And no, I am not talking about me…although I do love my power tools, and my lipstick, and my 3 inch heels…I digress. I recently discovered a woman after my own heart. Anna White of Knock Off Wood is a self-claimed girly girl with a desire to make beautiful things, all by herself. It is a bonus that she comes with some absolutely mad computer design skills and she is willing to share…drum roll…furniture plans that you can make yourself EASILY!!!! And not just any plans. Famous name brands…er…Pottery Barn anyone?
Plans available on Knock Off Wood for an Entry System
Enter the establishment. The corporation is not happy with Anna White. They wrote her a nice letter filled with legal jargon demanding that she stop using their likeness. Now, do I believe that Ms. White’s plans are exact specs of the original Pottery Barn images? No. They are intended to be easy, cost effective, user friendly versions of a theme of furniture that has become hugely popular over the past couple of decades. It has offered families inspiration and confidence that they too could decorate their homes in ways they hadn’t before. Will people still buy Pottery Barn. Yes they will. I imagine if I was a furniture designer, it might rub me differently…but I am not. I am someone with minimal skills that would love to tackle making something amazing with my own two hands without it looking like I tackled it with my own two hands.
Having said that, I respect the marketing integrity of Pottery Barn’s advertising department. I mean, if it wasn’t for the millions of dollars spent on promoting their furniture, would they be as successful today? My hope is that Anna will remove the Pottery Barn licensed photos from her site, rename the plans ‘Ceramic Stable’ and keep sharing her wonderful talent for making everyday people feel like master carpenters. What an amazingly talented lady. What a well done blog.
After we made the repairs to the computer cabinet in our updated den, I was purging and organizing the office supplies to fit neatly in the space. Guess what I found? More cords than we could ever possibly need at any given time. There were cords for all of the MP3 players, more for the camera, and the kids have assundry technological gadgets that require USB cables.
I was at Target with “Committed Chaos” hunting little red tags when I stumbled upon these velcro straps from Westinghouse for $2.48.
This is the wreckage I pulled from the desk...and my "red tag tool"
Our middle child, Caitlin “Creative Chaos”, has a Passion Project due for her alternative curriculum at school. Let me say for the record that I believe a Passion Project is a fabulous idea. The premise is that each student will take a subject that they are passionate about and do a project in the format of their choice presenting one aspect of their passionate subject. Caitlin is in her second year of horseback riding lessons at Seven Oaks Equestrian Center. The child’s room is decorated in horses. She has us record Saddle Club every time it is on. We try to attend the Auburn University Equestrian Team events when they are local. When asked what she wanted to do as the subject for her passion project, she wanted to sew. Huh!?!
This was "Creative Chaos" and the first school horse she rode, Roanie.
Mom “Chaos Caretaker” not so subtly asked if she wouldn’t rather do a project revolving around horses. In the end, Mom’s logic prevailed and the Chaos Theater was founded. I love this child, ya’ll. She still calls my voice mail and says, “Hey, Mom. It’s me, Caitlin.” Love, love, love.
So “Charismatic Chaos” turned 13 and we gutted our study area to create a room befitting a teenage boy. Although he requested the change and the small writing desk that we donated for the cause was the perfect size to fit in his room, the raid on our study was not completely selfless. You see, the study was serving a purpose. Actually, it was serving several, but it wasn’t serving any of them really well. I was reading over at Nesting Place about how she felt every room should have a purpose. That was it! Eureka!!!! That space needed to be defined and ‘repurposed’ for its specific role.
The study has two purposes: a place for the computer and printer AND the family gaming area.
Although having a printer is important, I have always hated seeing it sitting out in the open.
As parents, we made the conscious decision that our children would not have televisions in their rooms (big, bad meanie parents.) Sooooo, we have one television in our great room and another television in the study for the Wii gaming unit. The household computer and printer reside in the study. There was a desk (now in 13 year old’s room,) desk chair, curio cabinet, and small bookshelf (also in the 13 year old’s room). There wasn’t anywhere to sit so that the family could enjoy gaming together. The desk served to hold the computer, but wasn’t used for writing.
The curio was one of the first pieces of furniture I ever got as an adult. I have no idea why it is in this room. I don't really even know why I still have it.
I began scouring thrift stores and furniture stores without any preconceived idea of what I was looking for. I searched with an open mind. We needed a place for the computer and printer. I preferred something that hid the mass quantity of cords that accompany the equipment. We wanted places to sit and enjoy each other as a family while we played games together. Did I mention this is a 12×12 room???
I applaud Kris “Committed Chaos” for his patience and input. He spent the better part of a Saturday going with me to review the various items that I discovered during my trips all over town looking for the right combination of items. We finally settled on some clearance items from World Market . Not only do I like the way it looks, but it feels right. A room I barely used before is now a place I can read while watching the kids.
