My blogging desk was a little blah.  In fact, it was never meant to be a desk to begin with.  It’s an IKEA console that I transformed into a desk out of necessity.  (Take a look at how I painted it here.)

This piece of furniture works hard though.  It serves as our mail sorter (see all those baskets?), bill paying center, blogging office and house stereo (during family dance parties).  And since I’ve been spending so much more time there (well, here) downloading DIY photos and such, the idea struck me to make it a little more appealing.  Even though I had polyurethaned it, the desk top was getting nicked up.  I decided to add a glass top for function and style.  Handy Hubby found a local glass shop to supply and cut a glass desk top for under $40. 

It was a great improvement but I had one more trick up my sleeve.  Off to my fabric store crush, Fabric Shack, in Waynesville.

That’s just a corner of the store.  They’ve recently expanded into another building.  It’s a sewer’s haven.  I was looking for a fun printed fabric to display underneath the glass top.  I narrowed it down to these final four…

Wanna guess which one I chose?  Ta-da!…

I was totally digging the scrolled, monogram-esque print.  A yard and a half put me back $10.  I brought it home, measured my desk top, added an inch lengthwise and widthwise and then cut my fabric to those measurements.  With the added inch, I was able to finish the edges.

I simply removed the glass top, smoothed out the fabric over my desk then placed the glass back on top of the fabric.  (Well, maybe it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.  I had to keep adjusting until all the wrinkles were out.)

Here’s my view while blogging now…

To the left… (to the lef’, to the lef’…everythin’ you own in a box to the lef’)

To the right…

All together now…

This little detail makes blogging even more fun for me!  If that’s possible.

Adding a quirky detail like this to an overused area in your home can make the oodles of time you spend there more inspiring.  Do you have a built-in kitchen desk where you make grocery lists or pay bills?  Why not hang or lean a small but fun framed print above it?  Do you spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen?  Try framed artwork here too that either leans or hangs against your backsplash.  Maybe you just like to chill in a corner on your favorite chair reading a book.  You can add a funky side table in a fun color or hang some bold artwork just at eye level.  Is there a designated place where you hang your keys on a daily basis?  That would be the perfect opportunity to add some ‘flare’!  It’s the little things like this that can make ordinary, mundane chores less stagnant.

I live a skip, hop and jump away from one of my favorite home shopping destinations: exit 19 off I-75.  Not only is IKEA on this exit, but if you drive a little further west you’ll find the Ballard Designs/Frontgate/Grandin Road Outlet.  Yes, it houses all of those big names under one roof.

It makes me giddy.  I try to check it out every few months or so even if I’m not looking for anything in particular.  On my last visit, I decided to bring along my camera and be that weird girl who takes pictures of random stuff with a goofy smile on her face.  Yes, I’m that girl and I’m comin’ atcha with a few of my favorite finds.  I tried to focus on budget items even though this outlet also has pricier, high-end outdoor furniture and such. 

My first find was this rack of souped up charging stations or as uppity people like to call them “charging valets”.

You know I like to keep my electrical devices and wires contained and this bad boy could sure deliver in that department.  It has a pull-out drawer to store your keys, wallet, glasses or other non-charging items.

Lift the top to find a hidden power strip in charge of, well, charging your phone, iPod or camera.

If I didn’t already have a DIY charging station of my own, I would have totally brought this baby home with me.  At $25, it was a ridiculous steal!

Next, I drooled over this adorable yet feisty little guest towel tray.

For only $12, I started thinking I needed that tray.  Then I realized I didn’t have the guest bathroom, guest paper towels or guests to go with it.  Bummer.

On to the rug section where more than one foot-wiper caught my eye.

I can attest to the durability of these geometric print rugs…I have a larger one right inside my front door…that I paid full price for a while back.  Boo.  These smaller versions were on sale at $23!  If you have a door that seems to catch on every rug you lay down, this low-profile rug is for you.  Plus, just throw it in the washer when it gets too grody.  Easy. 

I couldn’t believe the price tag on this next indoor/outdoor beauty…

At $10, I seriously thought about changing my last name to something that started with an “L”, “N” or “Q”!  (Those seemed to be the only monograms left.) 

Onto the outdoor furniture section where…

…you guessed it, everything was an additional 50% off!  Woohoo!  I spotted this outdoor coffee table right away.  Heck, this glossy gal would even look good indoors!

With the 50% savings, this table could be yours for the low, low price of $75!  (That’s my best infomercial line.)  Man, I really wanted that table but, sadly, I couldn’t come up with a place for her to live at my house.  I made myself move on and came across these mod outdoor chairs.

The price of $150 was for the pair and that was before the 50% discount.  So, that’s 2 outdoor chairs for $75 total – roughly $37 a pop.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.

My last find was the barstool triplets.

I totally fell in love with the textured basketweave tops.  But at $79 each, I was about to walk away.  Then I looked up, saw heavenly lights and heard angels singing…the whole bit. 

Ahhhhh!  Another 75% off?!  Holy bajeezes…that would be like $20!  And, then, like I always do when I decide to buy something, I pick over each one of that particular item to make sure I get the ‘best’ one.  I sat on each one, I stood on them, I made sure they didn’t rock, I checked for scratches/dings and I banged on the tops to check the stability of the basketweave seats.  It’s really a rigorous test that I put these things through.  Highly technical, you probably wouldn’t understand.  Anyhow, here’s the winner that got stuffed into the back of my SUV:

It sits next to my kitchen cabinet when I’m not using it to eat lunch at the island with my lil’ boys. 

I placed a basket on top of it to drop dirty dishtowels into until laundry time.  Before, I was just piling up dirty dishtowels on the floor next to the cabinet until I remembered to take them up to the laundry room.  This way, they’re kind of hidden.  So, my trip to the outlet only set me back $20.  I think taking pictures of the other great finds I didn’t necessarily need was almost as fun as buying them…and it saved me the buyer’s remorse.

How ’bout you?  Do you have a favorite outlet store that you frequent in search of great deals?  Are you ever the crazy person taking pictures of items you love but don’t really want to buy?  Or is it just me?

FYI-As much as I’d like to, I don’t get compensated for saying how awesome this outlet or its items are.  I just like to pass on the thrifty deals and eye candy to others.