Lost in Creative Space: Part VI - The Final Reveal!

Remember this boring, executive office-y, blah room?  

Well, get ready to see a very different room as I share the full-room photos of my new and improved creative space!  Finally!  (I know, right?) ;)

But first...

I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos with you!

For all the details on these photos, please check out my series posts, which are linked below!

Lost in Creative Space

Part I - Office Furniture Revamp

Part II - Green With Envy
(Wall Color)

Part III - Order with Pop!

(Organization)

Part IV - "Throne Away"
("Trash to Treasure" Office Chair)

Part V - Finishing Touches

(Decor)

And the Finale...

Recent Pics of My Space:

Clearly Candace's Creative Space is Complete! 

 I am considering adding window treatments, but otherwise, it's done!  

It's a been a great place to escape and get my creative juices flowing.

I'd like to thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for visiting and taking time to support the blog.  It's been a lot of fun for me to share this first-ever makeover and blog series with you!  As always, I welcome you to share Clearly Candace with others.  

I've chosen to leave you with a verse that I have printed and displayed on my desk as a reminder to use my blessings from Him to reflect Him through my eyes, mind and voice. 

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.  If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.  To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.  Amen." 

1 Peter 4:10-11

Keeping Him in mind,

Lost in Creative Space: Part V - Finishing Touches

The finale of my first blog series is drawing near and it is bittersweet.  I wasn't expecting the anticipation I've had each week to sit down, write and share with you!  To catch up on the series, I invite you to see how I updated my furniture, wall color, organization and the "throne" for my space.  It's been quite the adventure! 

I don't know about you, but when I watch space makeovers on TV, I love when the designer puts the final touches on a space.  These finishing touches really inspire me to update a room, along with a great new wall color!  There's nothing like adding pops of color, photos, knick-knacks and pieces of personality to complete a room.  The final touches to my creative space were easy to find and affordable to add.  I would add them over a span of months as I found them.  Before starting the space, I would Google, Pin and watch Craigslist for decorative inspirations.  Pieces like these spoke to me, kind of like those Pier 1 commercials right now... 

The Company Store Antiqued Chandelier: 

"Let me shed some more light on that for you, Candace!" 

I had so much fun styling my shelves with frames, baskets, simple organizers, vases and knick-knacks!  I combined my old decor with new decor for a whole new look.  When updating decorative items, you can consider adding a little spray paint to your current knick-knacks or frames, or even distressing them.  I also found that recycled food jars make for great storage vases! ;)  These kinds of simple upcycling ideas can create a new look at little to no cost.

Below are my larger finishing touches.  I really truly LOVE the cool guest chair I found! I couldn't pass it up at T.J. Maxx (for $59.99) one day well before I'd even painted the room.  It definitely set the tone for my pop of hot pink. :)

The rug ($13) from Ross added some pop + sparkle against my blah beige carpet.  For some Clearly Candace personality, I really wanted add the letter C as a theme in my space.  I found the above 24" hand-carved C from Etsy ($33+shipping) to be my focal point in the room.  I also picked up a few smaller Cs (~$1-$7) to add to the mix.

I love this Etsy print I found on Pinterest and made one for myself.  The damask mini hat boxes came from Hobby Lobby, and I probably should've waited for a sale, but I couldn't bear to lose them ($23).   I love the impact made by the color and size of these two items next to each other, so I've decided to put an encouraging Scripture in this 8x10 frame with a similar look.  Don't worry, I plan to downsize the Love print for a 5x7 close by.  :)

For my desk, I added a Target lamp and pink Ikea shade for $17 after my old lamp broke.  The $2 Ikea frames, a pen/pencil holder and some pink Gerber daisies give it a nice feminine finish.

And last, but not least...lighting!  Yes, that adorable Company Store chandelier pictured above was new in the box on Craigslist.  I had initially planned to find and paint an old chandelier to to replace the sad little dome light.  When searching for an old one, I stumbled upon this one priced at a quarter of its retail price--SOLD!  No DIY work, a great look and a great price!  Here it is after being so graciously hung by my hubby.  I opted for the simple, (no pink drops) look.  I think it is a beautiful final touch to the room.

Each of these accents give color, personality and style to my space.  I'm sure I'll be adding and rearranging things as time goes on, but that's just me.  Finishing touches are too fun!  I am very anxious show you my full space photos in the upcoming finale post.  There's nothing like seeing a completed project and comparing the before's and after's of a made-over room.  I can't wait!  

For today's post on "beautifying and adorning" my space, I thought this Scripture on the adornment and beauty of a Godly woman was fitting.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."  
1 Peter 3:3-4

Keeping Him in mind,

Lost in Creative Space: Part IV - "Throne" Away

I've been excited to share this particular post with you since my series began! You can catch up by checking out Part I, II & III.  Today's post is about a spontaneous addition to my creative space that came out of nowhere! :)  It all started on the curb....

Yes, you heard right - the curb.  If this thought bothers you, you may not wish to read on. ;)  I was driving my son to school one dreary morning after it began to rain.  I noticed that a neighbor around the bend from me (who I don't know personally, but a close friend does) had put something on the curb on trash day. This something made me slow down and look closer as I passed.  Being the daughter of a mother who is a collector, finder, redo-er and seller of "special things" (for a better term), I have never once taken anyone's "trash" in order to make it "treasure."  However, on my way back home, I realized why I slowed down in the first place.  I stopped, opened the back of my SUV and heaved THIS into the back of it. 

