Office / Guest Bedroom w/ a Nautical Twist

I'm in the middle of redoing my guest bedroom / office, but became overwhelmed with all these ideas. 

 

  My father-in-law  painted these lovely nautical pictures while he was ill at home. I never had the pleasure to meet him as he passed a long time ago but he was very artistic in his own right. So when it came time to designing, there was no question that these pictures had to be displayed in the guest bedroom. There was another thing that needed to stay- my mom's dresser. Its a two drawer dresser with gold handles. It belonged to a lady she met that asked her to keep it while she staying at a rehab/nursing home. Sadly she never came back home & I couldn't bare to let my mother know. She asked the same of me, to keep it while she recovered...

 

So trying not to get sentimental, the pictures and the dresser needed to stay. Ironically  both the dresser & frames had gold /brass accents & with that I decided my accents would also.

 

This is what I decided; nautical theme / rustic /white/ I think I just vomited seashells, ok that was a little much, but I am trying my hardest to keep the seashells under control. MOST OF ALL TRYING to STAY FOCUSED of the FUNCTION of this room.  This room has perfect natural light & I want to keep it airy & not overly cluttered. 

  Now since this room was going to primarily my office / study room/ craft room / guest bedroom. I wanted to make it my own. Soooo. I went off to search the internet. I searched HIGH & LOW and got distracted & wanted to start another project (A.D.D. LIFE- SIGH).  The thing with design is to make it your own - what you like- what you want - and what WORKS FOR YOU!!  

Top of desk / Father-in-laws painting / Target bedding / Target accents / Ralph Lauren Accent wall color / Plant hanger

What I have done & have.

-One LARGE- HEAVY-  desk that I made from recycled wood.  I really want to make another one.

-Nice rolling chair re-cycled when I went curbside diving for freebies. 

-A solid wood TV-stand up-cycled to a book shelf that I scored at goodwill for $25 - <3 1/2 off days!

-A head board made from re-cycled wood - Another freebie

-Bedding that went on clearance at target 

- & of course I have 3 paintings & a dresser.

 

COLORS - Ralph Lauren Clay Indigo paint (one accent wall), white, burlap / gold accents

 

NOW- MY DILEMMA -   Where in the world do I start and where is everything going ? Google, my friend helped me find these lovely ideas.

 

Love the white w/ natural wood look. And the suitcases!! I'm a sucker for suitcases.

Daly Design

Love the storage & the accents. 

Houzz - Martha O'Harra Designs

I would never get any work done if I had this bed in my office. I would read all day & train my dog bring me coffee wine.

 

Home design Ideas


 
Multiple Mirrors & Lucite chairs will make the room appear larger & bounce the light around.
 

Home Office Ideas

Sail boat & rope lamp with a splash of seashells & candles. I see myself tripping & burning down the place. Yes, I am that clumsy
 

 

Russac.com - Nautical Ideas

This is a different way to make everything work. I wish I could work on a small desk. But I love the wrought iron day bed & mirror displays.
 



Home Decoration Ideas

I think I would like my desk in the middle with the chair by the window. I love to read in natural light.  Maybe one day I will add a sleeper sofa for guests

Whitley design

 

I need taller ceilings for the built -in & molding & maybe a bigger room. I love this office.

Nautical office ideas

 

OH dear! Lots of ideas so little time.  Time to take a drive to the beach, grab a book & a glass of wine for some inspiration. If only it wasn't four hours away! 

 

Do you have a multiple function room ? Anything that you learned what you could or couldn't live without? How did you get your inspiration? Feel free to share & link up!

 

 

 



One room at a time! Window Shop Wednesday

Do you ever look at all these wonderful blogs and think wow, how did they do that?  You are on a budget, there are so many projects you want to do, you don't have the time & frankly you don't know where to start.

 

Well, I'm living in that WANT TO DO PROJECT la-la land right now. I have goals I need to do/finish & I am still recuperating from a surgery I had in March. What's more frustrating is looking at these projects that need to be done, day in and day out. I'm officially becoming a mad woman.

 

Well Rome wasn't built in a day & I stated WANT - it's not a need.  Every thing can wait and it will get done- Eventually. Be grateful for what you have- which I am every day and chip away at it ONE ROOM AT A TIME! For now have fun, work on your goals & add a new page in your notebook : Goals for home - ie. paint, remodel bathroom, new furniture etc.

