Update on My Day......(Via Made by Girl)

Hey everyone, how's your DAY going so far?? 

As for me, I've been dealing with this kitchen RENOVATION for a few days now, I feel exhausted. Today the door installer is here, and I admit he's actually doing a pretty decent job. Thank God. Unlike the other contractors who were a bit of a mess! WOW, I now have a white kitchen!  

All we need next is: 

• Back splash
• Panel around the island 
• Hardware

Well, I ordered the hardware from some company online on December 4th, and they still haven't shipped! That's not nice is it?? Well, you can be sure I'll be on the phone after this post looking to ask where the hardware is. If they haven't shipped, I'm just going to ask for a REFUND & go elsewhere to buy them. Anyway, more pics coming soon!

In the meanwhile, I filled up the plain wall behind my desk with another painting I did!  It's a smaller version of the LARGE ART piece I did for our living room. What do you think? Adds a bit of PRETTY to my work space no??

image by jen

Nicole's Vintage Office...(Via Made By Girl)

I first came across Gary Pepper Vintage via Amanda's blog ---->  Here Comes The Sun.  Thankfully so, now I have more daily FASHION inspiration to look forward to. I was getting a little tired of some of the current Fashion blogs I follow and Gary Pepper Vintage is a nice change of pace.  
Nicole, the fashion SUPERSTAR behind this amazing blog knows how to dress herself & OBVIOUSLY her home too! She recently moved but this is what her office used to look like!  Talk about knowing how to STYLE a room....wow!

What did I like best?? 

Her cool white drawers, all the colorful yarn & of course....her inspiration board!

images via gary pepper vintage blog

I love these images, they will DEFINITELY serve as inspiration to me for my own (new) office! Let me know what you think.... I hope her pictures will inspire you as well!

Raw Design Studio, A Hip Workplace....(Via Made By Girl)

The Office Stylist posted about this office the other day & I thought to myself....Hmmm, if I didn't run MY OWN business & worked a NORMAL 9-5, this is the type of office environment I'd like to work in.  The office belongs to the company Raw Design Studio, a design agency based in Manchester, England.  Imagine having gorgeous hard wood floors and a balcony in your office where you and your colleagues can hang out in. Maybe sip some tea while on break...

I mean, HOW MANY PEOPLE work in office spaces like this?? Maybe it's just me, but how many of YOU work in such a creative & lovely space?? Does working in such a creatively designed space help nurture your creativity?!? I feel  that having a neat & organized HOME OFFICE, keeps me inspired and focused....and often times it does fuel MYcreativity.


I'd love to know or maybe you could send me pics....would love to see! Enjoy!

for more pics, visit the office stylist

learn more about raw design studio here

Neat surprise at West Elm....

It was super nice to walk into my local West Elm store & see my home office displayed as one of the winners! Ok, I knew it would be there, but I didn't know when....so it was definitely a nice surprise! Thank you West Elm.

For more images of my office go here.

click photo for larger image

image via my iphone

I'm one of the West Elm Winners!

I recently entered my office in the "Picture Your Parsons Desk" contest hosted by West Elm on their Facebook page & today I was told I was one of the winners! Woo hoo!!  The prize consists of a $100 gift certificate to West Elm....how cool is that?  

Well, for all the items I've purchased at their store lately, I would say this PRIZE is well-deserved!  They Loved my office....yay! If you want to see all the PICS of my  home office, just go here.

Great way to start a Monday!

image by jen ramos

My desk makeover....Chevron Pattern top!

After seeing this DIY on the Sunset Magazine website, I had to try it! My desktop was needing a face-lift so the minute I saw this Chevron pattern, I knew this was for me! It took a bit to get it all done, but well worth it! So, what do you think?? Would you like to try this on your desktop? If yes, go here for the instructions. For a 'before pic' of my desk, click here.

Images below from Sunset Magazine.

