BLOGGER'S OFFICES

I have been working on my office for a couple of years now.  Actually, it's mostly done, but I continually tweak it.  I mean, it functions quite well, but it is lacking something I can't put my finger on.

To figure out what is missing I check out other blogger's offices.  Here are a few that caught my eye.

 I love the mix on this charcoal gallery wall in this post by Driven by Décor.  I just don't quite have the courage to paint my wall charcoal, plus I would have to start over with the furniture.  But that wall really is quite dramatic.  And I am envious of the hidden storage in the credenza.

As this cozy nook at classic casual home shows, you don't have to have a big area to have a functional and stylish space.  Aren't those bulletin boards great?

Talk about stylish!  What a great open and airy space that Sarah M. Dorsey has created in her loft.  Love that colorful rug!

This office from Shabbyfufu has an elegant mix of modern touches with old world furniture.

This office from Inspired by Charm includes functionality with it's good looks. 

My office seems to have so much stuff, not only files, but books and supplies and papers and bills.  I have to be able to store these items and have the room still look good.

I will have an office update later this week.  Function or beauty?  Is it possible to have both?  Those are the questions.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR VACATION RENTAL HOMEOWNERS

I have never owned a vacation rental home, nor will I ever.  Over the years we have rented many beach houses for a week at the beach.

Most of them provide the basics, but it would be quite easy to provide a more comfortable stay for their guests, with minimal expense.

I am not going to get into décor here.  If you are renting a home, you probably are not going to put a lot of money into décor.  I wouldn't either.

But I would put money into a couple of things.  Here is my list.

1.  Blackout curtains or decent blinds in the bedrooms.  It's vacation people!  We don't want to wake up with the sun!

2.  Many hooks in the bathroom.  We need places to hang wet clothes and bathing suits and towels.  And how much do hooks cost?  This is not a major expense.

3. Lamps.  Lamps by the beds, lamps by the sofas.  You can get good, inexpensive lamps at thrift stores, Target, Ikea.

4.  Surfaces, in the bedroom and the bathroom.  We need a place to put our toiletries.  Please don't clutter it up with plastic plants and shells and fish.

5.  Placemats - is this too much to ask for?  They can be wipe-able.  Note to self:  bring a tablecloth next year.

These small additions will make any renter's stay more comfortable and they will want to come back next year.  Do you have any additions to my list?  I'm sure I missed a few things!

Enjoying a Week Alone

Tom was on a business trip recently which gave me unlimited (almost) time to get a few projects done.

During our years of active duty, deployments were a time to get some big projects done.  By big projects I mean make a quilt or redecorate our bedroom.  And sometimes those things did happen.

Now I am older and wiser, not to mention less energetic and ambitious.

But, still, there were a few painting projects I wanted to accomplish while I had an entire week, like the inside of this cabinet.

I had refinished the server surface when I first bought it, but never got around to painting the inside.  Below, a before shot of the inside - it's just a rough plywood.

Huge improvement, right?  Priming it first really helped.

When I found this paint color for the door leading into the house from the garage, I knew it would be perfect here too.  It's Embellished Blue by Sherwin Williams and I absolutely love it.
I really want to paint my entire basement in this color.  It would lighten it up so much and give it an airy feel that is lacking now. But that is for another day.

I also painted a nightstand that was a thrift store find from a few years ago.

I sadly do not have any before pictures of the nightstand.  It was a basic brown, nothing beautiful, no antique patina believe me. 

The nightstand is in a guest room that I am working on.  It's a long term project so I am not promising updates soon.

Painting is not my favorite thing to do.  However, seeing the transformation is very inspiring.  And it really did not take that much time. Most of the time is spent waiting for the paint to dry.

Do you have any little projects hanging around?  Now is a good time before all of the fall holidays roll around.

GARAGE IS DONE

I finally have an organized garage.  I cannot tell you how excited this makes me#getalife. 

If you are a real do it yourselfer you are probably snickering at this paltry amount of tools.  But even when you have only a few tools, which are mostly not power, you want to be able to find the one you are looking for.  You even want them organized on a pretty striped pegboard.

Below see how this area used to look.