 

Now after you have had time to work on important things, like your tasks/goals, then choose a room you want to re-do. JUST ONE ROOM.  You don't have to work on it right now. Just get a general idea of what you may want. Skim magazines, furniture ads & maybe an idea of what color of paint you want.

 

Now go out and window shop! Dress comfortably, but cute, go look for ideas & leave your wallet at home. Well unless you find an amazing find. But IT MUST BE IN YOUR BUDGET!!! NO EXCEPTIONS!! I love going to pottery barn especially the pottery barn outlet store. I  get a lots of ideas. Another place I love to window shop, besides antique stores, are stores  that I would never be able to afford. Nice fancy shops. This is why I said dress cute. Tell the sales person you are designing a room & not shopping at this moment. Be courteous as they may work on commission. Letting them know will allow you to look around peacefully, day dream & take photos. You can even take your little notebook, I like to take my iPad. The really fu-fu shops won't allow you to take pictures. This is when I draw in my little notebook, something basic & an idea of how it was made.

 

If you have never window shopped before, you will love it. You walk a lot,  burn calories, distress, have fun, take pictures, & day dream. Also window shopping allows you to get familiar with high quality brand items or antiques. Perfect knowledge to have in your pocket when you go to thrift stores.

 

So relax, its Window Shop Wednesday!!  Take time for yourself!  Then show me some of your pictures.

 

OH PS - If you are busy working- then take a few minutes to do online window shopping. I'm a GOOGLER - So if you like a particular store insert the NAME of the store ie; Pottery Barn/Anthropologie/West Elm  insert the room ie; living room, guest bedroom, bathroom   now insert IDEAS - ta-da- Window shop Wednesday at your finger tips!

 

Window Shopping Online can be addicting!

 

Dad is on Sale & So is summer!

I haven't had the opportunity to talk about buying things on clearance, however if I did, I am the queen if not the "queen in running" of buying clearance.

 

When Jo was a kid- we had a gift closet. She gave awesome gifts because momma would scour clearance items. NO MAMA , NOT CHEAP - just very conscious about how many birthday parties a child can get invited to & also very aware of what's in my wallet. Though the kid is older now, I still have a gift closet. Well kind of., I buy wine and liquor now for the adults  me.  :) 

 

 

Right now all father's day items are on clearance & so are the summer items. Perfect time to buy for kids who have b-days in the summer and well even though father's day is done, it's a perfect time to buy for dad's birthday & Christmas. Actually, I like to wait till its at least 50-70% off, but you can scour through the clearance & get a general idea if it is going to sell out soon or not.

 

Now make sure you have this in your budget. No point in charging your credit card just to pay more in interest. So CASH buys or immediately pay that card if decide to charge it.

 

There isn't any rhyme or reason to my gift closet and I had no list. I never over filled it to the point where you couldn't see what you had.  My gift closet consisted of items that would fit that time frame of the kid. For instance, when the kid was 8, the gifts were catered towards 7-9 year olds. When she was 12, it was more gender neutral & catered to 11-13 year olds. As she got older, we did more gift cards. During the holidays, there are certain gift cards that give a discount & some came free with purchase. You just have to be disciplined enough to not use them yourself. Groupon or Living Social is another great place to shop for gifts.

 

If you are thinking of making a gift closet, make sure its an area that doesn't have a lot of traffic. Guest bedroom , garage or hallway closet works great. Due to the fact that we didn't have a lot of family with little ones, I just geared it to age specific with no list. If you have a large family or keep an amazing calendar, then you should have a list. 

 

 Gift closets aren't built over night. No need to fill it to the max. The point is to keep items that will be given as gifts that people will want. If you buy in advance then you have time to find items for practically nothing. 

 

The point of a gift closet is for you to save money & time.

 

• Because it's on clearance it doesn't mean its a great buy.
• Buy with money you have & in your budget. STICK TO BUDGET
• Stick to gender neutral items to be on the safe side.
• Gift closets are great for birthday, holidays, house warming & just because.
• Make a gift closet for charity.

Great gifts that you can't go wrong with.

