Monday, February 4, 2013

New Business!

Something new and exciting has happened…. my husband bought a  psychology business.  He’s had his Ph.D. for less than two years and spent most of his working life in law enforcement so it is a big change for him to own a business.  I’ve been busy putting together his office.  What fun it has been for me! 

When he bought this business  we both knew immediately what part of the name of this business would be…. PPI.   My husband came up with what the letters stand for....instead of coming up with a business name and shortening it to initials, he started with the initials and found words that worked with PPI.  The name of the business is really special to me because it is in remembrance of  my dad.   Our last name is long and ends with the letters ppi.   Whenever my family would visit my parents, my dad would exclaim “The PPIs are here!”  My dad passed away over nine years ago but in my mind I can hear the happiness in his voice as he said “The PPIs are here!”  It’s funny how certain things stick with you.
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The office that my husband rented is small but functional.   It was a long path for my husband to get his doctorate;  I wanted his office to look professional and work well for him.   And because I’m cheap fiscally responsible, I was determined to furnish his office without hawking the silver (just kidding – I don’t have silver – nor do I have boatloads of money laying around.)

This is a small two room office.  This is the front room “before.”  He’ll have people complete assessment testing in this room.
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This is the back room “before.”  This is where he will interview people.  The view of the trees is one reason he so liked this office space.
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This is a “before” chair.   We purchased three of these at a consignment store.  They are incredibly sturdy!  I also found that maple is really nice to paint because the grain is so fine. 
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One issue we had is that we needed to get the office put together in about a week.   That may sound like plenty of time but it’s really not a lot of time when you are looking for bargains.

The after… 
Entry in front room.  I think the mirror frame doesn’t go well because it’s too fancy but it was sitting in our basement so it works for now.  Probably nobody but me will be bothered by a too fancy mirror frame.  If they are they will just have to get over it.
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This is the opposite side of the room and is the area where clients will do testing.   Look at those consignment store chairs; they look great with new fabric and paint.    The countertop is mounted to the wall.  
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The interview area is so beautiful.   We found a fabulous deal on an ultra small leather loveseat.  It was the first thing we bought.   We purchased the chairs on-line.   The glass tables are from a consignment store.  The curtains were ordered from JC Penney on-line.  They had to be extra long.  They were on clearance – I looked for fabric to make curtains but there was no way I could buy fabric for the price of these panels.   My husband made the curtain rods from electrical conduit and we put a fancy knob in the end for a finial.  My wine drinking came in handy because a cork was pushed into the end of the conduit and we screwed the knob into the cork for the finial.   Curtain rods and hardware are so expensive – these were not – and they look great.
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Looking back toward the front room there is a  a desk and cabinet for coffee and supplies.   My husband picked up the silver wallpaper with black and white birch trees on clearance at Lowes.  It was the second thing we bought and it really defined the office theme.   I had not put up wall paper for over twenty years… sticky job for an amateur.
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The “desk” is a small table we picked up at a consignment store.  It was already black so I didn’t have to paint it. 
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We stuck with the black, grey and silver theme, metal accents, and repeated the tree branch motif a number of times. 

I think it looks great.  It’s very different from anything in our home.  My husband says it feels masculine.  It feels really comfortable to me.     My job with the new business is done.  I’ll let him take it from here.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Sewing Room Organization

I’ve been meaning to get my sewing room organized  for a while now…..   My sewing room is a 9x7 walk-in closet off a room that is technically a bedroom on our main floor.   When we built the house I had extra outlets and a window put into this closet because I knew I would use the room for sewing.   I like being able to close the door if I am in the middle of a project so my chaos is hidden.   The attached bedroom has always been used as a library or office. 

In late 2011,  my husband’s uncle, Bob, came to live with us during his final months.    For the first time since we built this house in 2001, the main floor room was used as bedroom and we cleared out my sewing supplies so Bob could use it as an art studio and office.    Bob was an artist and spent many days in the room drawing and painting,  he enjoyed having a spot for his art right off of his bedroom.   After Bob passed away,  I left most of my sewing supplies in the basement, occasionally bringing up something when I wanted to work on a project.

This month, I finally got my sewing room back together.    I wish I had before pictures!  Prior to moving my sewing supplies out of this room for Bob, the only storage I had was an ugly  metal cabinet and huge plastic bins with fabric piled in them.  

I painted the walls a light cheery blue.   I think I hum every time I walk into this room….. blue skies smiling at me nothing but blue skies do I see…. 

My  husband and I built a wall of shelves along the entire back wall.  Everything I have fits on these shelves, there is even room to spare.   The area where the cutting mats and rulers are hanging is behind the door when it is open.

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Seeing these mini bolts of fabric make me happy.   All of my yardages of cotton are wrapped around comic book backer boards so I can see them easily.   My upholstery fabric and flannel are stacked on the shelves.  Fat quarters and smaller pieces are rolled or folded and stored in plastic bins.    The big wicker container holds small scraps which I may or may not organize someday.   I sort of like dumping out the basket and having inspiration hit me.   Batting and projects in progress are stacked where I can see them too.

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This consignment store dresser  is on the wall that you see when you walk into the room.    I made the star on the wall out of yard sticks -  I wasn’t planning on putting it there but we put a gash in the sheetrock getting the shelves in.   The star is there until it’s fixed.  Maybe longer.  I like it.

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I wrapped a board with heat resistant batting and covered it with cloth for the top of the dresser.  It’s my ironing board. It works so perfectly. The drawers hold sewing supplies.

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I don’t like things cluttering my sewing area.  The only thing I have on the countertop with my machine  is my “bouquet” of thread.    The fabric on the window is the same as the fabric on the attached office window so it looks nice if I leave the door open. 

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I’ve been having fun making things…. finishing projects and starting new.    I’ve made some pretty potholders and pillows,  worked on a quilt my son started a few years ago, made a couple beautiful scarves (that orange fabric  on the dresser in one of the pictures above was some that my mom picked up for $1.50 for 1 1/2 yards – from it my mom, my sister and I  each got enough to make an infinity scarf.  So cute for 50 cents!) 

Today I made a mug rug from bright scraps.    A mug rug is a cross between a coaster and a placemat – big enough for a mug of coffee or tea and a snack.   I’m taking this mug rug to my office to brighten up my winter days.  

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I’m so happy to have my sewing room back together and organized.    There are many photos on the internet of sewing and craft rooms that are much larger and  more beautiful but I’m completely content with my small sewing closet.   It fits my needs perfectly.