A Quick Stolen Free Idea

 We're excited for you guys to all see the finished product, Besties.

Actually, we can't wait for there to BE a finished product.

 (Actual sunset on the lake a block from the project house. I needed a sanity walk.)

 As we draw to the finish line, one thing has become clear:

 I have certainly been absent from Chateau Inferno.

 My Minions are the world's best kids and all,

but they aren't Momma.

The place is a little...let's be nice and go with "neglected," shall we?

I think it's time some decorating started to happen here.

After all, it's a home blog, right?

And The Redhead does not give up easily.

Or at all.

 The new office will be lighter and brighter, and I've been squirreling

away fun finds for months, like these clearance tripod lamps from Target

and white cut out shades from IKEA.

They should provide great task lighting for the work table.

 Check out the cool floral design that shows through when the lamp is on.

 There's a pair of these standing paper lamps as well,

perfect for between my barrel chairs.

A little shout out to reader Julie-Ann who is happy to see that

The Feline Overlords are still in power.

 However, back to lighting.

What do you do when you have the perfect lamp with the perfect shade...

 ...but it's less than the perfect height?

HGTV Magazine solved my problem before I even knew I had one!

 (This table is a future project, and the redo will cost less than $10!)

They recommended grabbing a stack of interesting books and piling

up a base that brings the lamp to your desired height.

 BOOM!

Perfect!

Not to mention, it warms up the tableau,

and you know I'm all about free solutions!

This also gives you some fun options, like using Halloween and horror tomes

to add a subtle touch of seasonal decoration.

Five minutes, and I can read in that corner.

 Shout out number two goes to PJ at Planned in Pencil, 

one of my favorite fellow bloggers and stalkers, who sent me

a glittery little note in the mail.

Check her out and let me know if I should be afraid that she knows my address.

 But yes, we're ready to head home to nest and craft a little.

Not to mention The Minions are tired of Momma phoning in dinner.

So cross your fingers.

The lady of the house is inspecting today.

And if she likes what she sees, Mark and I will wrap this up,

show the transformation off to you,

and I'll dive into the drift of projects I have that will keep you guys

busy until 2014.

After we escape to the beach for a day of doing.absolutely.NOTHING.