owning the space that you're in

it is monday morning and i am sitting in my office for the first time this year!! up until now i have been working from our dining room as i just haven't gotten round to organising and sorting out my space! its funny how you put yourself and your own needs last when there is a husband, a toddler and a growing little one inside of you!

i had a quick checkup with my doctor this morning and so far all is set for next week thursday, i am most eager to meet the little guy and find out what secrets he has been hiding from us the past nine months!

i must admit its nice sitting in my own space again - it feels like i am twice as productive in here and like i am a lot more focused on the various tasks at hand. lesson learned and a little advice to pass on - if you are working for yourself or from home, create a dedicated workspace for yourself, it will ensure more productive work sessions and create a stable work ethic. possibly a bit late to only realise all of this now, but now that i know this i don't think i will forget it again.

have a look at my "thinking about my home office" pinterest board for some great and clever inspirations.

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working"

Pablo Picasso

have a great week all you lovelies xoxo

Fabulous Fashion

Fendi has released thier new Resort 2013 Collection and the line is a successful display of sophisticated, ready-to-wear outfits. Mmmm some of these garments might just convince me to go back to an office job...

All images from here

Getting rid of the clutter

Hello dear readers - lets hope this week is better and runs more smoothly than last week!

This week I am getting rid of clutter, literally and figuratively!

No more clutter!! From here

 Stock-taking and spring-cleaning in March you may ask, well its pretty simple actually! As my work situation will be changing soon I am doing exactly this - spring-cleaning my study (my soon to be office) and stock-taking on life and getting rid of the clutter.

Now although this exercise includes boxes of unwanted and unneeded "stuff" to be removed from my house it also includes getting rid of the time consuming clutter of my everyday life. I am saying goodbye to procrastination, StumbleUpon, too much blog reading (can't give this up completely!) and all other time consuming nonsense!

The biggest hurdle of this exercise is saying goodbye to my very special and dearly loved Pinterest account - I've decided to this because it has literally become an addiction and consumes too much of my time - personal and work time! SAD!! But I think it is a good move!

Aiming to be more like this! From here

Today I am saying hello to order, time-management and self-discipline (with a bit of blog-loving and writing in between!)

Wishing you a lovely week!!

Bookshelf Porn

One of the very first posts I made on Worded reflections was Amazing spaces and designs which showed some amazing bookshelves, but yesterday I hit the jackpot! Bookshelf Porn is an incredible photo blog collection of all the best bookshelf photos from around the world. 

Here are some cool photos from this blog, but I suggest you go check it out yourself.

I love the clean line of this bookshelf!

Awesome reading spot for a kid!

As I am going through the wonderful photos on the Bookshelf Porn Blog I am tempted to copy paste it all - these spaces are so rich and wonderfully entertaining that I cannot help but fall in love with them!

Exactitudes

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This morning I arrived at the office dressed quite comfortably in plain khaki pants, a cream top and open, strappy flats, nothing too loud and nothing that I've bought too recently. As I passed the small kitchen in our open plan office I happened to notice a very similarly dressed Bailey making some tea. Hilarious, although not the exact same garments we do like very similar today and when I saw this Exactitude Series by the Rotterdam-based photographic team of Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek I could not help but laugh.

They explain that this series was inspired by a shared interest in the striking dress codes of various social groups, and if this is anything to go on - Bailey I think we're a good fit today.

Here are some of the groups that they've compiled, but for more go have a look here.

Capuccino Girls - Rotterdam 1996 © Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek

Bolla Bella - Rotterdam 1996 © Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek

Barista - Rotterdam 1996 © Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek

Teenagers - Rotterdam 1996 © Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek

Neighbours - Rotterdam 2008 © Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek

Lesson learnt: We are not as unique as we may think we are.

Quote for the day

I wish I could have this printed on post-its and stick it on all the idiots and unnecessarily rude people's backs, cars and foreheads when needed.

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This is me venting (in case you were wondering.)

Tea Time

A clever design that will simplify an every day task like making tea.

Austrian designer Karin Santorso for Alessi, takes a more dignified approach to tea bag management with a handsome, sculptural solution that takes care of the tea bag for you.

A teaspoon that keeps your fingers dry when making tea. So simple, yet soooo clever.

Read the full article on this clever design here

One for the road

Finally Home Time... Here's something beautiful to make you smile and think I suppose.

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Office Environments

I am currently working on transforming an old house into an open plan office and although the budget will be tight the client still wants something awesome - obviously!

Wish-lists almost always exceed the budgets.

So I have spent a great part of today researching open plan offices and workspaces and although this space will not nearly be as nice as the office spaces posted by Tshepo in "Office vrou-mance" yesterday, I think we can still create something great.

Here are some cool office spaces that I've found:

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A blackboard wall is a great idea for impulsive, creative industries.

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A freestanding box works well as a boardroom or, as I would call it, a think-tank.

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 How beautiful is the use of the natural timber in this free standing think-tank?

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Mixing work and play, a great initiative that more companies should indulge in. 

"A happy worker is a good worker"