Tissue Box

For about that past month and a half, I've been a little bit stressed out with a job I was applying for at work. My parents had always made the mistake when I was growing up by bribing me with a certain amount of money for every "A" I had gotten on a report card. So now, whenever I do something good or have a accomplishment, I feel like I need to be rewarded....

So I played my favorite game with Mr. Husband. It's a game I like to call "Let's make a deal". One night I said to Mr. Husband, "Mr. Husband... if I get this job, then I get to buy/make stuff to decorate my officle (office + cubicle) "D" style". After little convincing, he agreed, but I still needed to get the job...

Well................................... I got the job, and I'm beyond excited :)

Here's the plan... some Amy Butler fabric, fake Peonies in a vase, a rug, some picture frames, a wall organizer if I can find some cubicle hooks, a desk organizer, and a tissue box ...

Of all things, I opted to start with the Tissue box :)

I always want to have tissue at my desk, but I think the boxes they come in are just so ugly. I admit, they are now trying to make a effort with different designs on the boxes, but they're still just dreadful. Right now, I just use napkins from our cafeteria... can you believe that?!?

Anyways, I started with a tissue box just to make sure I had the right measurements.

I was originally going to mod podge scrapbook paper on a plastic tissue box cover (assuming I could find one), but then I thought "why don't I just sew it with some thick interfacing?". So I picked out my fabric. I had already picked out some Amy Butler and Heather Bailey fabric for my officle rug redo (next post), but wanted some coordinating fabrics too... so I picked up the big polka dot fabric (Amy Butler) and then a damask-ish fabric that I've had my eye on FOREVER from Hobby Lobby.

Then I cut three of the fabrics to a one and a half inch width, and the top fabric to a two inch width (4 of each).

Then sewed the four strips of fabric together, so I would have four sets...

Then I pressed the seams down so they wouldn't bunch up so much...

and now you have your four sets you're almost ready to sew together.

Then I measured the interfacing, and had it just a smidge bigger than the sides of the tissue box.

This part was kind of tricky... I ironed on the interfacing to the first side, and then lined all of the sides up when ironing on the interfacing just to make sure they all matched up to each other.

For the top of the box, I ironed on the interfacing and then used a template to have a decorative opening for the tissue...

Then I sewed all four sides to the top...

pinned together the sides and sewed them together...

Now here is where you hope all of your sides match up... I'm still practicing how to sew straight lines, so the mere fact that I even got to this point still amazes me. I only had one side that was just a little bit off :)

And now for the best part... flip it inside out!

I loved it, but was still wanting a pop of turquoise, so I added this turquoise trim with a few rhinestones here and there... and here's how it turned out!

How fun is the top!?!

The best part is, whenever the tissue runs out, you just switch out the box... no more ugly tissue boxes for this girl!

Linking up to CSI's Turquoise challenge!

I wish I needed a study area....

It's back to school time, and unfortunately Mr. Husband and I no longer need a back to school space.... Actually we're quite happy we don't need one! But my little sister is starting her first semester of college, so it will be a nice place for her to study when she comes over asking us to do her homework for her... Just kidding, well... not really :)

Here's my inspiration for this space... I had actually starting painting everything already, and took a break to go window shopping over the weekend. When I walked in to Pier 1, I just about had a heart attack. When I saw this table and chair, I knew exactly what I wanted!!

Isn't it to die for!!! I wanted the blue so bad, but went with white instead just because I knew the room I was working with needed to be lightened up a bit.

Here's what I had to work with. I bought this desk off of Craigslist almost 3 months ago for $10. I hope I'm not the only one that buys stuff and thinks "someday I'll get to that desk, or chair, etc." I'm kicking myself right now, because I also bought a chair from the thrift store for $9, but forgot to take a picture of it! Imagine a bar height chair with pretty curves.... yum yum!


After a full day worth of sanding and painting (because remember, I basically had to start from scratch after I saw the Pier 1 set), and sawing the legs off the chair to make it the right height, here's out she turned out...

I was really going for a super distressed look with the chair. I learned some cool stuff and some not so cool stuff when it comes to distressing! I'll have to share in another post...

Thank goodness for Hobby Lobby and their half off knobs! They worked so well with this desk!

Then it was time for some accessorizing :)

First, I wanted to make a seat cushion similar to the one on the Pier 1 chair, but a little more shabby. I've quickly learned adding burlap can give that effect real quick :)

I had this lamp in my Craft room, but spray painted her with this blue (forgot the name) and covered the lamp in burlap (NOTE: I won't be using the lamp... I'm pretty sure the burlap won't take the heat from the light bulb too well. I know from personal experience!)

This is also the first wedding picture that I've used in the entire house... lol ... I'll have to get to that soon!

Because this room is getting a entire re-do (later post:) ), I knew we weren't going to be using Mr. Husband's Ikea painting from his college days...

so I recovered it in some of my (favorite) leftover fabric from the "Script the Chair" re-do. I only used double sided tape, so if we ever want the picture again, it would be super easy to take off(but I don't anticipate that happening). I also made my own version of the book paper wreath after seeing so many awesome versions in blog land!

Picked up this frame for $2... I knew it had some potential.... the magic of spray paint!

The tea canister was a fun find at Marshall's... only $.70 because it was missing the lid, and I didn't need it anyways!

One more before,

and After!

Linking up to CSI's Back to School Challenge, and Thrifty Decor Chic's before and after party!