Leona Lane

THRIFTING FOR OFFICE SUPPLIES

So today I thought I'd share my favorite thrifted office supplies to date. As I've mentioned before, I love thrifting! Some times on my days off, I'll go by myself and just wander around the thrift store. It's one of my favorite ways to decompress. One thing I'm always keeping an eye out for is office supplies and things to organize with. Because that stuff is expensive, and can be so, so boring. I'm always shocked when I go to places like the Container Store or Staples by how much they charge! So finding something to do the same job with style, at a fraction of the cost? Win win - total no brainer.

Some of my favorites (clockwise):
Retro swingline stapler - love all the curves on this guy!
Faux-wood bookends - totally remind me of summers spent at the public library.
Flower frog - in lieu of a pencil cup. 
File holder - has also doubled as a record holder.
Vintage rulers - love these.
Also metal boxes of all sizes - for holding all kinds of things!
Not pictured. My teal typewriter. One of my all time favorite finds!

When we found our place, I was super excited about the tiny third bedroom as a potential office space! Joe and I managed to squeeze both of our desks in there and it is so nice to have that dedicated space. But being the smallest room in the house, with the most potential for clutter? Yikes. Its often a disaster zone - thank goodness we can just close the door when guests come over.

Anyhow, in February, I naively decided to tackle the office as my second "Unclutter" project. Way too much to finish in one month - that room is packed to the gills with stuff. But I'm slowly making progress, even if it is July. I haven't given up yet. It's slowly coming together. 

And if I ever get the office clean enough for a picture - well, I'll definitely share some here. That will be quite an accomplishment. 

You can see more organizing and office posts here and here.

EASY DIY | FAUX COPPER AMPERSAND

Well, I'm back from vacation... I've got to say, it was nice to take a full fledged break from work and the blog and just relax! Last week Joe and I road tripped around Washington and Oregon with our camper after the Memorial Day camping trip. It was quite the adventure - I'll share more on that later I promise! With lots of pictures of course!

Today's DIY is super super easy! After last month's post, a few of you chimed in and mentioned you were insterested in easy DIYs. This one should fit that bill for sure.

I've always loved the metal letters at Anthropologie, but they are eighteen bucks. And that's a little steep. I've always been looking for ways to make a knock of version but all the ones I've seen online look not quite right. So I decided to try my own knock-off but a copper version instead! And guys, I love how it turned out! It looks so fab! 

All you need is a smaller paintbrush, a Paper Mache Ampersand, and Martha Stewart Copper Paint. I was able to find all my supplies at Michael's but the ones I've linked look exactly the same. I love the Martha Stewart copper paint, it has a nice sheen to it. 

As far as directions go, find a nice sunny spot to sit. Shake the paint up and squeeze a little bit onto the ampersand, work up and down covering it evenly but with a thin coat. I tried to keep all my paintbrush strokes going in one direction and it doesn't look to "painted" from far away, keeping the coats of paint thin also seemed to help with this. Leave one side unpainted so you can let it dry, then come back and finish that side and you're done! Easy peasy! Then you just need to find somewhere fun in your house to display it!

 

DIY NECKLACE ORGANIZER

Today I'm excited to share the necklace organizer I made out of driftwood. We're still trying to pare things down over here. I must admit, I've lost some steam with the Great Unclutter challenge. But at least I've got a bag or two for the Goodwill ready to go. And now my closet is a little more organized and I can actually find my necklaces! 

I'm not a huge jewelry person. Actually here's a random fact for you - I never got my ears pierced. But I do have a small collection of bracelets and necklaces. Mostly costume pieces that I've picked up in random spots, and a few of Gram's pieces. She loved costume jewelry! One of my favorite things as a kid was to go through her jewelry when were playing dress up and pretend to be fancy! 

I had everything hanging off one measly little hook on my side of the closet and things were constantly tangled. It was frustrating... so it was time for an upgrade! The great thing about this little project is that the supplies are super inexpensive! I actually had everything around the house already. And I love how it turned out, even Joe likes it! It has a fun outdoorsy feel to it and I love the look of dipped ends. 

 

SUPPLIES
  Piece of driftwood
  Clothesline
  Scissors
  Paint
  Paintbrush
  Masking Tape

DIRECTIONS

First clean off your piece of driftwood really well. Decide how much of each end you want to be 'dipped' and tape it off. Once that is done, make sure you have a somewhere it can rest while the paint is drying. I put a piece of newspaper down on the floor and put a cardboard box on top of that, keeping two of the flaps up (to prevent the stick from rolling off). I also made sure the box was small enough so that the paint on either edge of the stick would not touch the cardboard while drying. Whew... hope that makes sense.

Now onto the 'dipping'. I decided to literally dip the end of my driftwood into the paint. Slowly submerge until it's almost to the tape but not quite. Slowly remove it. Let the excess paint drip back into the container. Then use the paintbrush to remove more paint, until there is good coverage but the paint isn't goopy or drippy. Repeat on the other side and then let dry. (I let mine dry overnight.)

Take the clothesline and wrap it tightly around the driftwood twice, just inside of where the painted edge is. Tie off tightly with a square knot. Repeat on the other side, leaving enough length in the middle for hanging. Trim the excess off. Hang it up! Now find all your necklaces and organize them!

RECIPE | PASSION TEA LEMONADE

Today I'm excited to share one of my favorite summer drinks with you! My sister actually introduced me to this at Starbucks years ago. After ordering it non-stop all summer, I had to figure out how to make it myself. And it turns out it's super easy, not to mention delicious and refreshing!! And if you're a penny pincher like I am, you understand how nice it is to not be spending your hard earned cash at Starbucks.

So give it a try sometime, like say, on a day full of yardwork, when you are going to work up a sweat like I did on Saturday. Or if you're already having hot summer days, then anytime. In which case, I don't really want to talk to you right now, cause I would love a nice hot day right about now... 

Ingredients & Supplies

2 Tazo Passion Teabags 
1 large Lemon
Agave Syrup or Sweetner of your choice
Weck Liter Juice Jar or Quart Mason Jar
Rubber Band
Ice Cubes

Directions

Put some water on to boil. While the water is warming up, take two teabags and place them inside your juice or mason jar with the tags hanging out the side. Place a rubber band around the lip of the bottle, and over the strings of the teabags to keep them in place (fishing them out of hot water is not very fun...) Pour sweetner into jar, I approx 4 tablespoons of agave syrup, but adjust to desired sweetness. Cut your lemon in half and squeeze juice into jar as well. Once water is boiling, carefully pour into jar. Let steep for several minutes, then remove tea bags. Let chill in refridgerator. Pour over ice to serve (especially if you just can't wait and it's still warm!)

Hope you enjoy it!

Bonus Penny Pincher Tip: Take half of your used up lemon, cut it into a few pieces and throw into your garbage disposal. Now your sink will smell all lemony-fresh after using the disposal instead of like icky sink water! 

7 TIPS ON HOW TO THRIFT WELL

Alternate Title | How to Not Achieve Hoarder Status

I love thrifting, it is one of my all time favorite ways to kill time. Especially by myself. And that is saying something because I generally don't enjoy spending time alone. I love the thrill of the hunt, finding unique interesting items that every other Tom, Dick and Harry won't have. I love retro stuff. I love a good bargain. I love sifting through things and finding that treasure that is waiting for you at the bottom of the pile.

Over the years, I have decided that thrifting is a little bit of an art. And that there is some strategy involved. After all, you want a home full of lovely, useful, curated objects, not a home that feels like a thrift store. I feel like I have finally started to figure out what works for me and what doesn't. I have definitely made my own share of regrettable purchases, and taken bags of things back to be donated. 

So how do you end up with a home full of lovely things and not an intervention? Carefully of course... Here are my tips.

1. Do you need it? Note, I'm using that word "need" a little loosely here, not true survival style in the sense of food, water, shelter and fire. For the average household, you will need some plates and silverware. You need serving utensils, containers for organizing, basic household stuff. That's what I'm talking about here. For example, I recently picked up some ice cube holders - fun? not necessarily. Useful? Definitely.  

2. Are you replacing something? Replacements are fine in my book, as long as the old item is actually getting donated (or maybe even tossed). Something comes in, something goes out. We all have those things - kind of useful, but maybe a bit broken, or out of style. If you find a better fit, the style is better and the price is right, snatch it up. And say good-bye to that falling-apart-silverware-organizer that is driving you crazy! Wait, that's just me? Oh well. (the replacement I found is pictured above - sooo much better!)

3. Would you be willing to pay full price? This a question I ask myself. This one is definitely not a hard and fast rule, but it definitely helps when I'm on the fence about something. Sometimes, we tend to buy things just because they are a good deal - and for me that is never a good idea. Being a good deal should be a bonus. Just because something is a "good deal", is not a reason to buy it - it's not a good deal if you don't need it or love it, that's money you just threw away. I've re-donated way too many clothes because I didn't pay attention to this one...

4. Will you actually use it? Be realistic. You know yourself. Something can be totally darling, just your style but also somewhat unpractical. So the question is will you actually use it? Example, I was at an antique store and saw this little hand cranked ice crusher, just sitting there looking super cute and in my perfect color. Joe and I had already bought a fridge, and specifically decided not to get one with a space hogging ice machine. So when we needed crushed ice, we were literally putting it a plastic bag and smacking it on the counter (and startling our guests I might add). So I knew that I would totally use that thing, but I'm probably the odd one out in that scenario. 

5. Go often and be willing to leave empty handed. If you want to find good stuff, you have to be willing to often. And you also have to be equally willing to leave empty handed. Those days are not fun, but they happen. A houseful of awesome stuff is not found in a day. Its thrifting, it's not predictable - but that's part of the magic.

6. Limit items for the "future". It's definitely tempting to get things that will be perfect for when ___________ (fill in the blank). I have passed up cute toys that I would love for my future kids, perfect decor for the beach house of my dreams. I do have a tiny pair of salt & pepper shakers for my future camper, and a pair of enamelware mugs, but that's it. I don't want to lug around a bunch of stuff for "someday". The thrift stores will still be there, and I'll have a reason to go! 

7. Limit purchases that need a lot of work. Another tempting area is the fixer uppers. Be realistic about how much time, energy and money you have. Nothing is more depressing than a pile of great finds in the garage sitting there rotting away while waiting for some TLC.

If you want so see more of my found treasures, check out my hashtag on instagram #shewentthriftingagain. And with all that said, (whew, that was a mouthful...) happy thrifting!! Hope you find something awesome!