Happy Valentine's Day!

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Happy Valentine's Day from Skillets.Sneakers.Style!!

Since today is all about showing love I'm going to ask you all to do me a little favor and show some love for me over at East Coast Creative.  I've entered the Creating with the Stars contest using my desk chair make-over as my entry.  They pick 12 contestants and pair each one up with a star blogger (please Sherry please!) and they all compete over 4 weeks to see who is the most creative, fun right!  One of these 12 contestants is chosen by popularity, so if you like this blog and if you were as impressed with that chair makeover as I was myself, please click here and scroll down to entry number 201 and just click on the entry, that's all you have to do!

Unfortunately because of the little post hiatus I had to take, I was not able to do a post of V-day gift ideas in time for it to be useful (so sorry).  However I figured the least I can do is give a few little shout outs to the sellers I purchased my gifts for my husband from.  Valentine's day is not a big deal in our house, we are definitely one of those couples that prefers small gestures throughout the year over large once in a while acts.  We don't completely ignore this day though, we just like to keep our gifts small and sweet or funny.  Maybe it's because I'm in the process of starting my own small business, but this year I decided to avoid the big name retailers and instead looked for special and unique items from small businesses.  Also being someone who prefers to shop online, Etsy became the perfect option to accomplish this goal.  I knew the theme of item I was looking for (we're opening presents tonight so I can't spill the beans quite yet), so I simply typed it into the search and scrolled through all of the items that popped up until I found the ones that spoke to me.

KBPaperCreations

The first seller I came across that piqued my interest was KBPaperCreations.  She makes custom note pads, recipe cards, and paper mobiles.  While a lot of items in her shop lean towards the feminine side, she has a few that I knew would definitely appeal to my husband.  Since I don't want to spoil what I bought I'll share a couple of her other items I really enjoy, and with birthdays coming up these could turn into some more great gift ideas.

I'm at that point in life where friends are having babies left and right and this sweet little mobile, which comes in different colors would the perfect baby shower gift.

Paper Bird Mobile

I love cooking and finding new recipes but I have a horrible habit of writing them down on random scraps of paper that I stuff into a folder, cute recipes cards like these would go a long way to help improve my current system.

Hand Stamped Recipe Cards

JWCDesigns

The next seller I found that caught my eye was Minimalist Art by JWCDesigns.  According to his Etsy site he is based out of Portland, OR, which was a sign that I was meant to find his shop because despite living in DC the dream of the 90's is more than alive in our home.  Jason's art is amazing, he has combined classic fandom icons with stylish design.  In fact, I fell so in love with the set of prints I found that I was worried my husband might not like them, so I actually emailed the link to him to check.  Since he already knows what these are I'll go ahead and share with you too.

Star Trek Minimalist Prints

I know these aren't everyone's cup of tea, but my husband loves Star Trek and I love the simple design and colors used in the background.  Also they seem to be of pretty high quality for a really reasonable price.  Now the only question will be where to put them.

DingbatPress

Lastly, I found the perfect letterpress card at DingbatPress.  I love letterpress and I love the quirky designs DingbatPress pairs with the style.  There are cards, prints and other cute items available with letterpress printed designs, including the cute print below (which is not what I purchased this time).

When You Know Letterpress Print

How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?  Do you make it a big deal or do you keep it low key?

Wednesday Perk: Home Office Inspiration

While I am in full holiday mode right now, I also can't help but start to focus on the plans I have for the new year.  We'll have a post dedicated to new year goals later this month, but I just can't wait to share some inspiration for the first big home project I have planned for 2013.  My husband and I share our second bedroom as office space, we have both of our desks in there and it works perfect that we both have our own little areas.  My husband has his area set up to his liking and regularly uses his space.  I on the other hand have failed to actually maximize and utilize my area.  Instead I have unintentionally turned it into hodgepodge storage.

Yeah, this is out of control.

However, with some personal plans I have for 2013 I really need to wrangle this space and make it both inspirational and functional.  So with that said here are some of the things I have found around the web to inspire this little home office makeover.  I also promise to share all of the before and after pictures, and tutorials on how various pieces of the project are accomplished.

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Here's a lovely, functional mail organizer from Less is More on Etsy that has me drooling.  While it's a bit pricey, it is definitely sparking ideas.

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The color, not necessarily the vases, is what I'm focused on here.  With a white desk, I think some aqua accents would be lovely and just the right pop of color to cheer me up.  There are some current organizational pieces in use that, while super functional, are simply hideous in their current state.  A quick coat of pretty paint should do the trick, however, I'll probably tone down the color just a little bit. 

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Perhaps the biggest part of this coming makeover is the plan to upholster a chair.  Currently in use is an old Ikea dining chair, which has no upholstery.  The plan is to add at the minimum an upholstered seat, however I could go crazy and turn it into something like the picture above.  While this chair is done with lovely yellow and two contrasting prints, my plan is to use the same gray and white fabric on this chair below (M actually gave me this fabric months ago, so color me shocked and excited when I saw it on this chair on YHL).

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Currently the wall above my desk is completely bare, so some sort of artwork is necessary to complete the look.  I love this print by Hoot Design Co. representing my hometown, combined with some personal photos I think this would help inspire me on those days when creativity feels blocked.

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What desktop would be complete without a few whimsical items?  At least this adorable ceramic fox also functions as a speaker, but I think I would definitely have to add a colorful owl or two to the mix as well.

         West Elm Ceramic Fox Speaker                                        West Elm St. Jude Ceramic Owls

Lastly, this little home office space must be multi-functional.  For me, this means that I need space to work when necessary, as well as the ability to serve as storage and organization for many many different things.

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   Anything from craft supplies, photography equipment, important personal documents, and of course actual work, needs to have a place to be stashed away here.  I'm still brainstorming what the perfect storage solution will be, something that won't break the bank is a must.  Perhaps a simple filing cabinet makeover like this one my friend Becca over at Gypsy Soul did will do the trick.

Do you have any decorating makeover plans to start the new year off right?