Office Progress!

Well, today I've been able to cross, not one, but TWO things off my Big Ass Summer To-Do List (as it's been referenced to on FB).

You remember the chaos and general ugliness that was my office/dining room before, right? Well, here's a reminder:



Yeah. Not good. Did I mention earlier that that printer has been without black ink, and therefore unusable since before we even moved into this place, 2.5yrs ago? I work at a print shop, so I don't panic when I have Hancock or Michael's coupons to print.

Here we are today, with "inspiration board" and "paint and hang green Ikea LACK shelf" crossed off the BASTDL.





Still a whole lot to do, and items to buy for styling, but I'm heading there. And I promise, decent "after" photos (like, not using my iPhone). Hey, if Emily Henderson can do it, so can I! Getting those hard drives and modem out of my working zone makes the space seem so much bigger already!

Mood board coming soon, as I price and measure out all my options. I DO know I'll be getting one of those $59 IKEA counter tops to cover my existing desk. It'll go all the way to the window, giving us more surface AND storage space (bye bye Booda Dome!)

PS, last week we went to Monterey for some awesome family time. Four generations, from 18mo to 89yrs. Can't resist some motherly bragging! Who's this pretty girl?

Completely Uninspired

Yep, I discovered Pinterest, just like everyone else recently. (follow me?) While the photos are totally inspiring, when I sit down to create (bags, quilts, logos), I'm just completely devoid of any creativity. Hi, Strong Creative not-so-much.

However, tonight in a cleaning frenzy, I think I figured it out. Welcome to my office(slash-diningroom-slash-cat bathroom):







Some things seriously need to change. That broken Dell, the pile of bills to file, the excess of wires, the hidden chaos behind the curtain, the exposed litter box (DIY suggestions?) I need places to stash papers and crap, with labels, so things aren't arbitrarily shoved in boxes when guests come over. I LOVE the wood art piece, it's actually a coffee table my grandpa (graphic artist and jewelry designer) designed and built. I need color, calm, a mouse pad, and a place to jot notes to myself. Also, while we're at it, maybe I should replace the print cartridges in my printer? It's been two years, but I work for a print shop, so it isn't exactly first priority. I also have a old, HUGE cork board in the garage, just waiting for spray paint and a fabric background.

Luckily, our dear Pinterest (no, really, follow me) has some awesome work spaces.

Source: None via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: None via Ariel on Pinterest

Source: google.com via eqart on Pinterest

Love the frames, and the bookshelf, carving out a little colorful workspace.

Source: 26.media.tumblr.com via Rachel on Pinterest

LOVE that yellow fireplace in the background! Colorful spaces like this blend well into my kid-toy cluttered life.

Source: designspongeonline.com via Stefanie on Pinterest

Small, but functional.

Source: madebygirl.blogspot.com via Ally on Pinterest

Source: lamaisondannag.blogspot.com via Valentina on Pinterest

Source: designspongeonline.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Mel on Pinterest

Source: olofjakobina.blogspot.com via Bobbi on Pinterest

Source: designspongeonline.com via Mia on Pinterest

Love the elastic memo board!

Source: matchbookmag.tumblr.com via Megan on Pinterest

Clearly, I'm not into "fussy". More controlled, colorful chaos. (say that 3x fast). White background, with pops of color…I love the idea of keeping the organizational tools (shelves, boxes, etc) the same color as the wall, to let everything that's hidden in the boxes just disappear into thin air. Yep, I like that.