Please forgive the poor quality of the pictures. I took them with my phone camera because, well, I was kind of too lazy to use my regular camera. Plus I didn't exactly plan this, and the only reason I had taken the pictures was to have a visual reference when I was shopping. I've never done a post like this before. It's totally self-indulgent, and with that in mind, I'm completely okay with that. You've been warned. Perhaps it was the effects of the drag show and Halloween, or just from being tired all the time, or something, but last weekend I got all fired up and decided to undertake a small project to fix my bedroom up a bit. Because I live in a house that I think may have been built in the seventies (an odd time during which houses were built with lots and lots of paneled wood), or thereabouts, it's got a number of odd features.

One such oddity is what I've come to call a vanity, despite the presence of a window there. It's strange, I know. The problem is that, as my schedule becomes increasingly hectic during the semester, this one spot of my room literally mimics the state of my life. To put it lightly, it was a train wreck.

The window sported the same awful, hideous, unforgivably yellow beige drapes that the two main windows to this place used to sport (which I ousted in favor of blinds sometime last year). Notice also that they did not close completely, either.

I found some nice white drapes to replace these. They were about thirteen inches too long, so I used some safety pins and did a little homestyle hemming, and the result is this. Note quite perfect, but certainly close enough for me. Not bad for my first time, eh?

Finally, I put together two sets of wire shelving units to add additional storage space. I was afraid that they might not work with the room, but it turns out they fit right in, and they nearly triple the amount of flat storage place I have right there. It's easy to keep everything organized, and I don't have to cringe and pretend I can't see every time I go near that part of the room.

I'm very pleased with the outcome, and thrilled that I achieved exactly what I wanted with less than $75. I priced custom shelving, which while nice, I could not get below $120 even with the most generous of offers. Larger shelving was available that would have fit, though a single unit of such shelving runs at least $70, even on sale. My route, while it did take a bit more searching to find exactly what I wanted and what would fit, was much more budget friendly and it has surpassed my expectations. Next up: tackling and simplifying the rest of the room. Little by little, I'm getting there.