Creative Girlfriends Press

Looking for gifts for people who work at home? We’ve got 10 top gifts for a home office with Boho flair. If you’re in the market for giftables with a more masculine vibe, take a look at this post.

1. Bag the Best Desk

Wow your favorite work-from-homer with an oh-so-pretty glass and gold desk. This lovely Belham Living Lamont Computer Desk from Hayneedle boasts a trio of shelves that are both fun and functional.

2. Add Light

Bring a corner of the home office to light with the Overarching Ripple floor lamp. The acrylic shade casts light that looks like rippling water. The antique brass finish frame stretches out in a lovely swoop.

3. Make it Fun

Whether they’ve worked from home forever or are just saying good-bye to cubicle life, home office dwellers will find great tips in this ebook. Work at Home Happy covers everything from office decor to productivity hacks to the best afternoon snacks. Send it to straight to your friend or loved one’s Kindle … for less than a cup of coffee.

4. Art in Bloom

Artist Carrie Schmitt’s exuberant paintings capture the Bohemian spirit.  Look for original artwork, canvas reproductions, prints and much more on her Etsy site.  Really want to surprise your loved one? Book her a spot in one of Carrie’s wildly popular art workshops or retreats.

5. Best Boho Chair

Ready to spoil your favorite home office worker? The mauve velvet desk chair from World Market is comfy and hard-working. With adjustable height and five rollers, the chair makes a long day at the office feel so much better. Comes in black, too.

6. Song in the Air

When the home office starts to feel a bit lonely, music or a favorite podcast can help. This chubby Wonderboom speaker from Ultimate Ears brings all the sound in a cute, portable and even waterproof package. Extra points for the hanging loop that keeps it from hogging space on your desktop–and the adorable unicorn color scheme.

7. Fresh Life

This trio of easy-to-grow plants from The Sill would perk up any desk. For a gift that keeps on giving, purchase a plant subscription and a new plant will be delivered every month.

8. Roll On

Everyone needs a mouse pad, why not choose one with a happy design? A dream catcher, stars and crystals come together in this whimsical rubber-backed pad by Luna Gallery Designs.  

9. Bust the Clutter

Boho lovers are free spirits, but work requires a bit of order. Take back the home office with help from the experts at Restoring Order. Identify priorities, set up key systems, learn to stamp out deadly paper build-up and more. This 90-minute DVD goes through the no-nonsense process step by step. Order a copy and kill the clutter.

10. Case for Baskets

Skip the bland and boring metal file cabinets. This lidded seagrass basket from Overstock is the place to stash files in style. Wheels allow the basket to roll wherever it’s needed.

Happy holidays to every home office everywhere!

Looking for gifts for the dad who works at home? We’ve got plenty of ideas for a classic (dare we say masculine?) home office right here.

By the way, If you’re in the market for gifts with a more Boho vibe, head over here!

1. Bag the Best Desk

The award goes to this L shape desk from Trumake. Steel pipe legs are topped by rustic planks. The distressed wood offers plenty of character and is sealed with polyurethane for a smooth sheen. Choose one of six stains for your wood top. Trumake handcrafts their desks and tables in a range of sizes. Visit the company’s Etsy shop to order.

2. Light it Up

Wirecutter gives this Eye-Caring LED Lamp from Taotronics high marks. The light bar swivels and folds down to put light exactly where you want it. And you can adjust the light’s brightness and color. Comes in white, too.

3. Make it Fun

Whether he has worked from home forever or is just saying good-bye to cubicle life, dad will find great tips in this ebook. Work at Home Happy covers everything from office decor to productivity hacks to the best afternoon snacks. Send it to straight to his Kindle … for less than a cup of coffee. Just $2.99.

4. Add Music

When the home office starts to feel a bit lonely, music or a favorite podcast can help. This chubby Wonderboom speaker from Ultimate Ears brings all the sound in a cute, portable and even waterproof package. Extra points for the hanging loop that keeps it from hogging space on his desktop–and the rainbow of available colors.

5. Best Desk Chair

Ready to spoil your favorite home office worker? The Mirra 2 Chair from Herman Miller is the best seat in the house. Flexible, ergonomic and fully adjustable to make hours in front of the computer feel so much better. And it comes in turquoise, too.

6. Turn the Beat Around

Working solo? He can go ahead and rock out with these ballpoint pens made to look like drumsticks. The perfect way to bust through writer’s block or the Monday blues. Pick up a pair at Uncommon Goods. 

