Pimp My Office: Chalk Hearts are for the Birds (plus glitter!)

Last Christmas break, I spent hours tearing down heinous 80s wallpaper and painting the tiny room where I spend 40+ hours a week. But, I wasn't done pimpin' this little home away from home, no siree!

So, me and two office mates spent one afternoon over break at the office - not futzing with spreadsheets and Hootsuite bulk uploads - but getting our Martha on.

Behold: our masterpiece (my co-workers have similar branded office art now, too).

Yeah, it's a chalkboard heart and torch (the logo 89% of you can positively associate with the American Heart Association) - surrounded by RED GLITTER PAINT!

Do you have any idea how much red glitter paint can make a crafty Heart Association employee squeal? A lot.

I also added some functional art in the form of a magnetic bird that Hubs' parents picked up for me as a Christmas present. It sits over my desk, along with my handy (and free!) deadline clothesline and the amazing Ork heart poster I fell in love with last spring.

Clearly, this office is not short on personality.

Do you get to snazz up your workspace? How have you incorporated glitter into your professional life?

Pimp My Office: Paper pusher

From Day One at my new job, I've had big dreams about making my office a little zen hideaway wherein I draft amazing news releases, score front-page feature stories and use the power of PR to make America healthier (reminder: new job = American Heart Association).

It's been a slow process, but with the office being closed last week, I was able to undertake a big project and get very om-y results.

Remember how sad it was when I first started?

If I owned this building, I'd put in French doors and do a living roof. Alas, I am but a tenant who looks out to a rock roof.

Nice bones, but some seriously heinous wallpaper and lack of personality.

Well, I spent three days scraping, pulling and tugging all that wallpaper off (I recommend boiling water and vinegar with a plastic putty knife. I tried a steamer (too slow) and added a perforator at a point to speed things up to no avail).

It was not fun and it was not pretty. There were moments when I was afraid I'd need to flee my job and change my name because the office was a disastor area:

Yikes.

I found the proud signature of the hanger of the paper even and kept my mind off the tedious work by imagining how proud Kit must have been when hanging this pink paper. "I better use more glue. Light pink and gray stripes will NEVER go out of style. Who wouldn't love this?"

Sorry, Kit.

I even came dangerously close to loosing all the skin on my hands due to incredible pruneyness.

Ewwwww.

In the end, though, I was rewarded with a lovely pale green tableau upon which to hang the saddest gallery wall in the history of ever. 

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Check out the glorious after!

The color is a pale celery and I swear my office isn't nearly as cave-like as it looks here.

Now, I'm not finished yet. In fact, I stare at a totally blank wall most of the day. 

Snooze.

I need to get rolling on some art. I have a few ideas in mind, but nothing I love just yet. Any ideas? 

Office pimpin' ain't easy. But I did get a whole heckuva lotta work done my first day back in this bright and shiny office.

Pimp My Office: Cork Cutie

When I moved my brain to a nonprofit job, my brain was rewarded with an office. I'm talking four walls, a solid door and a huge window with a view that includes trees, y'all. This office has potential.

I'm hoping I can get permission to spend a weekend de-wallpapering the place and slapping up some soothing pale paint, but in the meantime, I'm making due with what I've got. I've put the requisite wedding pictures up and have my little box of tea bags out and bought myself this mousepad as a first step toward office greatness.

Next up, I needed a cork board like real bad. I have been taping post-its to the wall by my phone for the past month and it looks so ghetto, I'm ashamed every time I dial a number. So, I headed to Goodwill, where I picked up a sweet gold frame containing this lovely piece of art.

Sorry for the blurriness, it was incredibly humid and my camera hates that.

I popped out the print and spray painted the intricate frame. After two days and two coats, it was looking less than pretty, so I brought out the same light turquoise that I used on the bottom of my corner shelf (which, again, does not photograph as turquoise but it really is, I swear).

I picked up a cheapie cork board at Target and cut it to fit the frame. I secured it with a bazillion nails and then covered it up with some paper, lest I scratch that totally rad wallpaper.

Now, it's all set to hold onto all my vital papers. For $20, I'd say it's about a million times better than your standard issue Office Depot board, wouldn't you say?

Be on the lookout for more workspace beautification projects - my brain works better when it's surrounded by incredibly easy DIY work.

How do you snazz up your office?

Linked on Domestically Speaking, Blue Cricket Design and Gettin' Crafty on Hump Day.