The old kitchen cabinetry was left here by the previous owners.  In fact they left quite a bit of old cabinets that I have gotten rid of over the years. 
I decided to keep this one - I like the hidden storage that the doors provide.
As always, paint gave it a new life.  And priming it first was key to making it look so much better.  I also bought new handles for an update.
There was an old laminate countertop on the cabinet.  I washed it with TSP, then primed it and painted it with glossy black paint.  I finished it with two coats of polyurethane.  We will see how long it lasts.

I purchased this galvanized organizer and tray from Birch Lane.  I think you could get a similar effect with cans with the label removed and an enamel tray.

The perfect little stool for those hard to reach tools.

But that was just one area that needed organizing and fixing up.

Below is what the other side of the garage looked like.

We started with two piles:  keep and donate.  I loaded up the van and made several trips to the thrift store.
Next I drew up a plan on scrap paper for the items that were to be stored in the garage.  My categories were:  Christmas, sports/games, coolers, beach, camping gear.  By doing this planning I was able to buy only the shelving and tubs that I needed.

Tom and I went to The Container Store and bought 3 shelving units with 4 shelves each, plus two tubs (for the camping gear and the games, sports gear).

Having everything on the shelves makes it organized and easier to clean around.

The tool area always frustrated me.  Having to paw through this pile in order to find the rake or the shovel was so annoying.

Now I can immediately find what I am looking for.  I found this Rubbermaid tool caddy on Amazon.

There is still work to be done.  Did you notice that file cabinet in the middle of the garage?  It's full of papers that my hoarder husband must read through first.  And those doors on the cabinet are hiding a few secrets.  But we are so far ahead of where I had even dared to dream.

It's the simple things.

To read about my gardening area in the garage go here.

This is not a sponsored post.  I paid full price for everything mentioned.

Linking with Savvy Southern Style

GARDEN SHED DREAMS

After lusting for years over rustic garden sheds and barns, adorable outbuildings turned into vintage havens, I decided it was time to create my own rustic retreat in my suburban garage.

As a collector of the rustic and rundown, I had plenty of stuff.  I realized I could bring it all together, in this corner of the garage and create my own vintage spot.

And, yes, there is a place for the tools and fertilizers and all the supplies necessary to keep a garden looking beautiful.  Function is a must!

In fact, it's the ideal place to get my creative juices flowing and everything I need is close at hand.

 Here the collectible and "frivolous" mingles with the indispensable and reliable.

It's kind of the perfect balance.

This area is my little slice of country in the city.  I sit here and plan my garden, make lists of what needs to be done (unending) and look at what has been accomplished thus far.

This space is a luxury, a place to dream and to design, with all my favorite things around me.

After a while I don't notice the cinder block walls.  I am in my own

rustic shed.

When Tom can't find me in the house he knows I am probably out in my garden "shed", planning next year's garden.

I hope you are finding some cool relief during these hot days!

FAVORITE LANDSCAPING

Am I the only person who will go out of my way to look at a pretty garden? I often detour to see what's going on in the garden of one particular house in my neighborhood. I guess you could say I am a garden stalker.
 The house sits on a corner lot and the owners have used every inch to enhance their cottage style home.  After years of almost causing an accident as I cruised past I decided the time had come to take some pictures. 

The driveway forms a Y shape just in front of the steps.

Below are the plantings that keep you from noticing the house next door, on the right side of the driveway.

The chartreuse color of the Japanese  grass is a wonderful contrast to the hydrangeas.

The border below is on the left side of the house and provides privacy from the street.  The house is about a block or so away from a busy commercial area.  Their mailbox is nestled amongst the lilies and crepe myrtle.

Silvery Artemisia is so pretty as contrast in the border.

The arbor below, leads into the side yard.  I long to be invited in to tour those areas that I cannot see from the street!

This garden has such a nice organic feel.  The plantings are suited perfectly to the property.  And I like that the owners have established privacy by diverting your eye to the lovely garden, not by building a wall of hedges.

A beautiful garden is such a pleasure.  I almost feel that I should write them a thank you note!

So do you have houses or gardens you drive by to get inspiration and ideas?