With school nearly back in session and work ramping up for fall, this week's roundup of do-it-yourself projects are designed to add some smarts to your home office or dormicile. From a cross-stitch letter sorter to a chest of drawers transformed into a desk, there's no better time to spruce up your workspace.
- Art on a Budget
Download these hi-res vintage camera images for free and blow them up large format at a print shop ($3.29 at Staples). Get the file from this post at Design Editor. Prints by Catherine Davis.
- Cross-Stitch Letter Sorter
Add a little craft to your correspondence with some unexpected cross-stitch on a generic letter sorter. Emi of Small Good Things has the how-to!
- DIY Marquee Letters
All you'll need is a large cardboard letter (available at craft stores) and some string lights to pull off this DIY marquee. Ashley of Sugar & Cloth offers up the idea at Grey Likes Nesting.
- Custom Corner Office
Does your home office consist of a 4-foot nook? Follow Casey Baudoin's example and build a custom-fit desk with midcentury mod hairpin legs. The steel legs can be found here, and you can cut down any piece of scrap wood to suit.
- Magnetic Tins
Save precious desk space by hanging pens and other office supplies on the file cabinet or mini-fridge. We like to use vintage tins, but emptied bean or coffee cans do the trick, too. Just strip off the label, wash out, and add magnets. A quick and easy idea from A Pretty Cool Life.
- Chest of Drawers/Desk Hack
This chest of drawers is actually from a Penn State University dormitory, circa 1942 (and stamped on the back to prove it), but what a cool idea for a hack. Simply remove the drawer, add hinges to the drawer front, and poof! Also note the decoupaged drawer knob -- some bored student's handiwork, no doubt. See more at Lucky Me Studios.
Jan is the co-founder of Poppytalk, a blog about the beautiful, the decayed and the handmade and Poppytalk Handmade, an online curated marketplace. Follow her on Twitter , Facebook and Pinterest!
