off to bike the vineyard...

The fiancé and I are taking off tomorrow to bike Martha’s Vineyard and I can’t wait.  I want to listen to this on the ferry ride over, check out this suggested place, and soak up everything the island has to offer.  Have any favorite MV places we need to check out?  Let me know...  

And, don’t forget to enter the fabulous giveaway, deadline is tomorrow night!

Hope everyone has an absolutely beautiful weekend.  

*Whole Living

cozy.

It's raining here today.  

I think it would be nice to escape to a cozy place like this...

and enjoy a big cup of coffee, read the rest of this and soak up all that bright light.

happy thursday!

*O Magazine 

Go-to Meals: Gluten-Free Summer Pasta Salad & Grilled Eggplant

I passed by the farmer's market last night and decided to pick up whatever I was drawn to, and then go from there for dinner.  Here's what I ended up with...

oh, and the most delicious local lavender honey...you can eat it by the spoonful.

I picked up some unusual cucumbers.  Maybe someone knows their names, I don't...but they were my main inspiration.  I used a recipe that I had from a friend from a while back.  

To make this salad:

You need:

Pasta {I use Lunderg Brown Rice Pasta Rotini}

Broccoli

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Onions

Dill

Lemon

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Steps:

Boil water

Add broccoli when pasta is still hot

Add oil & put pasta in the fridge

When cool, add in fresh veggies

Add Red Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil and Salt & Pepper

Then toss in LOTS of dill

I've never in my life grilled eggplant.  If you're interested in trying, this is what I did.  

Cut your eggplant lengthwise {not sure what type of eggplant this is}:

Mix together olive oil, fresh dill, dry oregano, dry basil, dry thyme {didn't have fresh} and one clove of fresh garlic.  Spread the mix all over and put on a skillet and then put something heavy over it.  Let cook for a few minutes...

and then serve on the side

Lots of left overs if you have a small family like us!  

Let's Dance...

How fun is this Kate Spade contest?  Go mess around in Polyvore and whip something up.  And, of course I had to add the Carly shoes!

*by Deliciously Organized featuring Kate Spade
*put on your red shoes and dance the blues...

Please, come take a seat on our new summer bench

I'm pretty excited about our summer bench upgrade.  I've had this bench for years, and I'm constantly changing out the fabric.  Here it is from this past winter, yikes....

and here it is now!  I guess if you're not a floral person, this is a downgrade to you.

perfect for the summer...

I painted the frame a light grey, and used a Jay Yang fabric we found for a steal!  This is such a quick project with a staple gun...

My sweet friend Linds made me the striped coral pillow from fabric I found for cheap {she made two, but only one is on the bench}.  I just adore them.  Learning how to work a sewing machine was very high on my list, but now that I know she's so good {and very fast}, I don' think I'll ever learn.  Thanks again Linds!

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Today I'm over at Sacramento Street {my old stomping grounds}, talking things that make me happy.  Come on by and let me know if the things on my list, make you happy too.  By the way, tell me you're singing that song right now after reading that title? 

Project: Magazine Organization...check

At the beginning of the week I knew I wanted to get a few things accomplished on my to-do list, and I'm happy to say that this was one of them!  Organizing my stacks of magazines.  Is it sad to say that rows of labels might put a smile on my face?

I don't have too many tips here, but if you're just getting started, the best thing to do is make piles of your magazines by their titles.  Then move on to putting them in their folders, rather than adding one at a time.  If you're really pushing your Type A label, organize them by date once in their folders.

I made a silly mistake by purchasing round labels and thinking these metal things would just "pop" off and I could replace them.  No shot.  So I printed my round labels and then folded them over to fit.  Super easy.

Some of the titles ended up not making it to the center of the silver label box...might have to go back and reprint those.  By the way...all magazine folders are from Ikea and super cheap.

I've mentioned this before, but this is just a tiny, tiny spot behind my bedroom door. The painted blue lamp made it's way back there...

Another thing on my to-do list? Spend time with these ladies!

{Stephanie, Linds, Me and Emily}

Last night we enjoyed the warm summer night on the patio of bar lola sipping a little sangria, and dining on delicious tapas! Love these girls. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  

pixelimpress giveaway~!

I've been obsessing over pixelimpress products ever since I laid eyes on them, and now I'm happy to say they are giving away a set {50 in a set} of their chevron ikat calling cards to one lucky reader!

The two fabulous choices to pick from...either the pink:

or the cool colors:

How will you ever pick?! Love them both! 

All I know, is you're going to be looking very stylish passing these cards out!  

Here's how to enter the giveaway!

1. Make sure you're a follower of Deliciously Organized

2. Comment and let us know which color you would pick

3. Tweet, Blog, etc. about this and come back and leave a second comment

3. Deadline is Saturday {July 31}  @ midnight 

Good Luck and make sure to check out pixelimpress for all their other lovely items!

*open to US readers only {sorry}

Storing Various Sizes of Makeup Brushes

For a while now I've kept my makeup brushes in a julep cup near my makeup, but recently have been annoyed at the inconvenience of grabbing a brush that is shorter than the cup because...it's just harder to do.  It may seem like something small enough to deal with but over time it has become irritating early in the morning {the heat & humidity have made mornings interesting here in Boston}. 

If you have the same issue try pouring a bit of sand in a vase or jar, and then adding your various sized brushes.  Push a few down further into the sand that are taller, and let the shorter ones just skim the top.  It truly makes a difference!  Now I can add any sized makeup utensil and I don't have to deal with it being difficult to grab!

What is your favorite way to store makeup brushes? 

The Organized Pack Rat

If you're like me and enjoy keeping special cards, souvenirs and photographs...but don't want to scrapbook them, it's nice to keep them in boxes labeled by year.  You can take it a step further by organizing the inside of the box too, for example, you could put a rubber band around the cards to keep them separate.  Anyway,  this way you'll always know when you received that heart felt card, or visited a favorite travel spot...and you'll have a place to put your special items right away.  The labels I used are from Paper Source and printable, the card boxes are sold everywhere, but the cheapest is usually Michael's.  

Anyone else a bit of a pack rat?  

after dinner snack: yuzu peach

Since we've been discussing candles this past week {here & here}, I thought I would share a delicious one by illume at target...bella yuzu peach is the scent and it's on sale! Also, how cute is that packaging behind the candle?

Dinnertime: Go-to Meals: Salmon, Spicy Fries and Avocado

I've talked about a few of my favorite go-to meals before, and thought I would share one more.  This is a delicious meal for nights when you're craving comfort food, but don't want to blow it by going to the closest fast food joint!  

Bake wild alaskan salmon {I drizzle olive oil, add old bay seasoning and squeeze a bit of lemon} at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes on the middle shelf.  Slice yams and sprinkle with cayenne pepper {add salt if desired} and drizzle with olive oil, put on top shelf.  Make this avocado mix and enjoy!

lackadaisical

Good Morning,

How about a few refreshing photographs to set the tone for the week?

lets start with a bright & airy entry to welcome the towering monday to-do lists...

a simple space to get organized in...

and a fresh & organic work space to get started in...

My lackadaisical summer attitude is starting to catch up with me...you should see my desk.  I personally hope to accomplish a lot of things on my to-do list and tackle a few organization projects around the house this week.  Anyone else feeling the same lately?

*photographs Birgitta Wolfgang