Little things to make my office more like home

Happy Holidays! 

Today I am enjoying working from home. I love the energy at my workspace but I love being in my home and near my puppies. Our home office is not quite ready for use, so we have the computer set up on a dresser in our bedroom. I am okay with that. I have a peppermint and vanilla candle burning, a coffee, and the soft lighting of Christmas lights and lamps. I feel less anxious, although I have a million things on my plate. Enjoying working from home made me think about how I can enjoy my workspace this much. 

I am lucky I can work from home a couple times a month but, I can't work from home everyday.

1) I use real cups and mugs. It makes such a difference. 

2) I used home goods not office supplies. My paper clip holder is a cute painted little votive holder. I have $ 1 store picture frames, framing my to-do lists and calendar. I use pretty wicker baskets to hold my snacks. 

This makes me happy =)

3) I surround myself with pictures of those I love and other things that make me happy; Bible versus, inspirational quotes, pictures of the shore. 

4) I can't light candles, but if I could I would turn off the florescent lights and use table lamps and candles. 

5) Lovely lotion. I keep Aveno or Johnson & Johnson lotion at my desk. It smells like baby (I love babies) and makes me happy. 

6) I have a small dog stuffed animal that is filled with lavendar and rice. It can be cooled in the freezer or warmed in the microwave. It is great when I am hot or cold and soothes a back or stomach ache and it is just so darn cute! I got it from Ten Thousand Villages, but you can make one yourself. 

Other office things that make me happy, organized files (color coded), colored pens and markers, and labeled binder clips. I've seen some cool tutorials on how to upholster an office chair. I love the idea of a cozy rug on the floor or a blanket on your chair. I can't concentrate when I am cold (or hot) or generally uncomfortable. 

Here is a picture of today's stove top scent. Rosemary, Cinnamon, cranberries, oranges, some lemon juice, vanilla, and water. Smells so lovely and looks so festive! 

Another $5 Craft, Country Holiday Wreath

Today, I am feeling so festive! I've got some delish rosemary, vanilla, and lemon on the stove, creating a heavenly scent in my kitchen/dinning room/living room! I have a peppermint candle burning in the bedroom AND I have Christmas lights a-twinkling! 

James and I bought a lovely plant at Trader Joe's yesterday and will now have fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme in our kitchen. I seriously love having fresh herbs and this winter I am going to get serious about taking care of something that brings me such joy. Stay tuned for an apartment herb garden tutorial! 

Other than decking the halls, I have been crafting! 

I am really excited to share this step-by-step country holiday wreath. 

You'll need: 

Pipe Insulation (Found in the plumbing section of Home Depot for around a dollar. My mom suggested using a pool noodle if you have one!)

Fabric Scrapes, any length/width will do 

Duct Tape

Hot Glue Gun 

Optional: 

Holiday berries

Cardboard and Twine 

Fabrics and Buttons 

Start with the pipe insulation, use duct tape to tape into a circle.

Attach the hot glue to the duct tape or another piece of fabric if you can. Or use a small amount of hot glue. The foam will melt crazy fast. Then wrap your fabric around until you have covered the entire ring. There is no wrong or right way. I used dark and light brown burlap, some muslin, and some white fabric scraps left over from my shower curtains. 

Then decide what you want to attach to your wreath. I wanted to use our initial and some white holiday berries I had laying around. And I made a Burlap Bow! See my tutorial here. 

How to make a twine cover letter super cheap? Don't start with a Hobby Lobby letter. Simply trace a letter on cardboard and cover with twine. There are lots of interesting methods to covering letters in string. I fund the trial and error worked best. Also, use small lengths of string and simply hot glue on the backside when you get to the end of a piece. 

Here is the finished project, hanging over our guest bed. I love that it's a little bit winter and a little bit country but not too over the top. 

What holidays wreaths are you crafting this winter? 

Shower Update Pics and Stove-Top Scents

Hello again friends! I apologize for my hiatus from writing. Hurricane Sandy made me do it!

A four day cruise to Bermuda turned into a week long cruise to Boston. We can't complain though. We were safe, warm, fed, and at times truly enjoyed ourselves. Our families lost power but thankfully no one was injured. We have friends who were not so lucky and our prayers go out to them as they rebuild their homes and lives.

What have we been up to? Finishing that darn bathroom! We can shower! Check out that tile! James has been spackling and sanding since we returned. I can't wait to prime and paint.

I found some couches! We are ordering them online but they are the same brand that Ashley Furniture sells so we can see them in person before we purchase! Ordering online will save a couple hundred dollars! And for $100 they will bring it up two flights of stairs!

As I write this my house smells amazing! I have been experimenting with stove-top scents! 

After our trip we had some limes and mint that were going bad :/ I cut up the lime, rosemary, and mint up and threw them into a boiling pot of water with vanilla extract. After some simmering I added some cinnamon sticks.  Every hour or two I add some water to the mix.

Doesn't it look delicious? No? Well believe me, it smelled like Christmas! 

Right now we have tangerines (they were also victim of our absence!) with cinnamon and thyme! The smell is great and I don't have to throw away any food!  We have been able to use these stove-top scents for a couple days each batch. 

I'd like to experiment using lemon or lime with rosemary, and maybe cranberry with rosemary, apple and cinnamon? I am getting some inspiration from Yankee Candle Scents.