Client's Home Office {Lighting}

Originally, for this design project, I thought I was in the clear and wouldn't have to look for any type of lighting for this room.  I picked out the ceiling light for them months ago when they built the home, and we all still like it, so it is staying.

Light from Lowe's

And their existing desk lamp has a really nice shape to it, and is nice and heavy.  Great quality.  Just the wrong finish.  So, I am keeping that and going to give it a quick spray paint makeover.  More on that later.

So, lighting was covered.  No lighting to pick out!  One less thing to put on my to-do list!

Well, that was until I saw this sneak peek picture of the bookcases going in the room!

the bottom section will have doors

The bookcases look amazing!!!  I am so impressed with how well the homeowner built these and I can't wait to see them in the room!  

This is what I sketched up on my computer for the homeowner to build the bookcases.

But, my first thought, as soon as I saw these....I said, "these would look awesome with library lights shining down on each section!"  Well, guess what?  That is exactly what the homeowners thought as well!  So, now we are looking for lights!  And I am so excited because these bookcases are going to look 10 times better with lights!

This flat area is going to be perfect for mounting and wiring 3 library lights, but not just any library light.

They must include all of these things. 

1.  An on/off switch on the mounting plate of the light.  

(something about the way the wiring is being done, they have to have an exposed switch)

2.  Bronze Finish - to match the existing light

(or brass to match the decor)

3.  Adjustable Head - So, the light shines into the bookcase and not just on the floor

4.  Goose Neck - Or at least a long enough neck to showcase the curiosities in the bookcases.

This might be impossible to find!  This is when that moment of "I know exactly what I want, we'll see if I can find it" starts happening.

Do you know my Indiana neighbor girl north of me, Thirfty Decor Chick.  She has an amazing blog to check out if you don't.  Well, her dining room bookcases were our inspiration for my client's bookcases.  And I remembered she added lighting to her bookcases as well.  So I had to go back and find the post and check out her journey of how she found her lighting.  We are both kind of on the same page as far as the style of what we were looking for.  Thanks to Sarah at TDC, a lot of the initial internet sites were checked off my list.  But I still had some looking to do myself to find just the right light in just the right price range for my clients.

Pottery Barn

This is it!  Exactly what I had in mind.  It looks like it can be hardwired as well to hide those cords.  But at almost $200 a piece, I am not sure my client will go for that -- we have 3 to buy!

Ballard Designs

I may have found the perfect alternative to the more expensive one!  At only a little over $100 each, that sounds a lot more reasonable on price especially when you see all it can do.  The arm is adjustable so the light can placed closer or further away from bookcase and the head of the light is adjustable so you can shine the light on any area inside the shelves.  The finish is bronze, so it would match the existing pendant perfectly.  We might have a winner!

And if I look closely, is this an on/off switch on the mounting plate?!?! Oh, I hope so!!

Here are some close runner ups I am also considering.  I like the idea of some of these as well.  I think I need to see them in person.  A trip to Home Depot and Lowe's it is!

Home Depot

Home Depot

Home Depot

Lowe's

 I still like the one from Ballard Designs the best.  It has everything we are looking for.  Off to do a little shopping.  Let's see what we decide on!!

Client's Home Office {Seating Options}

We decided on the Settee Option!  If you remember this home office I have been working on, I gave the homeowners 2 different options for seating arrangements, you can see here.  A seating area with a settee, or 2 accent chairs with a table in between.  We all agreed, the settee option would be best for the room. 

These are all of the settee options I came up with.  (On a side note, I always give my clients options such as this when purchasing a larger item.  It's a huge purchase for them and an item they are going to keep for a while, so I really want them to get what they are going to be happiest with.  At the end of the day, it's their home and they have to live with the design, so options are good, and they feel like they are part of the design process!)

All of these settees had similar qualities.

1.  Good price.  Won't break the bank.

2.  The perfect size for the room.  Anywhere between 58"-72" long. 

3.   Great fabric colors.  I initially thought a light color on the fabric would work best in the room, but my client wanted to see a dark fabric option as well, she has 3 little boys at home! 

The *stars* are my favorites.  With this many options, the homeowner still needs a little direction.  After looking at all the possibilities for the space, we went with #2!!  The settee from World Market was actually one of the lower priced options and one of the better looking ones!  It looks awesome in the room.  The perfect size and color.

