Office makeover

Home Office: Before

You may remember a few years ago (or may not... but considering there's only three people who read this blog, it may not be too far of a stretch) when we started to re-do the office. I posted a pretty pitiful before shot, which is pretty much the only photo I took. But you can imagine, based on this pic, the state of things. Basically you couldn't really walk in here. It was a storage closet with a desk crammed into the corner that was all but consumed by the behemoth all-in-one printer that my company issues to work at home employees (seriously-- could they give me a bigger one??). I know that it's getting old, but you'll remember my house is SMALL. So storage was a key priority. Plus, if we were to ever have guests (which we still haven't had), we wanted somewhere for them to sleep.

Home Office: After

DIY Roman Blinds

This is pretty much how the office has stayed--significantly cleaned up with nothing in the room/on the floor aside from the desk and closet units that you see here. That is until I got and made-up Gladys, we moved the dresser previously in the bedroom to this room, got some new shades, and made this nifty ottoman (more on this in an upcoming post)-- and re-arranged some pictures and mirrors in the house. And wouldn't you know it-- it went from a space in transition to a pretty nice (if I do say so myself) space.

Gladys and re-arranged wall decor

Wall decor, alcove cover, rearranged dresser

DIY Ottoman

A little paint goes a long way

Another make-over, this time of the mini variety. I found this planter at Tesco in the sale aisle for a whopping £2. Score! And while I love the natural terracotta with the olive branch decoration, I've been looking for a planter that we could put at MRN's dad's grave for a little while now. And since it will be outside permanently and you have to seal terracotta so it doesn't wick away all of the moisture and kill whatever is planted, I decided I would paint it.

I started by sealing the inside with a clear enamel spray and then painted the whole thing using good old Rustoleum multi-surface spray paint in gloss black (yes, I used the same for Gladys).

After 24 hours I then used a stencil brush to dab bronze metallic acrylic craft paint on the olive branch decoration which I purposefully did imperfectly to give is a more natural look. Another 24 hours later, I sealed the whole thing with more clear enamel spray paint.

So, voila! Pretty simple transformation for a flower pot-- and at a bargain (since I had left-over rustoleum, I only had to buy the enamel and craft paint (£2.99 each). That plus the pot means this little project was only about £6. I always think it's such a shame to leave flowers that die so quickly and I'd noticed that some of the other graves had lovely gardens and planters-- so this way we can plant seasonal plants that could last a few months and there would always be something in bloom. I was too late this season for forget-me-nots so I got some beautiful begonias (not pictured) and as the season changes I figured we could replace with some heather or evergreen as it gets cold and then plant forget-me-nots and rosemary (for remembrance) in the Spring. Any other ideas of what we can plant as the seasons change?


Spray-painted black













Finished product

Gladys get a makeover

So, we all know my English home's gots some storage is-sues. I've been sucking it up and making do; I hate clutter and having things on display, so I've become somewhat of an expert at maximizing storage (and shoving things where they can't be seen).

My biggest challenge to date has been shoe storage. One day when I'm fabulously wealthy, I'll have one of those MTV cribs closets that are bigger than the average bedroom and has a whole wall of little cubbies to display—err, store shoes. But until then, I'm forced to get creative in my limited space.

Enter Gladys.

Gladys is a china cabinet I bought on eBay for £20 (that about $32). I don't know anything about her origin or age, but the seller was able to tell me that she came from an estate sale of the belongings of a woman named Gladys. Of course the name stuck. It's a classic-- like every good grandmother name (Matilda, Frances, Mildred...). It was, as they say, kismet. Small enough to not take up too much space; stylish enough to be on display; and big enough to house, oh, at least 15 -18 pairs of shoes.

Alas, while Gladys had great bones, the old girl was a bit of a wreck. Cracked and peeling, various layers and shades of stain, she was in need of an overhaul. After trolling the internet for inspiration, I decided that I would bite the bullet and apply a coat (or four) of glossy black paint-- 1) because I fell in love with all the makeovers I found online; 2) because she was a bit old fashioned for my taste and I felt like she deserved some sprucing up; 3) because I loved her curves, which reminded me of a piano; and 4) because I couldn't bear the time commitment of sanding, re-sanding and then more sanding it would take before I could apply stain (umm—so much for that; it required multiple rounds of sanding which, coupled with the dismal weather and not being able to do anything outside made this project drag on for about 4 months). Oh, and 5) because I had an idea that I could use the awesome Orla Kiely wallpaper I bought a few years ago for another project but never used.

So, below is Gladys' journey from great to even more awesome (if I do say so myself). The wallpaper worked terrifically as a way to brighten up the dark interior and serve as a backdrop for my art-- err, shoes (and in fact, it’s a bit of a shame that the shoes cover it up). And the black gloss paint? LOVE. It really does make her look like a piano. Alas, my clodhoppers mean that only the high-high heels fit on the shelves straight on, but I've managed to get 18 pairs in there, so not too bad. I plead the 5th on how many pairs I have in total.

Meet the original Gladys.