My DIY Office

Visiting Orphans moved offices! I was so excited to get my own space to decorate. Now that I have a cozy space I feel like I can focus so much better! Although transition and change can be really tough, a fresh start is just as rewarding. I have definitely learned to be patient trying to figure out new phone, printer and email systems and my old computer completely died in the middle of a work day. But after 3 weeks of transition and more change than I thought I could handle, I am embracing and enjoying the this new season. It is starting to feel like the perfect "office home"!

Here are some pictures: 

Before: Grey walls and carpet

After: So much warmer with beige walls and brown carpet

I couldn't afford new furniture, so Michael and I built a bench out of some shipping pallets. 

Before stain: 

After stain: 

I made the cushion out of thrift store pillows and fabric I got while in Rwanda. 

I went to Goodwill, Ikea and Home Depot and got everything for $60. 

-3 curtains that I made into 2 massive curtains: $10

-5 frames that I spray painted black: $10

-4 pillows: $8

-Lamp: $2

-Grey Rug from Ikea: $20

-Stain for the bench: $10

I filled my frames with some art that I made and 2 beautiful photographs that Alison (from my December Africa trip) took. 

My office would not be complete without my favorite Anthropologie candle, wedding photos, and my pen holder made out of pretty fabric and a bean can!

Paint chip art! But seriously, if you want a cheap (free) and interesting medium for art, go to Home Depot, Lowes or Walmart and grab some paint chips. I am working on an entire post dedicated to paint chip art. I love using them!

Some more of my pen and ink drawings (I am a little obsessed with trees).

Side note: Happy early National Arbor Day! Every state celebrates it on different days, but the national day is tomorrow, April 27th! Michael and I will be celebrating this weekend :) I love that there is holiday dedicated to trees!

That vase will soon hold red fabric poppy flowers. 

 Thanks Urban Outfitters for my office motto :) 

 I had to combine three curtains to make one that was tall enough for the window. I love the texture of the deep purple curtain paired with the blue and brown patterned fabric.

I really like it here. 

Sandwiches.

I love sandwiches. I love hamburgers. I love that you can taste so many flavors in a single bite. And the options are limitless...

Some of our favorite restaurants in Nashville include Silly Goose and Burger Up because they use delicious, interesting ingredients in their food.

But here is the deal, sandwiches require close to no cooking and are quite simple if you know what ingredients to buy. This is one easy way to make a yummy meal. Click on this link and look at the Silly Goose menu. Delicious, right? Now go to the store and buy those ingredients and enjoy your favorite sandwich multiple times at a fraction of the price. (But still go to these restaurants every once in a while to support local business ;)

We decided to create some of our own gourmet sandwiches.

Sandwich #1: Fennel and Salami

What we used: 

1. Grilled slices of fennel (from the bulb)

2. Alfalfa sprouts

3. Salami

4. A goat cheese and chopped olive spread (we added some pureed garlic, fennel tops, salt and pepper, apple cider vinegar, a little mustard, capers and a splash of milk) 

5. Tuscan bread from Provence 

 Sandwich #2: Our own take on a BLT

What we used: 

1. Spinach

2. Bacon

3. Gruyere

4. Some more yummy bread

5. Herb Aioli - Whisk an egg yolk while you slowly add olive oil. Add a tablespoon of vinegar. Mix in herbs (here we used basil, garlic powder, oregano and marjoram) 

6. Fried tomatoes (not fried in this picture...) 

 Sandwich #3: Turkey, brie and raspberry

What we used: 

1. Sliced Turkey

2. Brie

3. Dijon Mustard

4. Yummy bread, once again

5. Fruit compote: diced apples, raspberries, plum, cranberry juice, and a touch of horseradish and balsamic vinegar. Mix it together and put over low heat. We used the emulsion blender to help mix up the fruit.

So yummy and now I get to eat these tasty sandwiches all week long :)

I am a Hobbyist

I recently discovered that I don't know how to not do. 

I enjoy making things.

I love the feeling I get when I finish a project.

I am always trying new crafty ideas.

Could this be one meaning of being made in the image of a Creator? 

Hobby: a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.

Some current hobbies:
1. Gardening (or rather learning how to garden)
2. Quilting
3. Scrap booking
4. Card making
5. Crocheting
6. Cooking
7. Embroidering
8. Jewelry making
9. Pen and inking
10. Painting

My 'craft' room is always a mess.

Jo Ann's and Hobby Lobby gift cards are always a winner.

I like the challenge when people ask me, can you fix this? or can you make this?

Many people have said that I am very crafty, but I think I just enjoy following instructions and problem solving. If there is such a thing as a left-brained creative, that is me.

 I don't really know what I am doing half the time but if I can make it systematic I love it. 

Quilts involve math, charts and precise measurements.

All of my drawings are full of lines and details.

Gardening has been an experiment in scheduling and charting. 

