Studio Extras 2 - Feel Goods

This is scrawled on my soldering table. When Brett and I put the table in the studio, we made sure that this was facing front. Both the soldering and design tables are old lab tables from a school, re covered with graffiti. I love the idea that every time I sit down to solder (an activity at which I am not yet consistently "good"), that's what I see.

The Board of Joy is opposite the flower cork board shown in the Nook post. It's a tiny board, and I've never found another one that size - it fits that wall space like it was made for it. It's a little small for any real functional use, but I sorted through a whole pile of miscellany that I've been keeping, and this was the end result. Items on the board include:

- pictures of my niece and nephew, and one of me with my BFF

- a postcard of NYC, bought on a trip years ago, when the Towers were still standing

- ticket stub from a special concert

- a coaster for Fat Tire Beer (Brett is a Colorado boy, and we both grew up out West...there was much cause for celebration when Fat Tire finally was available East of the Mississippi (just last year!))

- various buttons & pins from over the years

- a football helmet thumbtack I've had since I was little, showing my favorite team

It's not a necessary item, but I want my studio to be a happy place, and these little reminders make me smile as I work. I even made up a Board of Joy for Brett, now hanging in his office. Why not try one for yourself?

And last but certainly not least, a picture I've had since I was a kid. I can't remember where it came from, or how I ended up with it, but it's a tiny drawing of a frog and a unicorn. Underneath is lettered, "Who knows what magic tomorrow may bring". It hangs between the solder table and the Nook, and it's a fabulous reminder to keep looking ahead.

What I love best about this room is that when we moved to Georgia and I started my business, I didn't really have any idea of how things would lay out. Now that I've been designing full time for several years, I knew where I wanted things to be. It was just a question of making everything fit. It's not some glossy magazine design on home offices (in my dreams), but it's suited to how I work, and that's even better. :)

Best Christmas present EVER, and big thanks to B who worked a lot on his "staycation" to help make this happen!!