 



One large, heavy, navy blue chenille chair....someone's trash.  I know, crazy, but I somehow looked past that part and saw potential.  Mom's "special" genes must be seeping in! ;)  I liked the chair's shape and wooden detailing.  I did find a busted spring, but I still deemed it makeover-worthy.  You see, a few days prior, I was exploring the wonderful world of Pinterest.  I came across this pin and read the how-to.  Because of this, that chair grabbed me....so I grabbed it. :)

The pin is from Hyphen Interiors by Kristy Swain and the popularity of the post has since greatly increased!  It's an easy tutorial on brush painting paint+medium  onto upholstered fabric.  All I needed were latex and acrylic paint, textile medium, a spray bottle, a paintbrush and a little sandpaper. 

I let the chair dry and air out a few days outside.  Then I attacked it with Lysol, upholstery/carpet cleaner and a vacuum.  Disinfecting it in addition to the painting process would rid the "old and used" and make it new again.  Once clean and dry, I began the process....

I followed every step in Kristy's tutorial.  I chose black paint.  I considered other colors (green, pink and even cream), but with the dark blue fabric, I thought black would be a safer, easier color transition that would better hide dirt, wear or flaws.  The first coats (2) latex+medium+water coats were the primer coat, creating a thin stain look on the fabric.  A little buffing with the sandpaper helped soften the arms other areas after each coat dried.  The coat of acrylic+medium+water transformed the chair from blue to black.  Once complete, the fabric's texture was now more of a soft canvas, versus its former chenille.

The wooden details came next. Below are close-ups of them beforehand.  I replaced the old brass casters and with larger modern black ones ($4.99/pair at Home Depot), for a better roll on my chair mat, rather than sinking into it.  As for the wood, it certainly needed some love.

And love was added.  Spray paint works wonders.  It's a totally new chair! 

And to go even further, I tried something for the first time. I'm in LOVE.

 Cue Angelic Voices! 
How do you like my new throne? :)

 Requisite Before and After photo:

I am completely in love with the look of my new and improved upcycled chair!  The only downside is the the broken spring that I have resolved by adding a thick pillow cushion so I don't even notice it. :) And now...

Curbside Treasure Meets Creative Space!



Spiritually, when I think of making the old new, I am instantly reminded of the gracious blessing of being made new in Christ.  And He is still making me new today.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come!"  2nd Corinthians 5:17   

Does anyone love the song Beautiful Things by Gungor as much as I do?  I'll confess that I've listened to this song multiple times in a row on multiple occasions. :) It's very relevant here.  It's beautiful and powerful (with strings!) and the "You make me new" bridge is my favorite part!  Spiritual or not, I encourage you to click to listen.

Thanks for visiting!

Keeping Him in mind,



Lost in Creative Space: Part III - Order with Pop!

Welcome back!  If this is your first time visiting or viewing my first blog post series, you can easily catch up on Part I (furniture) and Part II (paint) of the series in just a few minutes!  Now, on to organization... 

Today's post will show you how I created some much-required order to my new space.  In creating a creative space, knew I would need multiple bins, drawer organizers, file boxes, bins and buckets for all my craft/office supplies and tools, party decor and paper goods.  To date, I had mainly used the bookshelves, my upstairs guest room or coat closet to store things.  It was time to utilize my shelves and furniture the right way.  In addition to organization, I wanted to add a color to the room that popped with my new walls and furniture.  It's important to note:

Since hubby was moving his work-related books/needs to his new space, the shelving space doubled!   After moving my bulky photo albums to another room, I now had ample organization space.  My love for hot pink combined with the Target Dollar Spot was like a dream come true.  Multiple hot pink items similar to these at $1-$2.50 when on a budget made organization easy and stress-free!

I used the silverware trays for my desk drawers and the buckets and boxes for supplies.  Check out my now-organized shelves! 

Interested in a "before" shot of what these shelves were like?  Just click here.  In addition to the Target boxes & buckets, I got 6 of those great striped baskets for a steal at $3ea from our closing Toys R Us!  Note: I save jars for various purposes. :)

As for my furniture, I cleaned out and reorganized my drawers and inside cabinets.  I was able to move my printer from the bookcase to inside my hutch cabinet on a great pull-out shelf (not sure why I never noticed it).  I also moved my router to make a new found a home for my ugly sewing machine that is now no longer under my feet!  I found stackable organizers (in 3s) at Big Lots and hot pink baskets on clearance at Ross and Michael's.  TJ Maxx had cool spinning desktop organizers and I got square vases from Ikea.  (Made good use of some jars, too!)  These new items (below) ranged from $1-$6 each!



Lastly, I can't leave out my infamous first piece of organization - the Ribbon Rack!  This newly-painted, upcycled CD rack has saved major space by holding loads of ribbon for gifts and diaper cakes. I prefer this rack over ribbon rods because the rolls are handy to grab, use and toss. 

It feels so great to have everything in in its own place!  I no longer feel overwhelmed when doing work or projects.  Everything is easily accessible and not in another room upstairs or in an over-stuffed closet.  I also love that I was able to organize using a fun accent color to play off my green and black colors.  It was inexpensive, easy and exciting to add!

As we get closer to the end of my first blog series, I will be sharing a few finishing touches to the room and a finale of requisite room makeover "before and after" shots that we all love.  I can't wait to share my final additions to the space with you!  Thank you for your support and all the blog love shares, FB Likes, Pins of this series or Clearly Candace, in general! :)

With a little organization, a place was prepared for my many things.  With those italicized words being today's topic, I am reminded of a wonderful truth for all who believe in Jesus.  He comforts His disciples with these words:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14 1:4

Thanks for visiting!

With Him in mind,