Design on a Dime

I have been tackling my "Top 5" summer list and am having a great time with #1....working on ideas for decorating my office. I'm not going to lie, I have some obstacles:  a small space, strict fire marshall rules, and cinder block walls. However, I am determined to add some warmth and style to my daily work space.

At the end of the school year, I decided I wanted to surround myself and my students with words that would inspire and motivate us to be our best selves. I added the pictured quote, "do something amazing", above my door after I saw something similar on Pinterest.  It is just subtle enough that people will catch it out of the corner of their eye as they are leaving, and I feel like it's such a powerful message.  I also added the quote below, "You are defined by the choices you make.  Choose wisely each day." to my main wall.  I am going to have to change the word "wisely" from yellow to green because it is too light against the cinder block wall, but overall it is a nice addition to my office space.  You can get the "Amazing" quote here.

 

On each side of this quote, I am going to make turquoise open picture frames like these examples I pinned on Pinterest (shocked?!).  I want to proudly display all the cute cards and pictures that students make for me, and I think this idea will look MUCH better than my current practice of taping them on my testing cabinet.

 

I am going to use leftover baseboard and molding that is in my garage right now to construct the frames because I want to get rid of it, but clearly an old or cheap picture frame would be ideal.  After I spray paint it turquoise, I will staple wire in rows across the middle or use the chicken wire.  I'm not sure which way I am leaning yet!  I am also going to use these adorable bird clips that I bought from World Market for attaching the artwork. So cute!! I wanted to show you the front and the back of the clips so you could gauge the size, colors, etc.

I also found this AWESOME feelings wheel on Pinterest that I would LOVE to make, but I'm not positive I have a good space for it.  I'm going to keep thinking about possibilities.  If YOU already have the perfect space, visit the Lil Blu Boo website for their tutorial.

So, that's my HGTV post for now. I'll share my finished frame pictures when I am done! As always, I would love to hear ideas about how you make your offices cozy or see actual pics of your work spaces.   
Happy Counseling! ~Angela