My Office Space... in the Mudroom : )

How long have I been talking about spiffing up my office space?  It is safe to assume that it was before we even completed construction, I'm sure.  After living in the new house for 8 months, I've finally gotten around to it.  There is nothing like the fresh slate of a new year (and very cold/boring days) to get you motivated to organize.

While I worked on this I started thinking a lot about my homekeeping/organizing philosophy.  I think it basically comes down to having less stuff.
A lot of the time I find that my pretty things, my feel-good things are being out-shined by the abundance of not so pretty and not so nice things.

For instance, I now have a glass full of grey Le Pens on my desk (see left, next to the peony).  Before the reorganization, I had those same pens in my drawer... along with about 10 other junky pens, pencils, (and crayons!) that just found their way in there.  I couldn't even appreciate the 12 nice and neat Le Pens because they were jumbled with the randoms.  This idea can be applied to your kitchen drawers (you reach for the same wooden spoon every time, so why are there 8 others to choose from?!) or your closet (like that pile of jeans... when you only wear the top two pair).

During... : )

Take some time and get down to the pretty.  Weed out the things that make your pretty ugly.  Donate those things - they might be someone else's pretty.  Don't just fill your empty spaces with the non-pretties - then those places become dark holes in your home.  Get them out of the house.  Set yourself free ; )   Don't be afraid of empty spaces, sparse closets and drawers where you can see the bottoms.  Give yourself some breathing room.

Here is how I did just that in my office :

The biggest addition was the inspiration boards.  I didn't have anything before and our invitations, snippets and photos just started leaning up against the basket, then stacked and sort of lost.  Bulletin boards aren't a new idea, but I do think they are hard to find - good ones.  I wanted mine to blend in with the walls - letting just the inspiration stand out.  

I bought these two simpletons at target ($8/each) and painted them Navajo White to match the walls.

My office is also Mr. Darcy's room, so close by treats are necessary.

Everything in here is very neutral (white walls, white built in, baskets, etc.), so that it can transform with each season of the store.  Right now, I'm in Valentine's Day full swing but in a week or two these colors will be swapped for blues, whites, pale yellow and springy greens to inspire my Spring collection.

Inside the drawers I have bamboo organizers found at Costco.  These were a set of 2 for $15 - much cheaper and nicer than anywhere else I've seen.  We have these in almost every drawer in the house.

Did you notice that my laptop is plugged in!  When we were planning the house, we had outlets put into drawers to be "charging drawers" in my office and the kitchen.  I really don't like seeing charging ipads, computers and phones all over the house, so this gives them a home.

I really don't like seeing charging ipads, computers and phones all over the house, so this gives them a home.

I LOVE this.   If this wasn't charging in the drawer, it would be on the desktop, then things would've started piling on it... and I probably wouldn't open it for weeks : )

This is where my wireless printer lives along with the most amazing paper file/shelf thing ever.  I found it at Ikea - the shelves slide out, it is powdered coated in ivory with cork lining each shelf.  I had a major paper/label issue under here before, so I'm just THRILLED with this.

More pretty : )

This ribbon holder was also and Ikea find.  Beware, the rod that comes with it is too big to hold ribbons from my store (and most others...) so I put a dowel rod in that has a smaller diameter.  Love how this holds so many!  This space is used for store photos (because of the great natural light from that big window), so it needs to be fairly blank and easy to clear off when I need to use it.

This is my paper/stationery drawer.  I keep my stack of notepads, tags, envelopes, stamps, stampers, etc. in here.  It makes it so much easier to get a letter in the mail now that this is all organized.

This is also where I store my camera, lenses and chargers.

Underneath, I have a file holder for all of the other papers that used to be by my printer, and wholesale catalogs for products.  The sheet is used on the big window when I need to defuse the light I secure it with those binder clips in the drawer above... very sophisticated photo production studio around here  ; )

You can see why this is my happy place.   The window features some hearts that Emma decorated.

Of course, the indoor garden bench (that I talked about on Saturday) is my favorite part - or was, until the rest of the office was finished.

Such nice light in here.

If you are unfamiliar with the layout of our house, this gives you perspective from the kitchen.  It is just far enough out of the way so I can emerse myself in work and remove myself from the dirty dishes in the sink.

Behind me is the artwork wall and Mr. Darcy's area.

 In the shelves above, I can stash things that would otherwise want to pile up on my worktop.  When they get too out of control, I can take 10 minutes and put things away in the basement where I keep all of my samples.

This is my keyboard area - complete with full to-do list and playdoh cookie gifted to me.

Ever curious (and skeptical...) Mr. Darcy.

If you think for a minute that every inch of my house is as put together as my office is this morning - think again.  : )   Real life is happening in the rest of the house, but it is nice to take a little break and treat myself to this space that is fresher, happier and full of pretty things.

This space refreshes me, inspires me.  And in a couple of months (or...two weeks, days?) when I find it cluttered (as I'm absolutely sure it will), I won't feel bad or guilty for it - it is a hard working space and sometimes that means mess and craziness to get the job done.  I'll take an hour, clean it up and put it right back together.

Indoor Garden | Easy Weekend Project | Potted Hyacinth, Daffodils, Herbs & Orchids

Last Saturday, I took the morning to create this indoor garden in my office/mudroom.  A couple of years ago, weekend projects started early Saturday morning and lasted into late Sunday night.  They were huge, exhausting endeavors.  Since becoming a parent, our weekends are more about relaxing and rejuvenating and our projects reflect that.  Instead of tackling something large (and then being frustrated and even more exhausted when it never got close to complete...), now I do little projects that I can complete in a couple of hours - that are fun to do, not just fun to enjoy after completed.  

