…I took a cue from the Good Look Cookbook and finally got around to creating some of the various information tracker/organizer forms that I’ve been intending to do for a long time, including a fridge-worthy household chores schedule/organizer/checklist. Instead of actually doing chores.

For anyone with an eye for design, stepping into a bookstore (or wine shop, or stationery shop, or soap aisle) might as well be stepping into a diverse and awe-inspiring art exhibition. An art exhibition where almost all of the works fall within your budget. And you want to take everything home because it just looks so good (although your husband informs you that you can’t). The bookstore is a designer’s inspiration heaven, brimming with spectacular typography, illustration, composition, and storytelling — all charm and wit. So yes, when I compulsively buy books, I always choose the ones that I like to see sitting next to me on the couch (when I’m not reading) — that way I can enjoy them all the time, inside and out.

Plus, you have to hand it to book cover designers. It’s a job that I imagine is extraordinarily challenging, but incredibly fun. Because — whatever our mothers tell us – it is human nature to literally judge books by their covers, and that means the cover design has to say everything that you need to know to subconsciously decide whether it’s even worth considering, while trying to stand out from all the other covers.

For example, I don’t often gravitate to the Mystery section, but the spines of this series offered a stark contrast to your predictable dark cover with foil-stamped serif type. That contrast drew my eye and my interest with it. The synopsis and early paragraphs carried them over the finish line to my wish list.

I carried Of Bees and Mist around the store for a good thirty minutes until I realized that I couldn’t go home with a half dozen new novels (somewhere between Keith begging me to stop getting distracted and threatening to restrain me from dashing all over the store) it came down to a battle of synopses and first pages, in which Bees lost out to Mathilda Savitch. But I still love watching those rose vines come to life with all the little images hidden in plain sight. In the end, four good-looking books have earned a new home on my bookshelf for ogling, and ahgling, and feeding my imagination.

Good Morning Sunshine (8″ x 10″ or 11″ x 14″ print)

When I was growing up, my mom kept a large cupboard full of arts and craft supplies that my brother and I could get into whenever we felt like creating. She would stock it with your typical supplies — paints, glue, markers, pencils, scissors, construction paper, etc. — and any other sorts of cast off materials and objects that might become useful for an afternoon craft project: things like tin cans, empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls, film canisters, frozen orange juice can lids, newspaper, old bowls, rocks…anything that might one day have potential.

Old sheets of packing paper from one of our Navy moves became a favorite of mine. They were big sheets of smooth, white newsprint that were wrinkled and creased from cushioning delicate household items; but despite the flaws, to me, they were simply enormous fields of possibility. I would use whatever paints — poster paint, tempera, watercolor — were in the cupboard, sometimes even crayons or markers, and spent my summer evenings on the cool, cement garage floor impulsively creating big, colorful, abstract paintings.

Citrus Zinnia (8″ x 10″ or 11″ x 14″ print, 12″ x 12″ or 18″ x 18″ canvas)

When I finally had a sizeable collection of works, I’d spread them out around the perimeter of the garage. They were laid on the floor and over boxes and tools — anywhere there was room. Then I set up a small corner reception desk for myself and invited my neighborhood friends (and their friends) to view exhibitions of my paintings. Eventually, my dad offered to purchase everything. I agreed excitedly, and he plunked down the generous sum of five dollars for the entirety of my “Garage Period” paintings.

German Alphabet poster (11″ x 14″)

It’s because I have those memories of that time as a kid, when making art objects was such an enormous source of joy, pride, and purpose, that I become so easily enamored with shops like Children Inspire Design. Rebecca Peragrine, artist/designer/CEO/founder of CID, operates her company with a mission to inspire a sense of global awareness and responsibility. Her words, “Inspire children. Change the world,” speak straight to my heart as a fellow artist/designer with an innate drive to use her creative skills to serve the public good.

