Traveling Pill Box

As I’ve said before, I travel a lot for my work. In the process, I’ve developed some handy packing solutions to save time and keep me organized. Today’s solution keeps me well stocked with all of the possible drugs I could need on a trip. (Yes, the legal kind.)

Instead of dragging around six different drug bottles, keeping them all packed up in my bag. I took a weekly pill box (purchased cheaply at the Dollar Store) and I labeled each of the compartments for the drug that I want to store in it. The drugs I found the most useful in my travels are:

Pepto

Allergy Medicine

Nicorette (for the former smokers out there)

Vitamins

Sleeping Pills

Mydol

Advil

Unfortunately I don’t have a label maker. It’s a silly investment I can’t let myself make. (Though it would be a wonderful Christmas Present…hint hint.) So I hand wrote the labels and taped them on. I think I’m going to make one for my briefcase because there has been more than on scenario where I’ve needed a Pepto or a Mydol at work.

Modern Decorating with Doilies?

I have a clutter bug for a mother. This is one of the main reasons I rebelled against my upbringing and grew into the anti-clutter maven that strives for organization and simplification.

My mother’s clutter stems partially from her collections. One of her many collections is a doily collection. Yes, the obtrusive dust collectors that little old grannies find the epitome of home design. (Mom, if you’re reading this you know it’s true.) my mother, like most clutter bugs treasures every little bit of clutter and expects others to likewise treasure it. So I am on the receiving end of doilies, tea sets, and sets of cloth napkins, even though my apartment is too small for a dining room table.

Storing the gifts in a box in the closet tugs on the guilt strings, but turning my living room into a Sandra Bullock period piece isn’t an option. So I framed my favorite doilies behind new Ikea frames with funky red crocodile decorative paper behind. I thought the funky paper would update the look a little. So thanks to my Mom’s goofy collecting habits, I have a cheap and colorful piece of artwork. (And it makes me all warm and fuzzy to see something she cares about in a place of prominence. Awwww.)

I think it’d be kind of neat to frame some cute crocheted pot holders alongside maybe some random needlepoint. The key to modernize this project is to use sleek or a funky frame and use a funky bright paper behind it.

Cell Cord Holder

I'm annoyed. Everytime I want to plug in my cell phone, I have to crawl under my desk. It's irritating, there's a lot of dust down there, and I get dirty. So I devised a crafty little holder to keep the end of my cord off of the ground and dust free. Here's the step by step craft project.

1. Cut up a big magnet into an appropriate little square.

2. Then chop off each of the ends of a bic pen top.

3. Cut a slit down the side of the pen top.

4. Bend open that little slit so that you can slide the cord in.

5. Hot glue the back of the pen top to the magnet with the slit facing out.

6. Paint the fugly magnet and add some BLING.

7. Stick that magnet on the metal file cabnet and slip the cord into your adorable cord holder! Yay! No more crawling in the dust!

Maybe now I should spend some time with a dust mop and put the hot glue gun away...

The Best Dynamic Themes on iGoogle

I’ve written about iGoogle before and the wonders of getting new Gadgets and customizing your homepage and really making it a useful workstation. One of the best things I think about iGoogle is the themes that you can put on the top of the page. A large number of artists and designers have their own themes. My favorite themes however, are the dynamic ones. Dynamic themes change periodically. Some Dynamic Themes are designed to change regularly every day or every hour. Others require your zip code and then will change depending on your time of day. These are absolutely my favorite themes. Several of them have cute little characters that do different things according to the time of day. The really neat thing is to see the new things that your little characters are doing at different times of the day. Here are some of my favorite dynamic themes, of both sorts.

A little fox lives in a Tea House in this adorable little theme. During the day, when I'm working, he's picking oranges in the orange grove. At dinner time, he eats a little sushi on the porch and at night he watches the stars with his telescope then heads off to bed. My absolute favorite theme!

This dynamic theme shows where the sun is hitting the Earth at that time. Pretty cool!

A little Frog and a Ladybug picnic at lunch time, play games in a summer meadow and at night camp out under the stars!

JR is a monster that takes care of the city. Including sweeping the streets and protecting the city from other Monsters!

Aja Tiger is a little Bengal Tiger that lives in a cave on a little farm. During the day he works in the garden and at night he sleeps in a little sleeping mat in his house.

This theme shows the city of Chicago at different times of the day. There are a number of themes like this showing skylines of cities across the globe.

Can't pick a theme? Choose the Theme of the Day theme and get a random new one everyday!

Business Travel Checklist

I've been very busy lately traveling with my new job. Packing for a business trip can be especially tricky, and the sin of over packing becomes ultra painful when you have to check your luggage or drag an enormous suitcase from town to town. Paring down the content of your luggage is key. Here are some rules I've learned and I've also attached the checklist I use to make sure I don't forget anything. I like to laminate mine and keep it by my suitcase with a dry erase marker so it's never lost and I can save paper.

1. You do not need a spare everything (You do not need two pairs of pants or shoes, if the something bad happens you can almost always buy new pants or have them laundered at the hotel. The exception to this is glasses and contacts.)

2. Decide what you're going to do before the trip. (Do you really have time to work out? No? Forget the gym shoes then. Are you meeting up with a friend at the bar? Keep in the bar clothes.)

3. If you've remembered your credit card, you really haven't forgotten anything. (Unless you are going to a third world nation, you really can buy whatever you need almost anywhere.)

Cover Letter Sample Template

Just posted again is the cover letter sample template, with some revisions. With the economy the way it is, a lot of people are looking for jobs. Cover letters are an important part of the application process, even when applying by email. Each job that you apply for should have a unique cover letter. Here's a template of what should be included in a cover letter. Feel free to hand it out to anyone who needs it.

Making Fairy Doors

There is an adorable myth around the town I live in. Fairies populate the walls and corners of our very normal buildings. For more on the legends, take a look at this website: http://urban-fairies.com/

They were so cute, my parents and I decided we wanted to make our own fairy doors. My father and I devised elaborate ways to build the doors when my mom reminded us that these are already done, they’re called dollhouse doors. So I went online and ordered some dollhouse doors. There are tons of sites that your can order from. The sites also have for sale little details that you can glue onto the doors, kickplates, doorknobs, and doorknockers: http://earthntree.com/miniatures/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=72_80&zenid=8f29cba960080127189300ea2df9e745

I then bought some paint and a little glitter and jewels. I painted the doors and added some flair. The first one is a perfect match of my parents door. Minus the diamonds of course. The one at the top is the fairy door in my own apartment. Hopefully I’ll get fairies to come visit soon.