A Turquoise Filing Cabinet

When I moved into my house my dad let me steal an extra filing cabinet from his house. It is just your basic two drawer ugly gray filing cabinet, but I needed a place to store important papers so I shoved it in a closet and occasionally got around to filing my papers.

Then I saw this online:

The picture sparked my memory and I remembered that I have almost a full can of turquoise paint left from when I painted my lamp.

So I had the brilliant idea of painting the ugly gray filing cabinet and using it as an end table in the office (like I do with the one I painted red when I lived in my first apartment) instead of taking up valuable closet space hiding it.

The red filing cabinet.

I put down a plastic painting tarp I had in the spare bedroom (to make sure I didn't mess up my hardwood floors) and got started.

It took four coats of paint before the paint was thick enough to not look streaky, but the finished product looks great! I moved my smaller plastic drawer cabinet into the closet and put the filing cabinet in the corner by the sofa in the office. I love the way it looks, plus since it's larger it has plenty of space for the lamp that was always kind of crowded on the plastic cabinet.

When I painted my other filing cabinet I considered spray paint, but I have a hard time finding spray paint in the bright colors I prefer. Plus I can use liquid paint inside which is nice at this time of year.

My experience with spray paint also makes me think using liquid paint gives me more control over coverage and where the paint ends up. I've had a couple of mishaps with spray paint where the finished product doesn't look as good as I'd hoped.

What do you think? Have you ever given a filing cabinet a makeover?

The Big Bad Pig Is Gone!

Well, the boar head that's hung in my spare room for ages is finally gone!

My brother Burns recently started a new job in Montana and is moving into his first place. He's been gathering all the things that you need when you start out on your own, including art and decorations. 

Since Spencer still isn't somewhere that he can hang art he told Burns he could have the boar temporarily for his new place.

I've been trying to get rid of that ugly thing for almost two years! Half the people who come over to stay are terrified of sleeping in the same room and although it didn't bother me it also wasn't the style I was going for.

Since my grandmother is going through her things and gradually getting rid of stuff I asked if I could take one of Granddaddy's paintings for my house. I hung the one I chose in the place where the boar head was previously.

My granddaddy painted for years, mostly with oils and we have a variety of landscapes and other paintings that he made. This one was a landscape he painted of West Texas.

Artist: B. Wallace McDowell

New Job, New Start

Art by Grace Grothaus

Lately offices have been on my mind. I have a new job which means I need to add some color to my new cube. So while I'm trying to decide what to take to the office I thought I'd share some pictures from one of my last office spaces.

Making it Pretty

I think it's important for a work space to be visually pleasing, it makes me feel more relaxed and productive. I've made some serious progress with my home office/hobby room, but now that I have a new full-time job that project will probably need to go back on hold. I have a vision, I just need to make it happen.

At my last job I added touches of color such as this lamp (now gracing a hallway bookshelf), the above painting by my friend Grace (now featured in my living room), framed photographs, the mirror and these awesome wall carvings from Vietnam (shown below).

Vietnamese wooden carving.

At my last job the walls of my cubicle were real walls and there were enough holes in the wall already that a few more didn't matter. The office space at my new job doesn't allow for me to hang up as many things. For one thing most of my walls are that soft material that you can't put nails in. However, I did take my mirror and there were a couple of posters and a small lamp already there. I'm also considering a larger lamp to give my space a light source that is more welcoming than the overhead lights.

Organize It
Luckily the paperwork I inherited is pretty well-organized. There's a lot to go through and as I begin creating my own system I might change a few things, but for the most part I think the current system will work well.

Keeping paperwork manageable is a constant battle. At home I installed wall organizers (seen below). I chose a clear plastic option because it meant I could use the brightly patterned file folders to add another pop of color to the room. The file folders are almost like art! Plus it's a great way to save on desk space (which I have a shortage of at home).

Plan Ahead

Wall organizers
in my home office.

While the wall organizers are a start for the home office, I have several plans in the works.

1. Paint the desk set. You can see the start of that project here.
2. I recently replaced the sofa in my office with the smaller sleeper sofa from my living room. I got a new sofa from a friend (for free!) and decided I didn't need three couches. It was sad to let go of the couch I'd had since graduating college, especially since it was really comfortable, but I donated it to Catholic Charities so at least I know it will be used for a great cause. My brother was disappointed to see his "reading couch" go.
3. Eventually I may give into my family's urging and buy a new desk. So far I haven't because: a) I can't afford a desk of the quality and style I would want and b) If I decide not to keep the desk I currently have there is no where else for it to go. Dad's already threatening to get rid of the matching dresser and Mom has the lingerie chest. I would love to save the set in case I have a daughter someday. Plus I think that the new paint job will give the set a whole new life.
4. Add more storage.

So What I Am Doing...
I'm guessing about now some of you are thinking, "New job?! What are you doing now?"

