A New Addition for the Office & How I Track Down Studs

August 17, 2022 by 13 Comments

Back around 2010 when I put my home office together and purchased an office desk chair, one of my top priorities in choosing a chair was its appearance. Of course, I wanted it to be comfortable and great for day-to-day use, but I also wanted it to be pretty and to work with my home office interior. Over the years and many desk chairs later, I have pretty much given up on worrying about how it looks and if … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Decorating, DIY Organization and Storage, DIY Repairs and Fixes, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



A New Addition for My Home Office

January 24, 2022 by 31 Comments

Welcome to the 678th Metamorphosis Monday! There's a new addition here in my office. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing piece that I've added to this room, but I'm definitely enjoying it. Recently, I was thinking how nice it would be if I had a smallish treadmill here in the office so when I was in the mood to watch a YouTube video or anything online, I could also be "out for a walk" at the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Favorite Fashions & Home Goods, Gift Ideas & Awesome Finds, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , , ,



When I Move One Day, These Are Going With Me

August 18, 2021 by 46 Comments

Many years ago when I used to go out antiquing almost every weekend, I ran into a good friend in a local antique shop. I was so surprised to see someone I knew in this large, but kinda off-the-beaten-path shop. She was headed out the door with a big brass chandelier in her hands. I complimented her on her awesome find, it was a beautiful chandelier! As she made her way toward the door, she shared that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dining Room, DIY Decorating, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



A Comfortable and Very Functional, “Forest-Themed” Desk Update

June 23, 2021 by 7 Comments

Several years ago, I had this fabulous, extra-large mouse pad on my desk. I love a super large mousepad because you never run your mouse off the pad, plus, it provides extra cushion for the arms and wrists.   When I shared this photo in a recent post, a BNOTP reader asked about that mousepad. I chose one with a large world map design back then because I had just started traveling a good … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Office/Craft/Sewing Room



How I Use 3 Monitors to Work and Play in My Home Office

June 14, 2021 by 34 Comments

Welcome to the 646th Metamorphosis Monday, a blog party sharing fabulous Before and Afters! Over the years, my monitor/desktop setup has changed several times. I've been using two monitors for many years. When I'm traveling and working from my laptop, I really, really miss having two monitors. Many years ago when I had cable TV, I purchased a Smart TV to place above my monitors thinking it would give … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Organization and Storage, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , ,



Creating a Pretty, Little Beverage Station for My Home Office

April 17, 2021 by 45 Comments

Do you ever read blogs on the weekends or do you mainly just read doing the week? I often post on the weekend so was just wondering if you like to get a blog post in your Inbox on the weekend.  (Pssst: If you haven't already, subscribe to get an email whenever I post here: Subscribe for Post Updates. It's completely free and will let you know when a new post is up with a link to the blog.) A few months … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Office/Craft/Sewing Room, Seasonal Decor, Spring & Summer Tablescapes



Sometimes Small Changes Can Make Your Heart Happy

December 11, 2020 by 37 Comments

A few weeks ago I shared a little addition to my office space. If you look closely, you can just see it there to the side of my left monitor.   I'm not sure how, but I came across this clear tissue holder online and loved it. I liked how modern it looked, which is surprising since I normally don't care for modern decor pieces. I liked that it didn't fight the other patterns/colors in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bedroom (Master), DIY Decorating, DIY Organization and Storage, Living Room (Downstairs), Living Room/Bonus (Upstairs), Office/Craft/Sewing Room



A Cute Retro-Style Refrigerator for My Home Office

October 21, 2020 by 31 Comments

Often when sharing an update here in my bedroom, I end up sharing this view of the room. But just around the corner and out of view is another room.   Previously this was a 4th bedroom, or 5th if counting the Bonus/Frog room, but the first owners of my home closed off the entrance to this room from the upstairs hallway, cut a big opening in the wall to connect it to the Master Bedroom and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Favorite Fashions & Home Goods, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



The Best Desk Chair I’ve Ever Had: An Update for My Home Office

October 5, 2020 by 22 Comments

Welcome to the 610th Metamorphosis Monday, a blog party sharing fabulous Before and Afters! Today is going to be a busy day around here. The two screened doors for the porch are being delivered and painters will be here cleaning and painting the front porch and washing the decks and the exterior of the screened porch. The cleaning/painting was actually supposed to be done earlier in the spring but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Favorite Fashions & Home Goods, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , , ,



Fun Updates for My Home Office: Some Additions and One Subtraction

August 3, 2020 by 41 Comments

Welcome to the 601st Metamorphosis Monday! It's been ages since I shared some updates here in my home office. I put this room together many years ago, Over the years it hasn't changed a ton, but there have been some little updates and tweaks along the way. The furniture I chose for this room so many years ago was Pottery Barn's Bedford furniture. Bedford furniture was designed to mix and max to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: ,



Loved This Lamp So Much, I Bought It Twice!

