We're not quite to the "After" photos of this project, but we've definitely made progress regarding my our desk/work area in our basement. We've been in this house for almost 4 1/2 years (I can't believe I'm typing that number, by the way...) and I had never come to an idea for our lower level that felt "right". We were gifted these pieces of art from Gerard's Dad & Step-Mom and I knew I could make them work for us--just didn't know how!

We've put them in various places on our wall, and as if from Divine Intervention*, I placed them on nails we already had in the wall above our TV unit:

That finally felt right to me, so I simplified what was on the top of the unit, clearing it of frames, tissue boxes and remote controls, finding other locations for them.

So the art was settled, what do I do with the comfy-but(t)-ugly pillows that came with our couch? Re-cover them!?! Then Ka-Blam! It all fell into place really quickly.

Here was my original inspiration for the shade of green I wanted:

1. Gerard likes green, so let's recover the pillows with something green that pulls in the brown of the couch and some green in the artwork.

2. Green is the color of my photography business overall, so let's pull

my

our work space into this.

3. I've never liked the blinds that came with the house on these windows, so let's do a different treatment in green!

4. MUST. CALL. TRAYLA.

The fabric shopping commenced that very weekend. Over the past 3 years, Trayla has girl-i-fied my wardrobe, given me home decor ideas....she's kinda like my Pinterest-in-Person person. As she says, she knows "just enough about sewing to be dangerous". So, when our schedules lined up again, we set to work on window treatments & pillow covers. (please excuse the poor quality of photo, we were doing this at night in a basement...)

I'm still in awe of the fact we got two window treatments and all four pillow covers made in one night without bumping my bed time later! :) That left diaper boxes storage boxes from Trayla to be covered with hot-glue-gun skills.

5. MUST. CALL. RICKI.

I had scheduled with my friend, Ricki, to get together and hang out over dinner the following week already, and I texted her: "Do you know how to work a glue gun?" Her response:

I'm so good with a glue gun, I practically have a license to conceal & carry.

Did I mention that I have the BEST friends in the world!?!

Trayla had mentioned the idea of putting a piece of each fabric pattern in a frame. So, while Ricki gunned away, I worked the frames.

Voila!

Bookshelf with storage boxes for scrapbooking materials:

Desk with a few of the frames; I'll put some of those frames on the shelves that will go on the wall...

Couch with newly covered pillows:

Left to do:

-adjustable shelves above the book shelf

-spray paint camera equipment cabinet? (This is a piece of Gerard's pre-marriage furniture, so I'm waiting on the "go-ahead" from him)

-continue to pitch and sort for the best arrangement of photography gear/scrapbooking materials/Gerard's desk things

Maybe I'm just weird, but organizing and pitching/sorting is practically becoming therapeutic for me at this stage of my life. I never thought cleaning would be something I LIKE to do!

*I know God cares for all the little things in our lives, so I'm merely saying this Light Bulb Moment did not come from any creative source in my brain. It literally popped in there. Maybe God gives decoration advice..?...:)

The Plan Part 2