office makeover: pillows and maps

I may regret this, but I'm going to let you in on one of my secret spots for finding treasures.

The library.

I know not all of you will have the same opportunity that I do, but our public library has a thrift shop!

I've found loads of vintage sheet music on the cheap, vintage postcards, and of course, lots of books.  The other day when I was in to see what goodies were there, I picked up three maps and an atlas for $3.30.  Yep, all of it. 

I mentioned last week that I had an idea up my sleeve for adding some more character to our rope shelves.  Here's what I did with my super thrifty find:

I wallpapered the space behind the shelves, starting with the three maps.  I just put them up in a random fashion- I wanted there to be uneven edges and overlapping.  Whatever spaces were left I went through and tore pages out of the atlas.  Double sided tape was what I used to hang them up.
I tried to keep everything with a surf / beach theme so all of the images lend to that.

Here are some closeups:

The oldest map I found was from 1962.  The other two were from the late '90's and mid '80's.  I wasn't necessarily trying to go for vintage- just stuff that would fit with the room.  I was thrilled they had a map of the California coastline!

Then I made these frayed denim pillow covers for our seagrass chairs.

 The pillow forms were something I already had on hand from another project.  They were 14" squares, and they make a great lumbar cushion for the chairs.  I purchased some thin twill type denim and just did a really simple open edge, frayed look.  Kind of like a pair of cutoffs.  :) 
The fabric is really soft, so it will be a nice addition!

It's really coming together!

I'm on the hunt for some smart storage for my hubby's organization needs for his side, and some general storage for files.  (Ballard...please?  can you restock those cute baskets?...)

I hope to see you tomorrow for my second Transformations and Treasures party!  

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Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Tuesdays Treasures





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