The bookshelf houses decorative items and the pretty boxes hold office supplies.
The new lounge is super comfy, was on sale, and let's down to a twin size bed!
We got the computer cabinet for 75% off because it had some hardware missing and a small crack. All things I can fix or live with...and it hides cords and printer!
Now I open the front door and actually smile. A 12×12 space that feels like home!
There are many changes that I will endure as a parent of budding adolescents. Some of these changes are exciting, some scary, and some quite unexpected. Collin “Charismatic Chaos” just turned 13 (groaning as I contemplate the implications of how old that makes me.) This oldest child of mine has never taken any interest in his attire or his room decor. Imagine my surprise when I was notified that for his birthday my almost teen child wanted a room makeover. Really? This required further investigation. What did he envision as an upgrade? Upon inquiry I discovered that the framed Star Wars prints were still acceptable, a new wall color was in order, the sports themed comforter needed to be replaced, and….the real key to the whole request…he wanted a desk. It seems that he was most impressed with his sister’s acquisition of a repurposed vanity for Christmas.
In order for you to visualize the transformation, it would be helpful for you to see what we began working with. Collin has had the same furniture and bedding since he was…um…five. He is somewhat a creature of habit. In fact, I have gotten him two other bedding ensembles since the original room, both of which he turned his ever maturing nose up at. He would complain of it not being “comfortable”. What I now understand is that it wasn’t familiar.
Ikea toy buckets and sports themed quilt
This "bookshelf" is a $20 plant stand. It has served him well.
His lightly finished dresser would no longer do!
Enter a Momma on a mission. Some decisions had to be made. We decided to recycle some things around the house and then add some new elements to make his room familiar, but special. Soooo…we gutted our study to give him a writing desk and a small bookshelf. We punched up the “grown up” by buying a very handsome faux down comforter in a red and blue plaid on sale at T.J. Maxx (one of my mad favorite shopping places.)
It is not complete. Nanny is getting a bulletin board for over the desk and Aunt Emily and Uncle David are getting him a can of paint to freshen the walls.
Collin had a characteristicly anti-climactic reaction, however, I have noticed that he snuggles in very comfortably underneath the cushiness of the new comforter, and he has not asked for his retired items back. In light of that, I consider it a success…and now will begin the process of updating the study that was dismantled.
Caitlin “Creative Chaos”, our middle daughter, is treading that fine line between little girl and pre-teen. There are days she asks for definitive timelines regarding particular life privileges like shaving her legs (we aren’t there yet) or how long she can continue to trick or treat. That is why it wasn’t a huge surprise when she requested her own desk for a little more independence while doing homework (and other creative chaos.)
I found a couple of white desks online, but they were well over $100, so I turned my attention to thrift stores around town. After a couple of weeks of searching, I found a very dirty, cobwebby (is that a word?) and damaged antique vanity at a bargain center. A very helpful salesman agreed that although it was an antique, he would part with it for $20.
I like the bones of the vanity with its turned legs and potential for a flat writing surface.
The first order of business was to remove the damaged top and scrape the peeling veneer. Removing the top proved to be quite a challenge…have you ever tried to remove nails from petrified wood? (dramatic interpretation)
It took almost a whole day to shimmy off the top of the vanity without causing major damage.
With the old vanity top removed, it was time to fit the frame with a new desktop. I will state for those of you who are unfamiliar, I LOVE power tools. I currently do not own a router (the nifty tool that creates beveled edges on wood pieces) to cut my own desktop. A chaos comrade, offered a helping hand…and use of his router…to fashion a new edged desktop (thanks, Mr. Tony!) Then it was time to prime, paint, sand, paint, sand, paint…well, you get the idea. I finished the project off with some very cool reproduction crystal drawer pulls. I and my (almost grown) Creative Chaos was thrilled with the results!
A nice coat or two or three of white semi-gloss goes perfect with the rest of her furniture.
See that pretty beveled edge Mr. Tony did!
I love the retro look of the faux crystal drawer pulls!
Our foreowners…that is to say…the previous owners of our beloved home, had very specific tastes which included linoleum flooring in the kitchen (and avacado green countertops, but those were replaced quickly and I am trying to block the memory.) We knew very early in that we wanted to replace the flooring with ceramic tile.
I have a fondness for power tools. It is almost an obsessive thing. I don’t have to know how to do something as long as I have the tools to accomplish the task. Sadly my father still believes that his little girl’s place is not behind the the blade of a wet saw (although he is perfectly fine with her pulling up extrordinary amounts of toe molding to prep the room).
We found tile that coordinated with the countertops for under $1.00 a square foot...*happy dance*
Daddy laid the tile meticulously…
Fun fact - my father draws a diagram of the room to "lay out" flooring prior to putting it on the floor.
Then he let me assist by floating grout. Yes, I said floating…I am learning the lingo.
