In preparation for my visit to New England, I read large chunks of Alice
Morse Earle's
Home and Child Life in Colonial Times (abridged from two
of her earlier books). What makes her history so fascinating was that she wrote at the end of the 19th century and could record many first-person
accounts from the elderly people in her community about their lives and those
of their parents and grandparents.
This book is full of all kinds of funny gossip and stories about life in
America before 1850. The author is not afraid to interject with her own
opinions, such as when she calls early children's books dry and tedious.
I was frequently amused by her references to "life in olden days" as
opposed to "now," which for her that meant the difference between
things like buying ready-made ink versus making it yourself from bark(!)
There are some excellent sections on what school was like, the reason the
Colonials had such good handwriting, early toys, etc. As an aside, I was
amused by her account of the primitive mail system that existed in the
18th century, and the story of one mailman who liked to skate down the Hudson River with
letters on his back while he knitted socks and hats.
Reading about homes, and then coming back to my own, helps me see mine with
new eyes. I am extremely fortunate to have my own "creative"
room that is just mine (and the only room in the house where my husband can't
leave a mess!) I think everyone who does anything artistic needs their
own creative space.
I'm not a big fan of the popular minimalist trend. I like to have things neat and tidy, but I also think you should surround yourself with things you love, have meaning for you and inspire you. Here are some shots of my creative space:
This is my desk, where I write all my letters, blog, scrapbook, etc. I have it set up facing my window. During the daytime, I love to open the blinds and watch the trees, birds and squirrels outside.
The desk itself is a family heirloom. It used to be a lot messier, but a few months ago I was inspired by a secretary I saw at an antiques store. I bought a really cheap (under $10) desk organizer to hold all my notepads, maps, etc.
On the left is a mug from Stonehenge that my grandmother bought me on a trip to England back in the 1990's. I've used it as a pencil/pen holder ever since. The Canadian flag is from this year's Canada Day celebrations. Beside it is a notepad of CBC logos that I bought in Toronto earlier this year. Beside the mouse is a beautiful glass coaster with real pressed flowers. On the right you can see a stack of recently acquired paperbacks waiting to be read an reviewed!
I'm not really into Pinterest. I like to keep an actual bulletin board of things I enjoy, like postcards and a sprig of flowers from my garden.
Just right of my desk is a painted piece of slate I brought back from a memorable trip to Wales when I was 16. And of course my Sherlock calendar!
Beside that, I have one book case just for romance novels. In the cupboards below I keep presents and my scrapbooking and mosaic supplies.
I bought this blue box a few years ago to hold all my letters in chronological order.
Just beside my letters I keep all my envelopes and note cards. The Christmas box is one of my favourite objects and holds several years' worth of Christmas cards.
Beside my book case, I like to hang all my cloth bags that I've collected over the years that I use mostly to carry library books. The "Little Women" bag on top came with me to Concord!
To the right of the door is my "messy bookcase." A while ago I attempted to roughly organize the books by genre. You may recognize some of the books I've reviewed on this blog over the years. This is just a sample of my collection, the rest are elsewhere in the house.
Whenever I travel, I like to collect a miniature of the local famous landmark. I bought all but the Eiffel Tower, which was given to me by a friend (left to right: CN Tower, Big Ben tower, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Colosseum). Just behind it you can see a silver box that I got for my high school graduation and a painting done by a close friend.
Continuing our circle around the room is the futon where I like to relax with a good book. The Jane Austen pillow was a birthday gift from my sister from a few years ago. The blanket was another graduation present made by a family friend.
Right above that is a poster of 18th century objects. It used to have a frame but unfortunately one hot and humid summer day the hook fell down and the frame broke. It will be replaced, eventually. Beside that is my "world at night" poster that I bought in grad school.
And now we have made a full circle! The Sense and Sensibility iPod charger is another gift from my sister, and the Provence candle a gift from a friend. And the laptop of course is where all the magic happens...
Thank for coming with me on a tour of my creative space!
