Cubicle Crafts

[mylittleredgirl]

My midyear review went something like this:

Boss: "Good job with not taking on too many extra projects anymore."
Me: "I'm SO BORED NOW OMG."
Boss: "So what's your goal for the rest of the year?"
Me: "... take on more projects?"
Boss: "I'm going to write down Do your boring job and don't let other people trick you into doing theirs."

Anyway, I've decided to cope with the raging injustice of no longer working above my pay grade by having pretty surroundings (it's a bit of a theme I've been working on lately - I'll post my home redecorations soon!). I have hour-long lunches and office supplies at the ready, so making crafty things was an obvious plan! I didn't think of taking how-to pics along the way, but supplies are listed below the pics. I wouldn't mind growing up to be a craft blogger one day, so should you want instructions for any of these, I'll happily provide. :)




Part of my job is sending out thank-you cards to new and renewing clients. I pre-print the notes, so all I have to do is write the address on them and add business cards. Before, I had them stacked on my desk in piles, so I made a box one day, with a divider to separate new and renewal cards.

Supplies: Box with width matching your greeting card size, 2 colors of construction paper (colored printer paper would probably work just as well or better), Elmer's glue, x-acto knife (we have these at work to use as boxcutters).




(Click photos to embiggen.) I made this Lolcat Terror Scale for my boss, since I didn't reply to her birthday email and have to make up for it on a grand scale. It was fun to make, which is good, because one of the other admins wants one of her own (she's like 60 and chats online in lolspeek - girlfriend deserves whatever she wants!). The moveable arrow makes me happy - I had originally planned to use velcro strips but this is much cooler. The problem I've found is that anything made with construction paper automatically looks like it was made by the under-8 set. However, office-supply-orderers can't always be choosers.

Supplies: Cardboard (legal-paper-sized), cardstock, colored or construction paper in terror scale colors plus white and black, Elmer's glue, lolpics, Microsoft Publisher (to resize lolpics and make arrow sign), color printer, xacto knife, scissors, scotch tape, hole punch!

Do you guys have any cool cube-craft ideas?

Comments

[havocthecat]

I think not working above your pay-grade is an important lesson that we overachieving geeks never achieve.

It's achievable! Sort of. I am attempting to engage in slacker behavior by going above and beyond the call of duty, but not above and beyond the call of my pay grade. Which is easier in a law office, because going above and beyond the call of my pay grade may constitute Giving Legal Advice which it is very important I not do as I am Not An Attorney and therefore Giving Legal Advice is something that is Illegal and Wrong. As well as above my pay grade. Instead, I sound very reassuring and tell all our clients how much experience our attorneys have and how they're completely amazing at their jobs.

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

I have moments like that at work sometimes. I actually once said to a customer, "Do you realize you're yelling at the receptionist?" He apologized, and called back later to tell me I was doing a great job, but he still hated our company. He was a little unhinged, though.

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

Oooh, there's a reason for me not to work in a law office right there. It would be very hard for me not to say things I knew. I like pretending to be more important than I am. ;)

luv

[(Anonymous)]

i haz sekrit luv fer ur kraftz. alas, mii desk r borink. must redact dat.

[naushika.livejournal.com]

Oh my freaking god, I love that Lolcat Terror Scale. AMAZING.

Also I am glad you have a good boss. There are many out there who would take advantage of your propensity to do extra projects. *happy you seem to be in good hands*

I unfortunately do not have any cool cube-craft ideas because in my cube job, we were not allowed to heavily decorate them. We could hang up achievements/certificates we'd received through work, a few photos, and that was about it. It made a sucky job even more lame.

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

That's HORRIBLE!! I'm lucky that they... kind of let us do whatever the heck we want. We're in a field office in Portland, so they feel like we're making an effort if we don't come in stoned and wearing flip-flops, you know? I also make a point of saving the local management team's butts every so often so they can't complain. ;)

It's been really awesome having this manager. The past few months have mostly been unburying me from the workload I got under a previous manager (and, as my newboss says, my physiological inability to say no). I actually found it fun to do the extra work, but apparently It Wasn't Fair for me to hog all the projects, or something. :-P

Glad you like the lolcat scale! I'm happy it came together!

what?

[(Anonymous)]

We aren't allowed to wear flip-flops? Um .. whoops?! I may or may not wear them 4 out 5 days a week.

Also ... your over-projecting enables others to be lazy-do-nothings.

