APAW 01: Make a work space

Week 1.
Between being a mom to a toddler and being sick a lot over the last two years, my office had gone from slightly-cluttered to OMG-get-thee-to-rehab-before-we-have-to-burn-this-room-just-to-clear-it. It started after all of my stuff was moved to the middle of the room so the walls could be painted, and then I just became paralyzed because I didn't have something very basic: places for things to go. Without shelves and bins, I didn't have a place to put things away so everything just got piled on top of everything else. My sister came to visit in the fall and really got me started by sorting stuff into categories and making me throw away a lot of things. Then my sister-in-law made me buy the shelves I had been eyeing for the last year. Suddenly, my office wasn't so scary, and while I still have have a lot of stuff to sort through (the closets hide a lot of boxes I still need to go through), it's actually a lovely space again.

There are no before pictures (unless you count the mental images on the scarred retinas of everyone who saw it before this point), BUT I will share photos of my office/craft room/extra guest room in its current state.

The clothes pin display area for Miss A's art. You can see the futon in the hall waiting to come back in so this room can be a temporary guest room for a few days. My plan is to clean out that closet so I can store the futon in there and not be embarrassed if guests open the door. When we don't need this as a guest space, I plan to move Miss A's craft table up here so we can draw together.

Shelves with baskets for different art supplies. I love my new shelves!

My desk and spare table. Eventually, all of the papers will be filed away properly so I can keep the spare table cleared for projects. The whiteboard and organizer need to be hung on the walls.

My computer. I normally don't like having my desk face a wall, but since I'm not using this space to work 40 hours a week at the computer, I think it'll be ok.

The empty space where Miss A's table will go. Those lovely shear window coverings were made by my mom! The curtains were left to me by an old roommate back in 1996 and have never been used. I can't believe that (a) I've kept them this long through so many moves and (b) they are the perfect length for this particular room.