The Power Position: Curation for a Prosperous Workspace

The path to a successful, prosperous career starts with a mindfully designed workspace. When your office is free from physical distractions, you are fully present to draw the right people and opportunities to your business.

Here is your high-velocity, clutter-free office curation game plan:

Step 1: The Threshold Audit

Stand at your office doorway and assess your current real estate using these metrics:

• The Four Questions: Pick up an item and ask: Do I use it? Does it inspire me? Does it enhance my productivity? Does it contribute to my prosperity? If it fails, let it go.
• The One-Year Rule: Classify items into Keep, Discard, Donate, or Sell. If you haven't touched it in a year, toss it.
• The Power Position: Reposition your desk against a solid wall so you can see the entire room and the entrance. Never sit with your back to the door.
• Clear the Under-Desk: Keep the floor beneath your desk entirely empty. Storing items under your feet physically blocks your focus and stagnates your career energy.
• Digital Purge: Delete useless apps, old emails, voicemails, and excessive desktop icons that cause mental fatigue.

Step 2: Add Wealth & Life Vibrancy

Once the space is clear, inject elements that visually anchor your goals:

• Live Energy: Bring in real plants and fresh flowers to invite vibrant energy. Immediately discard synthetic or artificial plants.
• Abundance Anchors: Hang high-quality images that represent wealth and prosperity, such as a thriving, colorful garden.
• Remove Sentimentality: Clear out old gifts, photos, or corporate mementos from past colleagues or clients that actively distract you from your current objectives.

Step 3: Systems for Sustainable Flow

Prevent the clutter from returning by implementing three simple, non-negotiable daily habits:

• The 5-Minute Rule: Stop procrastinating with "I'll get to it later." If an administrative task or filing takes less than five minutes, execute it immediately.
• Go Paperless: Attack existing paper piles by scanning them into a clean, electronic storage system.
• The Daily 15: Set aside 10 to 30 minutes at the end of each workday to clear your desk and floor. Keeping your surfaces empty tonight guarantees a fast, clear focus tomorrow morning.

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Your office is the prime real estate of your business. Keep it clean, curated, and beautiful, and watch your productivity amplify!

Happy Organizing!

Ellie Lavender
Space Curator & Avant Garde Chef
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Let's connect: Instagram | Facebook

Copyright © 2020 Lavender Design + Cuisine, All rights reserved.

Aspiring Young Chefs Beautiful Testimonials!

Class 1 – Moroccan Couscous with 

Lavender Lemon Tahini Dressing  

Class 2 – Pear Lavender Parfait with

candied Orange

Class 3 – Tangy Veggie Wrap with 

Yogurt Ginger Dressing

Class 4 – Artisan Chocolates with 

Organic Herbs (lavender included), 

Flowers and Dried Fruits

Chef kids are awesome!

I had such a wonderful time cooking with Tierra Pacifica Charter School Young Aspiring Chefs and enthusiastic foodies. Over the period of 4 weeks they beautifully collaborated, took turns chopping veggies, sautéing, seasoning, plating, setting up the table, enthusiastically enjoying the delicious foods and chocolates they made and cleaned up the kitchen too.  

Classes Menu:

Class 1 – Moroccan Couscous with Lavender Lemon Tahini Dressing  

Class 2 – Pear Lavender Parfait with candied Orange
Class 3 – Tangy Veggie Wrap with Yogurt Ginger Dressing 

Class 4 – Artisan Chocolates with Organic Herbs, Flowers & Fleur de Sel  

Awesome Chef Kids Beautiful Testimonials:

Benito, 5^th grade – “The best thing about the class was, we got to make healthy delicious meals, and we all worked together to accomplish a food dish.”

Taj, 6^th grade – “The thing I loved about this class was that we got to do teamwork to make our foods.”

Rohan, 5^th grade  – “I really liked that we made food from different culture.”

Olivia, 5^th grade  – “the best thing about this class was chef Ellie taught us how to cut up veggies and fruits. We also got to work together and cool.”

