Small but Wonderful Home Office

It's wonderful, isn't it?

I love the potted plants in the window.

I love a small home office and this one is the best.

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My Attic Office Showing New Printer

There have been a few questions about the actual size of my new printer so here are two photos that might answer how it compares with the Apple iMac desktop computer in my attic home office. This is what is called "selective" photography with areas in the photo tidied up but not the rest of the space, if you know what I mean.😂

Here it is all in a closer view, ready for printing and scanning. I didn't realize how much I have missed my old scanner either. I have used it quite a few times and I remain very happy with my purchase. Are you sick of hearing about it yet? This is my first all in one printer that just happens to be wireless. I wasn't even shopping for that feature but it's very handy.

xo

Adventures with My New Printer

Three agonizing weeks ago I got a new printer and yesterday I finally got it to work properly without really knowing what I did! As you know, I am technically oriented but it wasn't at all easy because the printer is wireless and I had a very hard time getting it to work with my laptop and I haven't even tried it with my phone yet. Yesterday I tried printing the alphabet photo in my living room from my laptop and it magically printed upstairs in my office where my desktop computer and printer reside. I liked the print so much I hung it on a cabinet wall in my pantry office off my kitchen. I still don't trust the printer completely and need to practice more so I will be a confident operator when I really need it. I loved my old wired printer but it decided to stop working quite abruptly and I couldn't fix it and you know I tried! I think I'm going to end up loving the new one, fingers crossed.🤞 Wish me luck.☘️ NOTE: The alphabet I printed is on regular computer paper. The angle of the picture makes it look much larger.

HP DeskJet 4155e -- a photo of the box above

If you sign up for an HP+ INSTANT INK plan within 7 days of installing your printer, you get 6 months of free ink and one more year on the warranty which brings it up to 2 years. I decided to bite the bullet and sign up before I mastered THE MACHINE. I can do unlimited printing (up to 700 pages) the first 6 months and they sent replacement inks right away and the cartridges are twice the size of the ones that came with the printer. I signed up for 100 pages per month after the first 6 months is over and that is when the first billing begins. I think that will be fine and if I go over it doesn't cost very much. You have to sign up with a credit card and my plan is $4.95 per month. I can cancel at any time too. So it sounds like a win win to me. I think all of the newest HP wireless printers come with this plan. Click to enlarge the photo to see the box. 

I watched countless YouTube videos and each one had a helpful hint assisting me with the installation. The most interesting hint that the setup never mentioned was a little slider you have to push up against the left side of the paper to hold it in place!!!! You have to change it when using smaller sizes of paper for note cards or photos. I NEVER would have found that by myself and there was no mention in the instructions.

If there is a hinge on the scanner for thick items like books, I have yet to find it. 

You have to download the HP SMART App too. I have it on my laptop, my desktop computer and my phone as well. I am still learning about this.

The printer was $99 at BestBuy. This is not a recommendation or a paid ad in any way. It's just a review of the one I bought. You can spend more or you can spend less. This seemed just right for me.

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Have a great weekend.

It rained most of Friday night.

Today is nice and cool.

 xo

Photos Around My Cottage

I walked around outside yesterday and this was the only "color" I could find.

I photographed a lovely female cardinal this morning on my balcony railing.

This is a little glimpse of my upstairs attic office. Right now I have papers and files everywhere as I have just started working on my taxes.

Organizing My Attic

This is a detail of an area in my attic office that I have been organizing off and on for days. I am doing everything properly, not just stashing things hurriedly. I have shredded, filed, and recycled all my papers and boxes. My kitchen is looking nice too and for the first time in a long time, there's nothing on my farm table that doesn't belong there. I posted this photo on Instagram several days ago and have gotten many comments about the old Dundee Marmalade crocks I use for pencils and markers. How many of these have I owned over the years? I really don't know but I wish I had more but now they are scarce. The first few weeks of the new year are perfect for getting things back in order and for donating the things we no longer want or need. I have been deleting files, old emails, text messages, and duplicate photos on my computer and phone too. Almost everybody I know has been purging too. How about you? xo

Home Offices for Working Remotely

Everyone is working from home these days and this is a great article on how some of you are doing it so successfully. I need lots of room to spread out so I chose this photo. Right now the farm table in my kitchen is a total disaster as I am on the home stretch for a real estate closing next week.

