Unclogged Creative Energy

This is what my desk area looked like two days ago. Let's take a little tour. On top we have fabric, papers, mementos etc. When someone asks, "Where do you want this?" The answer is almost always, "on my desk." Not a good plan! Under the desk we have books to list on eBay, which were in a box nice and neat but yesterday the box was stolen by a child, so they were all on the floor. Not a good place for books about to be sold! Then in the middle there's a bunch of fabric, most of which I no longer want. The sewing machine is in front because I use it so much. To the right we have a corkboard waiting to be remodeled, the dog food bin and the trash can. And under it all, one ugly linoleum. And let's not forget my hideous wall. There's the chart we're filling in to show how much the boys have earned toward camp and a couple holes that dh never filled when he filled in a doorway into this room that we no longer needed.

Here is the after shot - for now. The sewing machine will mostly be on the desk, not under it. The basket is Mom's inbox, which as you can see is rather full right now. The file container is totally revamped and has files for all the types of papers I normally deal with. The rest of our paper storage is in Alif's office, so I don't need much at my desk, which is in the kitchen.

Once I finished cleaning that out, and after some cleaning the kids and I did yesterday, I started to feel very creative! I am really surprised by how much my creativity has been squelched by the clutter. I guess it's just too much weighing on my mind when there's always something waiting to be done. My house certainly isn't perfect right now but it's neat enough that my mind has been free today to think about what direction I want to take my decorating.

I am sooooo inspired by this kitchen makeover. It's exactly what I want for my home. Simple, stylish, comfortable and finished-looking. I like a lot of open space, not a lot of knick-knacks, and yet I still want our home to have a personality. I want my home to be fun, casual, stylish, funky, fresh, clean, and inviting. I love how Olive Oyl chose a couple of colors and went with them, and kept it minimal so that the finished result is polished and sleek with a definite style. Yeah - that is JUST what I am after!

So where to go for inspiration?? What are the colors I want to live with? I like bold patterns, bright colors, cool colors (as opposed to warm) . . . My problem is that I can see three different color schemes and fall in love with every one of them. What to DO? Which one will feel like ME?

I went online to Strawberry Patches and perused her online fabric catalog. Look at the cutie inspirational pieces I found!

I'm not sure about actually using this one, but it's got the feel I want. Airy, fresh, fun . . .

This one I like, but again, not sure about actually using it.
This one I can definitely see myself using. It's a bold splash of color and I think I'd love it in a small dose - maybe a valance in my kitchen window?

Now that my home is getting less cluttered, and I can feel a vision coming on, I can't wait to make it happen!!