gifts}
Expressionery {good selection of design address plates}

 

Happy Entertaining!

Shelly

Easy DIY–Vintage Inspired Basket Tags

When it comes to organization one of my go-to items for keeping things neat is baskets.  I have multiple baskets throughout my home with several basket towers (stacked baskets)to hold ‘stuff’.  I have several baskets in my bedrooms and when I was giving our master bedroom a summer facelift, I found myself thinking about how I could add a vintage touch to the baskets.

I thought about adding fabric to the front like this basket…

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or maybe metal numbers like Donna at Funky Junk did with these.

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While these ideas are really simple to execute, I wanted my tags to have a layered feel to them so I opted for something different.

DIY--VIntage Basket Tags

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You’ll need just a few supplies to make your tags:

Wood pieces (available at your local craft store)
Acrylic paint & sponge brush
Metal corner protectors (available from Articuss Studio Designs)
Sticker Numbers or metal mailbox numbers
Twine (mine is from MayArts)

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 All you have to do to create your tags is the paint the wood, glue on the metal corner pieces and attached your numbers.  I used E6000 glue for both my metal corners and the vintage metal mailbox numbers I used.

It’s that easy to create Vintage Inspired Basket Tags! 

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 Several of the tags  used on the baskets in my bedroom were attached with the twine.  I simply drilled two holes on each end of the wood piece, inserted the twine and tied the tag on to the basket.

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If you want a more aged look with your metal corners you can use Rub-n-Buff to change the color.

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These tags were so easy and quick to make and would work on all types of boxes and bins you might have around your house.  Just think of the possibilities!

Thanks for stopping by.

Shelly

Ikea is a World of Design Possibilities!

Have you ever stopped and thought about how Ikea has changed the design world?  Their products are affordable, appeal to the masses and their stores offer for an exhilarating shopping and people watching experience especially if you happen upon someone who is visiting the store for the first time.  Let’s just say the “deer in the headlights” look is status quo for first-timers!

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I recently created a new pinterest board called Ikea Inspiration and set about pinning images of Ikea products.  One of the things that stood out to me are the items that appear over and over in room designs. Items like the Expedit Shelving UnitLappljung Ruta Rug, Billy Bookcase and the Stockholm Striped Rug.  These items I’m sure have made it into the Ikea Hall of Fame.

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Despite the fact that Ikea products and a commodity in the design world, what I like most is that designers and DIY’ers can put their own spin on the pieces and give them a unique and custom look.

  Take for instance the Malm Dresser ($49-$149 retail) which can become a sophisticated, modern, classic or uber stylish piece of furniture with a little up-sytling.

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The Malm Dresser comes in different widths, heights and drawer configurations so it can work in a variety of rooms.

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 Another hot item is the Lack Side Table.  At $9.99 and available in  seven colors this little table can be tricked out in so many ways.

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The Lack table is the perfect size for a small upholstered bench too.

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Here are a few more popular Ikea items used in fabulous room designs:

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Lappljung Pillow Cover $10.00

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Rast Dresser $34.99

Stockhold Pillow Cover

Stockholm Pillow Cover  $12.99

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 Ribba Picture Frame, the makings of a great gallery wall.  $4.99-$24.99

There are about a thousand other products at Ikea that can be customized to fit your design and style needs.  Although Ikea may appear to be aisle and after aisle of “stuff” upon first glance,  Ikea can be really inspiring if you just think of the possibilities.

Do you have a favorite IKEA piece?

Shop Ikea on-line here!

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all images can be found on my Ikea Inspiration Pinterest board!

Let’s Get Crafty: Marbleized Gift Tags

The other day I was cleaning out under the bathroom sink and realized I had a hoard of nail polish.  While I mostly wear red and pink polish I found a couple of unique colors in my stash.  Colors that would be perfect for making Marbleized Gift Tags which have been on my crafting to-do list for months.    

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Supplies:
 
*  fingernail polish  – in a mix of colors
*  metal pie tin (from the dollar store)
* old cookie sheet
*  water
*  blank gift tags
*  wood skewer or toothpick
*nail polish remover – for clean up
 
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 Work in a well ventilated area or you’ll be feeling as swirly as your gift tags when you’re done.
 
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 Fill the pie pan with 1/4″ to 1/2″ of water.
Begin dropping the polish into the water but work fast as the nail polish tends to  solidify rather quickly.
Mix the nail polish colors together using your tooth pick.  The mix doesn’t look pretty at this point but the end result will be different.
 Instead of swirling the colors together you can also pull the colors in a line pattern to keep the colors a bit more separated.
 
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Once your colors are mixed, lightly place your gift tag on to the surface of the water.  Don’t submerge the tag.  The polish will adhere to the tag.
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Once you’ve dipped your tags lay them flat on your cookie sheet to dry.
You’ll get a different pattern and color combination with every gift tag and the fun will last for hours 🙂
Ta da…
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 Didn’t I tell you the result would be great?!
 I’m headed to store today to pick up some more nail polish to make more of these beautiful tags.  I’ll have some for sale in my Ruffles and Remnants Etsy shop soon.
Happy Crafting!
 
XO Shelly

DIY Polka Dot Cocktail Napkins

I’m back today with a fun DIY project!

Ever since seeing these cute cocktail napkins at Anthropologie I’ve wanted to buy a set or two or three.

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Last week while looking around at Tuesday Morning, I came across a set 12 solid colored cocktail napkins and the DIY bell went off in my head.

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To create your polka dot cocktail napkins simply dip the end of the eraser in your fabric paint and place random dots on your napkins.  Easy peasy with fabulous results!

{fabric can be washed after 72 hours}

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Bring on the summer cocktails!

XO Shelly

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