April 25, 2020 by 45 Comments

If you've been reading Between Naps On The Porch for a while, you know I'm a crazy lamp lady. I don't remember when my love of lamps started, but at some point many years ago, I discovered how much prettier, cozier and better the rooms in my home looked by lamplight--the more lamplight, the better! Overhead lighting can make a beautiful room feel cold and sterile--pretty much the opposite of cozy. For … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bedroom (Guest Room), Bedroom (Master), DIY Decorating, Living Room (Downstairs), Living Room/Bonus (Upstairs), Office/Craft/Sewing Room, Porches & Decks



2 Before & Afters: How My Daughter-in-Love, Nancy, and I Work from Home

April 13, 2020 by 27 Comments

Welcome to the 585th Metamorphosis Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I have an exciting, pretty "Before and After" to share today, actually a couple of Before and Afters! You may remember a while back I purchased this small desk to use when visiting my son, daughter-in-love and grandchildren. In the past, I always brought along my laptop. Combined with an exterior monitor, this set up worked … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Favorite Fashions & Home Goods, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , , ,



Proof I Will Never Grow Up, As If You Needed It

September 16, 2019 by 20 Comments

Welcome to the 555th Metamorphosis Monday! Remember the dinosaur bookends I bought for my grandson's bedroom...   ...when my daughter-in-law and I completed a full makeover of their room?   Yup, I'm talking about the ones there behind the dinosaur eggs. lol   I loved them soooo much when we did the makeover...   ...I decided I had to have a set … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Fashion & Beauty, Favorite Fashions & Home Goods, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



My Absolute Favorite Cleaner for Removing Denim Transfer Stains

February 19, 2019 by 28 Comments

A while back I shared a big issue I was having with denim transfer on the leather seats of my car. Since my leather driver's seat was so badly stained, in desperation I tried several products that normally you wouldn't use on leather after various leather cleaning products failed to work. The cleaner that worked the best at that time was Formula 409, but again, I wouldn't really recommend that for leather, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY, DIY Repairs and Fixes, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: ,



An Ornery Weather Station

January 14, 2019 by 40 Comments

Welcome to the 520th Metamorphosis Monday! Unfortunately, I'm still sick with some kind of virus. My throat is still really swollen. If I'm not better in the next day or two, I'm going for a strep test.  I don't really have a Before and After to share since I spent much of yesterday (when I felt up to it) doing boring stuff like putting wreaths back into storage under the eaves in the upstairs family … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: ,



From Broken to Better, This Project is Done! Well, at Least for Now.

September 22, 2018 by 36 Comments

I'm considering this little project complete for now. When I last shared this room, one of the little Dept. 56 lit houses I had purchased on eBay had not arrived. There's a story about that--I'll share it toward the end of this post. For the picture below, I had the shutters in the office closed and all the lamps in the office turned off. I lit a couple of candles to help my camera capture the lit … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , ,



Cozying Up The Office with Dept. 56 Lit Houses and a Few New Bookcase Additions

September 17, 2018 by 74 Comments

Welcome to the 503rd Metamorphosis Monday! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! For this week's Met Monday, I thought I'd give you a quick update on what I've been up to with the bookcases here in the office. There have been a couple of additions but also quite a few subtractions.   Can you tell I've reduced my collection a bit? I took a huge stack (probably a shelf's worth) to Goodwill this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Decorating, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , ,



A Fun Lighting Update for My Home Office

September 8, 2018 by 49 Comments

Welcome to the 502nd Metamorphosis Monday! Happy weekend to you! I hope you're having an awesome one! I know it's not Monday yet, but I have an appointment on Monday so I thought I would go ahead and put this post up now. Before we dive into a mini-project I'm working on in my office, if you're a Talbots credit card holder, Talbots is having a big sale right now sitewide. (I got this yesterday, so … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Decorating, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , ,