Richard, 7^th grade  – “Eating, learning and flower tastes.”

Ella, 8^th grade  – “I really enjoyed the sense of comradery.  It was fun cooking all together.”

Crosby, 7^th grade  – “ What I enjoyed in this class was that I got to try foods not from the US. This has inspire me to cook more and in different ways.”

Carmen, 5^th grade  – “The class inspired me to be a chef because we used teamwork and collaboration. The food was awesome. Thank you chef Ellie.”

William, 6^th grade  – “The class was fun because we got to help out with making food and we got to eat what we made.  I mainly signed up because I wanted to make chocolate, but later, I also loved the other foods we made.”

Desiree, 5^th grade  – “I loved this class because I was with all of my friends and I got to cook delicious food with them. Thank you chef Ellie.”

Thank you awesome chef kids!

Ellie Lavender
Space Curator & Avant Garde Chef
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Let's connect: Instagram | Facebook

Copyright © 2019 Lavender Design + Cuisine, All rights reserved.

Simple and Practical Garden Feng Shui Tips!

Beautiful Garden 

Bird Bath

Greetings Garden Lovers!

Spring is upon us and it’s a perfect time to clean out the yard and start planting a beautiful garden. Below are some simple and practical Feng Shui tips to promote positive energy (chi) in your garden, hence, abundance and prosperity in your life!

1) Flowers, herbs and plants promote an abundance of positive energy, however, they must be kept in thriving conditions! Dead flowers, herbs and plants generate negative energy and have a direct impact on abundance and prosperity in your life. Get rid of them!

2) When planting, always use organic compounds instead of chemical ones. It’s good for the well-being of your garden, plants, flowers, herbs, you, your home, environment and mother earth.

3) Planting varieties of flowers, herbs and plants in your garden not only creates visual pleasure, it also attracts bees, butterflies and birds, which all promote positive energy!

4) You can also plant chi enhancing flowers in your garden. For instance, if you want more abundance and prosperity to come into your life, then plant purple colored flowers such as lavender in the far left hand corner of your garden. 

5) Adding a bird bath to your garden enhances the abundance of energy, since water in Feng Shui brings in money. You can easily design and build your own unique bird bath and move it around to different areas of your garden for a change of scenery. Visit your local garden shop, antique store, or Habitat for Humanity store for unique finds to build your own bird bath.  See the bird bath’s picture above as an inspiration.

6) Outdoor plants and trees should not be planted directly in front of the home's entrance, block window views or scratch against the house exterior walls. Trim them regularly, so that chi energy can flow freely!

Click here to view some of the magical flowers, herbs and plants that promote positive energy! 

Happy Gardening!

Ellie Lavender 

Certified Feng Shui Practitioner

Interior Designer

Lavender Design + Cuisine

 

 

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tips and information on upcoming workshops & special events!

 

 

Copyright © 2019 Lavender Design + Cuisine, All rights reserved.

Brava Oven Showroom Demo: Roasted Rainbow Carrots Chocolate Hummus Recipe

 Chocolate Hummus & Lavash Bites Ingredients 

Chocolate Hummus 

Pic. 10

Lavash Bites with Chocolate Hummus & Purple 

Cabbage Citrus Slaw

Pic. 9

Cutting Lavash Bites

Pic. 8

Veggie Wrap Roll Up

Pic. 7

Purple Cabbage Citrus Slaw Ingredients 

Pic. 6

Processed Chocolate Hummus Ingredients 

Pic. 5

 Chocolate Hummus Ingredients in Food Processor

Pic. 4

Perfectly Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Pic. 3

Perfectly Roasted Shishito Peppers

Pic. 2

 Valentine's in a Jar
Pic. 1

Vegan Cooking Demo with Brava oven was lots of fun and delicious!

We made a delicious chocolate hummus with perfectly roasted rainbow carrots in Brava oven in just 15 minutes and used the chocolate hummus to make yummy lavash bites with purple cabbage citrus slaw. We also roasted some Shishoto peppers to spice up our demo (please see recipes below).

