Color me jealous that I work in a standard cubicle farm with ghastly florescent lighting! These pictures from Wired documenting the amazing offices of San Francisco game studio Three Rings Design make me want to get their HR person on the phone immediately! Designed by husband and wife duo Jillian Northrup and Jeffery McGrew of Because We Can, the offices pull inspiration from Jules Verne’s fictional submarines, Victorian parlors, and pirate ships. They include a secret room behind a bookshelf, a plush break room with couches scavenged from a Craig’s List post, and a treasure chest which opens to reveal an Xbox 360 and flat-panel TV (of course). How much better would your Mondays be if you could lounge on plush octopus tentacles? — Katie D.

Photos via Because We Can

As the days get markedly shorter and the winter blues taunt, I’ve appreciated little items like Katie D’s chirping bird paper clip holder. At my desk, I’ve also gone the woodland animal paper clip route with the Dozi Paperclip Holder, $24 from the MoMA Store. Ah yes, when I’ve got a particularly gnarly case of the desktop doldrums, I just reach over and give the porcupine a paper clip mohawk, sometimes even a paper clip comb-over, to add a little pop of color and humor to my otherwise bland desk. I also use him as a kind of time-telling fun-dial, if you will. If he starts the week off at mohawk, I know that the weekend is near when his spikes have depreciated to comb-over status, because lots of work must have been done to require all those paper clips! –Sarah C.

I do not have an iPhone, but I’m certain that if I did, I probably wouldn’t be able to afford much else. Despite this (and despite my dedication to my tried and true “vintage” flip phone, of course) I’ve recently desired an iPhone or iTouch just to have a reason to make this neat little paper dock. Made with a single sheet of letter-sized paper, it’s a crafty way to be green with paper you have, without spending the green you don’t. Visit Dessine moi un objet for a template, video, and instructions. –Sarah C.

The summer is winding down and the winter months are creeping up on us. All those lucky little song birds will fly south to escape the snow while the rest of us are stuck here to suffer the sleety commute. To get you through those winter blues, the chirping bird paper clip holder from Perpetual Kid, $14.99, is a pop of color to brighten up an otherwise dreary desk. Not only is this little guy adorable, but he’ll punctuate any paper clip usage with a happy little chirp. –Katie D.

My boyfriend and I share a computer desk. We’ve hooked up both computers, an external hard drive, a printer, an external disk drive and a set of speakers. I’m dealing with the cord situation, but constantly switching out my usb plugs is an annoyance I’d love to avoid. With Fred Flare’s USB tulip hub I could do that with added style! Each bright red flower is a high speed USB port that connects to the computer through one common USB cable. Pick one up here for $22. — Erica P.

I need some of these CableDrop cable clips from Bluelounge. I thread all the cords for my computer through the small space between the back of my desk and the wall, which takes all my patience and a bit of contortionist skill. Inevitably, every time I take my computer to the couch, the unplugged cords practically dive back down into the space behind my desk. I would happily stick a couple of these to the desktop (they come in packages of six for just $9.95) to hold my cords and save me this frustration. Has anyone used these, or any other similar product? Is there a quick-fix DIY version someone can suggest? –Erica P.

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I have notepads and Post-Its and journals all over my apartment. I don’t keep a diary, but I love the look of a leather-bound book. More often than not, their pages are filled with to-do lists and mindless doodles. Like so many people I know, I’ve fallen hard for the moleskine line of journals. With a variety of sizes to choose from and a sleek and sophisticated look, it’s hard to not find a reason for purchasing one (or three). I’m perfectly happy with my standard black leather moleskine, but that doesn’t stop me from lusting after these funkier patent leather planners. I’m currently on the hunt for a simple ruled journal in that amazing laquered red. Let me know if you find it! — Erica P.

Image via CoolHunting

Before my layoff earlier this year, my lifestyle was not exactly glamorous, but I also never gave things like buying a round of drinks much thought. Now that we’re paying more attention to our budget, we can’t join our friends on every outing. And yet, socializing over food and drink is one of our favorite things to do! So that’s why I opened the yard last week for a potluck BBQ. We supplied the meat and a small assortment of drinks, friends brought salads, condiments, and plenty of beer. Not only was this a huge success — people arrived early, stayed late, and chatted around the makeshift “fire pit” above (I used a metal flowerpot from IKEA with a few bricks underneath it) — we didn’t break the bank. Even better, because we weren’t driving ourselves crazy by trying to prepare every single item, getting ready for the party was much less stressful than any I’ve ever thrown. But the real sign of its success? One of our friends wants to make it a regular thing, so she volunteered ot host next month! This is recessionista living that I can get into! –Mary T.

This year, instead of spending our tax return on things like paintings and fancy dinners out, we’ve decided to put some money into our new home — we’re springing for double paned windows. Not only will we be seeing savings on our energy bills, but the government has added some extra incentive. They’re offering a 30% return on the retail cost of certain eligible energy-efficient upgrades to your home. Eligible improvements like tankless water heaters, roofing, Energy Star-rated windows, and insulation could net you a tax credit of up to $1,500. And it’s not just for this year — the credit is extended for 2010 as well. To get the full $1,500 credit you’ve got to spend $6,000 (which was easy for us with the windows). You can find more detailed specifics about the rebates here. –Megan B.

I love taking my laptop outside to work, but it’s difficult to do so when the sun is so bright I can’t see my screen. (Yes, I know — it sounds like a terrible problem to have!) I heard about laptop shades when I first started working from home, and yet here I am, two years later, and I still haven’t gotten around to purchasing one. This one from CompuShade is about $30. Here’s another from Your Mobile Desk that has a slightly different shape. Here’s yet another, but no word on where it can be purchased. Have you used a laptop shade? Any reviews on how they work? –Mary T.