Step Inside My Office

I would like to publicly thank Andrea at Momfessionals for her link up parties. Not only has it been fun meeting new bloggers BUT....it forces me to clean my house. Like, I-just-cropped-a-bottle-of-spray-cleaner-out-from-a-following-photo, type of cleaning. Yes! 

Right now Husband and I are living in an apartment (or a flat as people call it around here) on the outskirts of Munich, Germany. Space is limited. LIMITED. No Dixie Chicks and wide open spaces here...

So when this month's link up was for playrooms and offices I thought "Hmm. Well, I can quickly eliminate playrooms. That just leaves an office...would the desk on the side of my bedroom count as an office?" Let's just say it works. 

Without further ado... Come On In My Office/Master (ok,only) Bedroom

This is where all the magic happens. A truly behind the scenes look of where Mainly Maren entries are generated each week. I spend about 6 hours every Sunday blogging for the following week. I put away the Ritz cracker box and empty tea cups just for you! Don't remind Husband about the time he found a peanut butter coated knife underneath this desk...sorry Honey!

I am guilty of completely taking over this space in Husband and my bedroom. Poor guy, could it be any more girly? Since I do spend so much of my time here, I wanted the nook to enliven my style.  This little corner is my own piece of inspiration and for me it totally fits the bill.

I painted and distressed these giant wooden scissors. They were unfinished at a flea market for 50 cents! The scissors are used as my booth's sign whenever I participate in markets. On the wall I have hung three embroidery hoops with stretched fabric. These used to hang in my laundry room back in Texas.

This is my dry erase calendar that my Mother In Law gave me in a scrap-booking kit. I change it out every month and keep the extra months stored behind in the frame. Husband gave me a miniature Shelby Dog and my dear friend made the geisha in an origami kimono. The three necklaces I wear most often this season are hanging on my Ikea cork boards in an easy to reach spot. (tutorial here)

When I stumbled upon this free printable (get it here) I knew it should be displayed right above my computer screen. I have to keep reminding myself to laugh without fear of the future while Husband and I are living abroad. This verse (Proverbs 31:25) is just really speaking to my heart right now.

I recently featured these jars as a Friday Favorite. Now I have filled them with my new washi tape, scrap-booking scissors, and vintage buttons. The buttons I picked up at the flea market for 1 Euro and the owl was 25 cents at a garage sale. My new books? Well, stay tuned this week to see what I'm reading!

Above the jars is a canvas I painted for Valentine's Day, my name with it's German translation, pictures, and the wreath that started it all. Even my desktop picture is of a living space that I love from The Happy Housie. Everything I put up on the wall I already had on hand or was re-purposed for the space. The basket with yarn is from our Roadtrip Easter Basket.

One little tad bit of information I forgot to mention... this desk and chair were FREE! I found them on a local website when the owner was moving out of the country. She posted the desk as "ugly and old". Um? What? Challenge accepted! 

Here's my first makeover of the desk back in 2012:

I changed out the drawer pull for an antique turquoise knob. The baskets are from Ikea with fabric weaved along the tops. The magazine holder is made from a cornflakes box and the skinny long box on the right is what our bedroom light came in. Both boxes were recovered in scrapbook paper using spray glue. Easy and cheap!

Are you still with me? I can't believe I talked so much about one little corner but as you can see it is an important space. 

Thank you guys so much for stopping by today! Tomorrow I am going to share my latest summer reads or maybe spill the beans on one of the two awkward things that happened over the weekend. We shall see!

Make Inspiration Beautiful,

So You Think You Can't Dance

One of the downfalls of living internationally, is that the door is constantly revolving. People come and people go. Yes, I am one of those people. It's only a matter of time until Husband and I are on our way back to The States. But for now, we are here and living life to the fullest.

Looking dorky at our

favorite Irish Pub in Munich

Even though some of the friendships might not be as old as some deeply rooted ones back home, the friends Husband and I have made have impacted us greatly during our time in Germany. So, this weekend, I was super sad to say goodbye to my friend Leonie as she heads back to the UK. 

To properly send Leonie off, we did what we do best; we ate dinner at an Irish pub. Sitting around a private table upstairs, we had conversations full of accents from the UK, South Africa, Austria, Germany, Canada, and The States. It never gets old connecting with friends from all the different corners of the world. 

Trying out the newest Irish Pub in town

After dinner, we headed out to go dancing at a local club. That's right folks, Husband and I went clubbing. Is it bad when this phrase comes out of your mouth "I've never been clubbing with my husband"? Let me just say, Husband and I are not the clubbing type. Maybe 10 years ago...(I think I can count the number of times I've been "clubbing" on my right hand) but now we are in our 30s and are perfectly content spending most Saturday nights at home in stretch waist-banded pants watching the latest Pixar movie. 

I had no idea what to wear out dancing. I even stepped foot inside a Forever 21 before backing slowly out and thinking "oh yeah right." I decided to give my closet a chance. 30 minutes later and a pile of clothes on the bed, I settled on this tank top and cardigan. I'm so old, I wore a cardigan clubbing! Bwhahaha! A bathroom selfie? Why yes, you're welcome.

What's even more crazy? Husband and I had an absolute blast! Clubbing at 30 with your Husband is actually FUN! The dreaded pressures from my early 20s were completely gone and I couldn't have cared less who thought my dance moves were less than desirable. (Think Carlton) We danced for hours lip syncing to songs we haven't heard in forever... songs that took us back to high school prom and college days from another decade. A. Complete. Blast.

Shake Whatcha' Momma Gave Ya,

Made It Monday: Summer Greetings

I have mentioned before my love for "real" mail. I love getting mail and I love sending mail! Well this weekend I was at it again making summer greeting cards. Last month I printed a summer photo of Husband and I but I never got around to sending them. Whoops. All-Star Procrastinator right here folks!

 Who doesn't love a summer selfie?

Last week, another Kindergarten teacher was making fish with some of the kids using washi tape. I fell in love with the cheerful designs and bright colors. I just thought the fish were adorable and would make the perfect summer greeting card.

Saturday, out shopping, I saw the same washi tape and put it in the cart. Husband's jaw dropped at the price and exclaimed "I can't believe we're going to spend 10 Euros on tape! Go ahead, put it in the cart...." Aren't the rolls of tape beautiful? Looks like I found something to fill this jar!

So I came home and recreated the washi fish. I created a fish template and traced the design on heavy cardstock.

Then I started in the middle of the fish and stuck strips of washi tape. The washi tape went over the edge just a bit on each sides of the fish. After the fish was covered, I turned the card over and trimmed off the over hanging edges of tape. On the blank backside, I wrote my message to the reader.

I think the cards are a fun way to send a greeting that is "out of the box". Each card took just a few minutes to create and was quite simple. Now I just better get these in the mail pronto before summer has vanished!

And now I want to announce the winner of the Back to School Giveaway. I was blown away by the response and truly touched by all those entered. Thank you so much! I wish I had enough giveaway items for everyone but...the winner is:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yay! Ramona, I will be getting in touch with you to find your mailing details. Looks like I will be at the post office a few times this week!!

Have a Blessed Monday,