7. A Bit of Whimsy

Look sharp! The Pencil Shaving Desk Cups from Olive Roddy are cute as a button. The cups come in three primary colors and stand ready to corral pens, pencils, scissors, rulers and more.

8. Bust the Clutter

Help dad take back the home office with help from the experts at Restoring Order. Identify priorities, set up key systems, learn to stamp out deadly paper build-up and more. This 90-minute DVD goes through the no-nonsense process step by step. Order a copy and kill the clutter.

9. Keep the Peace

Every home office needs a bit of quiet sometimes. This acrylic silver door hanger from Etsy is a great reminder to family members to steer clear. Too bad pets can’t read.

10. Best Pencil Sharpener Ever

Pitch the electric sharpeners that always die young. Bring home this functional–and cute!–sharpener from Carl instead. Perfect points, every time.

Happy holidays to every home office everywhere!

There’s only so much room on your refrigerator door. Here are 11 ways to share and use your gorgeous coloring creations.

1. Make a bookmark. Print or photocopy the black and white design onto heavy card stock. Color the design. Cut a narrow strip, punch a hole in the top and add a tassel. (I found this tassel in the scrapbooking section of Hobby Lobby.) If you have a rounded corner punch, you can use it on all four corners of your bookmark.

1. Create a gift bag. Have an oddly shaped little gift to give? Make a quick gift bag using one of your coloring pages. Follow this tutorial, add coordinating ribbon and tissue and you’re ready for any occasion.
2. Wrap a gift. Easy, right? Just use a coloring page as wrapping paper. You’re the Goddess of Gift Giving!

By the way, all the coloring designs shown here are from the 2016 Color Lover’s Weekly Coloring Calendar. 

Here are even more things you can create with your coloring pages:

4. Magnets

5. Postcards (download a template for the back of the postcards at this site, and consider sending a postcard to a prison support organization.)

6. Handmade book covers

7. Envelopes

8. Gift tags

9. Paper chains

10. Ornaments

11. Scrapbooking paper

Any other ideas? Share them in the comments! Happy coloring to you all!

Here’s a peak at a few of the weekly spreads inside the 2016 Color Lover’s Weekly Calendar! All artwork is on right hand pages for easy coloring. The calendar is 8 1/2 x 11 inches and 124 pages of artful fun!

7 ways to find a few mindful minutes in your work week

Feeling frazzled? Instead of heading to the vending machine or snapping at a co-worker, try one of these seven ways to tune into your inner happy at work. While these activities might seem insignificant or even silly, re-focusing for five or 10 minutes a day may actually help you become healthier and more productive.

1. Saved by the Bell

Sometimes all you need to be pulled back into the present is a simple nudge. Take a cue from the liturgical bells that call monks to worship or prayer. A bell or chime app for your phone can play a tone at the times you choose. When you hear the bell, pause and take note of your surroundings; what you’re feeling; if your thoughts are racing. Take a few slow breaths before you return to your work.

Try the Mindfulness Bell app for Android, or Chill, a daily mindfulness app that sends up to five quotes and reminders to your iPad or iPhone every day. You can also set your device’s alarm function to ring bell tones at intervals during the work day.

2. Color Wonderful

Coloring has been shown to aid relaxation and divert attention from anxious thoughts. A short coloring break at your desk can help clear your mind, combat stress and engage your creative thinking. A dozen or so colored pencils or crayons and a few minutes to color a pre-printed design or doodle one of your own can create a calm spot in a stressful day.

Perfect for your desk, the 2016 Color Lover’s Weekly Calendar from Creative Girlfriends Press offers 53 coloring designs printed alongside weekly calendar pages.

3. Pretty and Powerful

Try using and wearing a meditation necklace or mala, which can serve as a mindfulness tool and remind you of your intention all day long. In Buddhist tradition, the mala is strung with 108 beads. During meditation, a mantra is repeated as each bead slides through the hand. Many religions use prayer beads that can be carried or worn to the office.

Meditation necklaces hand-knotted by Kara Benz of Boho Berry follow Buddhist mala tradition and are available in a wide variety of bead colors. Search YouTube for videos explaining how to use the mala in meditation.

