Hello sweet friends, new and old!

If you’ve been around awhile, you already know we’re pretty laid back here. If you’re stopping by from Bright Green Door (or perhaps another inspired stop along The White Buffalo Styling Company’s Blogger Stylin’ Home Tour) then kick your shoes off at the door. We’re heading upstairs to the art studio and my hidden-office so you can see where a good bit of our work and play goes down!

Okay, so here’s the scoop on this space: it was the only unused area in the house that I could claim and it’s basically just a big hallway between the bedrooms. Originally, we had it set up as a playroom but after stepping on more Legos than I care to remember and scrubbing finger paint out of the previous carpet, I decided that maybe we ought to ditch the toys that were hardly even touched (other than when I stepped on them) and turn this space into an inspiring place our entire family could use.

If the kitchen is the heart of our home, this space is the soul.

This is my five-year-old, Ada. She basically lives at this table.

I think the very best work, the work that feeds us, feels like play.

For me, sitting down at this table with a brush in my hand is less about creating art and more about creating an opportunity to let my mind wander. My best writing begins here rather than with a notebook or at the computer. Writing, I’ve learned, starts way before fingers ever touch computer keys.

Want to take a closer peek?

Easel | Moroccan Pouf | Metal Stools | Pendant Light

Yep. I totally have Guns N’ Roses lyrics on the wall. That’s how I roll. Or rock.

Friend, you can make one, too. Grab a pre-cut board at your hardware store, white-wash it and use a stencil and black Twistable crayon (I love Twistable crayons for signs) to write out whatever words inspire you. Some people go with Wordsworth…I went with Axl Rose.

This wall art is actually marketing materials I got from recent purchases from some of my favorite artists like Lullie Wallace and Clare Elsaesser. They were too pretty to pitch so I popped them in frames from HomeGoods.

There’s a story about the painting pinned to the wall:

My 22-month-old, Eli, is going through a rough season. He’s not talking much and spends a lot of his day frustrated. Last week, we were pretty much done with each other and we found our way to the art room where we sat side-by-side at this table, pissed and painting. It was exactly what we both needed. Later that I night, I looked at his painting and thought I needed to remember this, that when he didn’t have words, I should give him a brush. It’s the exact reason I needed this room and my kids need it, too.

I’ve been keeping an art and journaling Bible for about a year now. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. It feels like the first opportunity I’ve had to meet God in a way that feels honest to me, one creator to another. I’m not very good at remembering scripture but I do remember the paintings or little journal entries I do and what I felt when I was working on them. This fills me up in a way I can’t describe.

Journal Bible | Hand-Carved Stamps | Watercolor Paint

There are two closets in this hallway, which I’ve always thought was a little awkward until I turned one into a hidden-office space for myself. I’m on a mission to have less stuff so it didn’t break my heart to lose the storage space.

We used free pallet wood to plank the back wall and Travis made me a built-in desk that we can remove so he can still access the attic space that’s in the ceiling here. I love having a place to work while the kids are playing and when I’m done, I just close the door.

Oh, and my little light is actually a work lamp from the hardware section (cough…my husband’s work bench) that I spray painted.

Work Light | Galvanized Sign | *Planter

Don’t throw your paint cans away, friends! I used a hanging plant kit to turn this chalk paint can into a pretty hanging planter. I’m sort of obsessed with hanging plants right now. Before you go, you should check out my tutorial on turning those cute patterned bowls that are all over the place into a bowl for tulips.

Planter Chain Kit | Tulip Bowl (Tutorial Linked Above) | Plant Hanger

*some products may not be exactly as shown in the photos due to availability, so some comparable substitutions were made

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