Trying Once Again, But Still Coming Up Short

April 23, 2018 by 84 Comments

Welcome to the 482nd Metamorphosis Monday! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to write this post this morning. Last night while working on a puzzle here in the office, I started noticing I couldn't see very well out of my left eye. Immediately I could tell it was another ocular migraine. This is only the 3rd or 4th one that I've ever had. With the previous ocular migraines, there was no headache afterward, but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: ,



Okay, But I Could Set the Building On Fire…

April 18, 2018 by 25 Comments

Yesterday I was stapling some papers together when my stapler up and died. The spring inside broke and after several frustrating moments trying to reconnect it, I gave up. Normally I would have persisted but I've been ready to ditch that stapler for a long time since it has always jammed about every other time I used it. In searching for a new stapler I came across one I knew I had to get. Do you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Favorite Fashions & Home Goods, Inspire, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , ,



A Closer Look at Where I Work and Play: My Home Office Space

March 7, 2018 by 53 Comments

Today as I was dusting and tidying up the office, I realized it's been a long time since I shared any photos of this room. Not a lot has changed in here, but I thought it would be fun to post a little tour of this space where I spend so much of my time. Pssst: To view other rooms in my home, click on the category "Home Tours" at the top of the blog, then click "My Nest" where you'll find links to every … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,



A Belleek Castle Lamp Gets a Major Makeover: The Before & After

October 2, 2017 by 112 Comments

Welcome to the 453rd Metamorphosis Monday! When I was in Ireland the last week of August, I visited the Belleek Pottery Factory. After a tour of the factory (see that tour HERE) we shopped inside the gift shop where I fell in love with this castle lamp and placed an order for one. The lamp would be built and delivered to my home in approximately 6-8 weeks. While I was still in Irleand, I shared the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , ,



A Cute Footstool with Storage Gets a New Look

April 4, 2017 by 38 Comments

A couple of months ago a large tree fell in my back yard, gently laying itself down across the length of the yard.   I'm beginning to think I may have a tree jinx going on because I was on the porch a few days ago and discovered this below! In talking with my neighbors and others in this area, I learned that we had a big storm with 70 mph winds come through about a week before I returned home … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Denim Do Over, DIY Crafts & Sewing, DIY Decorating, DIY Organization and Storage, DIY Repairs and Fixes, In the Garden, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



Hat Storage That’s Both Functional and Decorative

April 2, 2017 by 56 Comments

Welcome to the 427th Metamorphosis Monday! A couple of months ago I purchased this adorable sunhat pictured below. After it arrived, I liked it so much I ordered a second one in the navy-ribbon style. With my hat collection rapidly growing, I decided it was time to find a better way to store them other than just tossing them onto the top shelf of my master bedroom closet where they were impossible to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Organization and Storage, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , ,



A Music System So Hot, The Remote Caught Fire!

January 21, 2017 by 50 Comments

Ha! That post title will make more sense in just a second. :) I've been a Bose fan ever since I purchased their Lifestyle® 12 surround sound system for my living room over twenty years ago. When something went wrong with the large acoustimass module after many years of use, Bose was still in business (unlike a lot of companies these days) and were happy to assist.   They mailed me a very … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gift Ideas & Awesome Finds, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,



Getting More Organized in the Office

January 14, 2017 by 120 Comments

Happy Weekend! Did you survive Friday the 13th? ;) I'm not really the superstitious type, but it's always kinda funny when my birthday falls on a Friday the 13th. Saw this online just now and it made me laugh. I've never seen any of the "Friday the 13th" movies, but apparently this covers them all. lol   Yesterday was one of those "Friday the 13th" birthdays and it was a biggie--one of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY Organization and Storage, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , ,



Realistic “Beeswax” Resin Candle Covers for the Office Chandelier

December 6, 2016 by 33 Comments

If you've been reading BNOTP for a while, you may remember when I changed out all the yellowed, plastic, candle covers on my dining room chandelier for resin covers that look much more like real candles. (Tablescape can be viewed here: Sparkle with a Touch of Whimsy   I love the look of the "dripping wax" sliding down the sides of the faux candles and it definitely beats the look of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , ,



Home & Decor Updates: The Good and The Not-So-Good

November 7, 2016 by 77 Comments

Welcome to the 406th Metamorphosis Monday! I have several small Before and Afters updates I've been wanting to share, so I'm grouping them all together in one post. Before we get to those, a couple of folks emailed and messaged me recently to let me know the Better Homes and Garden dishware that many of us have been collecting over the years, is back in stock again. (Thanks for that!) They have added … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, For the Love of Birds, Garden, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



