Yes, it has been a while since I last posted. Things have been a little crazy around here. Between a sudden loss and a long weekend getaway to Galena for some R&R, blogging seems to have fallen by the wayside. The break has had its perks, however. I have been able to really dig in and commit these last few days to finishing up the guestroom/my creative space for scrapping and designing.
I started this project in July and was originally just going to do a couple of small updates and call it good within the week. The more I thought about it though, I realized I was settling and figured if I was going to "transform" my favorite space, I might as well do it right. So the budget expanded a tiny bit, and I learned to be patient as I shopped for just the right accessories, bedding, etc. I wanted to go with the edgy idea of yellow and black from the very beginning (thus the painted yellow wall the day we moved in) but I strayed from my favorite color when I had trouble finding items to match my color scheme and settled for a different palette. This time, I was determined to get it the way I wanted. I have a tendency to "just get it done already," so this new concept of patience was growth for me. 🙂
From previous posts, you can see that I already had most of the furniture, the shelves and jars on the wall, and the recycled CD tower to house embellishments for scrapping. However, there was still a bit more to be done to get the finished product…
1. Painted frame from white to black and hung Brian Andreas prints (I've had a couple of questions about these from previous mention – I will link the prints in a near-future post)
2. Yellow placemat and m&ms for the smaller bookcase
3. Finding NO yellow desk accessories out there, I bought a yellow planter to hold my pens, scissors, etc and found some yellow binders to hold inspiration clippings from mags
4. New containers for the big shelf: yellow metal bins, black fabric cubes, and others
5. Custom yellow/black tags to label it all
6. New bed and all new bedding (still a rookie seamstress, I managed to turn a clearance queen duvet into a twin!)
7. Fabulous under-bed storage for my MANY purses!
8. Created a new valance starting from a basic black one, using leftover fabric and ribbon for embellishment
9. New black bins for the desk shelves to hold my basic office supplies, found cute coasters on Etsy to match my color scheme and save my desk from rings
10. Switched the desk lampshade out from previously pink to white
11. After a disaster trying to paint my green trash can yellow, I settled on a new basic black one
12. Repainted the previously green/white magazine holders (several coats of) yellow
And so, with a happy heart and a craving to get to work creating, I present what I am calling my black and gold (go hawks!) haven.
Welcome…
Lots of labeling…
The yellow pillow that started it all! (Edited to add: Pillow from World Market)
Jars are a big thing for me. They're all over holding ribbons and embellishments for scrapping and gift wrapping.
Now this makes me happy. 🙂 Yellow loveliness and organization all in one. I've managed to fit all scrapbooking supplies, a few Liz Ink & Paper items, and all of my gift wrapping paraphernalia in this 6'x6' Expedit shelf. I like that having a defined and absolute space forces me to keep my amounts of stuff in check. If I don't have room to store it, I don't buy it. Simple as that.
I love that this space is never really "done" – I already have my eye on a yellow (!) desk chair, and when we go to
Minneapolis in a few weeks, I'll see if the yellow version of these document boxes matches well enough. If so, a couple of these will need to come home with me to hold my 8×5 x 11 cardstock stash!
For now, I'm soaking up the color and getting inspired to create – exactly my goals when I set out to decorate this room. Thanks for checking it out! 🙂