Flowers are at the top of my list in our home.  I have really become very fulfilled by growing flowers and herbs - and when it is 20 degrees, that happens inside.  I find that I look forward to watching their progress each day, and the life they bring to an interior they way no pillow or accent can.

Since moving into our house at the beginning of last summer, I haven't taken too much time to really decorate or properly set up my office.  We sort of just hit the ground running and had more important areas to tackle (like completely empty rooms!).  Now we've got the main areas covered,  I was ready to spruce up the office space in the mudroom where I work. 

The bench was a $150 find in my hometown of Lexington, Mo.  I was told it was purchased from a farm sale in Pennsylvania.  Like all good finds, I purchased it without really knowing where it would live in our home.  I did know that I loved the patina, spindly lines and wood tone.  For the moment, it is living in our mudroom/my office.  The entire room is painted Navajo white - trim, cabinetry, shaker pegs, and all, so the contrasting wood tone feels really nice amongst the cream in here.  The bench has become a great sunny spot to grow some potted flowers and bring some life into my office space.  I have to say, it really does make it an inviting place to walk into every morning and settle into work. 

I'm working on the rest of the office this weekend - creating inspiration boards to hang, storage for ribbons, papers, etc.  Hopefully I'll be able to share the completed space on Monday.  Hopefully ; )

What I decided to plant was mostly determined on what I was able to find...  I knew I wanted some spring bulbs, to bridge the gap between winter months and spring, just a couple of months away.   Hyacinth are always my first choice for indoor spring bulbs because they smell just so springy.  These pink were a couple of days away from blooming when I took this photo.   I wanted to bring some pink flowers in the office area since I've been working on the Valentine's Collection in the store.



I also potted some daffodils in pots.  In the fall I planted 400 daffodil bulbs in our yard.  I saved a handful in my refrigerator to pot indoors this winter.  I'm hoping that when I'm ready to shoot my spring products, I'll be able to use these daffodils - they should be all different colors and shapes... well, that was the plan anyway.

I potted everything in pea gravel with moss on top.  I found this new moss that is more like little clumps - I like how spongey it is and doesn't seem to brown.

 I came across this pale pink and yellow orchid at Home Depot ($10) to add some instant gratification.  I'm terrible with orchids, so hopefully this one lasts a little longer than mine usually do.  I also repotted it in a Brown & White Square container.

I did a single daffodil (or it could be another form of narcissus... everything got a little mixed during planting outside.)

Here are the hyacinth today - so full that they are drooping.  They smell amazing.

This is our kitchen counter with some herb plants I plopped in smaller containers.

This is the garden bench today.  The pink hyacinth are blooming - really putting me on a deadline for taking "after" photos of the office!

The entire project was completed with about $50, including herbs in the kitchen and took an hour of errands and about 30 minutes of planting at home.  I am tempted to go out and buy more tables/consoles/furniture, just so I have more surfaces to keep little indoor gardens like these.

Because the planters are closed, I only have to water about once a week to replenish the water in the base.  The bulbs sit in the pea gravel and the roots reach down to the water.  Really simple to keep them alive - thank goodness.

Happy Saturday!  I hope you have some easy projects planned... or already completed : )

Poached Salmon & Vegetables with a Lemon Garlic Aioli

It is not often that I go on kicks of any sort.  Typically, I believe in eating whatever I want and walking a lot.  We usually eat pretty light during the day and have big dinners with bowls of pasta and bread - which I know is exactly the opposite of what you're supposed to do.  My system seems to work for me, my small (but frequent) treats keep my cravings at bay and at the end of the day we have a comforting dinner.



However, every once in a while I need a mini cleanse.  Not a strict all juice diet, but just a weekend of feel good food and activities to refresh myself.  Last weekend Mike and I treated ourselves to a one night getaway at The Elms (a local grand historic spa and hotel) to rejuvenate and relax.  The weather here was unbelievably nice so we took a lot of walks outside.  It felt like the smallest glimpse of Spring and put me in the mood for a really fresh and healthy dinner.  This is the simplest dish to prepare - all in one pot.  It would be perfect for an elegant luncheon, too.

Poached Salmon 
& Vegetables
with lemon garlic aioli
serves 4



1 pound of salmon (4 filets)
2 pounds of carrots, peeled and large dice
1 pound of baby potatoes, quarted
1 pound of green beans, trimmed and halved
spring greens & spinach mix
....
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1 cup of olive oil

Season a large pot of simmering water with 2 tablespoons of sea salt.  Cook potatoes and carrots in simmering water for 5 minutes. 

Add green beans and cook for another 3 minutes.

Remove vegetables from water (keeping the water in the pot) and set aside.

 
Add salmon and cook for 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of your filets).  

Meanwhile, make the aioli in a food processor or with a small bowl and whisk.  Begin by chopping (in processor or by hand) garlic and salt together.  Add egg yolk to the garlic and whirl.  Add lemon juice (after juicing, I added the lemon to the pot of water for extra fresh flavor), red pepper flakes and black pepper.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whirling (or whisking) until mixture has thickened.

To serve, place a pile of greens on the plate, then add vegetables and top with salmon pieces.  Drizzle aioli over the entire plate.