Another Little Project {Cigar Box Goes Nautical}

I don’t know if you all saw it on my Instagram, or noticed it in the pictures from yesterday’s post about my office, but I’ve got a new little storage box to share! This guy was bound for the trash. I heard him about to be thrown away and stopped his impending demise. When asked what I was going to do with it, of course my response was, “Well I do have a lot of shells to use…”

 

And so I did.

First: the supplies. I collected many capiz shells and had them stored in one of my many mason jars. Then I got one special shell (with an imprint of a starfish) and my glue gun.

 

I covered the top in shells, progressively adding and making sure there weren’t any holes. This required several layers. And yes, this does look a bit junky right now. Just be patient with me, okay?

 

Just a little side view. My original plan was to cover the whole thing in capiz shells. I didn’t really think I’d like the finished product that way, so I grabbed some of my left over beige craft paint. This way, it was a bit “top heavy” and I wouldn’t have to worry about the tricky sides.

 

I made sure to carefully paint around the gold hardware (it was just too cute to cover with beige). I even covered under the edges of the shells so that the original wood color wasn’t showing ANYWHERE.

 

I also gave the inside of the box a good painting. It still smells of cigars, but hey, that gives it some charm, right? Don’t you just love the office wall paint under my cuticles? I see a manicure in my future…

 

And for your viewing pleasure, a few detail shots.

 

It’s currently acting as my “change box” where I throw all those extra coins I just don’t want to carry around. From afar, you could barely tell that it was on my desk.

 

This project cost me….drum roll please…. $0. I had every supply already so I didn’t need to purchase a thing. Gotta love those little crafts that keep your wallet intact.

 

XOXO,
Ashley

Bringing the Shore Back Home {Updating the Office}

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the delay but…

I did it, I finally did it! Now that we’ve gone on our summer trip for the year, which of course included a beach and water (and of course, shelling), I finally had the time to get to work on my home office.

My final color choice was the lighter of the two, Beach Glass by Pantone. It had a calming tone but was still very beachy. It definitely reminded me of a happy shore house. The color, because it was Pantone, had to be the highest end paint by Valspar, which included primer as well (this ran about $31 a gallon). This was great for getting the paint on smoothly and for covering the awful color and stains from the previous owners.  I didn’t need multiple coats because the color was so vibrant and it was so easy to apply. It also was low-VOC, which is great for painting a small room in the summer heat.

 

See? What a lovely swatch. The perfect, shade of NOT seafoam. 

 

I taped, like you ALWAYS should, and ended up only needing one full day to get the paint on the walls and dried. I really didn’t need a full gallon, because I only needed one GREAT coat. I also only needed one roll of tape to get the window, doors, and ceiling/moldings. So this is was a minimal supplies needed project. Just for your information, you should always make sure when painting that you have the following (because it makes your life WAY easier):

Paint Roller

Angled Paint Brush (for corners and cutting-in)

Paint

Paint Tray with Removable Liner (makes clean up easy)

Tarp/Plastic Covering

Tape

The brush, roller, tray, and liner all came in a great kit that I picked up at Lowes. Saved me a ton of time and money, and now I have these supplies for future projects! So little stress, low cost, few supplies but a definite re-do! Whether or not I’m totally satisfied with the color is yet to be determined. It required a lot of trust on my part. When I got two of the walls painted, I quickly realized just how bright the color was. It’s shockingly aqua, a lot less beachy than I expected.

 

See the difference? Holy moly! It almost pales the original green because it’s so bright.

 

Once I finally got through all the walls, it took all my patience to not start hanging my shadow boxes and framed prints right away. I was hoping that with things on the wall, furniture in the room, and drapes on the window, the color will be a bit less abrasive. This proved to be MOSTLY true and I’m just going to live with the color for awhile and decide my next steps. But here, for your enjoyment, my nicely staged home office with the new colors, hung pictures and shadowboxes, and furniture in place. Thoughts?

 

See how small this room is and how intense the color can be? This is an ALMOST 360 of the room. I’ve got space for my sewing cart (next to my desk), my high back chair, and all my shells on the floor…ignore those.

