along with designers (see this gift guide), bloggers are another difficult group to buy for. it’s hard to explain what we do, and it’s even harder for people new to the blogosphere to understand! here to help is the blogger gift guide. maybe you could send it along to your loved ones, or accidentally leave it open in your browser for your sweetheart to find! items 1-5 are things that i own and couldn’t live without, and items 6-10 are on my own wishlist this year. :)

have something to add? please share your gift suggestions in the comments section!

1) nikon d5100 – $449.95 | 2) 2012 cavallini daily planner - $32.95 | 3) adobe photoshop cs6 – $699 | 4) verizon mobile hotspot – $59.99 | 5) 1 year membership to the roost tribe (just email me!) – $60 | 6) mugtail fox – € 14,95 | 7) the instax mini – $124 | 8) moonshine camera strap – $120 | 9) custom instagram book (gift certificate) – $24.99 | 10) blog, inc – $11.53

wrap up: {blog} {blogger} {christmas} {computer} {gift} {gifts} {guide} {holiday}

thifted. ugly. brown. old. veneer. $20.

functional. pretty. sturdy. revived. teal!

• -chair is an antique find made form an old trough.
• -blanket, picture frames and both lamps are thrifted.
• -the map is of colorado springs (macvan maps; $10) (borders are a piece of molding from the hardware store that i spray painted black and stapled to the map to for easy hanging).
• top picture is a piece of silk that i couldn’t turn down at the fabric store- so i framed it!

i refinished the desk by starting with a really good primer that would adhere to shiny surfaces (without sanding).  then, i painted it using two coats of teal latex paint.  once dry, i hit all the corners with a sander to give it that ‘new but old’ look and applied a stain to the entire surface (minwax, ebony).  after wiping off the stain and letting it dry, i topped it off with two coats of enamel.  it sounds like a lot, but i was done in two afternoons- and that was just because i had to let things dry!

i lined the drawers with this pretty handmade paper (from the local art store) using permanent spray adhesive on the bottom and a polyurethane top coat to keep it from getting stained, scratched or torn.

(i had to make at least one drawer manly)

i repainted the old brass handles- a good primer, two coats of yellow latex paint, a cover of stain and then a protective coat of enamel (spray paint) did the trick.

so there you have it! it’s where i’m sitting right now- can you picture me in the chair?

happy weekend to you! and be safe on this halloween. :) david signed us up for a 5.5 mile trail run on sunday (eeks!) so i’ll be sure to eat lots of candy afterwards. ;) see you monday! xo, bonnie

wrap up: {before and after} {computer} {desk} {drawers} {lamps} {map} {teal}