The bright colors and stylized representations she uses have an undoubtedly youthful appeal that would look equally at home in children’s rooms and in ”grown-up” rooms that don’t take themselves too seriously (and no room — or grown-up, for that matter – should, in my opinion). And by relying on scraps and leftovers she demonstrates a tremendous knack for the same sort of resourceful creativity that had once been a source of inspiration for a little girl digging for treasure in the art cupboard.

Wild Flowers (8″ x 10″ or 11″ x 14″ print)

“Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon.  A happiness weapon.  A beauty bomb.  And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one.  It would explode high in the air — explode softly — and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air.  Floating down to earth — boxes of Crayolas.  And we wouldn’t go cheap, either — not little boxes of eight.  Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in.  With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest.  And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination.”  – Robert Fulghum

It’s probably safe to say that the need for a neat, organized, and attractive workspace is universal. But with restrictions on time and energy, lack of motivation or direction, or just sheer laziness, making (and keeping!) a tidy workspace can be an effort to say the least; for some of us, it’s an insurmountable task.

My perfect space would be a 400 square-foot room, with lots of built in furniture and storage, a wash basin for washing hands and rinsing out screens and brushes, and a freestanding worktable in the center. A nice tall ceiling. Lots of windows. Unfortunately, the space I have is slightly less than my ideal. About 300 square feet less. So I’ve had to be creative with my use of space; I’ve been brutal about what supplies and materials I really, truly need, and how many books and magazines I keep. And yet, it’s all still hijacking my space.

More brutality, more creativity!
I’m sure there are plenty of other artists, designers, and/or crafters who can relate: we just have a LOT of stuff! A lot of stuff that we need. Whether it’s books, supplies, tools or equipment, everything has to have a place. Maybe that place is in a studio, an office or spare bedroom (like mine), or maybe it’s just a desk or corner of your dining room. Wherever it is, having an orderly, efficient workspace is critical for creativity. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a great idea, but by the time I find the supplies and carve out the space to work on it, the creative spark is gone. I’ve tried and failed (or lost steam) to solve my workspace problem many times, yet my office/studio is as epic of a disaster as ever it was. The chaos is clearly holding me back.

Still, every time I’ve gone through and re-organized the same space I’ve discovered more books, supplies, and tools that I can easily do without. There’s always something I trick myself into keeping. But I don’t think the key is simply to cut it all down to just a few items — this space serves many purposes (which I’ll elaborate on later) and, like I said, artists need a lot of stuff; rather, by eliminating the excess and managing the rest, mine could be a useful, harmonious environment that — instead of quashing creative urges — serves as a nursery for creativity.

So! This summer, I’m determined to resume the fight against the haphazard office, and I’m determined to win. Whatever it takes. Do you hear me? WHATEVER it takes. I aim to be a ruthless (but just) warrior fighting to free my beloved workspace from the autocratic tyranny of disorder.

The plan
I’ve already spent some time evaluating how I like to work, what functional spaces/needs I require, and I’ve got a few ideas for how to keep my various tasks organized and on track. This isn’t meant to be a typical Sarah-style one day purgeandorganizefest. Instead, this will be a longer project that is more focused, planned, and meticulous — because I’m in it for the long haul.

What I want to do is share my process, inspirations, and progress with you. And if you see or think of something that might help me, or if you’ve embarked on a similar journey, I hope you’ll share, too!

In the meantime, let’s start by visualizing the end result — and all the blissful, tidy possibilities – with a handful of links to inspirational workspace before and afters:

Hooked on Houses — A small room with “issues” makes a well-appointed office. Oh, cabinetry…

Jessica Claire — While LA photographer Jessica Claire’s studio (here, in progress) is much cooler than anything I would probably do in my own home, the Awesome Wall? is one awesome wall. (I could use an awesome wall.)

The Crochet Dude — Simple, but remarkable what a little cash ($300), a lot of elbow grease (50 hours), and someone who knows what he’s doing can accomplish.

From Single to Married — “Some people collect stamps, others collect coins.  I collect paper products.” Enough said.

Centsational Girl — My office will never look this glamorous, but I admire the creative vision and hard work that went in to achieving this much tidiness and style with precious few resources. (I really dig the scales — maybe it’s a Libra thing?)