 

I made those matching canvas pin boards with just canvas and beige/metallic polka dotted fabric. We’ve had them since our first place and because they’re a neutral, they can always find a home somewhere. I also took my old, white spray painted cork board and covered it in burlap for a more beachy cork board. I’m using my flea market find to file my design magazines (see left of desk) and my colored mason jars for supplies that need to be right at arms length. 

 

This is one of my favorite spots in the room. That piece of furniture is NOT a chest of drawers. It IS however, a mini-murphy bed. My office will always have to do double-duty and include some form of guest accommodations. The mirror was a clearance find at Homegoods, and with its capiz shell pattern is perfect for the space. It even matches our little frame and lamp. Oh, and of course, my apothecary jars filled to the brim with shells.

 

My reading corner…sans books. I finally did my last purge of college textbooks and now have plenty of space for my design books! The bear has made it ten years, and hopefully if I can keep it away from Truman, it will make it ten more! It’s sitting on the chair that I received from my grandmother earlier this year. The wall is now full with a collage of my shadow boxes and personal photography. Plus, I hung my shell covered “F” in the perfect place. It’s one of the first things you see when you walk into the room. That little box next to the chair is an unfinished project, but I promise to update you on its new life very soon!

 

XOXO,

Ashley

A Bit Obsessed {Metallic Everything}

Hey all,

So I have a problem. A problem with wanting everything to be metallic. Silver, brass, gold! I want it all! But with my discovery of the greatest invention (Sharpie Oil Based Paint Markers), I couldn’t stop myself. I originally purchased the metallic gold marker to finish off my tile coaster projects. I figured that it would be a waste not to use it as much as possible and I had several, still attached clam pairs that could use a bit of a makeover. So why not color them gold?

Though the natural coloring is pretty, I think laying these guys around the house or in jars will be more grabby with the gold.

 

They’re pretty easy to complete. Get yourself some shells and at least one of the markers. I ended up running out and getting the fine point one as well, for all those nooks and crannies that the larger tip just won’t cover up the original shell color. Because it’s a paint marker, they cover pretty well with just one coat, but I would recommend that you let them dry and then double check that everything got covered. Once you do, sit back and enjoy your beautiful metallic shells.

Just sitting pretty. They’re so shiny, I just love the finish that the markers gave the shells.

 

 

Finished product: gorgeous clam shells dripping (or well, colored) in gold.

 

So, this project may be tedious in making sure that all the little bits get covered, but I’m definitely happy I did them!

 

XOXO,

Ashley

Old Jars Make Desk Storage {Rust Goes Beachy Chic}

Just a quick little post!

I recently picked up these two adorable jars at a vintage sale.

These jars are the cutest. They have great, thick glass.

They used to be jelly jars and they have a nice, rust to their tops.

I originally thought that I would cover up these rusted tops. I would pick the toppers and then spray the whole shabang. But then I realized…

 

Wouldn’t it be cool to embrace the rusty, vintage nature of the jars, rather than cover them up? And so I did. I also decided to go that way with the shells I glued on top. I must have tried four different pairings. Started with beautifully perfect shells, but it just seemed wrong. Then I moved to smaller, tulip conch shells, but they were too colorful and intact. This went on for awhile. So then I realized, I really needed to embrace the old, rustic charm. I plopped a piece of coral that was coming apart and another conch. This time the conch was covered in barnacles and age holes, pretty roughed up. They fit PERFECTLY. I couldn’t be happier with how these two little jars turned out. A little hot glue and drying time, and now I have two super cute jars.

What a great pair. I love the texture, age, and beauty of them both. They’re going to look awesome on my desk.

And what, you may ask, would even fit in these tiny jars that you fretted over? Well, I think they’re perfect for my tonnage of paperclips and binder clips.

 

See? They already look great on my desktop, holding exactly what I need.

 

So what do you think? This project was under $6 with the jars and the shells. I’m a sucker for office organization, containers, and shells, so this was right in my wheel house.

 

XOXO,

Ashley