Free Wallpaper Organizers to Tame the Desktop Beast

I just got a new computer (yay!) and I had to make a solemn promise to myself:

I, Blair Turner, vow to treat my new desktop with the respect it deserves. I will not litter it with 3,256 screenshots I cannot remember why I needed to take. I will not use it as a dumping ground for the 48,927 PDF documents I do not feel like filing. I will keep it clean. I will keep it organized. I will TAME THE DESKTOP BEAST.

I am not an organized person. In fact, it would not be out of line to say I am forever teetering on the edge of hot mess status. I knew I would need a little help in order to keep my promise. So, I created these desktop organizers to force remind myself to help me reign in the crazy that is my typical organizational strategy. Note to self: Keep it together, woman.

HUGE IMPROVEMENT. 

I am sharing them with anyone else who needs to tame the beast. There are a few different options for each style - pre-labeled, blank with 4 sections, and blank with 8 sections.

Each background is available in 3 different sizes to fit almost any computer. Inside the zip file, you can find detailed instructions on how to choose the right size, edit the blank versions, and upload the images as your new desktop background.

Grab these FREEBIES by {clicking here}!

On my Instagram account, I've been posting a couple of "sneak peek" pictures of my latest project. I am working on a line of paper goods that I am SO EXCITED about. 

These desktop organizers are designed to coordinate with a couple of my favorite items! EEK! I am in the final stages of getting the new goodies ready to post for sale and ship, and hope to have them available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and on Etsy in the next several weeks. Make sure to follow me here, or on any of my social media pages, so you can be the first to know when they are ready. 

{Stay tuned on Bloglovin, Facebook, Instagram, or TpT.}

Another sneak peek! This is one of my daily notepad designs. 😍 #teachersofinstagram #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers #prettypaper

A photo posted by Blair Turner (@onelessonatatime) on Nov 11, 2014 at 6:43pm PST

EEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! My notepad samples are back from the printer and I am in love! 😍😍😍 Complete adorableness in the form of pretty paper goods will be available in my TpT store soon. #teachersofinstagram #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers

A photo posted by Blair Turner (@onelessonatatime) on Nov 11, 2014 at 3:41pm PST

Happy organizing!

FYI: This post was originally shared on my main teaching website/blog, which you can find at www.BlairTurner.com. But EVERYONE can use a little organization in their life, so I hope you enjoy these freebies!

Linky Love:

DIY Dreamer    Cornerstone Confessions    Titi Crafty    All Things With Purpose    Snap Creativity

Be YOU: Free Pretty Little Printables

It's Pretty Little Printable time! Here are some pretty printable posters to remind you to be you! They come in 4 different colors. Click the link at the bottom of the post to download the printable PDFs for free.

Click {HERE} to download the PDF file for free. (Personal use only - may not be used for any commercial venture. Full terms of use are included in the file.)

Make sure to follow the blog so you don't miss upcoming freebies!

Doors of the Cyclades

While on my honeymoon in Greece (see my honeyblog part 1 HERE and part 2 HERE), I became obsessively drawn to the beautiful doors I kept seeing everywhere. I literally could not pass a door without snapping a picture. I compiled my faves into a little Instagram photo project I hashtagged #doorsofthecyclades. :D (To answer your question, yes. I am weird.)

Santorini Doors

Naxos Doors

Naxos has the ultimate door - the giant marble Portara. 

Mykonos Doors

To The Moon! (Honeymoon in Greece: Days 5-9)

I'm back for the next installment of my honeyblog. :) (You can click HERE to see my post for Days 1-5.) After 1 night in Athens and 4 nights at the incredible Aenaon Villas in Imerovigli, Santorini, we moved to Ikies Traditional Houses in Oia.

Le sigh. The view of Oia from Ikies is seriously breathtaking. You are situated at the end of town, so you can overlook the entire village. It's straight out of a postcard. Oia is everything the internet promised it would be!

We stayed in the Winemaker Suite at Ikies - it's one of the honeymoon suites and it did not disappoint. I loved our blue door. The terrace was the highlight - so amazing. Tons of room to spread out and gaze at the caldera.

The staff at Ikies is so incredible - they went out of their way to make our stay perfect. They helped us find great excursions during the day and made us dinner reservations every night. They are wonderful.  One day we went on a sunset cruise with Santorini Sailing - this was a 5 hour trip and absolutely worth the money. We did the semi-private cruise. There were 4 other couples on board and we had a great time. The views were spectacular. 

One day we hiked down to Amoudi Bay and had lunch at Dimitris. (As you can see in the picture at the bottom right....no sea creature was safe.) Then, we walked over to the little swimming "hole" that you see in the top picture in the collage below. In order to get there, you have to walk across this little stone bridge.  It was not not terrifying. #worthit

I am obsessed with this little boat and the colors of the water. Siiiiiiiiigh.