A sneak peek of what we have going on so far! (That's how I decide if I am going to like that mirror above the settee!!)  Here are some other items I have been picking up along the way.

Yes, I have been shopping at Target!

And, Home Goods, of course!

And, Pottery Barn. 

And I am finally getting to use grass cloth wallpaper!  Navy!  I love it so much and have been dying for one of my clients to commit to it.  You will have to wait to see where this is going! 

We are getting so close to a completed home office this family can finally enjoy!

Refurbish & Refinish {Grand Opening}

Refurbish & Refinish

As some of you may or may not know, I now have an official space to sell all of my refinished furniture and crafts!  Once upon a time, I was only selling directly through Facebook, and now I have a little booth space within a large antique mall that I like to call my shop!  Because that is exactly what it is!  You will always find one of kind items for your home that are trendy and hand-made with love just for you.  I am constantly filling the shop with new items, new art, new furniture pieces, or crafts to keep up with the season!

So, being the very first Christmas in the shop, I wanted to go all out!  The holiday decor you see for sale includes all of your favorite Pinterest pins, some of my own one-of-a-kind creations, and some beautiful refinished furniture.

I have been giving some sneak peeks the last couple of weeks but now you can see everything I have been creating for the holiday season!  And hopefully this inspires you to create some of your own holiday crafts.

Only 37 more days until Christmas!!!

If you are local (in the Indiana area) or are driving through sometime, 

you can find Refurbish & Refinish at

Upscale Junk & Antiques located at 

23478 US 31 North

Cicero, IN 46074

Open 7 days a week

- or -

LIKE me on Facebook!

DIY Burlap Picture Frame {For the Holidays}

I know Thanksgiving is still a couple of weeks away, but my mind is set on Christmas!  In the retail world, once Fall arrives, Christmas is immediately on the brain.  I have been crafting up a storm to get new holiday decor in my shop booth.  I can barely keep up with all the other stores...not to mention Hobby Lobby who puts their Christmas decor on display in August!  That's too early in my opinion!

Everyone is LOVING burlap right now!  I especially love using it for craft projects around the holidays!  But have you seen the white burlap?!?  Burlap now comes in a variety of colors, but I am swooning over the white and my head is spinning with ideas of where to use it! 

Personally, I have always struggled with where to display all the Christmas cards we get.  I hate junking up the refrigerator and they are so pretty these days I thought people should have a prettier place to display them.  So after a quick trip to Hobby Lobby for the white burlap and a chance find at Goodwill,  I created a Burlap Open Frame Picture/Card Display that can be used all year round.

This is the frame I found at Goodwill for only 4 bucks!  It was already empty without the glass and backing, even better, and built solid with wood.  Perfect size for 2 rows of card displaying.

I started by cutting about 10 strips of the white burlap.  I knew I would need some kind of adhesive to get the burlap started.  I initially thought hot glue, but hot glue + burlap = blistered fingers.  So I pulled out my all purpose HEAVY DUTY 3M double stick tape.  This is commercial strength and I use it for everything!  My fingers were sticking to the frame this stuff is so strong.  It works just like double sided tape -- roll out a strip and peel off the back! 

And just start wrapping the frame with the burlap!

Almost complete and I ran out of burlap! 

No worries!  Just needed to cut one last strip of burlap!

And a Word to the Wise while working with burlap, especially white burlap, DON'T WEAR BLACK!  This is what happens.  I must warn you so you don't make the same mistake! :-) 

Finished product!

I used natural jute string to add to the rustic feel of the frame, tied to the back of the frame by picture hanging hooks.  I tied a sweet little plaid bow on mine to make it a little more festive for the holidays, but without the bow, this frame can be used year round for pictures, notes, or cards. 

Some other Christmas decor I am working on to sell in my shop!

Chalkboard Art Knock-Off

An open frame to easily change out your favorite holiday photos!

An open frame with burlap for displaying cards or photos.

A simple frame embellished with vintage Scrabble pieces.

Hand drawn details.

Scrabble art for the kid in you!

Don't worry this isn't the end to my holiday decorating and crafting....there will be lots more where that came from! What kind of crafts are you working on for the holidays?