[rosewildeirish.livejournal.com]

I heart you. You're totally working on Craft EmPORNium stuffs.

<3

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

HA! YES! EmPORNium reminds me - did I tell you the story of my sister? She decides one day that she wants to start making jewelry. Two days later she starts selling it on the internet for money. Two weeks later she's like "oh, someone wants to put me in a book about the steampunk movement," and two months later she's like "I should maybe take a class or something to actually learn how to do this thing I'm doing?" Love her. She keeps bugging me to make an etsy store because she loves hers, but I am a) a maker of utterly ridiculous crap, and b) feel like I would have to do something for TWENTY FIVE YEARS before I'd be qualified to sell it.

Srsly, my little sister might be my life guru. (For reference, she's girameister.etsy.com (http://girameister.etsy.com))

[havocthecat]

I am IN LOVE WITH your lolcat terror scale. And jealous. I wonder if I can get away with something like that at my office? I am currently engaged in not remembering to get velcro thingies to hang up corkboards at my desk so I can hang up pretty pictures, even though something needs to be done to change the UNRELIEVED TAUPE that is our office color scheme.

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

YOU SO CAN! The secret is to be awesome (which you are), so people consider these things an adorable eccentricity rather than a violation of workplace policy!

We have a rather ridiculous yellow office scheme. And no furniture in the waiting area. The furniture's been tied up in committee for a few years.

[havocthecat]

I am awesome! And, after a year of being considered a total bitch and two years of working my ass off to erase my reputation of being a major bitch, I am FINALLY (and rightfully) considered awesome once again. Today I am off to Hobby Lobby to buy things to hang my stupid corkboards with! And maybe some awesome tacks to use with them.

[leyenn.livejournal.com]

Your lolcat terror scale should be adopted as the Actual Terror Scale. It makes so much more sense. :D

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

HA! "Attention airport visitors. The terror alert has been raised to angry turtle. Please keep a close watch on your baggage and report suspicious activities to uniformed authorities."

[fallon-ash.livejournal.com]

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

ADORABLE.

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

I got in trouble today for wanting to use my own office hours sheet rather than the template my boss uses. Hers is hour by hour up to 7pm and gray.

Mine is color coded to indicate when I'm in class, when I have office hours and when I have meetings. Also it has the following quote on the bottom, which my students love: "Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil."

Boss said, "Well if you want to put that on your office door I guess you can, but can we use mine for the common area?"

It was all I could do not to go "Oh MAY I?" in my best Steve Martin voice. *eyeroll*

I refused. And pointed out that if the office hours sheets posted in the common area all are identical, it will actually make it harder for students to find the schedule they're looking for. (And seriously, if the President of the college takes offense at my quote I'll quit on the spot. That shit is funny.)

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

Silly miera! There is no independent thinking in education!

Your story is both srsly ridiculous and unfortunately not that shocking. Gah. Why, people? Have a little color in your lives!

Can you be my professor please? Srsly, I need to finish my degree someday. And I'd totally bribe you for good marks with fic. I'm just saying.

[stexgirl2000.livejournal.com]

The LOL Cat Terror alert scale is awesome. And it's terrific that you have a boss who is enabling you to say "No" to things. Saying "No" is a skill we all have to learn. (I say this from experience.)

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

I know, right? Who knew they made bosses like this? I think she's more motivated by hating it when other people don't do stuff than specifically me doing extra stuff, but I'll take it. :)

[babylil.livejournal.com]

OMG, I love your Lolcat Terror Scale. I so wish there was somewhere in my office I could stick things like that. We're not allowed to stick anything to the walls and we don't have cubical-wall-thingies around our desks :(

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

What? Noooooo. That's totally tragic! Maybe you should line the inside of your desk drawers with pretty paper, so you can have some sneaky color throughout the day.

[keenween.livejournal.com]

Might I suggest you fill your boredom time with writing?

the terror scale is AMAZING!

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

I probably should! I was worried that it would be too distracting if I got into writing-brain, where I can drop crafting and pick it up again really fast. But I will have to try it because, yes, that would be good. :)

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

THE LOLCAT TERROR SCALE.

I need me one of those. That is so awesome. =D

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

Hee! I should make a print-able one that you can just print out and stick on the fridge with a magnet for an arrow.

[fyca.livejournal.com]

The lolcat terror scale is brilliant!

[mylittleredgirl.livejournal.com]

KITTEH!

[anr]

Your crafts are awesome!!

Glad work's going okay (if a little boring). :)