 

KIDS

• craft items - paints, paper, great for kids & gender neutral.
• books - classic books are great. Make sure it is age specific
• games- make sure it is age specific. You may need to check in advance if they have one that game or not.
• clothing - T-shirts are always a safe bet for sizing.
• Acting items - costumes, makeup, accessories,
• stuffed animals & or dolls
• Legos
• outdoor items - bubbles / chalk / games

Hip 2 Save - BN $2 gift bins!!! WOW!

PRE-TEEN / TWEEN

• craft items - tie dye, beading, drawing items
• electronics - head sets, music, movies
• books- specific to their interests
• games - age specific
• makeup / jewelry - make sure they are allowed to have this. nail polish, face masks & items to have spa day.
• clothing - t-shirts of favorite bands /sports, plain shirts to decorate
• outdoor items - sport specific, slip & slides, age specific
• Stuffed animals of their favorite animal
• gift cards / movie tickets



Thrifty & thriving shows you the benefits of having a gift closet.

TEENS - GOOD LUCK! YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!   Just kidding. Teens are a little harder, so make sure it is something they will like.

• craft items - if they are little artist; canvas, brushes & paints
• electronics - camera's, gadgets, music, movies
• gift cards - visa cards, movie tickets, iTune cards
• games for their consoles - this is the hardest unless you really know what they like.

HOUSE WARMING / ADULTS

• wine / liquor
• vases
• frames
• wine glasses / beer glasses
• gift cards for date night / movie tickets
• books : how to's, funny, cook books,
• planters / garden signs
• candles / scents
• outdoor lanterns / tiki torches (fancy ones)

Southern Living gives you an idea how to keep a well stocked closet.

After you make your gift closet or get an idea of making one, check out Amber Lee's blog - outfitting your gift & wrapping closet. So cute. 

Do you have any gift giving tips?  Feel free to share or link up.




 

 

Manic Monday & Hanging Plants!

Hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July! Welcome back to the work week. I am jealous of you guys! Still on light duty & not able to return back to work. So I figured what could I do this manic Monday? Well I am taking my foster pups to get spayed & neutered & while I wait 9 hrs. while they are in recovery & before I am allowed to pick them up,  might as well stay on task & finish my projects.

Next on my agenda. Hanging terrariums. Thought it would be a perfect thing for the office. Now if only I can get an idea on how to do them. I tried once & it didn't go so well. So why not try it a 2nd time around?  

I had purchased the tear drop glass terrariums from whole foods about 2 years ago. I purchased the other ones from Target  dollar bins for $3. These looked a lot easier to add plants, so I figured I should give them a try.

My sad empty glass terrariums.

So where to start? I searched high and low and got a few ideas. 

First terrarium I saw, was actually a how to hang a planter. Though I wasn't looking at doing this in my office area, I do want to make this for another area.
 

 

How to Hang a Planter from a Daily Something.

 

A Daily Something shows you how to make a hanging planter. MUST TRY!!!


A Beautiful Mess shows you how to use plastic fish bowls. I will be officially on the hunt for plastic fish bowls now.

Love the seating area with plants. Perfect lighting. Picture from a Beautiful mess.

Here is a different idea for air plants. Hanging Terrarium sets it up a little differently. I have managed to kill my air plants, however I am willing to give it another shot.

Picture from hanging terrarium

Craft Organics utilizes a light bulb to display their succulents.

Light Bulb reuse from Crafts organic.

If DIY is not your thing, then you can purchase a kit like the one from Abbey McKenna Succulent designs.


Hanging Terrarium Kit by Abbey McKenna designs.

Pictured in Hooks & Lattice garden market are several glass terrariums. This is the look that I love & wanting to achieve. Hopefully my idea can transform to reality.

Now to sit & figure out placement, plant choice & how many terrariums I want to hang. Hopefully I can post pics soon. :) 

HAVE YOU EVER HUNG A PLANT? Would love to see how it turned out. DID YOU DO SUCCULENTS OR AIR PLANTS?

Fabulous Friday!

Starting off the weekend & its going to be fabulous! WHY? Because it is a going to be a great day! You will wake up, wash your face, brush your teeth, stretch & look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are fabulous! Then you will get ready & go about your day. Some of you will work & the lucky few, well, will be off to start your 4th of July weekend.  When you are out and about, don't rush, remember it will be busy so just smile. Smile a lot! Find random strangers and say ONE or TWO nice things to them. Tell them they have a great smile, you like their shoes, great hair, etc. Watch their face light up & just think how fabulous you will feel.