Very Nice Home Office

The arrangement of this home office is very pleasing to my eye. The large mirror on the wall enables the sitter to see who is entering the room even though the chair is facing the wall. This chair placement is against all the rules of feng shui: 

What a “Study Desk Back Facing Door” Means in Feng Shui. Your back should be supported by a solid wall when sitting at your study/office desk. If you have your back facing the door, it will have negative effects like: It will give you a sense of insecurity and you will be easily distracted. 

I have also read this chair placement is back luck because someone can sneak up on you and stab you in the back. And if you love watching mysteries as much as I do, you know this is true. Smiley face.

Image source. 

Home Office designed by Katie Holmes

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I love this room, especially the centered window flanked by bookcases and closed cabinets. The only fault I can find is with the lamp with cord photoshopped out. There really is no place to plug it in, is there? I really doubt it's cordless but if it were, the photo would be perfect.

I have been self isolating since a client tested positive for Covid-19 after a real estate showing. I am fine and all precautions were in place. I will be free to go out in a few more days. Take care and stay home as much as possible. There is so much to do in the spring, there is no time for boredom. Have a great long Memorial Day weekend too. xo

Bookcase, Staircase, Home Library Love

This photo gives new meaning to under the stairs storage. I have always loved a twisty curved staircase and this one is spectacular. That bentwood handrail ❤💓!

Home Office with Murphy Bed: AWESOME!

It's a home office with storage for office supplies, right?

Wrong. It's a bedroom or guest room in disguise.

I couldn't love this more. I found it in my iPhone photos and I've been saving the photos for a long time and have no idea where I found them. Isn't this the best home office ever? xo
UPDATE: California Closets designed this room and there are other Murphy Bed Designs HERE.

Mushroom Studio: At The Toronto Sculpture Garden

Art Studio of Katie Bethune-Leaman commissioned by The Toronto Sculpture Garden. See another photo and read more about this delightful fairy-tale structure here.

My Home Office in Pantry: Rearranged

Click on either photo to enlarge. When I sit at my drafting table under the window to work on my laptop and pay bills, I needed more room to spread out my papers, make entries in my check book and file the papers until they can go to the attic filing cabinet.

I added a side table for a more efficient work space. It's an old cutting board attached to an antique adjustable wrought iron base on wheels found at a rummage sale years ago. It had been in use in my basement kitchen that is no longer in use since my mother passed. I got the brilliant idea to put it in the pantry for more horizontal space for my favorite things. I do best when everything is in plain sight rather than in drawers. There is a small separate bookcase that fits perfectly underneath to hold wire baskets for unpaid bills, etc. I am thrilled with the way it all worked out. I have played around in there for a couple of weeks and yesterday I finally declared it perfect.

Vintage Attic Storage Idea

I love this attic print storage and art room. I have something similar in the attic of my cottage and am always looking for new ideas. via

Socks for My Ironing Board in Attic

Don't laugh. I made a long stocking and two little socks for the legs of the ironing board in my attic. I used remnants from an old Fair Isle sweater vest that had holes in it. I tried leaving my ironing board up all the time but it was in the way. Leaning it against the wall was leaving marks that I was able to remove with the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Yesterday, I got the bright idea to make covers for the three legs. I made a stocking for the long leg and was able to turn the fabric inside out to hide the seams. The other two legs were too narrow so the seams of the short socks are on the outside, trimmed closely. It was a quick project with wonderful results. A friend gave me this sign since everybody always asks my advice for some reason. They know how grounded I am and they see the wise choices I have made for myself. I have it hanging here when the ironing board isn't being used. 