A New Chair for My Home Office

August 29, 2016 by 58 Comments

Welcome to the 396th Metamorphosis Monday. I've had several different desk chairs here in my home office over the years. The last one I purchased was this one from Pottery Barn. This is actually my second one of these. The first one I literally wore out. Well, sort of. What happened was the first few weeks/months I had it, I didn't realize that each time I pushed back away from the desk and spun … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , ,



My Favorite Chest Is On Sale & An Update for My Deck

April 8, 2016 by 46 Comments

Yesterday I stopped by Pier 1 to look at their outdoor furniture. I really need to replace the table and chairs I currently have out on my deck. I didn't find the outdoor set I wanted but while I was there, I noticed they have my favorite chest on sale. I purchased this chest a few years ago when I was creating my home office. Back then, I searched and searched for months for a chest to go beside the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room, Porches, Porches & Decks Tagged With: , , , ,



An Inspiration Update For My Home Office

July 29, 2015 by 21 Comments

Yesterday afternoon I made a little update here in my home office.   You may remember seeing this large decorative clock on the wall in previous photos. (This photo was taken back around Halloween one year so ignore the pumpkins.) I like this clock but I purchased it mainly to help fill that big blank wall. I've always wanted to do a gallery of photos there, instead.   Maybe … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gift Ideas & Awesome Finds, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , ,



Whimsical Art For The Office

March 14, 2015 by 79 Comments

Greetings this fine March day! How is your weekend going? Unfortunately, I've been super sick all week with what I was pretty sure was a sinus infection. Actually it's been going on a couple of weeks but got a lot worse this week. When I started running a fever on Wednesday while creating a St. Patrick's Day table setting for Tablescape Thursday, I finally decided it was time to go to the doctor. It had … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , ,



Corral Those Charging Cables With A Charging Valet

February 2, 2015 by 52 Comments

Welcome to the 314th Metamorphosis Monday! I love wireless devices and the freedom they afford us, but that freedom has to take a pit stop every now and then to recharge. I think I may finally have a system I'm happy with for handling the pit stops when they occur. A little over a year ago I shared a solution for managing all the little charging cables on my desk in that semi-hidden area where the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Organization and Storage, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The…

January 28, 2015 by 49 Comments

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Recognize that partial quote? It's from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and the rest of the sentence, the part we rarely hear, goes like this: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



Organize Charging Cables with Cable ID Labels

December 30, 2013 by 53 Comments

Welcome to the 257th Metamorphosis Monday! My Before and Aftert today is a minor change here in the office. It's a small update but one that has made life a little easier. I love those kinds of tweaks, sometimes they can have the biggest impact. (Psst: If you're new to reading BNOTP, you can see the Before and After for the office in this previous post: Creating a Home Office)   See that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Organization and Storage, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , ,



Prepping a Room for Paint: It’s Easier Than You Think

October 9, 2013 by 23 Comments

I have always loved the almost instant makeover paint can give a room. But before the painting, there's always the part that we tend to dread--the prep work.  It reminds me of gardening, all we really want to do is plant pretty flowers, but if we don't prepare the soil first, chances are the flowers are not going to look pretty for very long. I used to be intimidated by the idea of repairing a hole or a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY Repairs and Fixes, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



The Office Layout and A Laser Printer, Scanner, Copier for Tight Spaces

September 6, 2013 by 83 Comments

Every so often I get an e-mail from someone who is in the process of putting together an office with the Pottery Barn Bedford furniture and they ask what pieces I used to achieve the layout I have in my home office. It's always hard to answer that question in an e-mail because I had to get creative and go off the grid a bit to make it work the way I wanted. I've been meaning to write about this for ages. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY, DIY Decorating, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



The Quest for a Comfortable Desk Chair: Take 3

July 22, 2013 by 109 Comments

Welcome to the 234th Metamorphosis Monday!   The Quest for a Comfortable Chair: Take 3   I have a little office update, one I've been meaning to share for a while.  As you may recall, when I first put the office together, I started out with this chair (below) from Pottery Barn Teen. I loved how it looked but it turned out to be horrible on zay ole back.  Pretty? Definitely.  Practical? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , ,



