Wednesday, January 30, 2013

New Ways to Decorate Your Home Office

Do you want ways to decorate and organize your work space?  Cork is the new way to make something new in your work space.  Keep reading to learn about how you can incorporate cork into your office.

Cork in an office space is not a new idea; you've probably got a bulletin board up in your workspace right now. But using this flexible, functional material in other neat ways around your workspace means every surface becomes a memo board. Better stock up on push pins.
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A Cork Pencil Holder
IKEA cork trivets become a cool desk command station in this DIY project from Design for Mankind.

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Cork Vases and Cups
Another clever DIY, these vases and knick-knack cups are crafted from aluminum cans and a roll of thin cork. Check out the full isntructions from papernstitch.

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Cork Planter Bookends
This bookend set from Canoe is a triple threat, offering to give your books order, your plants a home, and your notes a pinboard. Grab the set here for $48.

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A Cork Tray
A cute tray is a great way to visually anchor desktop neccessities, and this one from Ferm Living can pull double duty as a memo space (€31, $42).

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A Corkboard (duh!)
It's the most common use for cork in the office, but it doesn't have to be predictable. Go nuts with different sizes and shapes, or give your bulletin board a new look with some paint, like Belinda of The Happy Home Blog.


For more information see Apartment Therapy.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Congratulations Albuquerque!


Congratulations Albuquerque!  They have been ranked in the top 25 places to go in 2013.  This city is known for it’s great events and affordable nature.  It has something for all ages and families.  The city has also been boosted because of the filming of the show Breaking Bad.
The experts at Fodor’s Travel announced today that Albuquerque has been named among the Top 25 Places to Go in 2013. Fodor’s editors have chosen Albuquerque as a hot travel destination because of our excellent value for visitors, calling the city an affordable getaway for nature lovers and families. Albuquerque’s visibility on the AMC show “Breaking Bad” has also helped elevate the destination’s profile for travelers.

"The places on our Go List are our ‘must-dos’ for the coming year. Travelers should add these far flung and domestic destinations to their 2013 itinerary," said Arabella Bowen, Executive Editorial Director at Fodor's Travel. The cities were selected by Fodor’s senior editorial team who began with an initial list of 75 global travel spots, narrowing them down to the final 25 locales on the Go List after heated internal debate.

The story highlights a slower pace of life and calls out the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the ABQ BioPark and Gruet Winery as highlights. Two local lodging boutique properties were called out by the editor – Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm and the Hotel Andaluz - and appropriate for this time of year, Fodor’s mentions the Luminaria Tour at the holidays as a special time to visit Albuquerque. The complete story is available here: http://www.fodors.com/go-list/2013/.

Albuquerque has also been highlighted as one of 20 Awesome Winter Foodie Destinations by Zagat.com again focusing on Los Poblanos. The story, which is available here: http://blog.zagat.com/2012/12/20-awesome-winter-foodie-destinations.html, says “If you haven’t experienced the great Southwest, now is the time and Albuquerque the place to start.”

Just west of Albuquerque, the Acoma Pueblo was also named one of “12 most extreme places in America worth visiting” by BudgetTravel.com and showcased on FoxNews.com. The list is a compilation of longest, coldest, hottest, biggest and oldest. That’s where Acoma “Sky City” Pueblo comes in; it is said to be one of the oldest sites in North America.

For more information see It’s a Trip

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Try Something New This Year

This year why not trying something new!  If you find yourself making the same meals every week, check out these great new meals and projects for the new year.  There is everyone from making your own cheese or cider. 
 
2012-10-30-sparklingcider-13_rect540_rect540There's nothing better than a good project to get you through the post-holiday dog days of winter. One of these projects from the past year is bound to spark your interest. What about making a batch of fizzy sparkling cider? Or finally trying your hand at homemade pasta? Or mozzarella? Lots to do, lots to try, lots to discover!

TOP ROW
• 1 How to Make Sparkling Cider
• 2 How to Make Fresh Pasta from Scratch
• 3 How to Make Herb-Infused Honey
• 4 How to Make a Shrub Syrup
• 5 How to Make Homemade Mozzarella

BOTTOM ROW
• 6 How to Make Basic White Sandwich Bread
• 7 How to Make Basic Whole Wheat Bread
• 8 How to Fill and Shape Agnolotti Pasta
• 9 How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home
• 10 How to Make Soft, Chewy Caramel Candies


For more information see The Kitchn.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Steps to De-Clutter Your Closet

It has been about a week since the start of the year.  This is the time that New Year's Resolutions start to be put on the back burner.  Do not lose your New Year's Resolution this year!  If your resolution was to clean out your house and closet here are some great tips on how to get started.  Make sure to start at a good time, and you should have a plan before you start the project.


shutterstock_74848849.jpg1. Choose your time wisely. I tend to come alive around 8pm and want to do all of my home projects right at that moment. That's a bad idea — especially if you live in an apartment building with a 9pm noise curfew. I tend to start a project and then have to stop, leaving an even messier issue to deal with the next day. Start at a reasonable time to complete the project on a day where you have lots of time to work.

2. Use a hanger system to identify which clothes you wear the most. After sorting KEEP, DONATE and THROW AWAY piles, hang all of your "keep" clothing on the hanger rod with the hanger hooks pointing toward you. As you wear the clothes, hang them the regular way: pointing towards the back of the closet. In three months, donate or sell any clothing that is still pointing towards you. Do this for each season of clothing.

3. On that note, store different seasons of clothing. Divide your "keep" clothing into two sections: warm weather and cold weather. Whichever season you're not wearing at the moment, store in airtight bins or garment bags to free up more room for the clothes you're wearing right now.

4. If there are things that you love that have holes or tears, fix them. Make it a priority to either take clothing in to a tailor for repair, or sit down with your own needle and thread and do it yourself. You'll be relieved after you do, and you'll have more clothing to wear! That goes for that pile of dry cleaning you have waiting too!

5. Don't be a shoe collector unless it's your passion. If you're anything like me, you like to buy cheap shoes, wear them for a bit and then hide them in the back of your closet to be forgotten. Have you ever had this moment when rummaging through your shoes: "what the...oh YEAHHHH!" If you're forgetting about certain pairs of shoes because you never wear them, it's time to donate.


For more information see Apartment Therapy.

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