Office Re-Vamp! A Surprise for My Mom (& Dad)

This has been a long time coming to you guys.

Since Christmas.

Part of the reason I wasn't blogging (even though I had a crap-load of stuff to show you) was that everything I was making and planning was for my parents office.

Ben, and my brother Caleb and I decided to surprise my mom with a fancy-schmancy new office.

And by that I mean, I decided.

We had about three days to complete, so I started planning in October.

Biggest inspiration was my parents love for Restoration Hardware.

Which, coincidentally made it easy on the budget.

My parents have been collecting old stuff forever, I ended up using stuff they already had.

Along with a few trips to Habitat for Humanity ReStore, we were in business!

Alright, enough chatter!

Here are the before pics!!

Pretty red right?

Pretty dark right?

Just and FYI, all these pictures were taken with my iphone :( 

Sorry for the poor quality and lack of editing!

Here's the reveal!

It happened on New Years Eve, Ben and I were at the Keg for a dinner party and Caleb had left for work out of town.

Mom and dad had just driven home (some 10 hours) from Summerland.

And walked into a room with a big bow on the door!

  Ben put up 1x8" cedar boards on the ceiling to look like exposed beams.

And I made a 'birdcage chandelier' out of wire hanging baskets and an old chandelier from Habitat for humanity.

My moms favourite part in Pride & Prejudice, hand written on a new lampshade.

Before pic of the old couch...

Waaa-lllaaaaa! 'New' couch!

I know you can't really see it, but the black framed picture is one that my mom has had for years. It's a pic taken by the Vancouver Sun back in the 1960's of her with Pierre Trudeau.

It's just such a fabulous picture that really captures the era.

It needed to be on display!

Next to it is a pair of vintage boxing gloves, stuffed with horse hair.

My had has two pairs that he used to box with his brothers when they were kids.

Salvaged galvanized shelving from habitat for Humanity ($2)

As well as a desk Ben made from an old steel door.

The paint color I picked was from Cloverdale.

I'll link up to my Pinterest board here so you can see where I got some of my ideas.

 Thanks for stopping by!

While you were Hiking in Peru......

Hi all!

Thought I'd abandoned you forever?

Never.

Just been busy, that's all.

It's summer (supposedly) and we've been out and about.

I've also been very sneaky.

My cousin Travis and his wife Jen went to Peru with my brother and a few other friends for 18 days, hiking and seeing the sights.

3 days before they left they took possession of their first house.

The night before they left they found water in the basement....

So my cousin Jen (Travis's sister, not wife. . . It's confusing, I know) and Jen's (Travis's Wife) sister Jody and I decided we'd try and re-do their laundry room.

It was the room in most dire need of a reno.

Just look at the before pics.

 Jody and the wine made the evenings funner!

Those dang wood panels took a few coats of paint...

 Jen, Jody and Ben having a serious wallpaper discussion.

 Wallpaper complete!

 Flooring complete! And lighting too!

 And now the Reveal!!

AFTER:

Jen painted all the cabinets, picked an area rug at Home Depot for a sweet deal!

Her husband Aaron did all the baseboards and babysitting.

 Jody and her mom came and finished up the last of the painting and looked after searching out decorations and furnishings.

 Stacey over at Hattrick Designs used her awesome Silhouette machine and make the lost socks vinyl cut out.

Surprise!!

Yes, I hid in the corner and jumped out at Travis when they came home.

I love surprises.

Travis, not so much.

After the initial shock wore off they were really happy ( I thiiiink).

We love you guys so much!!

Happy Housewarming!!