Home Office/Creative Room

I would love to dedicate a space in the apartment to all things creative. Even if its just a small corner of a room, or a space on one wall in the 'office' or living room, I think it will help to stay motivated and inspired to create. I decided to do a post about this because so many of my friends (you guys and gals) have creative hobbies and I think that if you don't already have a space like this (or a studio of some sort) that you might enjoy the thought of setting one up.

Anyway the first thing I needed was some inspiration, so I went to Flickr and did a search for some photos.

image via bitsandbobbins on Flickr

image by you can count on me on Flickr

image by Indeed on Flickr

I found SO many pictures that I wanted to post, but alas... I've selected just a few for your viewing pleasure. But now you know it's there, and you too can be addicted!

The next thing I did was look at a couple of my favorite stores online, like Ikea, Cb2, Chiasso, and West Elm. Even though most of this stuff (minus Ikea and Cb2) are out of my price range, they still have really great images and interesting arrangement ideas.

Of course, I couldn't leave out Polyvore. I imagine this space to have all my creative stuff, but also be a place I could paint, sit and knit, blog, and hang out with my kitties. I put together some furniture that I like, a few of my hobby 'tools' along with some posters, etc. Maybe when my room is done I can post pictures of it and we can see how close I got to this little collage, haha!

Google Reader

A lot of people have asked how to "subscribe" to this blog. I like to keep up with all my favorite blogs with Google Reader. It's especially easy to adopt if you are a gmail user because when you're signed into gmail, you can easily load your Google Reader. Even if you are not using Gmail, you can set up a Google Reader account. Basically, you can add different blogs to your Google Reader and when you sign in, it will show you the latest articles or updates from the blogs you chose. You can add as many blogs as you want, and you can add them as often as you want. This is what Reader looks like when you open it for the first time.


On the left side you can manage the blogs you subscribe to. Just click "Add subscription" and enter in the name of the blog, the URL, or if you are looking for some new reading material you can enter a topic you like. For example, if you are trying to subscribe to A Bella Life, you can just type "www.abellalife.blogspot.com" into the search field, click 'enter' and Reader will automatically add it. Your reader will then look like this:


As you scroll through each article, it will automatically get deleted from Reader so you can keep up with what you've read and what is new. In addition, at the bottom of each article you have the option to "star" it which basically saves it so you can view it later. With a web application like this to keep tabs on your favorite sites, the only thing left to do is enjoy the content. I hope this helped!!

I'm obsessed

Polyvore has taken over my life. I've since created 3 more sets! I've lost my mind for sure. Here is the latest one.

I like this set for so many reasons, but my favorite thing about it is the different price ranges. From Ikea to DWR, this set has something for everyone. If you click on the picture it will take you to my Polyvore page where you can find out where to buy this stuff. And I strongly encourage anyone who has a creative itch to play around with this site, it's incredibly fun!

Basically I want all of this stuff or I want you to have it so that when I see you, I'll get to enjoy it!

Getting excited about spring

I just found this cool new site called Polyvore! I read about it in an interview with Ez from Creature Comforts on All Things Bright and Beautiful. So on Polyvore, I put together this inspiration board of pretty little things I would love to own! It was so much fun, I think I'll be going back to play often. If you like any of this stuff, you can click on the item on the board and it will redirect you to the site where you can buy it. Woo hoo! Shopping on line is fun :)

Back from a break

It has been a while since I've posted something on "A Bella Life" but I'm back! I've been dabbling in a few different hobbies over the last few months, so I think that I am going to start blogging about these hobbies as well as my ongoing obsession with all things design.

Anyway, for a quick Sunday morning post I thought I'd share some recent pictures. Here's a winter collage...



I've been cooking a lot lately, and here is one of my favorite recipes that I made last weekend. I got it from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. They were SO yummy, and pretty easy and fast to make. I hope you try making them :)

Everyday Food's Salmon Burgers with Yogurt Dill Sauce

1 pound skinless salmon fillet, finely diced
1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, beaten
3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
Romaine lettuce

To finely dice the salmon without crushing it, start by thinly slicing the fillet with a sharp knife. Cut the slices into lengthwise into strips, then crosswise.

Heat broiler with rack set 4 inches from the heat. In a medium bowl, combine salmon, horseradish, lemon zest and juice, egg, scallion, breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Mix gently with a fork.

Using your hands, form the salmon into four patties. Broil on a rimmed baking sheet until browned on top and opaque throughout 6 to 7 minutes.

While burgers broil, combine yogurt and dill in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers on buns with yogurt-dill sauce and lettuce.