Reading Corner

I am so totally failing on the whole Friday Picture Posts! For that, I apologize. I feel like the days are slipping right on by. I can't believe it's already Thursday tomorrow! Altered 2 is due June 11th, and because of that, I think time is speeding up. That's how deadlines work, right? It never feels like you have enough time!

I'm doing a quick post on a project I've been working on here at home for about two months now. It's my reading corner in my office. I've been dreaming forever and ever about having a reading corner with a big comfy chair, and I finally have it!

I am in love with the shelves above my chair. They're made from one board I bought at Lowe's for like $10, I think. And I had someone at Lowe's cut it for me. The shelve brackets were $2 a piece. I painted everything white and husband installed it for me. Such a swell dude. Here's a behind-the-scenes look from the installation process:

That's one good looking handyman.

And here I am, supervising. 

The items on the shelves I already had, or had been collecting for some time. I bought the giraffe at an estate sale. I've had the glass bottles for forever (I think a few of them came from yard sales). The art my parents bought me for my birthday from Society 6 and Etsy. The frames I got 50% off from Joanne's. The old books my aunt gave me six years ago. They've been packed away ever since then. Not anymore! And the old binoculars were the husband's grandfather's from WWII. 

I know I already said it, but I'll say it again---I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS CORNER! I've already written a ton of Altered 2 there. And I think I will dedicate A2 to that chair. 

Office Changes

Last September I wrote a post about my office, which you can read here. In it, I said I wanted to invest some of my book money into the space where I would be spending the most time, and that's still true now. Whenever I get a check, I try to use some of it toward my office space.

So, in January, I bought this: 

I cannot even begin to describe how sad my last bookcase was. The bottom shelf broke under the extreme pressure of eight million tons of books. So I had towers and towers of books on the very bottom, and it was absolutely ridiculous trying to get to anything. I wish I would have taken a picture of it before I trashed it. 

It was definitely time for a new one. So I went to a local furniture place that sells furniture made of REAL WOOD and not that pressboard crap you get at places like Walmart. This new bookcase is sturdy, and solid, and I love it so much. 

But in order to get to the final, more organized version, I had to sort through this mess:

I actually quite enjoy organizing my books, but this was definitely a chore, and gah, they were so covered in dust. 
When I was finished, I had a much more clean, more organized version.

As you can see, I still have stacks and stacks next to the bookcase, and I also have stacks behind the rows on each shelf. I am in dire need of one more case, I think, which I plan on getting in a few months. 

And, I made some other, small changes to the office. In my first office post, it looked like this:

So clean! And simple! Except I apparently cannot do clean and simple. My brain is chaotic, and it spills into my surroundings. 

See?

I have a few more things I want to do. Like curtains! So I will probably do one more post in another month or two. When that happens, I'll have to do a close up of some of the things I've taped to my walls. I also plan to (hopefully) add a reading corner back that way --------->

More later! 

Writing Space

When we sold ALTERED, I knew that as soon as I received my advance, I would put some of it back into my writing space. It had to be comfortable and clean and pretty to look at. After all, I'd spend a good portion of my day in the space. I didn't want to like it, I had to LOVE it.

Here's my writing corner tucked into the room that's supposed to be the dining room but isn't. 

We eat in the kitchen, so what's the point of having a second table? I am not the kind of person to host dinner parties. It's not quite the same as having your own room. I would much prefer that. I find it hard to write during the day because there's constant chaos going on behind me. Someday I plan to have my own room, or even my own writing cottage like this one:

Google tells me this is Roald Dahl's writing cottage. I want it.

A close up of my desk:

Lookit all those pens and highlighters! I think I buy new pens like once a week. It's ridiculous. And I love having candles around. Lots of candles. 

But my favorite part?

My plant and my ceramic bird. They are my little writing friends, there to keep me company in the early hours of the morning. That probably sounds crazy. Actually, it is crazy, but when you spend a lot of time in one spot, working alone, it's nice having a little bit of life (the plant) and a mascot (the bird) to make you feel less like a hermit and more like an independent creative person.

What are your desk must-haves?

[Side note---The art I have above my desk I bought from Sherri Conley's Etsy shop. She's an amazing photographer and I highly recommend her if you're looking for art for your home.]