Mid Century goes 21st Century

Have you noticed the resurgence of mid century modern furniture? I sort of stumbled onto it while designing my office space and am worried it could become a new obsession. I knew I wanted a good sized storage piece to house all the necessary office supplies, reference materials, and some electronics. I decided a long and low piece would fit the layout of the room and show off the design inspiration, the wallpaper. I’m really attracted to simple, clean lines, a minimalist look… mid century modern fits the bill perfectly!

After weeks of scouring the internet and local vintage shops, I found this dresser on Craig’s List. It was in great structural shape and original vintage condition which was important because I didn’t want to have to re-re-furbish a piece someone had already put a lot of work into. I started by taking all the hardware and the door off, numbering the bottom of the drawers (so that I would know where they went when it was time to put it back together), and lightly sanding the entire piece. This was a dresser, not a credenza, so when you open the middle door there were 3 smaller drawers inside. I wanted to have an open space to store books and binders upright, so my Dad cut out the frames for the center drawers and reinforced the sides so that the rest of the drawers were still solid.



Then I spray painted a coat of primer on the cabinet, drawer fronts, and door and gave it another light sanding to make sure the whole thing was really smooth.



I wanted my office to be fun, whimsical, a really happy place so I decided to paint the storage piece a bright color in a high gloss finish. After speaking with a couple people at local body shops who thought I was out of my mind, I was able to convince someone to let me bring it in so they could spray it with automotive paint in their spray booth.



This isn’t the completely finished product because it doesn’t have the new hardware on it and it’s not in its permanent home, but I think this gives you a pretty good idea of the transformation without spoiling the office's big reveal.  You’ll have to come back to see it in its full glory.

Just me and my blog

I'm pretty sure I've never, in the history of this blog, dedicated an entire post to just me... no craft project... just me and my thoughts.  This is it, this is the scoop, the background, the reason I haven't posted as frequently as usual, and consequently the precursor to lots of really exciting posts to come.  I hope you'll humor me this one picture free, just me and my blog post. 

I started working when I was 15 and haven't stopped since.  My first job was part-time at the Sears in my small home town's mall.  As soon as I graduated high school I started full time at a local Professional Employer Organization (PEO - they provide payroll and HR services to other companies), then I moved to a new town and worked for State Farm's corporate office for a few years.  I decided FL was the place for me, and after a short stint as a waitress (I personally think everyone should be a waiter/waitress at least once in their life time... it's fun, responsibility free, and eye opening!) worked for another PEO.  I started out in customer service and despised every single moment of it!  I did everything non-customer service related I could get my hands on.  It took me 2 years, but I moved out of customer service and made a place for myself working on projects and whatever other "fun stuff" the company had in the works.  I had no idea at that time, that the job I thought I created out of thin air, would grow into the business analyst role. 

I love everything about being a business analyst! I get to work collaboratively, improve the way my co-workers do their jobs, be innovative, make the company a better place to work and do business, and influence change. 

So many wonderful friendships, a wedding, a house, a blog, 2 children, and almost 12 years later, I quit that job I loved.  I didn't quit being a business analyst, but I did quit working for the company that I sort of "grew up" in and where I discover my passion for it.  Even though I was so excited about my new opportunity, I knew leaving my comfort zone and the people I loved working with was going to be difficult.  What better coping mechanism/diversion could a creative girl hope for than a design challenge?!  In the new position I would work from home full time, so I decided to funnel all the energy I could've spent worrying "am I gonna get the new job? how is my leaving going to impact my co-workers? will my current projects be okay without me? How will the transition from working at home part time to full time go?" into designing a new home office. 

I've been working in my new job, from my new office, for the last 4 weeks and I absolutely can.not.wait. to show you my amazing office space! My darling husband and I and every aunt, uncle, parent, and friend who would come to our aid have been turning my happy place into a reality every available minute since the day I got the official job offer almost 2 months ago.  Frankly, we all just needed a break, so it's not quite photo shoot ready yet.  There's still a door to be painted, a chair to be upholstered, a clock to be hung, and a deck to be built, but I'm gonna start showing you pieces of it and by the time it's ready for its close up I'll have made it through all the preliminary posts... at least that's my plan.  Oh and if design isn't really your thing you'll be happy to know a grand opening party is in the works too :) Stay tuned! 

Toy Car Playmat/Bag

Oh boys!  It's so hard to come up with adorable handmade boy stuff.  I was super excited when I found this fabric panel:

I knew it would make the perfect toy car playmat/bag!  It was so easy too!  Just pick a fun fabric for the back, a solid fabric for the bag part and follow this tutorial I put together for the beach towel backpack.

Check out this fun HotWheels fabric:

All wrapped up and pulled tight, it's the perfect place to store all those toy cars and a great way to tote your favorite toys to Grandma & Grandpa's house!