The Mini Van Soap Box

I realize that's it's been forever since I've posted anything - but the truth is - that today is the first time I've been able to lift my arms in about five days, let alone type. Once a year my husband and I take our annual "take a week off to get shit done around the house", and this last week was that week. We've been in our house for about two years now, and there have been so many projects that are just impossible to get done with a small child running around, that we started this tradition.

They are typically large scale projects. Projects that usually require monster power tools that could cut limbs off. So, I feel better knowing that she's at school and not going to zip around the corner to show me Barbie's naked boobies.

This last week proved to be no different in the hard work and power tool category - expect for the fact that the power tools were our arms and legs. I have many stories to share of our adventures, and many pictures to post of our progress. Far too much for one post.

You may remember that a few weeks ago I posted how my office was actually our formal living room, and that all of my craft and art supplies were housed in one armoire. It was only about 30 minutes after I posted that I thought "Why the hell IS my office in the formal living room??". We have a spare room upstairs, which we had planned to renovate into a guest room, however it dawned on me that we have one guest....ONCE a year. I find it pretty stupid to give an entire room up for once a year.

So, screw the guest. I took the room.

Here's the room before.

The original idea was to have these really rich walls - and all white bedding and furniture, which I thought was going to be a really nice contrast. However once I got all my office and craft stuff in....The dark purple against my stuff turned the room into a room of doom. Almost impossible to be creative. All I wanted to do was take a nap under the desk.


Here's the room now. Here are the details (if you care about that stuff)

• The desk and filing cabinet is actually a few years - but it's the Mission Style line from Office Depot (I think)
• The wall color is Behr, primer & paint in one, "Mellow Yellow". Took about 5 to 6 coats to cover that deep purple - but I like it a lot more than I thought I would.
• All the pictures in the frames are pictures I took in my Mom's backyard - zoomed in, cropped and printed out to 8x10 - crappy frames I was allowed to steal from work.
• The drapes on the window, if you can see it in the picture, still needs to be hemmed - but it's yellow & white striped Alvine Smal from Ikea.

That's about it for what you can see. The other side of the room would only be interesting for people who are crafters....

More from this week: My first trip EVER to IKEA. How to sod your backyard without spending a dime - and how to break your ankle while doing it.