office nesting

My office has come a long way since 2015 when it was just a dream. 

I am the proud owner of a ginormous peg board, which still has room to grow. Scissors are always easy to find. So is tape and my favorite pens and markers, which I hang to utilize space. 

I just put up one of two printers trays I found a few years ago at a thrift store. I've only got the first one up and there are still empty spaces, which means lots of room to grow. It's nice to have all my itty bitty cherished possessions in one spot, easy to pick up and touch. One of my favorite knick-knacks is my fairy, which opens at the bottom and has two porcelain flowers and a butterfly. My brother, Rusty, got it for me when I was a teenager. It's a reminder to add surprises to everything I make. 

My mother-in-law, Audrey, made me these beautiful cloth bowls for the holidays. I pick them up, move them from station to station as I change projects, and they bring me so much joy. I have no idea where they will land in my office or what I will put in them. But for now, they are filled with joy.

Prior to the pandemic, I spent a little time each month combing through one of my favorite thrift or craft stores. It was my way to get unstuck during a project or to celebrate the end of a project. I would usually find something - fabric, ribbon, paper - that would inform a project, sometimes completely changing the direction. 

A few months ago I came up with the idea of randomly picking out a few thread colors each time I was ready to start another project. Though I haven't used the colors all together, it's helped shake up my habit of reaching for the same colors. I can't wait to go thrifting again though!

As the week progresses, I find my office growing increasingly cluttered. I start using floor space when I run out of desk space, and I usually don't even have a spot for my tea by the end of the week. By Friday or Saturday I'm tiptoeing around piles of things and usually cannot use my chair any longer because it's piled up with things as well. 

But every time I'm in my office I love it and am grateful for what it's become and how it's taking on the shape of my art and projects. It's a living refuge of light, color, and beauty.