Step Inside My Office

I would like to publicly thank Andrea at Momfessionals for her link up parties. Not only has it been fun meeting new bloggers BUT....it forces me to clean my house. Like, I-just-cropped-a-bottle-of-spray-cleaner-out-from-a-following-photo, type of cleaning. Yes! 

Right now Husband and I are living in an apartment (or a flat as people call it around here) on the outskirts of Munich, Germany. Space is limited. LIMITED. No Dixie Chicks and wide open spaces here...

So when this month's link up was for playrooms and offices I thought "Hmm. Well, I can quickly eliminate playrooms. That just leaves an office...would the desk on the side of my bedroom count as an office?" Let's just say it works. 

Without further ado... Come On In My Office/Master (ok,only) Bedroom

This is where all the magic happens. A truly behind the scenes look of where Mainly Maren entries are generated each week. I spend about 6 hours every Sunday blogging for the following week. I put away the Ritz cracker box and empty tea cups just for you! Don't remind Husband about the time he found a peanut butter coated knife underneath this desk...sorry Honey!

I am guilty of completely taking over this space in Husband and my bedroom. Poor guy, could it be any more girly? Since I do spend so much of my time here, I wanted the nook to enliven my style.  This little corner is my own piece of inspiration and for me it totally fits the bill.

I painted and distressed these giant wooden scissors. They were unfinished at a flea market for 50 cents! The scissors are used as my booth's sign whenever I participate in markets. On the wall I have hung three embroidery hoops with stretched fabric. These used to hang in my laundry room back in Texas.

This is my dry erase calendar that my Mother In Law gave me in a scrap-booking kit. I change it out every month and keep the extra months stored behind in the frame. Husband gave me a miniature Shelby Dog and my dear friend made the geisha in an origami kimono. The three necklaces I wear most often this season are hanging on my Ikea cork boards in an easy to reach spot. (tutorial here)

When I stumbled upon this free printable (get it here) I knew it should be displayed right above my computer screen. I have to keep reminding myself to laugh without fear of the future while Husband and I are living abroad. This verse (Proverbs 31:25) is just really speaking to my heart right now.

I recently featured these jars as a Friday Favorite. Now I have filled them with my new washi tape, scrap-booking scissors, and vintage buttons. The buttons I picked up at the flea market for 1 Euro and the owl was 25 cents at a garage sale. My new books? Well, stay tuned this week to see what I'm reading!

Above the jars is a canvas I painted for Valentine's Day, my name with it's German translation, pictures, and the wreath that started it all. Even my desktop picture is of a living space that I love from The Happy Housie. Everything I put up on the wall I already had on hand or was re-purposed for the space. The basket with yarn is from our Roadtrip Easter Basket.

One little tad bit of information I forgot to mention... this desk and chair were FREE! I found them on a local website when the owner was moving out of the country. She posted the desk as "ugly and old". Um? What? Challenge accepted! 

Here's my first makeover of the desk back in 2012:

I changed out the drawer pull for an antique turquoise knob. The baskets are from Ikea with fabric weaved along the tops. The magazine holder is made from a cornflakes box and the skinny long box on the right is what our bedroom light came in. Both boxes were recovered in scrapbook paper using spray glue. Easy and cheap!

Are you still with me? I can't believe I talked so much about one little corner but as you can see it is an important space. 

Thank you guys so much for stopping by today! Tomorrow I am going to share my latest summer reads or maybe spill the beans on one of the two awkward things that happened over the weekend. We shall see!

Make Inspiration Beautiful,