In My Room

For today's Thankful Thursday post, I thought I'd do something a little different. I'd like to share my favorite space in our home, my office/library/craft room. It's where I do my Bible study, a lot of my praying, my writing, my thinking, my creating, and more. I am so thankful to have such a personal space. So I thought today I'd share it and the things in it that make it special to me.

Just inside the door you will see this scene. I turned a 3-cube storage unit on its end and added cute linen lined wire baskets to create a filing cabinet. Resting on top is an antique typewriter I found in a junk shop for $20 and a planter that looks like books. The hooked rug of an eagle was bought at an auction for $3 and the painting (real, not a print) of a ship was found in a thrift store for $5.

Continuing on into the room, you will see two bookcases, stuffed to the gills. The taller one was made by my husband when the kids were young. We kept their board games on that extra tall shelf on the bottom. The dog planters and figurines are one of my favorite collections, but they are usually on the shelves in the living room. They're displaced now because I needed space for the fall decorations.

Here you can see a bit of my book overflow. Yeah....I might need a 12-step program for my habit. I need to quit buying them, but....books!

This sweet little nest sits on a shelf all year until Christmas when it resides in a place of honor on the tree. My mom found it on her front porch and loved how the birds had woven long strips of tissue paper (like Easter grass or the stuff you'd pack a present in) into it. She gave it to our oldest granddaughter, who loved it, but as soon as my mom wasn't around our daughter-in-law expressed her thoughts on how dirty and disgusting it was and forbid our granddaughter to keep it. I found the little eggs in a gift shop and added them.

This sweet little Willow Tree figurine is called "Shine." A friend from my Bible study group gave her to me for my birthday this year. She said it was how she sees me...shining, lit from within. How sweet was that?

Our daughter painted this happy little frog when she was in high school.

My great-great-uncle Harland Copeland painted this picture (and made the frame) in 1934. It came to me when my grandmother had to be moved to a nursing home years ago. I've always loved how the look of it changes in different types of light.

This is my desk. I bought it at an auction for $7. It was a little scratched on the top, but Tim rubbed some oil on it and then rubbed a slightly darker stain in and it's perfect! The banker's lamp on the left was a $5 rummage sale find, the decorative jars on the right hold paperclips, thumbtacks, and such. I found them at Goodwill for $3. I should have taken a close up of the grouping under the lamp...a Navajo pottery pencil holder I brought back from a mission trip, artificial roses in a glass, and a wizard frog...a prize from the long gone blogger Pastor John, his reminder that there's a little bit of magic in every blog. Oh, and under my desk you can see Daisy's cozy little spot. She sleeps there when I'm working.

I read Misty of Chincoteague when I was in 4th grade and fell in love with the story, the characters, and Chincoteague. When I learned it was a real place and the story was (semi) true, visiting Chincoteague became something of a holy grail kind of thing for me. At this point I have visited Chincoteague many times and it remains my happy place. This poster commemorates the 2013 carnival and Pony Penning Days. It was the first, and so far only, time I was able to witness the famous swimming of the ponies from Assateague to Chincoteague.

Continuing around the room, you come to another set of bookshelves. The first set held fiction and biographies. These hold Christian books, my journals and writing sources, all my reference books (Bible and otherwise), a lot of Bible studies, and 19 different Bibles! I have the first little Bible I ever owned, more than one King James Version, a couple of New King James Versions, a Rainbow Bible (HCB), several NIV's, NASB's, ESV's, The Message, a cultural history Bible, one that emphasizes the words of God, journaling Bibles, a coloring Bible, an apologetics Bible, and an amplified Bible. Each of the binders on the bottom shelf is study of one book of the Bible that the study group I'm in has done. The round box on the shelves to the left contains all the letters I've received from my biological father and half-sister. The book (box) on top of it holds cards and notes of blessing and encouragement from my Christian sisters and a pastor or two.

Did you ever see the movie Funny Farm with Chevy Chase? It's an old one from the 80's. Anyway, his wife finds success writing children's books. The main character in the books is based on a mounted squirrel she purchased in an antique shop. I always loved that squirrel and have honestly kept my eyes out for a mounted one. No such luck, but until I find one, this guy is a cute stand in.

The crown is from when I led the ladies of our group in the Beth Moore study Living Outside Yourself. It was a study on the fruit of the Spirit and the Lord really worked on us during it. At the end, I gave everyone a crown to remind them whose daughter they are. My friend, mentor, and Bible study teacher made the prayer scarf for me one Christmas. She said she can knit one it about half an hour and she prays for the person it will be going to for the entire time. I just love that!

I scored this sweet little cart on Amazon. It holds all my pens and crafting and journaling/planner supplies neatly in one place.

Next up is my great-grandmother's dough box (legs added after dough boxes stopped being a thing). It holds a collection of family photos and a couple of globes (I just like globes). On the wall is the picture of me and Toby Keith and a print of a painting commemorating the 2013 Pony Penning Days in Chincoteague (it was a really big deal to me!).

Last up is a milk can my grandparents painted and decorated and gave to my aunt as a gift back in the 60's. My aunt gave it to me when she was clearing out her house quite a few years ago. It's looking a little worse for the wear at this point, but I love it, anyway. It holds yardsticks, a rain stick, and a collection of canes...some from carnivals, one carved by a family friend, my uncle's walking stick, and the really big one that has "Adirondak Moose Mugger" carved on the shaft.

That's my little space. I love it and am so thankful for it. I hope you enjoyed the tour!