Home Office for Doctoral Studies July 30, 2010

I’m starting a doctoral program this fall. That means a lot of things at the moment. The one that is in the forefront of my mind is how to arrange my study space at home?

Hubby and I have a loft that we have made into the office/computer area. There’s a large bookcase flanked by our desks and the bookcase also serves as a means of separating us so we’re not distracted by each other.

In the middle of the room is a large desk/conference table that I used to spread out papers when I was a teacher or for large paper art projects. Behind the conference table lies another bookcase.

I don’t think a huge overhaul of moving furniture about will work well…unless it’s flipping the direction of the conference table.  Basically I want to carve out a space to study and do the mounds of research necessary for my studies. The program would supply me with a laptop and I would like to set my office up in the back part of the room.

My big concern is distractions. If I study at the large conference table, will that be enough distance between me and my computer…the one filled with addictive games, emails and blogs.

Thankfully, I have a plan B, well it’s more like a Plan A depending on the laptop and wi-fi access. I will convert the guest room closet into an office. The benefits would be much less distractions and the cat prefers to sit on the bed as opposed to the tiny space between my back and the chair.

I love Aja’s office  (flickr supershoppertoo)

and this one from Steve & Chris

5 Minute Crochet Flower July 25, 2010

I’ve been trying to make good use of my time lately and enjoying the thrill of completion. This means that I have also been chosing smaller projects that can be started and completed in a matter of hours or minutes.

I had some scrap yarn and my trusty needle-also my active kitty who insists that yarn is the dessert of choice for cats.

Five minutes later-well, seven if you count the time that I had to pull yarn from my kitty in his attempts to digest the colorful string-and I had the first of many crochet flowers.

Which can be placed in the hair

or on a shoe for a quick change.

What’s your favorite way to update an old look? New buttons, belt, paint color, etc?

They Work Hard for the Money July 20, 2010

I tend to make things work hard in our household. We wear things out and down until it’s crying and holding on to the last inch of life. Even my bush clippings work hard in my house.

After clipping the bushes in preparation for a murder mystery party, I took the clippings and filled a white trash can with the clippings and extra water.

I also took extra clippings to fill vases in the house

to provide a bit of nature indoors

and provide extra fillings for my flowers

that made a $4 bouquet spread throughout the house.

What have you done with branch clippings?

Too Organized? July 18, 2010

Is there such a thing as too organized?

I just finished organizing my favorite links. I now have all my blogs organized by what day of the week I visit them.

I love computer folders ^_^

Have you ever done something and felt that maybe you crossed the line into too organized?

5 Minutes to a Potted Plant Redo July 15, 2010

I’ve been trying my hand at gardening and nurturing plants-which is a bit of a challenge considering that I often kill cacti. My newest baby ivy sits on my brand new redone dresser that I’m still drooling over and I hated it. Not the plant-but the pot.

Enter leftover wallpaper and hot glue. A bit of measuring and careful spots of glue

and I have a brand new pot.

What do you like to do when you have an extra 5 minutes? Check email, play free cell, visit social networking sites, take a walk or savor a piece of chocolate?

Hubby’s Desk Redo-Part 2 July 10, 2010

Hubby’s desk got a mini-remodel recently and the next step of the plan was to add a wide shelf on the wall to create a L-shaped desk so he can have some additional room to spread out as well.

Remember before?

Well, after finding some scrap wood in the garage, scrap black vinyl,

nailhead trim, ribbon 

and shelf brackets

I created an additional space for hubby to spread his papers out on. Hopefully his will keep the banister clear from now on.

Hubby’s Desk Redo-Part 1 July 5, 2010

By now you are aware that I love to shop from home and often start projects at random times-say chatting on the phone with a friend.

That’s how hubby got this mini desk remodel. His desk could have been considered organized chaos, I simply thought it was a mess. I hated how his paperwork ran over the banister, but this was because his desk was downsized from the large conference table to the tiny computer desk.

In an effort to give him more space, I took a shelf off the wall and placed it above his desk. My initial thought was to go to IKEA and get matching boxes, but then I realized that we had plenty of storage boxes already at the house.

The four boxes hold CDs, receipts, charity envelopes and headphones so the cat can’t chew them. The desk is finally free of dust and paper piles and there is room for his laptop to rest without pushing paper to the floor. The keyboard drawer holds two paper holders for misc papers and there’s room on the wall for temporary files.

It took maybe 20 minutes to complete everything.

The next step of the plan is to add a wide shelf on the wall to create a L-shaped desk so he can have some additional room to spread out as well.