Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Concrete Desk and Pipe Shelves: Office Transformation (Part 1)


For part one of the three-part Office Transformation series, I give you, our Concrete Desk and Pipe Shelves. With nods to both vintage and industrialist modern styles, this wall make's a statement in our new office, and I'm loving what it's saying...

The Concrete Desk- 
We purchased the legs unfinished from Lowe's, and the hubby built the reinforcement. I stained it all using Rust-oleum stain that my SIL put me on to (See her DIY Crate Coffee Table Here). I
used a combo of the American Walnut and the Kona color's. The hubby then build a form to pour the concrete into using laminated board (this board works soooo much better than anything else because it doesn't absorb the water from the concrete mixture). Once dry, the concrete will need to be sealed with a concrete sealer (we didn't do any sanding on ours because we liked the look as-is). Andrew bolted the wood part of the desk to the wall, then we had to get some serious assistance carrying in the piece of concrete for the top (for real, this thing is HEAVY). We put down some blobs of glue and set it into place, and voila! A desk!







Pipe Shelves-
I saw these all over Pinterest, and I just had to have them. Andrew and I debated the placement, size and location of them, but we knew we wanted them for our office. I love how they turned out, and they were relatively easy to make and install. We went to the home improvement store and purchased the pipe fixtures from the plumbing section. They were the perfect size, so no cutting was needed. We then purchased the board and cut it into three varying lengths. I wanted something that looked "reclaimed" so we looked for the gnarliest piece of lumber we could find.
Once cut, I stained them with the same stain I used for the legs of the desk, starting first with the American Walnut, then lightly coating with the Kona. Once dry, we just set the wood on the pipes and filled them with our treasures. They are very sturdy since the pipe caps help keep them wedged into place.





Pulley Light-
The hubby added this at the last minute. We purchased the pendant light for about $20, and the basket shade for another $10. Then, we added a pulley and hook. It plugs into the outlet like a lamp, and I just love the vintage, Edison bulb!



















Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Office Transformation- The Sliding Barn Door! -Cassie

Friday, May 1, 2015

30 Before 30 Challenge

My birthday was at the beginning of April, and I'm feeling a little old. Not like, need-a-walker kind of old, but I just feel like life is passing so quickly these days! There is so much I still want to do and accomplish. So I made a list. 30 things to accomplish on my bucket list before I turn 30 (April of 2017). Some of them are big, some small, but hopefully all things I can accomplish before the big 3-0. In the mean time, I hope to share with you my adventures as I accomplish these tasks!

Here's the big 30b430 list: (To follow my 30b430 list on Pinterest, click here: https://www.pinterest.com/cduffle/30-b4-30/
  1. Go to Greece- Specifically, I want to see Santorini, an island off of the Greece mainland. I hope to do this for my 30th birthday.
  2. Christmas in NYC- I actually already have this one booked.  I booked it right after I completed my list. We are going this December. :-)
  3. OKC 1/2 Marathon- I've already started a couch-to-5k running schedule. I can't imagine running long enough to complete a 5k, never mind a 1/2 marathon...but, baby steps!
  4. Smile Challenge- I'm going to make an active effort to smile for 30 seconds a day for 30 days. If you see me grinning for no reason, you'll now know why...
  5. Take a French Class- I don't know an ounce of French. I'd like to at least be able to order off a menu.
  6. Take A Photography Class- I have never taken a proper class, and would love to learn a little more about my hobby.
  7. Climb a Mountain- It doesn't have to be a big one, but I do want to make it to the top and feel like I'm on top of the world ;-)
  8. Learn to Bartend- Not like every drink in the book, but a nice set of 20 or so should do the trick.
  9. Skinny Dipping- I've never done it, but hey, you should do dumb stuff in your 20's, right??
  10. Karaoke- Writing this strikes fear in my heart. I am terrified to sing in front of people, but feel the need to concur a fear.
  11. Drink More Water- I'm doing a 30 day water challenge, and planning to cut soda entirely for 30 days. If you know me, then you know that I'm an EPIC soda drinker, so this challenge should be interesting...
  12. Learn Yoga- I'm planning to do a 30 day Yoga challenge. Hopefully I'll find my zen...but if not, maybe I'll at least be a bit more flexible...
  13. Read a Classic- Ok, confession, I didn't really read much in high school or college, unless you count cliff's notes. I enjoy reading now, but didn't back then. I should read at least one of the classics, don't you think? Suggestions? Suggestions?
  14. Try a New Food- I love to try new foods. I've never tried Thai, so I may shoot for that. If not, I may do something really gross and exotic. We will see if an opportunity presents itself.
  15. Complain Less- I'm doing a 3 day challenge. I'm a notorious complainer, so hopefully this helps!
  16. Save Money- I'm just bad at saving money. I'm doing a 52 week money-saving challenge. Hopefully our savings will help pay for that Greece trip ;-)
  17. Stay Calm- If you have kids, you have probably realized that sometimes it's just hard to stay calm and not yell. Or, at least it is for me. I'm doing a 21 day's to no yelling challenge.
  18. Road Trip with the Girls- I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can convince my buddies to do this one with me this summer!
  19. Color Run- A 5K to help gear up for a 1/2 marathon, but more importantly, doesn't it look insanely fun??
  20. Build a Gingerbread House- This will be a fun Christmas activity for this next holiday season. I want to build a real one...no kits!
  21. Family Picnic- I want to do a quintessential picnic. With a basket and a blanket on a beautiful spring/summer day under a tree!
  22. Create a Scrapbook- As crafty as I am, this one will be difficult. It's been a looong time since I made a scrapbook, and I'm not sure they really even qualified as scrapbook (they were really just photo albums). I want to do a baby book for Z oooorrr a travel book...I can't decide which.
  23. Indoor Rock Climbing- A friend suggested this one, and it sounded fun. I've never been, so why not?
  24. Have a Tech-Free Day- No technology for a day? Impossible. I will use electricity, gas, and water. I'll drive my car and probably listen to the radio. Outside of that, no phone, facebook, email, tv, computer..nothing with a screen.
  25. Random Act of Kindness- Hopefully I can come up with a nice, low-cost way to pay-it-forward. At least once.
  26. Glitter Photo Shoot- I want a mommy-daughter photo shoot with glitter. I haven't worked out the details, but it sounds fun!
  27. Polar Bear Plunge- Again, stupid things in your 20's.... Hopefully I can find one with an associated good-cause, thus slightly relieving my feeling of stupidity. 
  28. Learn to Cook- I don't want to actually take a cooking class, but I would like to learn 10 new really good recipes! Hopefully I'll find some new go-to's.
  29. Take a Photo a Day- There's a great photo-a-day challenge on Pinterest. It lasts for 30 days, and should be a fun project and a great learning experience. 
  30. Eat Better- This is such a broad term, but I've been soooo off-track with my eating habits lately. I plan to try a 30 day clean-eating challenge I found on Pinterest. 
There you have it! 30 item's to complete in almost 2 years! This should make for some fun adventures and memories! <3