Wednesday, September 10, 2014

My Office Is... Done? WOOHOO!!

I'm still working on my next batch of Dragon Con photos, so for now - since I'm suuuper happy with it -  check out my new office art wall!

Ta-daaa!
I finished that center section not long before DC; it used to have just one large poster in it. But, as you can see, I'm more of a fan of the "cram as much art in as humanly possible" design aesthetic. 

And now that I've finished that wall, I think I can finally - after just four short years! - call my office "done." 

You know, until I start rearranging stuff again. :D

(I just did a quick count, and I have around 65 pieces of art in this room, not counting family photos on my desk. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED.)


If you ever need to hang a bunch of frames like this, I highly recommend using paper templates & painter's tape to test out the arrangement first, like so:

(Please excuse the crappy cellphone pic!)

I spent a good 20 minutes re-arranging, but this way saves your walls from excessive nail holes. 

And of course I have art hanging on the interior sides, too:

I switch the side ones out pretty often; in fact, I've already swapped some since I took this!

It's all a mix of Epbot fan art/gifts and convention purchases, and every single one makes me ridiculously happy.

In fact, I combined this watercolor Octo-girl with a metal seahorse from a fan:

I did it to make up the extra room in a square frame I already had, but I think it gives it a nice assemblage art feel this way. 

Random cubby with more art & reader gifts:


My knit crocheted [sorry!!] Epbot from Renee (of the resin rose petals fame) is one of my most prized possessions:

 
The Epbot Mickey Vinylmation is also from a fan.
(If I sound spoiled, it's because I am. You people did this to me!)

To the side of the penny desk is a tiny closet with a sliding pocket door. I used to store formal dresses in there, but now it's filled with convention costumes. I call that "a life moving in the right direction." :D

 
 And yes, of COURSE I have art on the door. John built it to have clearance so the frames would fit through.

There's more on these closet doors, too:

I'm pretty sure Lily hasn't moved from her box since my last office post.

And since I'm doing the 360 thing, here's a reminder of what the other side looks like:

The wide-angle lens makes my office look downright spacious, but it's actually a cozy 10X10. I like it small, though; feels like a rainbow colored cockpit. On work days John sits on a big exercise ball under the right window with his laptop, and the cats sleep on the desk to my left. Like I said, cozy!

 Ok, Dragon Con is calling my name again, so stay tuned for another batch of cosplay pics, coming up next!

58 comments:

  1. Rainbow colored cockpit - what a perfect way to describe such a wonderful space! :)

    Jenna

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  2. As much as I love all the crazy art, I also love the bright orange accessories breaking everything up yet tying it all together.

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  3. Try these for hanging pictures no more nail holes LOL

    http://www.commandbrand.com.au/wps/portal/3M/en_AU/APACCommand/?WT.mc_id=www.commandbrand.com.au

    Even though this is an Australia website you should be able to find some in the US.

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    1. I'm in the US and we totally have those in all the Wal-Marts, drug stores, hardware stores, etc. They're amazing. Unless the thing you want to hang has a super-tiny bracket or is really heavy, in which case I recommend a Hercules Hook. Those leave a hole, but a really tiny one. and you don't need a hammer to get them in.

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    2. They even sell them at Jo-Ann's, which we all know is a frequent shopping destination for John and Jen. The best part about buying them there, though, is you can use your 40/50/60% off coupons for them!

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  4. I am officially jealous! Your office looks amazing I would love to have a room filled with that much art!

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  5. Glad to see the Momiji found a nice home! :)

    Clare

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    Replies
    1. You like?? I love her, btw. Thank you again!

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    2. I seriously squee-d when I saw she was there! It makes me very happy! :) I'm so pleased you like her! :)

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  6. It's so beautiful and I am officially jealous of your art and memorabilia collections! I love that your office really reflects YOU as a creative person and gives you an inspiring place to work. My home office, (I'm a freelance graphic designer) is done to look like the Batcave. Just being in there, surrounded by my Batman collectibles and art fuels my creativity. Thanks for sharing your world with us! :)

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    Replies
    1. I'm pretty jealous of your batcave!

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    2. A Batcave?? I MUST SEE THIS. Any pics? Please?