My Fave Yellow Paint Colors: Duron Sugar Cookie and Duron Tea Biscuit

July 19, 2013 by 73 Comments

One of my fave paint colors I go to time and time again is an old, old Duron color called Sugar Cookie.  There's a little story how I first discovered this color. Many, many years ago, through a job I had at the time, I met a delightful lady who was the wife of a professional coach for a local university.  I can't remember now if he was a footfall or basketball coach.  Anyway, when I visited their home, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bedroom (Master), Dining Room, DIY, DIY Repairs and Fixes, Entry/Foyer, Kitchen & Breakfast Area, Living Room/Bonus (Upstairs), My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , ,



A Comfy Desk Chair for the Office

February 11, 2013 by 88 Comments

Welcome to the 212th Metamorphosis Monday! How was your weekend?  Were you in blizzard territory?  The pictures I've been seeing online are amazing! For this Met Monday, I'm sharing a "comfort" change I made in the office this weekend.  It was one I was reluctant to make but finally decided it needed to be done. If you have been reading BNOTP for a while, you may remember when I purchased my desk … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , , , ,



Natural Fiber Ottoman or Stool for the Office

January 28, 2013 by 107 Comments

Welcome to the 210th Metamorphosis Monday! Last night I happened to turn on the TV while Downton Abbey was on.  I can never remember exactly when it comes on so I always end up watching it in bits and pieces over the week as the episode is replayed over and over on PBS.   I watched last night until the foreshadowing became too foreboding.  An arrogant, know-it-all doctor and talk of swollen ankles was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , , ,



Office Update: Finally Found the Right Spot

January 14, 2013 by 142 Comments

Welcome to the 208th Metamorphosis Monday! How was your weekend?  We've been having unusually warm weather...70 degrees out on the porch yesterday and today.  Crazy!  This is January, right?  Yesterday was my birthday and I'm not sure when I remember a birthday this warm.  Loving it while it last, though. I have a small Before/After for this Met Monday, one I thought I'd share in case it's helpful or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , ,



Labeling the Baskets in the Closet Expedit

November 5, 2012 by 50 Comments

Welcome to the 198th Metamorphosis Monday! Recently, I made a trip to a lighting store in search of some items to "upgrade" a chandelier in my home.  I'll be posting about that soon and can't wait to share it!   Ballard Designs outlet is just a few blocks away from the lighting store.  Since I'm rarely in that area, I decided to stop in. The parking lot was packed which is unusual even for a Saturday. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY, DIY Organization and Storage, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , ,



A New Lamp for the Office & A Little Halloween Fun

October 30, 2012 by 43 Comments

Before I share something fun and lighthearted (a nice distraction on this day) I just wanted to say my heart and prayers go out to all effected by Hurricane Sandy. ♥ A Little Halloween Decorating & A New Lamp for the Office If you've been following the progress of the office, you know I've been hoping to find some new lamps better suited for this space than the polished brass lamps I'm currently … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Halloween Decor, Halloween Holiday Home, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room, The Holiday Home Tagged With: , , ,



Organization and Storage for the Home Office, Craft, Sewing Room

September 7, 2012 by 86 Comments

That's me, I admit it.  Anything that helps me put my hands on what I'm looking for, even if it's only a teensy bit faster, I'm all over it.  Recently I shared a whimsical addition to the office, a faux deer head with a rosemary wreath.   There was another little addition hiding in plain site on the desk under the wrapping paper organizer.  Did you notice it?   I spotted this organizer caddy at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY Organization and Storage, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: ,



Deer Head with Rosemary Wreath

August 27, 2012 by 90 Comments

Welcome to the 188th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy Monday to you!   For this Metamorphosis Monday I'm sharing a couple of fun updates here in the office.  Okay,  here's the "before" picture for this little office tweak.   Do you see the changes?  Something has been added and something has been taken away.   The clock is gone for now.  I loved it but the shape felt wrong for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, Christmas Decor, Christmas Holiday Home, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room, The Holiday Home Tagged With: , , ,



A New Mirror for the Office

July 31, 2012 by 108 Comments

Back in September, I was on an all-out mirror search for the office.  I wanted a mirror to go above the chest in my little reading corner, something that would reflect the light coming in through the windows . I found this silver one at Marshalls for just $20 and brought it home to try it out.  You may remember it from THIS previous Metamorphosis Monday. It looked pretty good except for one thing. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room



