inspiration in the office

my office (or, as it's currently known, my piece of wood on my lap i use as a desk when sitting on my couch) would need mass amounts of organization. when your business and art of choice is beading, your home often looks like a kindergarten classroom exploded. mine does all the time. so i'm ALWAYS looking for ways to clean things up, and organize things. again, the challenge is small pieces, all so different, and all trying to be corralled into more small spaces. and yet - in an organized manner. i love the way these spaces have done it. i may also just love them because they have room for desks (luck-yyyy), but who cares. i can still dream. maybe next apartment.
i'm so jealous of shelving. because of the walls in my apartment, i can't hang much. so shelving - which would be WONDERFUL in my small small place - is pretty much out of the question. if i had the space, and the ability, it would look something like this. wooden accents, stacked things, and LOTS of containers for holding. plus, i love how minimal this one is. can't take up too much space with simply shelves, can we.

*le sigh. desks. 
anything against a wall, long long, and with room to display things around me that inspire, i'm happy with. whether a full piece in itself, to create the look of furniture in an empty space, or a homemade wooden long desk, with some lime green... both are my perfect idea of using space to make 'work' fit into decor.

i just have a lot of magazines people. ones i'm not willing to get rid of. this, i can make, and hide. perfect. what more do you need?

shelving. in all sorts of shapes and forms. as fit into a scheme, or on it's own... and let's just say, i'm quite fond of DIY projects. shelves for baskets, shelves for books, shelves for plants, shelves for memories. anything that will act as a leaning or standing display for all my precious goodies, is a friend of mine. plus, i have too many books. it's a problem. shelves take care of THAT problem, 100%.

anything that inspires you, hung on a wall and stacked in front of your face - it's a great method. things that inspire you (for the most part) will always continue to. i believe in surrounding yourself with memories and motivators... and i adore the way bre from scout and catalogue has done so here. note to self: globes, photos framed differently, and LOTS of horseshoes this year.

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inspiration.... in the bedroom

in recent attempts to purge and clean my apartment, organize, and turn over my life, i've found myself seeking ways to organize in a clean, concise, functional and beautiful way. thus begins my journey to rearrange, purge, replace, and surround myself with only the most functional things. those things that serve a true purpose. also including things like my favourite porcelain candle holders from my dear friend alex; my letterpress tray from erin as a treasured bday gift; my canadiana plate tray from CB2 (complete with wine cork mounties)... and other things i will never part from. so how, in each room in our house, do we arrange, purchase, coordinate, and manage in such a way that allows us to get the most use from our space, and at the same time, fit our own things in?
this week i'm sharing rooms of inspiration. things that i use to compile everything i love, in those particular rooms. photos of rooms, organization techniques, and DIY's that i am drawn to when organizing my home.
first up, my bedroom.
my bedroom is my oasis. it houses most of my favourite things, so i can keep them close to me. my vintage jewelry that have been gifts over the years, my favourite clothes, scarves, and special gifts i've been given that inspire me. however, i live in an apartment that's JUST over 500 sq ft, and my bedroom is small. i'm talking wall to wall double bed (nook), small wardrobe and a small dresser with all my jewelry faves. so i'm constantly looking for ways to not only organize my things, but also ensure that the space looks larger than it is, and not crammed full with clothes. this is the challenge. i also have a bad habit of deciding consciously that instead of putting all my clothes away, i'll just set them on my dehumidifier (aka. paper weight in the winter time), and do it in the morning *ahem.
these are some spaces that inspire me...
i'm a HUGE fan of open space clothing hangers. with small dressers alongside to catch other accessories and clothing items - open space hangers allow clothes to act like art. and, since i'm already incredible anal, and hang my clothes in colour coordinated order, things like an open space hanger would be a perfect showcase for my favourite hanging clothes. not to mention, it would force me to ensure i have all matching hangers. which i already have an issue with.

i love any sort of shelving set aside to display things like jewelry, art, and special momentos, instead of hiding them away. i am a jewelry fanatic, and have far too much of it, and yet i display it proudly. being able to display it alongside some of my favourite pieces of art, and other accessories is a requisite of the bedroom. so shelving is key - whether shallow shelving for small items to hold their own, or stacked to compile large pieces all in one place. 

and, of course, specific space for jewelry. catch alls, spaces for makeup, and pieces to display jewelry and other goodies like art. i never understood people hiding their things... i love my stuff, and since some sort of societal rules say i can't wear every piece of jewelry i own every day (pfff.... society. what a joke), i'll display it like art in the place i love most. love these gold rimmed plates gathering items in their specific functions.
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my weekend in summary

this weekend involved a LOT of outdoor time... and although the photos make toronto look dreary, it was really quite beautiful. i was in heaven.
have you met my soulmate, 30 for 30?; photographer supreme with his new lens; i love toronto's lakefront; the photographer becomes the subject; yahtzee night; spots on OCAD; this city's a great one; trying to make good of the financial district downtown; six feet under and egyptian licorice tea - in bed; 'the purpose of life is to enjoy every moment'
(the good quality photos - you know who you are - are from jeff's flickr. he's clearly a photographer, where i dabble in the art of trying to pass my blackberry off as a reasonable source of memory photographer). (oh. and i have instagram now. hurrah me. i've finally caught up to the rest of the world. so, some from there too).
friday: after (an extremely late friday night at) work, i headed down to the keg to meet some friends/colleagues for birthday drinks for my friend elisha. i stuck to water (thank you cleanse), and chatted for awhile before heading home. spent the remainder of the evening with some dinner, and some 30 for 30. perfection.
saturday: i slept in. oh sweet relief  i slept 11.5 hours. it was glorious. then, did some cleaning, organization, and a quick stop to my fave organic store for some groceries, and then went to grab jeff from the GO train. we embarked on a nearly 2 hours walking of the lakeshore to thoroughly enjoy the amazing weather, and then headed back home (when we both had to pee). i somehow convinced jeff that watching 30 for 30 was something he wanted to do (to a non sports fan, this was a huge win on my part), before we made a huge stir fry dinner, and then wandered downtown to see gangster squad. note: movies are JUST not as great, when you are prevented from eating horrible popcorn, and drinking terrible diet pop. afterwards, we headed home for a rousing game of yahtzee, and then, to bed.
sunday: after a horrible night of sleep, finally gave in, and woke up to breakfast in bed (i'm very lucky). we had breakfast, and then cleaned up a bit, and headed downtown... with intent to see the frida exhibit, but it was packed. i'm not willing to share her with tourists. so, instead, we wandered around downtown, and finally to jeff's friend steve's new place, to visit with him and his gf veronica, and her sister vanessa and friend andrew (4 roommates. so fun). we talked, and chopped veggies for month long cooking (a man after my own heart), and then after a few hours we were forced back to my place by people coming to buy craigslist goodies. made a huge dinner of fried rice, watched 6 feet under, and drank lots of tea. and it was a great sunday night.
hope everyone enjoyed the weather... in all of its gloriousness!

ablaze

just something to keep you warm for the weekend.... because it's just beautiful.
“We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it.” 
- Tennessee Williams, The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore

happy weekend all.