Design*Sponge “Sneak Peak Best Of: Offices” (parts one and two) — How timely! Not before and afters, but still an excellent round-up of 20 home offices with plenty of practicality and personality.

It’s officially the Fourth of July weekend and Keith and I are about to head to Western Maryland for a few days. It’s been years since I was there for the Fourth, and I’m looking forward to pleasant temperatures, beautiful landscapes, delicious food, and a fantastic display of mountainside fireworks. But, since we’ll miss all the cookouts and festivities at home, how about an Etsy round-up of paper goods to represent how people in our home county celebrate the ultimate summer holiday?

I’m not a native Marylander, but in nearly 20 years of living here, I’ve learned enough to know that the quintessential Maryland summer party revolves around one thing: picking crabs. Now, I myself don’t eat seafood, but it certainly wouldn’t be a long summer weekend in Maryland without a few bushels of Chesapeake Bay blue crabs (and Old Bay, naturally) and a generous supply of ice cold beer.

(From left) Cold Beer Poster (11″ x 14″) by How Fabulous Designs, $12; Blue Crab Card (4.25″ x 5.5″, A2) by Dandy Lion Press, $4

Living on a peninsula, surounded by the Chesapeake Bay and two major tributaries, everyone (a) owns a boat or (b) knows someone who owns a boat. So when you put a promising weather forecast with an extended holiday weekend, you know the waterways will be filled with recreational seafarers. (You also know that the Bay Bridge in Annapolis with be jam-packed with beach-goers.) When we’re back at work on Tuesday, we’ll no doubt see a few tomato-colored folks who forgot to reapply their sunscreen while fishing or relaxing on the boat or beach!

(From left) Sailboat thank you cards (set of 4, 4.25″ x 5.5″, A2) by Wheeler Studio, $8; Chesapeake Bay Bridge by Skip Willits, $14.95

I’m not a huge fan of summer in general (the heat! the humidity!), which is why I’m excited about retreating to the mountains, but what I wouldn’t trade for an eternity of autumn is the smell of grilling that perfumes the air and makes my mouth water every time I step outside. Other people might get excited about the softball games, too – but on July 4th, everyone looks forward to the fireworks!

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, wherever and however you celebrate!

(Counterclockwise from top left) BBQ Grill personalized notecards (set of 12, 5.25″ x 4″) by Swanky Press, $13; Mennonite Softball (8″ x 12″) by poyntbs, $45; Starburst thank you cards (set of 8, ~4″ x 6″, European A6) by Two for Joy Paper Studio, $12

The brain has a fantastic way of overriding itself to help us get what we’re lacking and wouldn’t ordinarily be able to get because we’re neurotic and perfectionist and…well you get the idea.

Laziness is what I’m talking about here. R&R. Leisure. It’s probably as critical to a person’s well-being as, say, Vitamin C or Riboflavin. I find that every now and then, I find myself faced with a weekend full of things that should get done, and my mind just goes, “Mlaaaah.” And before I know it, I’ve spent hours miraculously devoted to one quiet task at a time: reading — reading — a stack of magazines, standing at the back door admiring the garden for the duration of a cup of coffee, catching up on episodes of Bones, lying on the couch with my legs stretched across my husband’s lap and listening to music with my eyes closed while he works on his laptop, enjoying an impromptu Netflix double feature. And all the while I hear not a peep from that nagging voice, which expects me to get myself busy doing something useful. It seems the nagging voice gets worn out sometimes, too.

Most of the time I hate myself afterward, thinking of all that hath gone undone, like having one too many doughnuts if such a thing is possible. Once in a blue moon, I look forward and think, “Ahh, that was just the thing.” My guess is that it’s just as important to sometimes give into the craving for calm as it is for that glass of milk or carrot sticks with peanut butter or a doughnut. Not too much — just enough to feel whole again.

Who knows? It might help you tackle those nagging to-dos with enthusiasm and energy. And start new projects with gusto.