IKEA Expedit: Sneaking a Peek Inside

May 22, 2012 by 23 Comments

So many wonderful Before and Afters were shared for yesterday's Met Monday!  I haven't made my way through all of them yet, but I the ones I have visited were fabulous! Yesterday I shared an update in the office...new buffalo check curtains.  Thanks so much for all your wonderful, much appreciated  comments on that post!  You made my day! IKEA Expedit: Today I thought I'd take you into the office … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Organization and Storage, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: ,



Buffalo Check Curtains for the Office

May 21, 2012 by 105 Comments

Welcome to the 174th Metamorphosis Monday! Greetings!  Hope your weekend was great!  I'm really excited about a change I made recently here in the office.  Did you guess what it was from the hint I left a few days ago? Not long after I moved into this house twenty+ years ago, I purchased plantation shutters for all the windows.  In hindsight, that was one of the best purchases I've ever made for my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY Decorating, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , , , ,



File Sorter for the Office: Tools for Organization

May 18, 2012 by 22 Comments

Recently, I asked your advice in choosing which size file organizer to use here in the office.  Thanks so much to everyone who voted in the poll running on that previous post. You may remember from that post, a day or two after buying this 2-file organizer below, I stopped by another Marshalls... ...and found the same organizer in a taller version.  With three slots, this one offered even more … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY Organization and Storage, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , , ,



Decorating for the Summer House

May 2, 2012 by 42 Comments

A little beach themed vignette...   It's time to celebrate summer!   A shell-adorned hat to protect your peaches and cream complexion...   A few books to inspire your summertime decor:  Cottages by the Sea...The Handmade Homes of Carmel, Second Home...Finding Your Place in the Fun and Victoria At Home with White...Celebrating the Intimate Home.   A guide to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room, Seasonal Decor Tagged With: , , ,



Office Updates & Shell Charger Progress

April 30, 2012 by 58 Comments

Welcome to the 171st Metamorphosis Monday! Greetings!  How was your weekend?  What did you work on this weekend?  Do anything fun? I have a couple of small little updates to share this week for Metamorphosis Monday.  I decided to remove the TV from the office since I found I only turned it on a couple of times a month.   You can see it in this older photo to the right of the wallpaper organizer, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY, DIY Organization and Storage, Home Tours, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , ,



IKEA PJÄS Basket Closet Additions

March 12, 2012 by 50 Comments

Welcome to the 164th Metamorphosis Monday! Greetings!  Hope you had a fabulous weekend!  Last Friday I met a friend for lunch in Atlanta.  We lunched in a restaurant by the name of Osteria del Figo.  I think most folks just call it, Figo Pasta.  After lunch I headed over to IKEA.  You may remember after my last visit to IKEA, the closet went from looking like this... ...to looking like this. … [Read more...]

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IKEA Expedit Hack: How I Made It Work

March 9, 2012 by 50 Comments

A few days ago I pulled a Houdini in the renovation of the office closet. Here's a view of the "Before" and "After" below. You can view this closet renovation project here: IKEA Expedit for Closet Storage. The Houdini part was getting an IKEA Expedit shelving unit, which measures 58 5/8 inches wide, into in a closet that is only about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wider than the Expedit itself. The closet … [Read more...]

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IKEA Expedit Closet Makeover

March 5, 2012 by 106 Comments

Welcome to the 163rd Metamorphosis Monday! A while back I wrote about how on a recent visit to the Atlanta IKEA with a friend, I repeatedly decided and un-decided to buy an Expedit shelving unit.  I really wanted to buy one for my office closet but there was one big problem. The Expedit measures 58 5/8 inches wide and my closet measures 57 1/2 inches wide and 47 1/2 inches deep.  With the … [Read more...]

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Pottery Barn Bedford Office Additions

January 23, 2012 by 133 Comments

Welcome to the 157th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy Metamorphosis Monday!  Thank you for all the supportive comments and e-mails I received about changing the start of our Met Monday party to Monday morning and our Tablescape Thursday party to Thursday morning.  You guys are awesome! I'm so excited to share some fun tweaks and additions I've made in the office this week.  (You can follow the full … [Read more...]

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Billy Bookcase, Easy to Assemble

August 31, 2011 by 50 Comments

Billy, where have you been all my life?  I'm a latecomer to Billy bookcases but it turns out they have been around for 30+ years.   The factory that produces the Billy bookshelf makes 15 Billys a minute.  That's 3.1 million a year!  Wow!  After buying three of my own, I can see why they are so popular.   They are sturdy, easy to assemble and reasonably priced. I shared my small (but growing) office … [Read more...]