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  7. I'm super jealous of all your art work. I wish I had your eye.

    How's Lily doing now?

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    1. Lily is still doing great on the every-other-day steroids, though we're still trying new foods every few months, in the hopes we can find a safer solution. (Just started a raw pellet one made with rabbit a few weeks ago. The good news is, both cats are NOT picky eaters. Tonks is getting fat again! Ha!) We have another vet app coming up to make sure the steroids aren't damaging her liver - or whatever it is they damage. o.0

      tl;dr: She's doing great. ;)

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  8. 1. Lily's face in that photo kills me.
    2. I loooove the color scheme in your office!
    3. Can I ask what you use the penny desk for? Since your computer is on a different desk I thought maybe crafting? Just wondering! :)

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    1. Embarrassingly enough, I don't usually use the penny desk for anything; it's just display & storage space. Isn't that terrible? On occasion I'll roll over there to sort paperwork, but with so much wide open desk on this side of the room, I don't really need it! (But hey, it looks nice, right? ;))

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    2. No worries, I wouldn't mind having a penny desk just for looks too! ;)

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  9. I know it is somewhat after the event but I seriously recommend command strips for art hanging. They can be expensive so I buy in bulk and on smaller/lighter objects I use one piece halved instead of two but it makes hanging and changing artworks a dream. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Command-Picture-Hanging-Strips-Value/dp/B000OF6X48

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  10. I can only aspire to your greatness. OK, so I don't have an office, but I wish my craft room would magically decorate and organize itself like this. Instead, it will have to wait until the urge strikes me (soon, I think).

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  11. I gotta admit, I'm a little jealous that you have an office. Mine is part of the living room, so I can't do to it what you have done there (and honestly, if I DID have an office, it would probably end up looking like my desk -- that is, a complete disaster). Between your rainbow cockpit and Jenny Lawson's surreal office space... I really wish I had an office to personalize. :/

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  12. Love it! And I played Find-My-Art with the pictures and did! :)

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  13. Love it all to infinity & beyond but JSYK your Epbot is crocheted not knit. I know you're a stickler for accuracy.

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    Replies
    1. Boops. You know, SOME day I *AM* going to learn the difference...

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  14. I love your office! I love all the little details. We have bins of toys and little art things and your office gives me hope that we can pull them all together one day.

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  15. It looks great! I don't know if I could work with so many fun pieces around to look at!

    FYI, that softie Epbot looks like it was crocheted, not knitted.

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  16. I love your office! It looks like a big hug.

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  17. What color did you paint your walls? LOVE IT! And I love,love the pic of Lily. How is she doing with the grooming issue? Where does Tonks sleep?

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    1. Oh, mercy, I don't remember the paint color name - sorry! Lily's doing great - just answered a previous comment in more detail on her - and Tonks sprawls in front of Lily's box, usually with a leg hanging over the desk edge. They take turns swatting at & grooming each other, when they're not snoozing. ;)

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  18. Yay, Amanda and Justine! The Epbot bot is definitely crocheted...and I want to live in your office. Because that's not creepy at all, right?

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  19. I love your office! We're buying/remodeling a house and I'm so excited because I'll finally be able to really decorate things my way. Have we officially purchased the house? No. Have we started remodeling? No. Have I already bought 14 pieces of geeky, awesome art for the house, several pieces of which I first saw on Epbot? You better believe it. Including a giant TARDIS print for my dining room because I can. =)

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  20. "Squee!"
    Walt Disney's STORYLAND! I have that book too, complete with crayon scribbles from when I was 3.

    The lights, the penny desk, the cat . . . it's all perfect!

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  21. I want to know how you clean everything. I have lots of artwork and collected doodads, etc. and the amount of dusting and cleaning up pet hair around things is making me start to pare down our stuff. I love a clean house but it takes forever all the dusting of nooks and crannies. Not to mention the semi-annual cleaning of all the glass; domes, frames, etc. So any cleaning tips from Epbot?

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    1. The only real tips I have are:

      - use all hard, smooth surfaces - no snaggy wood frames or shelves, for example - & keep the plush collection to a minimum

      - become good friends with both a dustbuster & those swiffer duster thingies. Also, used dryer sheets are great for dusting the grippier stuff, like candles, papercraft toys, or some of the more rubbery vinyl figs.