My DIY Frame & Fabric Inspiration Board

After being inspired by Kim's board over at Desire to Inspire this weekend, I decided to make one for myself! ! It was pretty EASY so I thought I'd share how it was done...First find a frame that you like, and embellish or paint. A good place for frames are antique stores or even Michael’s craft stores. I got this wooden one on Ebay for about $55. 

Use a good ENAMEL paint and if you can, cover it with a clear, semi-gloss coat to protect it.  FABRIC INFO:  (thanks to Nina, This fabric I used is by Alexander Henry, it's called 'Diamond Eye'. I got it at JoAnn's craft store)

Next, buy a 2’x4’ hardboard from a home improvement store (this one was $3.22 from Home Depot). Hardboard is a composite that has one very smooth side and one rough side & is what pegboard is made from. Cut the hardboard to about 1/2” from the edges of the frame. Use a good box cutter and a meta straight edge to do this. My guy helped with this part. 

You might have to first score it and then cut harder to get through the board. Lay the hardboard smooth side down & place the frame on it. Arrange the cork tiles on top of it & cut them to fit. Leave as few gaps as possible and offset the tiles so that you don’t get a long seam anywhere. Make sure that the cork slides under the rim of the frame.

Using a clear craft glue (this one I used Beacon’s 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue which works well on cork) affix the cork to the rough side of the hardboard. Use the glue liberally so the cork doesn’t slide later on. Let it dry for 10 minutes.


Iron the fabric you want (use finishing spray for a crisp iron) to use and then lay it out over the cork making sure it reaches at least 1” past the edge of the cork, even all the way to the edge of the hardboard.



Fold down half of the fabric. Run a heavy bead of glue along the edge of the corkboard then all over the interior. You should criss-cross the threads but don’t glob it too much – the fabric needs to adhere but not have solid spots. Unroll the fabric onto the glued section carefully, make sure any pattern is aligned properly, then smooth out the fabric over the glued cork. 

 Don’t stretch it too hard, just smooth it.

Repeat the step for the bottom half with a small amount of overlap. Do the last bit of smoothing and let dry for 10 minutes. Lay the frame front down on a hard surface covered with a towel or something that will not cause it damage. Place the hardboard piece on top of the back of the frame, fabric facing down, and align it (note in the photo that I wrote TOP so that I knew which side matched which).

Using 5/8” or 3/4” wire brads, nail the edges of the hardboard down to the frame, about once every 3-4”. Using the box cutter, trim off any excess fabric.

To mount it: you want it to be flush to the wall. Locate the studs nearest to where you want to mount it and mark 4 points on the frame where it can be nailed through, near the thinnest part of the frame. You’ll need at least 2 on top and 2 on the bottom for best results. Drill a tiny hole through the frame at all 4 points and using 2” finishing nails (or larger), mount it to the wall making sure you hit the stud. Use another nail to push the finishing nail into the frame slightly. Cover the top with wood putty and apply a small amount of paint to cover it (or in a pinch, use White Out like I did).

And there you go- an easy and pretty framed cork board that cost less than $40 for all the materials!

*By the way, this is what my workspace wall looked like before.

I seriously need a new office chair ...

Deciding on a new chair for my little workspace in my office. I sit there when I'm working from my laptop usually....and need something pretty & comfy. I can always add a cushion if I needed to, like I have now. The current chair I have I purchased from Target about 2 years ago and i think it was only $80. I can afford to spend a little more this time around, but I didn't want to go past $250. Any suggestions? I LOVE white, but is it practical?? Will it get too dirty? or should I just get black? What kind of desk chair do you have?? I'd love to read your comments.

UPDATE: I bought one of these chairs, but I will reveal it when it arrives! :) Thank you sooo much to everyone for your suggestions.

(BELOW): My desk area in my office/studio.
I am leaning toward the white chairs, but may change my mind. I don't care for a colorful chair as much because I can always add a colorful cushion.


1. Grey mesh chair 2. Bungie chair 3. Burgundy Chair 4. White Conference chair 5. White Chair here or here 6. Bungie low back chair 7. Team office chair