Chocolate hummus makes a great appetizer and dessert for parties and kids will definitely love it too. You can also put it in a jar as a unique Valentine’s Day present, 'Valentine's in a Jar,' pic. 1.

Roasted Rainbow Carrots Chocolate Hummus Recipe (serving size 8):

Chocolate Hummus Ingredients:

1 Bunch rainbow carrots

1 Can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder (unsweetened baking cocoa)

1 Tsp. garam masala spice

2 Tbsp. olive oil  

1/3 Tsp. sea salt

1 Tbsp. orange zest

2/3 Cup fresh orange juice

2 Tbsp. honey  

Instructions:

Carrots: Peel the carrots with a vegetable peeler, wash, pad dry them with paper towel and cut them diagonally into 1-2 inch thick wedges (1 inch for the thick end of the carrot, 2 inch for the thin end). Place the carrots in a bowl, add the olive oil, sea salt and toss them well with your hands until the carrots are evenly coated. 

Roasting: Arrange the sliced carrots on Brava oven’s glass tray in all 3 zones, place the tray on the top section of the oven and roast them for 15 minutes. On the Brava oven cooking panel choose  Vegetables>>Carrots>>Baby Carrots. Please note: the cooking panel instructions for roasting baby carrots is set for 12 minutes, but since these are sliced carrots, 15 minutes makes them perfectly roasted, so just add additional 3 minutes of roasting in the cooking panel once the 12 minutes is done, pic. 3. Remove carrots from Brava oven and let them cool for 30 minutes.

Hummus: In a food processor, combine the roasted rainbow carrots, chickpeas, cocoa powder, garam masala spice, honey, orange zest and juice, pic. 4. Process the ingredients until creamy, pic. 5.

Serving: Put the chocolate hummus in a bowel and garnish with a sprinkle of cocoa powder and a few rose petals. Enjoy it with colorful rainbow carrot sticks, breadsticks, sliced apples and anything else your heart desires, pic. 10.

Purple Cabbage Citrus Slaw Recipe (serving size 8):

Ingredients:

1 Small purple cabbage to make 3 cups shredded cabbage

1/4 Cup finely chopped shallots

1/2 Cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 Cup fresh orange juice and 1 tsp. orange zest

1/4 Cup fresh Meyer lemon juice and 1 tsp. Meyer lemon zest

1/4 Cup olive oil

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground cumin 

Instructions:

Cabbage: Peel away and discard any tough outer layers of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into 4 quarters and remove the core from each quarter. Thinly slice the quartered cabbage with a sharp knife or a mandoline slicer. Next, chop the thinly sliced cabbage into small pieces. 

Slaw: Place the cabbage, cilantro, shallots, Meyer lemon juice, orange juice, their zests, cumin, sea salt and olive oil in a bowl and toss them with a spatula, Pic. 6.

Veggies Wraps and Lavash Bites: Square Lavash is available in most grocery stores. For a delicious veggie wrap, spread a thin layer of chocolate hummus on lavash square, sprinkle 2-3 Tsp. purple cabbage citrus slaw, roll it up tightly (pic. 7) and cut it in half diagonally. For lavash bites, slice your veggie wrap into 2 inches bite sized pieces, see pic. 8. Place your veggie bites on a plate, sprinkle a dash of cocoa powder and a few rose petals, pic. 9.

Shishito Peppers Recipe (serving size 8):

Shishito Peppers: Toss them in a bowl with 1 tbsp. olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. 

Roasting: Arrange Shishito Peppers on Brava oven using the metal tray and spread across all 3 zones, place the tray on the top section of the oven and roast them for 8:40 minutes. On the Brava oven cooking panel choose Vegetables>> Shishito peppers. Remove peppers from Brava oven and let them cool for a few minutes before serving, pic. 2.

Enjoy & Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ellie Lavender
Space Curator & Avant Garde Chef
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Let's connect: Instagram | Facebook

Copyright © 2019Lavender Design + Cuisine, All rights reserved.