      - If you have a lot of small collectibles, like blindbox toys, consider displaying them in a frame like this, or at the very least, stick them down with museum putty, so you can dust them without fear of knocking it all over!

      That said, remember dust doesn't show up very well in photos, so maybe I'm the wrong person to ask. ;)

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  22. Did you guys do the ceiling? Did I miss that post?

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    1. We did, yes! I mentioned my office ceiling & posted a pic back in my laundry room post, since we used the same tiles (different design) in there. I linked the two main suppliers in that post, plus you can see pics of John installing them. It's surprisingly easy, and PERFECT for covering up old popcorn ceilings!

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    2. Awesome! That is what I was curious about too.

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  23. Ohh, what a wonderful, inspiring room!

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  24. I have that very same Disney Storyland book! I now get to read all my favorites to my little one.

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  25. such a phenomenal space! i would imagine that it certainly feeds your creativity. the artwork is tremendous.
    (it shouldn't be a surprise, but the little pinky and the brain figures made me the happiest.)

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    1. I once posted a pic of those 2 figs on Twitter, and got a personal "Helllooooooo, Jen!" from Pinky himself, Rob Paulsen. Made me SO HAPPY.

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  26. The penny desk! I loved your tutorial for it- it looks so fantastic with the blue.

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  27. Wonderful work space, and that's an awesome *crocheted* Epbot! :)

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  28. I would snuggle the crap out of that softie Epbot!
    I think my 'fans' should start sending me stuff, so I can decorate accordingly. *hint hint*... No? Hello? Is this thing on?
    No one? Dang.
    Office looks great, Jen! It's nice to enjoy the space you work in. :)
    Corner Kermit makes me smile....

    Piper P - JEALOUS in Washington State.

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  29. We just moved into a house (our first!) and I was so nervous to have so much fan art and other geeky goodness to hang on the walls--everything from 4x6 to movie poster sized--but seeing your office gives me hope that it CAN look good! So jealous of all the happy memories and crafts in your office!

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  30. I LOVE your office space Jen! You've inspired me to do the same with pictures of my beloved, Mozart. I have these two humongous posters of Mozart (one of him when he was 14 and another of the Director's Cut from Amadeus that a theater manager gave me during the anniversary showing.) I adore them both, but I would really like more pictures! So I was looking at this book called Mozart and Prague that had a bunch of lovely pictures. I want to take out the nicest looking ones, make fun frames for them, and use the rest of the pictures for scrapbooking. Offices tend to be so boring, it's nice to personalize them! Even though my husband is not very fond of it, I have this huge gold Beethoven statue on our bookshelf that watches over us as we work/study! Is there anything in the office John doesn't like? Or are you both in agreement? :)

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  31. OMG...Dream space! This is the best office decor inspiration!

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  32. Congrats on the finished office--it's gorgeous!

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  33. I hope I'm not repeating myself, but I don't think my earlier comment posted. I LOVE your office space! Amazing. How can you not be creative surrounded by all of that? I bought some art at Dragon*Con this year and was wondering if you had any tips on framing. Framing seems to be really expensive if you go to some place like Micheal's. Do you do the framing yourself? I want to admire the pretty art I got, but don't have a lot of money for frames. :)

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  34. Squee!!! That's the vinylmation I made!!!!!

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  35. Your office is wonderful! It's really inspiring me to fix up my husband's office someday. First though I have to finish my baby's first Halloween costume. I have to start him on the Cosplay early. ;)

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  36. Sooo gorgeous! Thank you for posting all the pictures of your lovely home, they always makes me want to jump up and start redecorating. I clearly need more orange in my room!

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  37. The pictures that are in between shelves, do they swing out on hinges like doors? Because that would be cool and nifty

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  38. That ceiling!!!! Did you do that yourself? LOVE!!!!!

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  39. CIRCUS WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I went there as a kid! I barely remember, but I know we went cause as a kid my parents also did a bit of clowning around (no, seriously, kids parties, church functions, they dressed as clowns) And then I know we went back later on when it was Boardwalk and Baseball!!!

    Oh and cool office and art, BTW! Lol.. talk about hyper focus from me!

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