My boss bought me some
chocolates in Santa Fe
as a thank you for all I do.
So sweet!

Well, I'm really excited about this newest opportunity. I've joined the development department at Gilcrease Museum. So basically I found a job that uses my work experience AND my history degree. Who would have thought it possible?

So far I've been helping with membership and event planning. I love the job and I love Gilcrease. I had no idea what an asset the museum is to our community until I began working there. We have a certified copy of the Declaration of Independence, one of the few in existence other than the original in Washington, D.C. We also have more Thomas Moran paintings than most other museums and a plethora of artifacts and documents recording the history of the Americas from Canada to South America. It's an amazing collection.

I'll try to update you on how it goes, but mainly I'm just loving working at a museum. Plus the museum is affiliated with the University of Tulsa which means I get the perks of being an university employee. Maybe I'll decide whether law school or a masters degree program is a route I want to seriously consider (I've toyed with the idea in the past) now that I'll get free tuition.

A Tile Cover Up

New addition!

I've mentioned before how much I hate the tile in my kitchen. It shows every footprint or piece of dirt minutes after I mop. I've wanted to buy a round rug for the area for a while, but everything I found cost about as much as my mortgage or was the wrong color scheme.

Then a friend of mine posted on facebook that she was selling a rug that fit my needs perfectly for only $60. Perfect!

And it really is great for the space. It covers up a good bit of the tile and Ollie enjoys laying on it while I work in the kitchen. Plus the since the cost was reasonable I don't feel bad if I accidentally drop something on it while cooking.

Have you found great deals before on sites like facebook or craigslist? What do you think of rugs in a kitchen area?

Take a Seat!

Over the snow break I took the opportunity to start updating the look of my desk set. The last time my mom and I painted the desk and chair was in middle school--maybe earlier. I started with the chair since it's a smaller project. I wanted to change the soft green look to something a little bolder.

The stylin' look Mom and I gave
my chair in middle school.

The Fabric...
I started by removing the seat cover (really simple, just unscrew the screws holding it in place and use a staple remover to take off the fabric).

I wish I had taken a picture of the old seat cover after I removed it. You could tell which part was where people sat because it was a dingy tan instead of the original white. Yuck!

I may have mentioned the enormous amounts of fabric I've collected over the past few years, but if I haven't let me assure you I had my own personal store to choose from for this project. I went with a blue fabric with a subtle pattern. Then I simply used the old seat cover as a pattern and cut the new fabric to the same size and shape. I managed to get the new fabric in place with a basic stapler, but to secure it I borrowed my dad's staple gun. The bottom of the seat is made of wood, so my desk stapler wasn't heavy-duty enough.

The Paint...

You can compare the current look
with the old color in the background.

The next step was painting the chair. I sanded it down and chose a caramel color to paint with. After painting two coats I decided the "caramel" color is more pink than I wanted. However, rather than buying another can of paint I tried a trick my mom suggested.

After the paint dried I took a can of wood stain and lightly painted it onto the chair. Then I took a rag and rubbed the stain off.

Quick Tip: Make sure to leave the stain on long enough to add color, but start wiping it off before the stain dries. Also, wear your grubby, don't care if they get stained clothes.

This gave the chair some depth and made the paint seem less pink. I'm really excited about the look.

Final product:

The beginning of the new look!

Next up will be the desk, I plan to paint it the same color, but I'm going to add cork board covered in bright fabrics for color and a fun place to pin notes. New hardware for the drawers may be in the future as well.

Total cost for this chair's update was about $10 (cost of a quart of paint).

What do you think of the new look?

Brightening Up the Bathroom

For Christmas my grandmother gave me a gorgeous little decor set for my bathroom. It's taken me months to get it all set up (not because it's difficult, just because I haven't taken the time to do it), but I think it's perfect for the space:

The set came with the mirrored tray, glass domes, candles and some stones. I think I want to use clear stones instead of the ones included in the set, but I also like the set up without stones.

I had bought another tray last year to use in here, but it was too long so I'm using it as a centerpiece in the kitchen instead. I figure once the candles are gone I could even use the glass domes to decoratively store my makeup brushes (an idea from my friend Ashley) or to display some flowers.

Perfect Idea

I've been trying to come up with possible ways to add bookshelf space to my house. Right now I have three boxes of books sitting in my attic because I didn't have space on the bookshelves. And I'm starting to double up rows of books on the shelf space I do have.

One space that I could put a bookshelf is in my bedroom. I would need something narrow that would go with my light wood furniture and gold accents. I was wandering through Garden Ridge a few days ago and saw this shelf.

I think this might be perfect, but I decided against buying it right away. It cost over $100 so it will be an investment. In the picture you can see that it comes in both the gold and an espresso color, I would get the gold color.

