A Pretty Prairie Life: organization

When I found out that I was going back to school this fall - I immediately knew one of the first things I needed to get working on was creating a nice office space. I needed to make a space that would make me happy to spend hours and hours studying in {err...that "studying" is what I dread!}.

First order of buisness would need to be a desk. You see, I have had the same desk in my possession since I was 12 {so not that long.....lol} and it was not very functional; in fact throughout my undergrad it was a nice ~~dumping ground~~ corner display space in my little apartments bedroom and the dining room table ended up as my "desk". So when I got thinking about a functional desk for me I knew I needed a large, wide "table" like space to fulfill my study needs. While searching online and purusing pinterest I found this World Market beauty! Problem: they don't ship to Canada. Well not actually that big of a problem I could have got it shipped to the border pickup and went and got it but when I did a little more research I found this building plan. After showing it to my husband we decided we he would follow the plans and build it ~~ourselves~~ himself.

In the end we adjusted a few measurements, made the desk higher and wider, and ended up with some a little different than either of the original inspirations but I absolutely LOVE it! I am so happy to have a handy husband who was patient as I changed my mind a ~~few~~ several times along the way.

After it was built - it was my DIY turn. I had really wanted the desk to have a rustic/weathered feel to it and had read on pinterest {of course where else!?} that if you let steel wool sit in vinegar for 24-36 hours you could "ebonize" or "weather" wood. So I gave it a shot. After testing it on sample pieces, I found that it was a lot more "weathered" than I would like. So after further research - I prepped the wood with steeped tea - let it dry and then applied the vinegar-steel wool mixture. Turned out perfect!

Finished it off with some Tung Oil to seal it and voila! I have my dream desk for far less than it would have been to purchase.

Next I hope to recover the chair, create some shelving, add a chalk/cork board and add a little more style to this office!

So what do you think? If you want some tips further on the construction, staining or finishing process feel free to leave a comment or send me a mail!

I am spending my last day of this long weekend on a bit of Operation: Organization!

We have an average sized home but for the size of it I find that we lack a lot of storage. The kitchen is smaller with limited counter space and lack of usable cabinet space. I have been scouring pinterest {feel free to follow} for ideas to utilize space and feel a little more organized. Feeling a bit less chaotic after a few things have been put into a more functional space, but I have a long way to go - mainly due to the generosity of community members and family at our wedding showers last year. I have closets full of items that have not been open or have been put back in to the box after it's used because of lack of space. I hope some of these organization finds can help to make use of some space.

I really want to place my baking supplies in the pantry with decals just like this! Seen that Dollarama has some of the canisters so am going to pick some up for the smaller size and then for flour and sugar I may order from Ikea.

{via}

Was thinking of adding some open shelving for storage of some prettier items {wine, wine glasses etc.}

{via}

I would like to add pull-out shelving to the cupboard where we store our cans because everything gets pushed to the back, but until that happens I have started keeping an inventory list on the inside of the door so I know what I have before I go shopping without having to dig through the cupboard!