Information is Beautiful. I’ve been living far too long without this blog, and now that I’ve finally found it, well, I’m smitten. Enamored. Infatuated. Hung up. And I can’t help thinking — being the information nerd sponge that I am — maybe this is right up my creative alley.

At the very least, ogling beholding such informational elegance has offered ample inspiration as I try to develop a much-needed update to my online portfolio. It’s difficult to concisely explain in words the different factors that influence my work, and how those factors interact to make me, er, me. So I turned it into a diagram!

What do you think? Fairly accurate? Meaningful? And how can I do this to my resume?

My favorite thing about watching the Olympics is that I always come away from it feeling indomitable – like even my most lofty goals are attainable with focus, determination and imagination.

So that’s what’s been on my mind lately: setting goals, making plans, imagining new directions. Since I’m in the middle of seriously reorganizing my office, I set up shop at the dining room table this weekend to concentrate on refining the business end of Oomphasis, designing new products, and otherwise crossing lots of items off my Teux Deux list.

One of the first major goals is to introduce a few products from the spring/summer collection sometime between the first day of spring and the end of March.

Some of those new product designs may possibly might maybe include some fiberlicious goods. This weekend saw me through the design stage and the start of pattern writing and prototyping, while savoring the end of the Winter Olympics. I’m sad to see the games end, but as the snow melts and the crocuses start to bloom, I find that I’m finally looking forward to the spring full of warm sunshine and golden possibility.

ASIDE: I also updated WordPress this weekend and am having some trouble restoring some of the theme elements. Like the header. I’ve put in a request with the Live-in Tech Support and am hopeful that he’ll help get everything back to normal soon. Sorry for the glitches!

Two questions typically race through my mind when I hear of an impending major do-not-leave-your-home weather event: Do I have enough craft supplies? and Do I have enough flour? In other words, when I’m trapped inside for a weekend, there’s a 2 in 3 chance that at any moment you can find me doing one of two things — making or baking. Crafting or cooking.

So you might find it ironic (as I did do) that my personal recipe collection is so haphazard. And ugly. Scribbled notes on the backs of receipts, in notebooks, on index cards of various sizes. Printouts from the Web. Pages cut and torn from magazines. Most get stashed in a pile or stuffed in a book. Do you know that one year I developed the PERFECT dairy/egg-free pumpkin pie, and no sooner than I had licked the pie plate clean I had LOST THE RECIPE? All thanks to my brilliant recipe filing system.

I know it makes no sense, and its nonsensicalness is twofold because I am both a designer and one of those neurotic people who panics if her shopping cart isn’t organized right. This is someone who should be capable of devising an organizational system and making it pretty. And yet, I’ve found no method that really appeals to me.

Until now!

I whipped up these simple recipe cards one snowy weekend, and boy howdy do they fit me just right. I can have my recipes just the way I like them: neatly typed and nicely designed — with the ingredients section clearly separated from the instructions — low maintenance, not overly cute or pretty or frilly or decorative, and subtly humorous (to me, at least). I suppose after years of cooking, you would develop a better sense of what works for you. Still, it’s amazing how after all this time, the right solution could be so quick and simple.

We woke up this morning here in Southern Maryland to a gentle shower of snow and less than a half inch on the ground. Over the course of the day, I’ve watched the snow pour down on top of us and the accumulation rise to at least six inches. And there’s no sign of it stopping any time soon. It’s too cold for our heat pump to keep up, and — OH! all I can think of is how many ways I could be much cozier than I am right now.

Here are seven:

Clockwise, from top left: (1) White cable kit gloves with citrine edges from Afra, $26; (2) Flourish linen pillow – Sun from sarahkusa, $58; (3) Block Printed Pillow Cover from Home Sweet, $35; (4) Wool blanket/throw with hand crochet edge from Namolio, $95; (5) Porcelain Tea Light Delight N.1 from Wapa Studio, $35; (6) The Sun Always Shines shawl from Laslo Pezlas, $125; (7) Eco Toes in golden vintage plaid from Infusion, $45

How do you make yourself cozy on snow days?