desk drawer must-haves.

desk drawer must-haves.

11.15.2013

After working in an office for the past few years, I've come to learn that it's very important to have a few creature comforts safely stashed away in your desk. Obviously my trusty desk drawer is full of essentials like a stapler, pens, and tape, but there are a few other items that I consider to be must-haves. 

oil absorbing sheets // mints // hand lotion // lip balm // teeth cleaner // headphones

>> No matter what kind of lotion, primer, or mattifier I use, I'm always a little oily by 2pm. I love these sheets because they leave your make-up in place while getting rid of that greasy feel. I keep a pack not only in my desk but in every bag as well. 

>> No one likes to sit in a meeting full of people with coffee breath. Personally, regular Altoids are too minty for me but the "smalls" ones are just right. I keep them around not only for myself but for coworkers in need as well. 

>> I haaaaate that dried out feeling you get after washing your hands with that nasty, industrial hand soap in company bathrooms. Great smelling hand lotion is a must. I love this specific variety because it doesn't leave a greasy feel and smells amazing.

>> I'm obsessed with softlips specifically the vanilla and watermelon varieties. I like the slight tingling sensation and it seems to hydrate my lips without the need to reapply 17 times a day. 

>> The wisps go along the same lines as the mints, just taking it one step further. I don't know about you, but after some tea with honey, or a whole bunch of sweet office treats, my teeth feel like they have a sweater on them. And there is nothing worse than sitting around with that feeling all day. These make it easy to brush away that feeling without a trip to the bathroom with your toothbrush and toothpaste. 

 >> Headphones are an obvious choice for a desk drawer. I work in a very open-plan office and when it's time to hunker down and get some real work done, I rely on my headphones to keep me focused. 

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monday musings.

monday musings.

11.11.2013

Image via

>> In true, overachiever fashion, our christmas cards have already been ordered and are safely sitting on a shelf in our apartment, waiting for an appropriate time to be mailed. In my defense, I had a great Minted coupon that I just couldn't pass up. I typically use Tiny Pints because the prices are better but I just fell in love with these Minted cards. Get excited!

>> How adorable is the above picture? I'd love to take some holiday cards pictures down the road. We considered doing something like the above for these cards...but I got a little too anxious.

>> Really looking forward to making this delicious, easy recipe from my all-time favorite blog.

>> I caved and ordered this coat from JCrew Factory when it was on super sale. I like that it has the belt that most other puffer coats don't have. I think it makes it look less industrial but it seems equally warm. Winter, I'm ready for ya!

>> If you're looking for one of those super cozy, chunky infinity scarves...look no further than your local Old Navy. Total score. Way to go Old Navy! Oh also, boot socks.

>> I started Allegiant this weekend and I'm already pretty into it. The Divergent series is similar to Hunger Games but probably cheesier. But what can I say, I'm a sucker for this stuff. I should also note that Catching Fire is coming out soon (in November?) and Divergent has also been made into a movie. So I must be onto something.

>> After seeing 1 million action flicks this summer and fall, C finally agreed to let me drag him to About Time. I actually enjoyed it though the theme is slightly sad. However, I love the style of the Love Actually/Holiday creators and I enjoyed that flow of the movie. I would definitely say that it's a movie to see.

>> My mom bought us this mattress pad awhile back after raving about the one she has on her bed. When the move to the Northeast became imminent, this was a must have. Well, the time finally arrived to put it on the bed. Can't wait to climb into warm sheets tonight. PS. Is mattress pad a weird word or is that just me?

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homemade art.

homemade art.

11.07.2013

Before I started working, I was looking for anything to keep me busy during the day. I was posting a lot more on this blog, I was cooking a lot, and I was even crafting. C and I don't have a ton of art and we aren't in a phase to be investing in anything expensive. Also, since we don't have a house, I don't want our decor to feel to permanent. 

While browsing Rue La La, I saw this piece of art on sale for over $100. I instantly knew I could recreate it with some canvases from Michael's. And that's just what I did! 

I picked up 3 18"x24" canvases for about $8/piece at Michael's. They are always having crazy sales on canvas...I'm pretty sure these were 60% off. I picked out the least expensive version they had. It was less than 1" thick with was fine with me. I got three because I thought that would look best hanging over our bed. You could certainly choose whichever size canvas suited you best. 

I also picked up a few tubes of acrylic paint. I wanted my colors to be blues/greys so I ended up blending colors to get my desired effect. 

I taped off the canvas into three sections and then started thinking about the color themes for each panel. Honestly, it was a lot of trial and error until I got to the right color. In the end, I'll admit, the colors aren't exactly how I envisioned but I'm ok with that. 

What do you think? Are you inspired to create your own art?

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monday musings.

monday musings.

11.04.2013

>> Just realized I skipped monday musings for October. Sorry about that, y'all! It's been pretty busy around these parts. Between the new job, crazy weekends, and grad school, there hasn't been a lot of time for sitting on the couch and blogging. But I'm excited to update you guys on a few things! 

>> We've been soaking up all things fall around these parts. I'm sure you've noticed that I've been blowing up Instagram with all sorts of fall related things like soup and leaves. You're welcome. I made this soup last week and then we kept eating it for days. It's so dang good. I subbed sweet potato because that's what I had on hand. I also might use whole wheat orzo next time. All this to say, you need to make some ASAP. Oh and I've already made 2 batches of Butternut Squash & Apple soup. So good. 

>> I used some of our apple from apple picking to make some mini apple crisps that were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Holy moly were they good. Confession: I ate one for breakfast. So sue me.

>> My sister was visiting last week on her way from Nantucket to Florida. We did our best to show her a good time in New Haven. I think we can call it a successful weekend. Mostly because we stuffed ourselves with pizza and salad from BAR and I treated myself to their special Girl Stout Cookie micro brew. Can't beat it. PS. Shout out to Y and Arthi! Love hanging out with you guys!

>> In an attempt to eat less carbs and get our butts working out more, I decided to give these bars a try after reading about them on this blog. I like that they have real ingredients in them and I love the chewy texture. It's just like a Power Bar. C even said they passed the test. Winner! After tweeting at Quest, they sent me a few free samples which was just so nice! I can't commit to one flavor yet so I stopped by GNC to pick up several new flavors today. 

>> This past weekend was just what we needed. Friday was spent catching up with friends over wine and candy corn. Saturday started off slow but we quickly got things moving with a hike through Sleeping Giant State Park (photo above). After a quick stop at Target, we headed home to make egg sandwiches with lots of bacon and sweet potato hash browns. YUM! Saturday evening we treated ourselves to a lovely date night at an Italian place in our neighborhood. We had some good food, great wine, and phenomenal dessert. So much for that hike...

>> I can also say I successfully curled my newly short hair for Saturday's date night. Really proud of myself for perfecting the flat iron curling technique. Maybe I'll do a tutorial for you guys although I'm sure there are hundreds of better ones out there. 

>> I'm getting really anxious about Christmas. I really love picking out just the right gift for someone but these days, it's so hard to get someone something special versus something they need. I've already started probing C to start thinking about some things on his wish list. PS. Pinterest is great for this! Start those wish lists people! I'd love to see what you have your eye on! 

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