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IKEA Billy Bookcase & A Library for the Office

August 29, 2011 by 92 Comments

Welcome to the 136th Metamorphosis Monday! If you've been reading BNOTP for a while, you're very familiar with this view of my  Office.   I've shared this side of the room in previous posts, too. But, I've rarely shared this side because...well, there's just nothing to see.  Pretty boring, right?  Well, that's about to change! I've had big plans for this space all along; I just … [Read more...]

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Painting the Closets and Office Trim

August 24, 2011 by 55 Comments

How's your week going? I've had so much fun reading the comments you left about your past excursions to IKEA. One tip I wanted to share about the best times to visit IKEA to avoid crowds:  try to go on a week day, if possible.  If you do need to go on a Saturday, get there early, as soon as they open, or late in the day like around 5:00 PM.  I noticed it was a lot less crowded come evening/dinner … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Before & After, DIY, DIY Organization and Storage, DIY Repairs and Fixes, Home Tours, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , ,



Another Piece of the Puzzle

June 20, 2011 by 97 Comments

Welcome to the 126th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy Met Monday! Hope you've had a wonderful weekend and a great Father's Day! This Metamorphosis Monday I'm excited to share an important addition to my home office.   Have you ever searched and searched for a particular piece of furniture for your home and being unable to find it, gave up, only to have it immediately appear the next day?  If so, I … [Read more...]

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Designing and Creating a Home Office: The Journey

June 6, 2011 by 125 Comments

Welcome to the  124th Metamorphosis Monday! This was my office, if you could call it an office. It was really just a dressing room off my master bedroom with a built in dressing table that I was using as a desk. After several months working in this space, I began to have neck pain and tingling pain down my arms. It turned out my makeshift desk was about 4 inches shorter than a real desk. I decided it was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bedroom (Son's), Before & After, Home Tours, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: ,



Pottery Barn Bedford Office Update

May 16, 2011 by 106 Comments

Welcome to the 121st Metamorphosis Monday! Hi Everyone! Hope you've had a wonderful weekend! I'm excited to share some significant additions/improvements I've recently made to the office. You may remember in a past post I mentioned I had decided to move my craft/wrapping center from behind the shutter. I had originally placed it there so I could wrap gifts on that end of the desk, within easy reach of … [Read more...]

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Tole Chandelier for the Office

May 9, 2011 by 74 Comments

Welcome to the 120th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy Metamorphosis Monday! Things are about to get cranking once again with the home office. I'm still waiting on a component that's backordered, but the chandelier is here. Unfortunately, the contractor who will install it (along with the crown molding) is currently out of town. He is supposed to be back in town this week, so hopefully I'll have some neat … [Read more...]

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A Behind the Scenes Tour

April 15, 2011 by 53 Comments

Sometimes the most fun stuff to see in a room redo are the things that are hidden from sight. So though I haven't hung this bulletin board, yet... Or, this cute shelf... Or, this wrapping center I shared HERE, I have been busy with a few other little things in the office. Come take a peek. Remember the steps I found for Max for only $10 at an indoor flea market HERE? I had Home … [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY, DIY Organization and Storage, For the Love of Birds, Gardening & Birding, My Nest, Nature, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: , , , ,



A Paint Panic Attack

April 9, 2011 by 116 Comments

Update: Home Depot has changed the paint formulas again so ignore the formula further down in this post: You'll find the correct formulas in this post now:  My Fave Yellow Paint Colors: Duron Sugar Cookie & Duron Tea Biscuit Does this ever happen to you? You finally decide on a paint color, go to the paint store, buy the paint, come home, start painting and then, PANIC! It happens to me every. … [Read more...]

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Repairing Damaged Walls from Wallpaper Removal

March 21, 2011 by 25 Comments

While we continue enjoying all the wonderful links for yesterday's Met Monday, I thought I would share some of the progress I made in the office, today. I covered everything up.   I put "you-know-who" on the screened-in porch so he wouldn't be breathing in all the sanding I'd be doing. He wasn't too thrilled about Mom staying inside while he was out, but he eventually found a big puddle of … [Read more...]

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Pottery Barn Bedford Office Renovation

February 21, 2011 by 89 Comments

Welcome to the 109th Metamorphosis Monday! How was your weekend? It's been unbelievably gorgeous weather here in Georgia. I should have been out working in the yard but instead I've been inside working on the office. Office Changes: There have been a lot changes in the office this week. I'm working on removing the rest of the wallpaper a little at the time. My arms get tired from scraping so I've … [Read more...]