So to all the list making, control loving, organized, type A, administrative people out there, you can craft too!

Take a Saturday and conquer one of your Pinterest pins.

 If you mess up, try it again. If you hated it, try a different craft. 

And then take Sunday and learn to rest and not do. 

I would say I am working on it, but then that wouldn't be resting, right? ;) 

How does your garden grow, Part 2

Here goes for composting. 

So much to learn...

We went to a thrift store and bought these canisters. One is for eggshells, veggie and fruit scraps. And the other for coffee grounds.

We were going to build a compost bin of sorts but my parents had this composting container that they weren't using.

They had some extra compost in the bottom so we didn't have to create the foundation. All though it looks disgusting, those are just food scraps and coffee grounds on top of old compost and straw.

So I found tons of charts telling me what to compost and what not to compost. And how there has to be a certain part green (nitrogen) to brown (carbon).

I was starting to get overwhelmed. And then I realized that it will all decompose and become dirt. Hopefully it is not that hard. I found this great blog from Young House Love. Here is their experience composting. 

My personal handy man making frames for the garden beds. 

The beds are now framed and the garden is starting to come together. Michael built a cute little gate we will add once the chicken wire is all up. 

I found some bricks behind our fence and I plan on elaborating on the pathway.

Some sunny weekend I will level the pathway and get the pavers and bricks in their place. 

First round of seeds have been planted! My sunflower, marigolds and bell peppers are the first to plant. Next week I will start the cilantro, dill and basil. I had to create a chart to keep up with when to start planting seeds, when to buy the plants, when to transplant the seeds and when to plant the plants. So much to figure out. But I love it!

More to come next week....

How does your garden grow, Pt 1

So Michael and I decided to plant a vegetable garden...
Over the next few weeks and months you will get to witness what a beginner trying to garden looks like.
I had no clue so much was involved in this process. I looked at soil type, USDA hardiness zone, I had to consider rain run off in the yard, amount of sunlight, what plants need what amount room, which plants grow well together, which ones need rows and which ones need something to grow on, which ones to plant from seeds and which ones would be better to plant from an existing plant, when to transplant the seedlings, etc. So much to consider...My goal is to plant: Rosemary, basil, mint, cilantro, dill, sweet potatoes, squash and zucchini, corn, a blackberry bush, tomatoes, strawberries, red peppers, string beans, lettuce, sunflowers, marigolds, and lavender.
 Any tips you have will be much appreciated!! 

 I spent a few hours outside mapping out what I wanted it to look like. With the help of some scrap wood, sticks and yarn, I could "walk through" my future garden plot. I am visual person and I had to see what 20 feet by 12 feet looked like.

I spent hours planning and reading and researching and googling and blog reading...

 And I drew a nifty diagram with all veggies and fruit I want.

 I learned something about myself today. I don't know how to use a shovel. I was completely useless. I guess I don't have the weight to really make a difference. I broke a few blades of grass and suffered a minor injury. Oh well. So Michael dug up 10 pound clumps and I hauled them out of the garden. 6 hours of digging and lifting wore me out!! Muscles I didn't even know I had were hurting so bad!

Thankfully, Michael's parents came over and brought a second wave of energy and we managed to clear the plot before dark.

 We placed pavers and boards where they will tentatively go.

We ended the night with Lauren and Evan over for sweet potato fries and black bean quinoa burgers (like the ones at Burger Up). Delicious.
And I went to bed at 8pm. I was exhausted.

I will start my plants from seeds next week and start planting in the soil mid April. By the beginning of May I will have all the plants in the garden. Until then I will learn all I can about composting so I can have nice, rich soil by May! 

Taste and see

"Taste and see that the Lord is good!"
So maybe the Psalmist did not intend for this verse to be about delicious cooking concoctions, but
I love food and I really love good food and I think God loves that I love food!
I believe He cares about our senses and seeing us so excited about the things we experience. 
We were given the ability to feel so many textures. And there's the smell of garlic and bacon cooking or Anthropologie candles! And some people cry over a pretty harmony in a song or a beautiful sunset

(I could not take my eyes off this sunset, pretty amazing!) 
But for me, I cry over good food. Yes, I am having a little Pocahontas "Colors of the Wind" moment,

 But I think life is so much sweeter when we enjoy our senses.
I think that is why I enjoy traveling so much, because everything looks different, the language sounds different, there are definitely unique smells, and of course some interesting flavors. I am so aware of my senses which seems to makes life fuller and more beautiful.
So when flavors go so well together and there is the perfect blend of yummyness and texture, I have been known to shed a few tears. I am very happy that God decided to make cabbage, kale, basil, vanilla beans, tomatoes, and strawberries (to name a few).
He is the most creative Creator.
And thanks to Him, here are some creations Michael and I made over the last month:
Now go and enjoy whatever makes you happy cry! :)