Hopefully the shelf will stay in stock long enough for me to consider whether to make the purchase. Finding something this unique again might take a while.

The Color Orange

The lighting makes it difficult to see, but the vase
is yellow with orange and green spots that pick up the
same colors in the coasters and flowers.

When I bought my new coasters I started rearranging my living room trying to find the perfect place to display them. Since the coasters had orange accents I grabbed an orange perfume bottle from my collection, but still needed something to fill out the space.

I was trying to decide what else to use to round out the grouping when it occurred to me that the vase I painted at Purple Glaze the week before would be perfect!

My book club ladies and I plan at least one non-book event a month, and we've gone to Purple Glaze a few times. We bring snacks, a couple bottles of wine and go to town on some pottery. I found my book club on MeetUp.com a couple years ago and joined because a book club sounded like a great way to meet people. I really started getting to know these ladies when I went with them on a weekend trip to Branson about a year ago and I just love spending time with all of them.

There are a few things about the vase that I wish I had done differently, but after I added some flowers from Garden Ridge (they have an awesome false flower collection) I think it really finished the look.

Love the final result!

Bathroom Overhaul

When I bought my house there was only one room that I knew I couldn't stand. Check it out:

Bland, huh? With that white color palette not only did the room feel like it belonged in a hospital, but check out that ugly magazine rack/toilet paper holder in the wall. I'm pretty sure it used to be a space heater (my grandma has them in the bathrooms at her house), but when I moved in it was just an eyesore.

Features you can't really see in the picture are the cheap wood cabinets (they match the ones in the kitchen) and the over-sized cabinet that was hanging about the toilet. It didn't reach the walls, but only left a couple inches on either side between the edges of the cabinet and the walls.

That mirror is awesome though. When I was still house-hunting Spencer would sometimes come with me, even though we weren't planning to room together at that time. One of the houses I looked at had this decorative mirror in the bathroom. It gave Spencer a great view of his midriff, but if he wanted to see his face he was out of luck. My mirror takes up an entire wall and even tilts in a bit on the sides. I love it.

First Step: Color
My first step with the bathroom was to give the room some color. I painted the walls a sage green. I love the color green, but I went through about four wrong shades of green before picking the current color.

I discovered that people weren't kidding when they said bathrooms are the hardest rooms to paint. Luckily the room wasn't big, but the tight space made it difficult to maneuver with a ladder. I ended up asking my brother to paint some of the areas I couldn't reach. I think the color really made the room pop though.

I also bought some black metal paint and went to town on that magazine rack. Once I finished painting I actually thought it was kind of cool.

*Sidenote: I made sure to tape the border and metal rods really well, I wanted to keep the contrast of the chrome against the black and green.

Tying it Together
The next struggle I had was choosing a color scheme to tie the room together. My towels from college were a solid blue, I bought a few more at Kohl's that had the same blue in stripes. Then I went through three shower curtains before I found the perfect one.

Pictures of all three:

Curtain #1
My parents gave me this one.
It hadn't been used in so long that I don't
even remember it ever being used.

Curtain #2
My grandmother bought this
one for me. I love the design,
but ultimately decided it
didn't go with this room.

Curtain #3
Final choice!

I'm so proud of my final choice. The iridescent blues and greens really tie the walls into the rest of my color scheme for that room. I bought the curtain and bathroom set at Kmart, thanks to my mom. I was actually a little surprised they had something I liked, in general I'm not a big fan of Kmart. I feel like you can't rely on them to have what you need from visit to visit, their merchandise changes a lot. My mom loves them though and dragged me along on one of her shopping trips.

That visit was definitely a success. Not only did I find the bath set, but I also found the perfect bath mats! For some misguided reason I actually thought white bath mats would be a good idea at first. Then I tried blue. The final winner were these awesome green mats from Kmart.

Simple Additions
Sometimes the simple touches are what completes a room. My dad surprised me with these pretty shower curtain hangers, which are just perfect. I would have just used the cheap plastic ones I already had if he hadn't found them. Wouldn't that just be sad?

I also replaced the original shower head. I bought a low flow detachable shower head because the one that was originally installed was too low for me. Any time I find something that is too low or tight for me I decide it's a no. If someone who is 5'3" thinks a shower head is too low, a mirror too small or the backseat of a car too cramped (Read about my awesome car here! Note that the car I chose is comfy for anyone, even in the backseat.), I figure it would be nearly impossible for 90% of the population. Plus the detachable shower head is more convenient.

Finishing Touches
I had to take down that oversized cabinet in order to paint. My final step to the bathroom overhaul was to sell that cabinet on craigslist and buy a smaller shelf that fit the space better and to add another towel bar (the only one in the bathroom was in the shower/tub).

I chose a shelf in the same silver throughout the bathroom and with glass shelves. It's awesome for displaying some of my perfume bottles and art.

