blossomed snow.

I'd been so busy lately I hadn't even noticed that our streets are covered in layers of cherry blossom petals.  Before I got busy today, I decided to get out a bit early and take a few shots.  Such a peaceful morning.  

Be back soon with the end of the series!

happy thursday!

okl.

It's been a few weeks since my post here and I thought it would be a good time to bring back my emails from OKL.  But already I'm slowly adding things to my cart.  That little white bag is the perfect tote to lug around my mountain of books and laptop to classes...very tempting!

Upcycle your Seat

Loving this découpage idea from here.  Just imagine all the possibilities?  Wouldn't a few of these make for a stylish seating arrangement around a big table?  And I adore the felt/fabric envelopes created on the inside of that little desk.  What a creative way to organize in a such a small space!

Project: Office Organization

I'm so happy to share this office organization project with you all!  And just in time before we wrap up the end of the Deliciously Organized Series! Tiffany recently worked with a very sweet client {who calls this space the nucleus of her home} to create a functional office for an active family.  I really enjoy seeing real life organization projects come together like this one.  Here is a photograph of the before:

love the lined up jars to store ribbon...

Baskets, magazine file folders, and binders help keep everything in its place.

off the office is the mudroom...

now the kids art projects are displayed on the wall, and the basket is used to store art supplies for easy access

I love what they've done with the space! It's not only functional and organized, but it's colorful and fun. I'm sure the family will enjoy their time spent together here! I know I would...

organizing by color...

I know organizing books by color is nothing new, but every time I see a photograph with rows of color coordinated books, it makes me happy.  

Doesn't it make for gorgeous art?

We don't have built-ins in our apartment, but I would love to have them in my next place...

The wall of books in this room literally creates an art piece against all that white furniture.  So fabulous...

*First two photographs desire to inspire, last one from Living Etc.

basilicious.

I don't know about you, but I love basil.  

One of my favorite ways to use basil, is in caprese sandwiches {that's what I call them}.  All I do is layer tomato, mozzarella, sprinkle with basil, and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper {this is pre drizzle}.

But one of my true guilty pleasures involving basil is this dressing...and it doesn't even call for fresh basil.  I know, classy.

This is not a dressing that you top on a healthy salad {lettuce,carrots and croutons are best}, nor is it healthy. But it's not something I make that often.  And I'm a bit embarrassed to say it's from a chain restaurant back home, not out of some fancy cookbook or a family recipe.  Once you read the ingredients, you'll realize why it's so good and why it's very unhealthy.  It's too delicious not to share...

Ingredients:

3/4 cup oil
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons crushed dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
Hot pepper sauce 

Directions:

Whisk together oil and mayonnaise. Add buttermilk, cheese, basil, salt, garlic and hot pepper sauce to taste. Mix thoroughly. Cover and let flavors meld overnight {the joke in our family is that it will never make it over night} in refrigerator. 

question

This is the last week of the series.  So far we've covered:


Planning Time {including planning time for health}
Walking away from bargains {including using your bargains}
Purging & Donating {specifically books}
Foresee and Avoid Problems 
Organizing the Office {specifically Function & Files} &
5 Tips to a Streamlined Morning

There is so much that could be covered in this series! But, is there something specific you would like to see covered in this last week?  Would love to hear your thoughts!