Space of Inspiration! Creating a home workspace for only $30!

OK so when I decided to become more serious about blogging one of the first things I wanted to do was create a workspace specifically for my blogging.  Since we have tablets and laptops and all kinds of plug-free options these days you can pretty much make any space your office.  From the beach to the car, Panera and Starbucks I have worked in many places however I wanted to make sure I had an actual desk and creative corner to work from at home.  For me it helps keep me stay focused and believe it or not at times I'm more productive.

When i first began blogging i would work from either my living room couch in the evenings (in which I often times was waaaay too comfortable and would fall asleep) or if it was early in the morning and the weather permitted I would work from my balcony lounge area for fresh air.

 Both worked and at times depending on what I'm working on I will still sometimes work from those place but like I said I really wanted a real workspace (with a desk).  Those who have gotten to know me know that I love to shop smart (or get the best bang for my buck).  So I'm going to show you how I got my entire workspace for about $30....desk included!!!!

What a better place to start than with the desk!  Long story short, I was helping my sister move her new furniture in her place and as I was leaving I looked up and saw this small, lime green desk outside beside the dumpster.  Someone had put it out for trash.  You know what they say "one man's trash is another man's treasure" and treasure it was!  Since space is limited in my place I was looking for something sort of small.  This was perfect!  So I grabbed it and just like that I had a new desk.

If you aren't as lucky to just kind of have one find you like I did there are other places where you can find a desk for free or little to nothing.  Craigslist has a free section where people just need to get rid of items but if you find something that does cost try to bargain them down.  A lot of times you can get the price lower.  Make sure you either meet in a public place for pickup or you can ask them to just sit it outside so you can just grab it up. P.S. These are just measures to take to ensure your safety.  

Now I'm all for a pop of color but initially I told myself I'd paint the desk black and white stripes. However, once I got home I realized that lime green was perfect, so I left it!  While the original knobs were cute and simple I wanted to put my own touch on it so I decided to switch them out.  I wanted to glamify (is that even a word?!) the desk a bit so I found some flashy knobs for less that ten bucks on Amazon.com 

Talk about flashy and talk about a bargain!  Ten came in a pack but I only needed 5.  I'm sure I'll find a way to use the leftovers.  

Original knobs

New flashy knobs!!!

The knobs alone upgraded my little desk but I didn't stop there. Can't have a desk without a chair so I took a chair I already owned.  There was only one problem, the legs were too short for the desk.  Easy fix.  I went to Home Depot and for $3.29 each purchased 4 furniture legs.  I got the 9 inch ones to ensure the chair would be high enough and now it is!

Next up....a little encouragement to inspire me as I work.  I think to be creative it's good to have things around to inspire and encourage you so I went on the hunt for a pin board to pin up inspirational quotes, and sayings etc.  I found one for a buck at my thrift store!  And what do ya know it had light green ribbon that matched my desk perfectly.

I went to Target to get cute push pins for my board.  They had a great selection. I decided on the 'Milk Glass' push pins for $3.99.  It's a pack of 20 so there are plenty for me to use for my encouragement!

   

 Above the pin board  I added a wall lamp that I had bought at a thrift store about a year ago.  It is part of a set.  I paid about $6 for both!  So just one was only $3. I love the way it defines my area.  Most of the time when I'm using it the main room light is off.

Finally, I added a few small touches to make my space complete.  Most all of my special touches are items I either received as a gift or just things I found around the house.  I used an old candle jar for a pen/pencil holder.  I also used a metal decorative cylinder thingy that I found at my thrift store for 50% off of $1.91 (just about 80 cents!) to house/hide my hand lotion.  It helped that the candle jar and cylinder thingy matched.  They look great together.

             

I grabbed a vase that has fake flowers and water in it out of the closet and added it to my desk behind the lotion. Next to it is a custom -made pearled letter 'C' (for Christy of course) from my sister.

Behind those items on the wall is a decal i received as a gift that says ' Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful'.  Which is a very special phrase to me.

On the opposite end of the desk I have a plaque I took from my collection and placed it behind a mason jar I placed 3 fresh flowers in. Again, these items are just things I found around the house so they cost me zero 99! (well the flowers are from my little brother).

And just for a little more color I threw a colorful accent pillow and one of my scarves on the chair!

 And there you have it! My cute workspace for just about thirty bucks!  It feels so good when I sit down to work there. It's my special space designed by me!  Hope this inspires you!

Here is a list of my costs:

desk- free
push pins $3.99 (Target)
pin board $1 (thrift store)
encouragement pins free
light $3 (thrift store)
candle jar free
lotion hideaway $.80 (thrift store)
knobs $9.84 (originally $50, Amazon)
wall decal free (gift)
letter c free (gift)
flowers free (gift)
scarf free (personal item)
accent pillow free (personal item)