Not Done Yet!
Despite loving the changes that I've made I still have some plans for that room.

• The tall cabinet actually only has two shelves, once my dad has time to help me cut the wood to the right size I plan to add a couple more shelves. That cabinet could offer so much more storage than it does now.
• I've also considered painting the cabinets. Either the whole area, or just the doors. I think a metallic paint in the center of the doors or replacing them with frosted glass would look cool.
• Another thought I've had is replacing the bath mats with a nice hallway runner. While I love how the mats look, they won't last forever. I read an article that said rugs are more durable since they are designed to withstand more traffic. I think a nice hallway runner in the right colors would look awesome in the bathroom, and last longer.
  

Help!
When I moved in my neighbor (also a plumber) warned me that the tub was porcelain and would chip/scratch if I used abrasive cleaners (same with my kitchen sink). Despite my best efforts I still have a few nicks in the tub. Anyone have suggestions on how to get this fixed? I'm not even sure who I would call or if it can be fixed.

What rooms were disasters when you moved into your house? How did you fix them?

Special Touches

So before Tulsa was shut down by the blizzard I invited friends over for Saturday evening. Being unable to make it into the office this week I've had some time for a few projects on my list.

Check out my new centerpiece:

I bought the tray for $10 at TJ Maxx. Originally I meant for it to be in the bathroom, but it didn't fit the space. The stones and candles were items I already had around the house.

I also have been working on the binding for a quilt I began piecing THREE years ago. I finished the piecing and added the backing a long time ago, but the binding and some detail work needed to be done before it is finished.

I also filed a huge stack of papers that I just hadn't had the time to organize and add to the filing cabinet. As a bonus I found the missing key card to my office. Hurray for not needing to pay for the new card!

Of course I've also been taking care of chores like sweeping, dishes and laundry. And getting some stuff done for work. I'm glad I had the foresight to bring stuff home to work on, plus I'm able to remote into my work computer to grab files or emails I might need. I was hoping to be able to drive to work by Monday, but now it's snowing buckets again. And I hear through the grapevine that we're expecting even more Sunday night or Monday and again Wednesday/Thursday.

On the plus side I now have icicles hanging from my roof, that means that the snow started to melt at some point. Right?

An Invitation to Relax

Ollie enjoying the sofa. Don't the new cushions just make
it look like you can sink into the couch and relax?

The new cushion covers are here! They arrived Thursday afternoon, just in time for me to update my couch's look before my book club gals came over.

My initial thoughts:

The section on the right is slightly
heavier than the one on the left.

1. I love, love, LOVE the pattern. Saffron Marigold hand prints all it's fabrics inch by inch, so if you look closely enough you can see subtle differences in different sections of the fabric.
2. The cushion covers are a little loose. I may try washing them to see if they shrink a bit. I'm slightly worried that the dye will run and mess up the pattern though. Maybe I'll try calling their customer service number to ask first. The cushions do have washing instructions attached, it says to machine wash with cold water, but with dyes you need to be careful.
3. The shams seem very well-made, but since the fabric is cotton I'm a little concerned about how they will hold up under regular use. Not that I'm particularly hard on my belongings, but the couch is one place that gets used every day.

You can read more about Saffron Marigold and my thoughts about the couch's old look here. I included the before picture of the sofa. The cushions were so flat and the uniform blue wasn't very inviting. I did keep a couple of the throw pillows (I made them when I moved into my first apartment), but I flipped them over since the fabric backing meshes better with the new cushions.

Before pic

 Steps to an Updated Look
I knew I hated how flat the old cushions were, so I had a couple of options.

• Restuff the cushions. My only problems with this option were that I had never done it before (not a big concern since I'm sure I could have figured it out quickly) and that I didn't particularly like the color scheme of the cushions.
• Buy new cushions. I still had a few choices once I decided to go with this option. I could get throw pillow that were large enough to serve as the sofa's back. Or I could buy regular pillows and find covers for them, I went with this option.

I bought regular Euro-size pillows at Bed, Bath & Beyond several months ago. I think I spent about $50 on four of them. I had more trouble finding a place to buy the cushion covers (or shams). Most of the ones I liked were part of a bedroom set or were just too expensive (the ones I liked at Pottery Barn were $50 each). I could have easily gone and bought fabric to make the shams myself, but the way my projects have been progressing lately I would have gotten rid of the sofa before my pillow covers were finished.

I came across Saffron Marigold by chance, but I loved their designs and what they stood for. I think it is important to support small businesses, especially those that give back to their community or work to take care of their employees.

The package that my shams came in included the receipt in a recycled paper envelope and a brochure about Saffron Marigold. And of course the shams. Here's a close up of the new cushion cover before I put it on the pillow:

Isn't it lovely. I'm so glad I went ahead and bought the shams. I think they help transform my living room into a space that I'll be happier spending time in.