This week I have been creating my new office area. This is a tiny space in the hallway, which has so many jobs to do. I want to use it as a homeschool planning area, sewing area, computer area, writing and creating area. I want it to inspire me on to be a better person, to draw me closer to God, to remind me what is important in life and to keep my eyes fixed on my priorities. Here is our hallway before we began:
Messy and without purpose.
We had little money to put into it so I mainly shopped my house. I spend a lot of time here, especially at night, and it is where I tend to do most of my work. I roped my gorgeous husband in to do all the heavy work and drilling. Here he is generally messing about:
When the girls got their room they took the hall lighting with them so we have not had any source of light in the hallway since then. That was one of the few items we bought it:
I love the light! It plugs in so it is not off the mains, it has a switch right about head level so is easy to find, even in the dark and it can be positioned as an up lighter or down lighter, which makes for a very gentle light when faced up wards but very bright light (for closer work) when faced downwards. I am a happy girl!
I also had a couple of heart black boards which he hung just by my desk for me to jot notes to remind myself of things I need to do. L12 immediately asked if one of them could be for the children to write me notes:
Gary put up some more shelves above my computer. I intend to keep all the current home school books there which I use daily or weekly:
You can also see my sewing machine on the lower shelf. Gary designed my desk (it is all home-made) so that I can slip the key board and mouse under the shelf that the screen sits on and use my desk as a sewing table:
The chair Granny gifted me a few months ago. Isn’t it beautiful?
We also put up some hooks for the little ones coats as they can’t reach the ones in the bathroom:
Behind the door we have a magnetic white board. This is great for their spelling and reading curriculum as well as useful for school planning.
We have an under the stairs cupboard which has been used to store toys but which I really wanted to use as a cleaning cupboard and material stash. We transferred the toys to our younger one’s room and made it into a useful cleaning cupboard which even the Hoover fits into:
I have used what was my geography shelves to store material and sewing bits and bobs. I am incredibly pleased at how this has turned out:
On the top I have placed a basket of pot pourri, my Angel of Joy and a cushion C12 bought for me.
We had a spare wall which we were going to fill with book cases (which as you know you can never have enough of!) but instead decided to use it as a place to showcase a family heirloom bureau:
I decided that I really needed a place to encourage some serious sewing so I thought I would use the bureau as a sewing cabinet with bits and pieces inside and my material stash below. I have included photos of my granny and my dad, both of whom are dead. And in keeping with the spirit of joy I am trying to create I bought myself some roses and popped them in a gorgeous Portmeirion vase my father gave me:
The wooden shelf to the right will hold my little bottles of sewing and crafting supplies.
The black board will be used to write down scripture which inspires joy. The picture was a picture Gary bought me over 15 years ago. It was in a second-hand shop and I had expressed the peace I felt when I looked at it. Unbeknownst to me he went back and bought it for me as a gift. I just love it in its new home.
Whilst I was out shopping with L12 on my own she wandered off and bought me this as a little gift for my new office. I am blessed.
I still have lots to do. I want to wax the new door a bit darker, move my entire material stack to the bottom of the bureau, fill the top part with all my sewing bits and bobs and of course write my inspiration on the black board. But for now, sitting in my office gazing at the beauty around me makes me very joyful indeed.