Meditation necklace from Boho Berry

4. Spoonful of Serenity

Crunching potato chips while scrolling through emails isn’t a recipe for peace and good health. Nourish your body and mind by savoring your mid-day meal. Pay attention to the color, texture and taste of your food as you eat. Try setting your fork or spoon down between each bite to slow your eating. Imagine telling a friend about the food you’re eating: How would you describe the taste or appearance of your salad, sandwich or soup? Noticing what you eat can make you feel more satisfied and may help you choose healthier foods.

Chic containers and utensils from Black + Blum take lunch style way beyond the brown bag.

Black + Blum container

5. The Nose Knows

Tuning in to your senses can put the brakes on your racing mind. Literally stopping to smell the flowers—or the lavender, bergamot or patchouli of essential oils—can snap you back to the present. Choose an oil based on its prescribed benefits, or just pick a favorite scent and use it with a diffuser to create an olfactory treat you can stop and savor during your work day.

Aura Cacia’s Aromatherapy Vaporizer uses a stream of air to diffuse scent.

Aura Cacia essential oil vaporizer

6. Shhhh…

Go silent for just a few minutes. Hang a do not disturb sign on your office door or pop on noise-canceling headphones and drink a cup of tea in silence—with no input from your phone or computer. Better yet, head outside with your mug if possible to hear natural sounds. Gazing at a long view gives you the added bonus of reducing eye strain caused by staring at a computer screen for extended periods of time.

Inspire yourself to take a short stretch of quiet with the Rejuvenation Gift Set from Tea Forte.

7. Goodness and Light

Stress can produce negative thoughts—stop them in their tracks with positive words. Affirmations and uplifting quotes can help you reframe your thoughts and put your current workday cares into prospective. Need a good reason? Researchers have found that a positive outlook can help protect against heart disease and improve diet and sleep patterns.

Choose a card each day from the Virtues Project deck. Each of the deck’s 100 cards describes a virtue like “tolerance,” “peace” and “strength,” while offering quotes and ideas for practicing that virtue.

Do you have a favorite way to de-stress at work?

–Janice Brewster, writer, editor and nurturer of creativity

A year’s supply of coloring pages!

Featuring a new coloring design each week, our new calendar and coloring book for grown-ups helps you track your events and to-do lists while giving you time to play with color!

With 53 coloring designs from five different artists, the calendar offers a new delightful illustration each week. You’ll find a wide range of subjects from mandalas to mermaids, peacocks to pirates. Discover your new favorite coloring page designer while you relax and color away stress. Here are just a few samples:

Artwork by Eliza Jane Curtis

Artwork by Kara Benz

Artwork by Rachel Shayne Edelstein

The large format (8 1/2 x 11 inch) calendar features monthly pages, as well as weekly pages with plenty of space for notes. Coloring pages are on the right to make coloring easy.

Take the calendar with you for an artful break wherever you go. To keep your coloring pages free from unwanted marks, use a pen or pencil (not markers) to write your calendar notes. If you use markers on the coloring designs, slip a sheet of paper behind the page as you work. Take time for yourself every week!

Give yourself–or someone on your gift list–a few moments of color happiness every week. Available on Amazon now!

We’re looking for a handful of creative coloring page designers for an upcoming project.

Are you one? Do you know one? Let us know!

Thank you!

It’s time again for a Sew Mama Sew giveaway. I’m offering a copy of my new e-pattern for a Shark Week Pouch.

Gals, we used to call that time of the month a “visit from Aunt Flo.” Remember? Well, I recently found out the youngin’s are calling it Shark Week. Too funny.

I started to envision this cheeky tampon holder…then I found out about AfriPads, an organization that helps meet feminine hygiene needs in Africa. Blammo–it all came together!

So, now when people purchase the pattern on Craftsy, I donate to AfriPads.

Want to win? Leave me a comment below with what color shark pouch you would make. I’ll pick a random name after 5 p.m. PST on Sunday, May 10 and announce the winner here.

Thanks and Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there.

Ready to go off the wall? Mary Vaneecke’s new book from Creative Girlfriends Press will have you quilting in 3-D. The cover quilt was on display at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. Congratulations, Mary! To order your copy, head to Mary’s site.

Award-winning artist and Creative Girlfriends Press client Lea McComas introduced her new book, Thread-Painted Portraits, at the International Quilt Market in Houston last week. The book offers step-by-step instructions for using photos to inspire fiber art masterpieces. For more information, or to order a copy, go to Lea’s site.

Congratulations, Lea!