hey, friends! today i’m sharing some of my favorite picks from my latest ideabook over on houzz. since i work at my desk nearly all day long, i like to keep it organized, fresh and inspiring. here are a few items I use myself, as well as several tips on how i like to keep organized. head on over to my ideabook to read more and grab the sources!

wrap up: {desk} {houzz} {ideabook} {inspirational} {office} {organized}

wooden cherry buttons | block 7 mini house | wooden branch pendant | natural zen garden desk organizer

from karolin felix dream + the next 2 people to order (to make her first 20 sales) receive 15% off by entering “MagicOfTheForest” at checkout!

wrap up: {blocks} {desk} {fariytale} {garden} {karolin felix} {land} {organizer} {wooden} {zen}

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}

ok, so i’ve been spending a lot of time lately in the latest do it yourself magazine, and this last issue was full of things that made my ‘when i have time’ list a little longer.  i scanned a few pages to share (sorry about the fold) with you, maybe we’ll all get a little inspired to become that weekend warrior we always plan to be!

is this not the loveliest work area you’ve ever seen?  they’ve taken an old crate and made it into a desk (probably in an afternoon), and used vintage drawers for those perfect organizers.

let’s dissect it a little further..

yes, simple cork rounds doll those boring (and cheap) shelves up and turn them into an ever so useful tack board.  i’m thinking sketches, to-do’s, cards.. and they are so much cuter than your usual cork board buy. my favorite part? with a glass cylinder, they’ve turned that ‘haven’t got to it yet yarn’ into not such a daunting piece of art.

ok, here’s where i get a little obsessed.  this wallpaper.  need i say more?  i have to have it.

have a lovely weekend and i hope to see you here in a few days!

wrap up: {cork} {desk} {diy} {wallpaper} {weekend}