I am constantly redecorating my home…in my mind. My furniture is rearranged. the walls painted new colors. Vignettes fill spaces. And then I remember I can only do one thing at a time on my to-do list.
Occasionally small projects render big visual impact without breaking my budget. The drapes in our master suite turned out this way. We discussed the marital bliss which is our master bedroom makeover in this post. Although the room felt very comfortable. the picture still needed some additional “framing”. Window treatments were in order. I was looking for something to pull in the blue/green accent color that was used with the bedding and the wall color in the adjoining master bath. After looking at several price points, I found these faux silk lined drapes at Walmart.
The drapes were around $15 for one panel and we have two windows in the master. I will own it…when I don’t HAVE to spend money, I don’t. So, four panels needed…only two panels purchased. Hmmmm…I took each panel out and cut it in half, pinning a seam, and running a hem using my sewing machine (you can use the fusable hemming tape and an iron if you don’t have access to a sewing machine!)
Presto…two panels in one. Does it seem familiar that Rubix the wonder cat is always passed out on the foot of the bed? He must really like the new room design. Oh heck, who am I kidding. We could decorate in palm fronds and burlap and the cat would still be passed out on the bed.
Our house is definitely home. Even though our blended family of five has lived here just under three years, tears, laughter, and love have been shared throughout the rooms. We have taken special care to customize the spaces based on the interests, aesthetics, and personalities of everyone in the home. It would seem logical that the first place we demonstrate our family’s personality through design would be the space people see as they enter our home. To the contrary, our front entry way has remained a relatively blank canvas for the better part of three years. To make decorating the space more complicated, I am an advocate for making every space count by including practicality and functionality (in addition to affordability) beyond simply surrounding my space with things that visually appeal to me and my family. Simply stated, I am willing to wait to find the right combination of elements that fits the area.
With a renewed interest in updating our entry space, I was looking for options that fit with my decorating criteria. I decided because of the close proximity to the study (which also contains a gaming area for the family’s Wii competitions ) it would be nice to have additional seating for people to interact while using the area. Our need for board game and music CD storage continues to expand, so I was also exploring alternate storage options. A bench with storage seemed like a natural option.
Here is what the entry way has looked like since shortly after moving in to our home.
I found several benches that included storage and seemed to feel right with the flow of the adjoining areas that ranged from $200 – $350. That was more than my frugal nature would allow. So I waited. Last month, I found that one of the benches had been reduced for clearance to $125 at JC Penney. Bonus that I had a 15% off coupon and found a free shipping code online. Bingo!
In goes the bench…
Add baskets to store music CDs…
Some fun pillows…
I think we have successfully put the first touches on a new interesting entry way that meets the needs of our family home!
In the beginning, it started with a color. Committed Chaos and I decided that it was about time to revamp the Master Suite. Largely he lets me take the reins when decorating or organizing our home and is content to share responsibilities in other areas. However, this time he requested we use the color yellow in the room. I will admit, yellow was the LAST color that came to mind when envisioning our private retreat. So, the project got put on hold for a month and then two months and then three months until I decided to see what I could do to feed my need for change while respecting his desire to be included in the decisions. It started with a search for new linens. I found two ensembles that I could live with and got Committed Chaos’ vote on his favorite. (he picked the brightest, sunniest yellow !)
I realized that it was going to be a bit of overkill on my senses to have yellow walls in addition to yellow bed linens. To complicate matters, I had beautiful blue-green picked out for the master bath. So with two color swatches in hand, I went in search of a third color to pull into the room that would tone down the brightness of the contrasting colors. I settled on a deep clay / taupe color. Who, puts these colors together? I do!
Committed Chaos and I have a system for painting rooms. It works like a charm. I paint and he plays video games is fully supportive by bringing me needed items and giving me much needed pep talks. Seriously, I like to paint and do home improvements and he doesn’t. He prefers to do laundry. I do not. Win win if you ask me. So, once the long awaited color was selected, the wall were dutifully painted. This is the wall color after the clay / taupe.
It is understated, calm, clean. Everything that a bedroom should be…but wait…we needed all that color pizazz. In come the linens!
*Sigh* It just begs for an afternoon nap…
There is still some work to be done, but I am very pleased with the initial results. Who would have thought those three colors could work so well together. Kind of like marriage. Different, but complementary. Let me know what you think!
I wouldn't say this site was born out of necessity, but the chaos of our household combined with my quest for realistic structure has led to creativity. While trying to wrangle my fabulously blended family of five, I have discovered cost-effective, time-saving strategies for organizing, decorating, and parenting from some amazing people.
From sharing parenting props to cutting clutter or decorating on a budget, the most practical household ideas come from sharing with chaos comerades - women (and a few men) who share my enthusiasm. I hope that some of the ideas and thoughts shared are an inspiration to you. I would love to have your thoughts too...so please leave your chaos questions and comments!