Here is another view of my attic workroom. The flat file is full of antique prints. I am still working up here and will post other views soon. We are having fall weather all week with no sun until Saturday. I need to bring in my house plants before it gets any cooler. It is noontime and the temperature is only 61° outside. I melted all last with the central air running night and day so I am not complaining about the abrupt weather change. I know we will have some more warmer days before fall sets in for good. I'm going to put the cover on my outside air conditioning unit though. I refuse to use it again until next year. Have a good Monday. xo

Laundry Room, Home Office and Porch

Was once a porch so it required its own heat/ac unit.

Same house with a great home office.

The house with the best front porch. Swoon.

Photos found when searching the MLS today.

New Curtains I Sewed for My Attic

What an adventure I had this week making curtains for my third floor home office/work room. This is where I have my sewing room and ironing board as well as two PC computers. One is an iMac and the other is an old Windows XP computer.

I moved my sewing machine next to the last window and I really like it here. I worked today rearranging the part of the room you see in the ten photos I am posting today. The rest of the room is is wreck but I will slowly get it just the way I want it.

This is a view showing one of the windows closed. I created a monster when I started this project. Right away I had to take out the screens and wash them in hot soapy water outside. Then I had to clean the windows inside and out. Thankfully, they are tilt windows so it wasn't hard at all.

This is a view to the way back.

This pic shows the white twill tape tie backs. In the winter when it's freezing outside I can remove and let the curtains hang shut so there won't be so much heat loss downstairs as the warm air rises and hits the cold window panes. If I'm sewing and need more natural light, I'll just tie back the ones beside my machine.

Here is a close up of the wonderful designer fabric. It is woven in a damask pattern and it's the same on the reverse side. I am so thrilled I found four panels of long draperies that I remade for my little windows. They were double lined too. One layer of white flannel for insulation and the white cotton lining material.

Here is a view of the wall behind my Singer. The TV on a vintage artist's stand was for sculpting and now my TV and DVD player use it. I don't have my cable working in the attic and I mostly listen to NPR up there. The baseboard heat is on this wall too for warmth if I sew when it's cold.

Another view. Are you bored yet? This shows my comfy chair pulled up to the machine.

This might be a repeat.

My trusty Singer I've had since about 1965 and it is still simply wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I had to have the bobbin winder repaired several years ago but otherwise, it has never had a problem. I had a cabinet for it at one time but I sold it to a friend long ago. It works fine on this makeshift stand that is easy to move around. I love my pin cushion with the clear plastic wrist strap. I have a red one too but the bracelet part broke and I've been using it with elastic that needs to be replaced. I found this blue one in a drawer this week and was so excited. It's better than my red one because it is filled with metal shavings that sharpen the pins every time you poke one in. It says made in Japan so it's very old. I always look at sewing supplies at house sales.

That's it for my this project that I started on Tuesday morning. My windows look so nice from outside too, just like the cozy cottage that it is. Enjoy the weekend. It was overcast all day and has just started to rain. xo

Home Office Under the Stairs

This dear little home office under the stairs is well thought out and I could sit there happily to pay bills. I would, however, need a handrail for those beautiful white twisty stairs. Even a fat rope tight to the wall like you see on boats would be fine. Safety first! Have a wonderful weekend. xo 

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Coziest Reading Corner Ever

This has got to be the most well thought out reading nook ever. I do wish I could see the rest of the sunroom because I know I would love everything. via I would be searching for the companion ottoman because like to have my feet propped up and a little TV would be nice as well. The secretary desk would serve as a home office making this little library the the perfect multi-purpose room. xo

Elegant Home Office in a Hallway

Living with antiques. This home office in a hallway filled with bookcases is beyond fabulous. I don't know that I could do messy things like my taxes here but paying monthly bills would be a snap. I am just about ready to start spreading out papers everywhere to get my tax documents in order for the accountant. And you?

via New home in northern New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Misiaszek Turpin Architecture & Planning. Traditional Home.

Black and White Perfection

Love.Every.Single.Thing

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