A Space to Call Her Own

My husband is a wonderful, kind, and generous man. That said, our decorating styles differ a great deal. While I totally respect his clean lines and modern (albeit tidy) color choices, they are not the same tones that inspire my creative side. Like all things between the ‘man of my dreams’ and I, we were able to compromise without much fuss at all. His tones and polished presentation are evident in the living room, the kitchen, the main bathroom, etc.

You may ask, Well where do you fit in, then?

The answer is simple…

I take it to the SHE LAIR

Men often claim a ‘Man Cave’; I find my solace in the ‘She Lair’.  (To the best of my knowledge I made up the term and you are welcome to adopt it as well).

The She Lair is everything hodgepodge, colorful, warm, feminine and collaborative. The She Lair reminds me of where I come from, while encouraging me to stretch my crafty arms out to embrace the next creative challenge.

How is this all accomplished in a single space? The majic began when I carved my personal lair out of an under utilized and often cluttered area of the basement. Truthfully, the She Lair is one space which has been subdivided into three areas.

The first is my mini lounge. Here I have a comfy Ikea couch (doubles as a fold-out for any traveling friends and family—come on over!!!), a fully functional-good-height-for-sitting-under coffee table (important that this isn’t too fancy because projects often spill over here), an over-sized chair, radio, and an archaic TV.

This area is great to read up on (blogging) any new creative endeavor, The West Side Leader (because it is the world’s greatest local newspaper), or to entertain nieces and nephews with a cartoon and a crafty project. Wonderful!

I keep it colorful; quilts often cloak the couch and chair with for an added cozy feeling and offer a convenient cover-up on chilly mornings. I like to hang funky things around my She Lair to make it an interesting space that conjures up ideas of distant lands or interesting people.

I was compelled to include a 'library book station' because I always have a couple (dozen) books checked out for my reading pleasure.

Next, I divided the main space in half by hanging two-ply curtains across the majority of the room. The lounge side celebrates a subdued pale green, while the work space boasts a bold red.

The work space includes a few salvaged desks that are lined up in a row (easy to find at a yard sale or vintage shop for under $20).

The length of ‘table top’ is particularly helpful in sewing projects, banner painting or any number of other crafty inspirations. The desk drawers are great for housing beads, paints, ribbon, sketching materials or whatever your heart desires.

The work space also has a series of stacked Rubber-Maid-type drawers that separate and strive to organize my fabric patches. The goal is to have fabric sorted by color or type, though I often fall short of this goal and store everything in a compilation style. Projects go together, etc.

The sewing machine and a magnet board for inspiration and project status are also found in the work space. I keep a mirror to check out any ‘wearables’ and a healthy sized trash can to help me strive for the tidy, as well.

Thread, anyone?

The final ‘area’ in my She Lair is the office. Here I work on posts, plan ahead for future endeavors, pen ‘thank you’s to kind and generous people in my life and strive to keep abreast of all things Internet. I keep a clothes line of ideas strung across part of the room where I can easily 'pin up' new projects, inspirational magazine pages or notes on how to improve something I am working on. The clothes line is an evolving display of what is on my mind and how I hope to tune my creative impulses.

 

WOW! What a space!

Honestly, there was a day, not too long ago when I was lucky enough to have all my sisters-in-law in one state for a couple of days. My husband and I were newly married and excited to show the ladies the house and our progress in the yard. When the tour extended to the basement, I was mortified to hear that they were interested in touring the creepy ‘extra room’… where clutter was king and boxes were stacked all around.

Who knew that one day, this under utilized area would become my haven?!?! Don't be discouraged by the quest to find the space for 'your creative place'. While my She Lair is anything but posh or modern, it is a functional space for both my husband and I, as well as any others who stumble by.

A couple of things that make my She Lair a place where I enjoy spending time…

 

A ‘killer’ sign for the door. This piece was reclaimed by one of the coolest ladies I know when she was on vacation. I don’t think I need to say any more about this ‘signage’. The message is clear J

Certainly wouldn’t be complete without a picture of the pup… this is our boy, the best darn fuzzy goodness in the world!  J

A lovely painted card that I picked up on Gig Harbor. The featured flower is the ‘trillium’, frequently found in the Pacific Northwest, but oddly, the state flower of Ohio. Pretty cool! The artist was a total inspiration. She shared a gallery space with a whole collection of artists, right off the Harbor. She told us about her acquired oriental name (lower right of image) and how she obtained it. Very neat lady!

 

A nook that has several things that speak to me. Pictures of family and friends in silly or serious frames, on a shelf that my uncle made, upon which hangs a string of angels my mother gave me years ago (to watch over me), under which hangs a gorgeous needlework gift from my confidant and fellow butterfly admirer J

A beautiful piece painted by a friend I do not get to see enough. Some how she was able to capture the intimacy of close friends and the season they enjoy together without saying a word.

Should I be looking for a volume discount at this point?

'Open House' weekend at the ski bump (Boston Mills) is always the most gorgeous weather! I just had to pull over and take this shot. Riverview Road, Peninsula OH. Circa 2002.

Reclaimed dairy tote filled with all sorts of yarn. Sometimes I try to do my Grandma proud (God rest her). She was ALWAYS trying to teach me to crochet as a little girl. Any tips on how to make this a more streamlined process? It is one of those practices I keep picking up... but it never seems to 'take'.

A design project from college-- YEARS AGO-- it still makes me smile... I mean hum.

Collections of interesting things can be found anywhere and everywhere in the She Lair.

How to make a She Lair for yourself?

Perhaps reclaim an under utilized closet, insert some modular shelving and allow space to pull up a chair when the door is open. Put one of those awesome hula dancer lamps (like in ‘Joe Versus the Volcano’) to set the tone and the rest is up to your imagination.

Or carve out a space in the garage. Square off a corner, section off the space with curtains or shelving. Hang a light from one of those hook screws and put a piece of plywood on crates or filing cabinets to create a desk. Light a scented candle to take the ‘garage smell’ out of your area and to fill your nostrils and mind with comfortable and creative inspiration.

Do what you must, but find, make or reclaim your She Lair soon! When you have the space to dream, your next project is as close as you fancy.

Good luck!