The shame…

I have been off the blogging track for so long that wordpress has changed some of its formatting, and I have no idea how to use it. That should explain why the last post looks so funky. Bear with me as I try to figure it all out!

New Pics!

This is what started it all. About ten years ago I got this from a friends grandmother. It was white, and had shelves on the side. I took it to my dads shop with intentions of refinishing it, and well, yeah. A few weeks ago I came home to this sitting in the living room. My dad stripped and refinished it, and added the vinyl lettering (looks etched) on the front. I finally had a place to put some of my many, many books! Finding a place for the cabinet itself is what finally got us going on the other two projects, a storage bench and new desk.

Thanks Dad.

My husband has been busy fulfilling my desire for more storage. Our house has almost no built in storage, and everything we put in just looks like stuff, rather than seeming a part of the home. Really, there is only so many pieces of furniture one room can hold!For some reason all my text for each picture iosn;t showing up. The pics will have to do for now…jsut realize these are all still a work in progress.

Yay, storage!Our living room is long and narrow. This window is just to the left of the front door, and we usually kept a chair in the corner. I came up with the idea of a simple storage bench and my handy husband made it happen. The baskets are from IKEA, as they were the cheapest I could find for the size. Eventually this will have a cushion on it..once I can find someone to make it, or am brave enough to try myself. The kids toys and things are stored underneath. Just one more step in my path to total organization, plus it ads much needed seating for when we have parties. A little better than folding chairs, right?

Jason’s Handiwork!We have debated using this under the stair area for a desk since we moved here. However over time we tried all kinds of other ideas..bookshelves, dresser storage and anything else you can think of. Wouldn’t you know, two and a half years later we decided: “Hey, lets try a DESK!” I had Jason build it extra deep and the whole width so all four of us could sit here if we wanted to. Plenty of space for art projects as well.
I changed the shelves from brown to white, and eventually we may paint the back wall for some contrast. Keep in mind this is a work in progress. I haven’t quite gathered all the right storage, nor have I finished sorting everything, but this is a good start! What do you think about us adding some ‘legs’ to the front? (oh, and most of the stuff underneath is waiting to find a storage container or new spot altogether.

These little containers are also from IKEA. Intended for the kitchen, but they work perfect for small items like a stapler, pens, scissors and cords we use often. I also bought a few clips that you can hang paper items from.