We went to Kamari Beach, which is beautiful and has a fun little boardwalk area.

We visited the Domaine Sigalas winery to sample the goods. They were very good. 

Oh and we ate. If you go to Greece, you may discover there is no food left. We ate Greece. My apologies. Hands down, our best meal was at Kyprida in Oia. Holy balls. It was unreal. Get the tasting menu. It's like 10,000 courses and they are all finger-licking wonderful. Also, go to Scala for the cheese and olive croquettes. Oh my *$*%*#@! word, the croquettes. The croquettes. 

The rest of our time was well spent ogling the views and wandering through charming Oia. I'd read a lot of forums and blogs about Santorini and a lot of people seem to think that any more than 3-4 days in Santorini is too much. Holy cow. We could not disagree more. We stayed 8 nights (4 in Imerovigli at Aenaon and 4 here in Oia at Ikies) and if we could think of a business that we have the skills to open that would thrive there, we would stay forever.

Landscaping by Dr. Seuss!

I'll be back soon with part 3 - Naxos!

To The 'Moon! (Honeymoon in Greece: Days 1-5)

To the 'moon! The honeymoon that is. After the wedding (the beautiful, amazing, can't-believe-how-freaking-perfect-it-was wedding), we packed our bags for the Greek Islands. Ahem, packed CARRY-ON bags. For two weeks. We are pretty pleased with ourselves for pulling that off. 

Itinerary:
1 Night in Athens
4 Nights in Imerovigli, Santorini
4 Nights in Oia, Santorini
2 Nights in Naxos
2 Nights in Mykonos
1 Night in Athens

Our first stop was Athens. After a long-haul flight with a layover in Munich, we were glad we'd chosen to spend the first night at the airport Sofitel instead of trying to go straight to Santorini.

We took the metro to Monastiraki Square, which was really beautiful. There was a crowd around a drum circle - I do love a good beat. In the middle, you can see the Acropolis lit up.
We didn't have to wander far before finding a good spot to get our food on. We ate at Tepina, in a pretty outdoor courtyard area. I do enjoy a nice al fresco meal (I am my father's daughter).  When we go back to Athens at the end of our trip, we'll have the better part of the day to explore the Acropolis and poke around some more.

fter dinner, we had our first Greek adventure when the lights went out on the train home. We were told we had to exit because the service to the airport was "finished" for the night. Uhhhhh....jigga what now? (We still think this was at least 30 minutes early, but it doesn't much matter what we think.) So we found ourselves 4 giant escalators underground, in a near-empty subway station, "somewhere" in between Athens and our hotel. We channeled our inner intrepid little travelers, and made it home safe and sound (in a cab).

The next morning, it was time to hop a flight to Santorini - my dream island!

We were so excited about our first hotel, the Aenaon Villas in Imerovigli. You know how sometimes, you've looked at so many pictures of a place that once you get there it's actually a bit of a let down? THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE TIMES.

Holy balls.

This place is unbelievable. Stick a fork in me and call me done, because it can't get better than this.

 Afte

Some more pics from Aenaon. It's hard to believe it's real. So $%&*#@! beautiful.

One day, we hiked from the hotel to Fira. The view was pretty incredible the entire way. 

I saw this shirt in Fira, which felt appropriate.


More to come...
Read Part 2 {here}!

Hello Spring: Free Printable

The first day of spring is.....not today. Eh. Oh well. As usual, I'm late to life. But the GOOD news is, spring is here. At least officially.  And THAT is something to celebrate indeed. Some people celebrate exciting events by drinking champagne. I celebrate exciting events by creating printables. While drinking champagne. 

Click {HERE} to download the printable! Happy Spring!

Pretty Little Notebooks

So, I'm casually strolling through Target, talking myself out of buying every single item in the party/crafting/office aisles. {Step away from the washi tape, Blair. One more roll and you'll have to be dug out from underneath a mountain of washi by a search and rescue team. Neighbors will talk. It will be a scene.} You know...the usual. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a little something tucked away on the bottom shelf. HOLD. THE. PHONE.

Did you know that Rifle Paper Co. makes the prettiest little notebooks you've ever seen and sells them at TARGET?! And if you DID know, why the $^#%!?&* didn't you come to my house, haul me off the couch, throw me over your shoulder, chuck me headfirst into your car, and drive like a maniac to bring me to them?? WHY??

SWOON. FAINT. GASP. Obviously, I had to have them. I also needed gold glitter clothespins, giant gold paperclips, and gold baker's twine. Why? Mainly because they look so freaking lovely next to my new Rifle Paper Co. notebooks. And isn't THAT reason enough? ;)