A Pretty Little Desk

I really enjoy stumbling upon special ''finds'' for my daughters' rooms. So when I was looking for a desk for my 6-year-old, I made the rounds -- Pottery Barn Kids, Land of Nod, Company Kids, etc. Desks are really expensive.

Then I went to Craig's List. Love Craig's List. And I found a man selling a child's desk and matching chair. I went to look at it and immediately saw the potential. It was painted cream with gold accents and little fruit appliques on it. But imagine my surprise when I opened the drawer and saw the words ''Ethan Allen'' stamped inside.

Guess how much he wanted to the desk and chair? Only $25! For both! I was thrilled.

Our painter friend buffed out some of the rough spots and repainted it white to match her room. I found the lavender drawer knobs at Lowe's. Perfect to match her purple walls. The painter charged me $75.

Grand total: $100 for this Ethan Allen desk and chair that I happen to think is pretty darn cute. She loves it, too.

Check out the desk ''before'' and ''after.''

Lately my 6-year-old has also been taping up pictures and color pages all over her room and into the hallway. It drives me crazy not having a contained area for all this art. She doesn't want to hang it where I hang the rest of the kid art. Nope, she wants her own space. So I was on the hunt for a bulletin board to go with her room.

Her room is done in a vintage-style, so obviously this was the style I was looking for. I found one on www.etsy.com. (Love that site!) This lady takes wood from old houses and makes the wood into something else, like picture frames and such.

This bulletin board is perfect for my daughter's room, which is lavender with yellow accents. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it! The yellow wood is actually from an old door. You can see the brass hardware at the top still attached. I bought it for $30, and I am so happy with it.

And, as you can see, gone are the pictures hung up in the hall and on the doors and walls. She loves her little bulletin board and is doing quite well at keeping it organized!