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Pottery Barn Bedford Home Office Update

February 14, 2011 by 76 Comments

Welcome to the 108th Metamorphosis Monday! "Life is what happens when we're busy making other plans." Isn't that how the saying goes? This certainly wasn't how I planned it when I noodled out the creation of a home office. If you look at the list on my sidebar, "Strip off wallpaper" was much, much higher on the list than "Move furniture into office" and "Move computer, printer, etc...to office." But … [Read more...]

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Pottery Barn Bedford Office Progress

February 7, 2011 by 71 Comments

Welcome to the 107th Metamorphosis Monday! How has your weekend been going? We had a rare, gorgeous February day...it even got into the 60's. I spent the day inside, once again attacking the wallpaper in the soon-to-be-office. But before I take you there, since the report isn't very good, here are a couple of inspiration pics to remind us what the goal is. Inspiration pic #1: The baskets for the open … [Read more...]

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Installing Hard Wood Floors: Final

January 28, 2011 by 19 Comments

With the sanding complete... It was time to evaluate the stain. The wood I always have installed is white oak (not red oak) so I can get a nice amber or yellow sunshine color. Last time a mix of equal parts Natural and Puritan Pine stain worked well to get the color I like. (These are Minwax colors, I believe.) This is the view standing in the hallway looking into the room. The Natural and PP combo is … [Read more...]

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Installing Hard Wood Floors: Part 3

January 28, 2011 by 6 Comments

Floor is in... Closet is done, too. Sanding has begun. If you missed them, you can view Part 1, HERE and Part 2, HERE. Several folks have emailed and asked what company I am using for my flooring. I love A.L. Thomas out of Buford, GA. (678-546-6970) They have installed/finished flooring in my home before and always do a wonderful job. Plus, they have been in business 65 years! Wow! … [Read more...]

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Installing Hard Wood Floors: Part 2

January 28, 2011 by 11 Comments

Things are moving quickly. If you missed Part 1, you can see it HERE.   … [Read more...]

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Installing Hardwood Floors: Part 1

January 28, 2011 by 9 Comments

Come along for the journey. Here's the room this morning. This was my son's baseball-themed bedroom and I removed all the furniture recently to create a home office since he's all grown up and has flown the nest. Bye-bye old carpet... Wish blogs had sound and smell-a-vision. Imagine the sound of saws, air compressors and the smell of fresh wood. Sounds and smells like … [Read more...]

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Wallpaper H-E Double Hockey Sticks

January 28, 2011 by 43 Comments

When you die, if you've been bad...instead of going to heaven, I believe they send you to a room covered in wallpaper where the walls were never primed or sized. Then, you spend an eternity removing wallpaper, one micro-shred at the time...because an eternity is exactly how long it's going to take. :( When the first product I bought didn't work AT. ALL., I returned to the big warehouse store and armed … [Read more...]

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Pottery Barn Bedford Home Office Renovation

January 24, 2011 by 82 Comments

Welcome to the 105th Metamorphosis Monday! I hope your weekend has been fun and relaxing! I've made a bit of headway in the "bedroom to home office" project I've been working on. Last Met Monday, I left you with my son's old bedroom looking like this (see photo below.) I had worked about 6-7 hours straight taking apart his whole bedroom...you can see the "Before" in THIS post. Stop by that "Before" post … [Read more...]

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Building a Home Office

January 17, 2011 by 100 Comments

Welcome to the 104th Metamorphosis Monday! Last week in THIS post, I shared a lot of pics of my son's old room and my plans to turn it into a home office. This is a bittersweet metamorphosis, because though I do need a place to work, I am having trouble letting go of this room.         I also shared some rooms that are acting as my inspiration for the office … [Read more...]

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Creation of a Home Office, Sewing, Craft Room

January 10, 2011 by 86 Comments

Welcome to the 103rd Metamorphosis Monday! It's freezing here in Georgia and it's about to get worse. The weather man is predicting freezing rain, sleet and snow up to 5 inches. So if you don't see me online tomorrow, you'll know it's because I am without power. Really hope that doesn't happen. Four months ago I gave my notice at work and left the field I had been working in for 8 years to work … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bedroom (Son's), Before & After, My Nest, Office/Craft/Sewing Room Tagged With: