I wanted to share with you a special project...em....journey...I have embarked on. It's the very odd, foreign concept that is very new to me. Speaking of snowmen, have you seen our new Simply Snowmen Applique release? A few months ago, I emptied my office of the old furniture and took a trip with my family to IKEA in Stoughton, MA. I purchased all new furniture including a desk, bookshelves, long sewing table, and three 3-drawer chests to arrange for a nice cutting/work table for myself. I also bought some cool accessories from IKEA for the walls. I'll try to link to everything as I show you pics.how quickly my memory fades! Before taking the trek with the family to IKEA, I took the trek to IKEA with my awesome friend Janel. Visit her blog here! *Janel* and her friend Corrinne and I scoured IKEA and got a lot of the furniture together and we got some cool stuff for Janel too! I couldn't have gotten it in the car without them. The cubbies on the walls are "Billy" wall shelves from IKEA

BRING ON THE COLOR Today, Alicia Lastowka, my professional organizer from Luv2Organize4u came back with her husband to further work on the office and they painted the entire thing for me!They made it look so fast and easy and did a fabulous job. The picture above was taken yesterday. These pics are from today, October 14, 2012And my doggy, Bella even posed for you! The desk is also from IKEA, but of course. It is a Vika Amon table top, with  on top of a Vika Alex drawer unit on the right and Vika Alex Storage Unit (for the computer) on the left. Over the desk is a Billy wall shelf Over on the left you will see a nice LONG Vika Amon table. It houses my Janome Platinum sewing machine, my Bablock Evolve serger, more thread and.... That little white ledge/shelf above the machine is also from IKEA. It is the RIBBA Picture Ledge. Underneath it is this really cool "clothesline" type thing from IKEA called Dignitet Curtain Wire. Finally, we posted a close up photo on Facebook of our Scrappy Valances for our office studio.

These were so much fun to make. I LOVE Riley Blake Designs fabrics, and couldn't possibly have chosen just ONE or TWO for window treatments, so I was just ecstatic when I found this awesome idea on Pinterest. Here is our close-up of one window: This one is absolutely darling. Here is a great scrappy valance tutorial, though this is not how I knotted mine. THIS is the way I did my pieces according to this tutorial for a scrappy window valance. Top Finel Solid Thermal Insulated Blackout Curtains for Living Room Bedroom Window Treatments Room Dark Curtains Panel Drapes (10 pieces or more)We’ve been following London theater designer Niki Turner from her chapel conversion in Bath to her French baroque house in Stroud, Gloucestershire, admiring her style and inventive solutions in each. The upstairs bath in the Stroud house is deceptively simple, cast in matte white with retrofitted fixtures and custom faucets. Recreate the look with a few of Niki’s genius tweaks and our list of similar accessories.

Above: Both the freestanding bath and sink (mounted on a pair of vintage brackets) catch water from two custom copper pipe faucets designed by Niki herself. Above: The downstairs bath has the same washbasin as upstairs but rather than wall-mounted, it’s set on the console. Above: A detail of the patinated copper pipes and vintage accents. Paint Above: Farrow & Ball’s All White is $99 for a gallon of Estate Emulsion finish paint. Above: Niki designed custom faucets for all the bathrooms in the house from copper plumbing pipe and brass. made to measure curtains tamesideSource copper pipe fittings from Home Depot like this 1/2 Inch x 10 Foot Copper Type L Pipe for $13.78. sorrento rod pocket curtain panelTo achieve the industrial look, pair copper with brass valves, like those sourced from Home Depot. blackout curtain liner joann fabrics

For guidance, see the DIY of a similar style faucet on Vintage Revivals. For more inspiration see our post Trend Alert: 10 DIY Faucets Made from Plumbing Parts. Above: The White Square Ceramic Sink from Kraus is designed to sit mount on a console but taking a tip from Niki, install it on the wall instead with a pair of vintage enameled wrought iron brackets. The sink basin is $109.95 at YBath. Above: Duravit’s 1930 Series Two-Piece Toilet Set in a traditional floor-mounted style for $772.06. penny lane curtains majorcaFor a closer look to what Niki installed, the 1930 Series Wall Mounted Toilet is $855.85 at Quality Bath.sailcloth cotton canvas tab top curtain panel Above: The bathtub was reclaimed from an old rectory in Bath. white flexible shower curtain rail track pole bendy

The Cheviot Sandringham Cast Iron Freestanding Soaking Tub with Rolled Rim is a close second; $3,585 at Quality Bath. An alternate option is the Randolph Morris 66-Inch Cast Iron Pedestal Tub for $1,213.99 at Vintage Tub & Bath. Above: The Ceramic Ceiling Light from Thomas Hoof has a solid brass shade holder; Above: Also from Thomas Hoof, the Ceiling-Mounted Porcelain Light is used on the wall above the mirror; Above: West Elm’s Frameless Round wall Mirror is an easy alternate for the vintage one in Niki’s bath; Above: The Compagnie De Provence Cotton Flower Hand Soap is $25 at Gracious Home. Above: Keep rolls of toilet paper stored neatly in a basket like the one under Niki’s sink. The Nkuku Braided Hemp Basket is $102 for the large at Amara. Above: A Remodelista favorite, the Porcelain Toilet Roll Holder by Thomas Hoof is made in Germany (note that it’s designed for EU-sized toilet paper rolls) for €28 ($31 USD). Above: The wall-mounted Ceramic Brush Holder suits toilet brushes (the width of the holder is about 4 inches);