 

Go out and be fabulous!!! Have a safe 4th of July! 

 

 

Pin-aholic.

Do you ever find yourself sitting in front of the warm glowing screen, pinning& realize that it has been hours, NOT MINUTES, that just got wasted away?

Instead of doing, you find yourself Pin, Pin, Pin, Pinning.

Have you ever drop your phone because you fell asleep while pinning? I have.

Hi! My name is Melissa & I am a pin-aholic!

Hubby, Me & comedian Iliza Sheslinger -  clip comedy skit  of  women pinning - (contains adult content)

 

Now here is another question, you pin-aholic you, do you ever get annoyed that your feed gets bombarded by things you do not like ie; needlepoint of cats, babes in bikini’s? Not that there is anything wrong with it, but seriously, not what I was wanting to scroll through 50 x’s the first thing in the morning. {problems of a pin-aholic}

 ORGANIZE

When making a new board, I like to add things on to a secret board first then I make it public. My way of being courteous to those who really don’t want to see my dream board of opening a store of vintage/recycled items or learning how to grow my garden.  I also TRY to keep my boards organized & make sure the site is getting credit. I have yet to alphabetize my boards. Heather from setting  for four shows you how. It looks easy. I shall try it one day. Other helpful hints to make it easier for you to organize

·         Alphabetize (rename boards)

·         Change board covers (read below)

·        Delete & Purge; multiple boards, duplicate pins, pins that don’t belong in  that category

·         Create sub categories for boards with hundreds of pins.  Make it simple for your viewers.  

                 *BEDROOMS: master, kids, guests

                 *CRAFTS:  kids, paper, painting

                 *COSTUMES: kids, adults, toddlers 

·          GIVE CREDIT!!!! Where credit is due!  You wouldn’t want your picture out there for everyone to use & no one knows who you are.

 

HOW TO GAIN FOLLOWERS

Some people will ask a follow for a follow, PERSONALLY, I am not a big fan of this. No, I am not a snob, I just don’t want to follow someone (a teenager) whose interest is teen music & teen clothes or a guy whose interest is in motorcycles & their babes. Just personal preference. To me it’s not worth a follow request. However, if someone does ask me to follow them & I like their boards, well then YES! Yes! I will. Also I like to take time checking out who pinned my pins. I feel if they liked my pin, then they must have similar likes & I must check them out. I even try to find one pin that they have & pin it on one of my boards. I won't do this all the time, sometimes (on rare occasion) I won't find anything. Other times I realized that I just spent an hour mesmerized  with all their boards & end up following them.

Now back to gaining followers.

 

Essentially, in order to get more followers you should

• Be original
• Cover boards should clearly show what content is.  
• Share & comment
• Add profile widget.
• Use social media & find friends
• Comment on popular boards.
• Use hash tags.

Promoting your business via Pinterest

Just Google promote your business via pinterest & you will see hundreds of websites that show you how. But the one thing I learned from all of them, you have to PIMP YOURSELF OUT. Bleh!  One thing that I learned with Austin area bloggers, is that if you are going to be a successful blogger, you need to A. stick to a schedule & treat your blog as if it was a part time job. B. stick to a topic & organize your content.      C. Promote yourself – double bleh! If you have a business, you should do the same thing. Copy Blogger shows you how to do it in 56 ways. Perfect for the beginner, intermediate or seasoned pinner.

Pretty Pinning!

  iFabbo tells you why it is important to have great covers for your board topics. You want to draw the viewer in. AND YES! people are judging the board by its cover. I know sometimes I look at a board cover and I want more info on that particular pin & CLICK! I am sucked into your board. Pretty pinning brings the people in. And if you are a big time pinner, you can even be creative and make your own pins using your favorite photo editing program or just using simple text on your photos.  What ever you chose, make sure your board cover is fresh, eye catching & straight to the point. 

To my fellow pin-aholics - I think it is time to start doing! I say that once a month we need to pick something from our boards and DO! But remember, tasks first & projects later. Don't let pinning keep you from your goals.

How do you keep your boards organized? Do you use pinterest to promote your business?  Feel free to share your pinterest link.