It IS possible to carve out your own space in your house

We’ve all heard of the “man cave” right? I imagine it to be a dark room with a huge flat-screen TV, leather couches, and a fully-stocked bar, don’t you? What about a “mom cave”? Most of us have sectioned off a piece of the house for the kids’ toys but is it possible to section of a piece of your home to be ALL YOURS?

This was my mission a few months ago – I wanted one tiny space in my house to be all mine. I share a bed (with my husband and one or two kids depending on the night), a bathroom, a desk, a den -the entire house is communal territory (except my 8-year-old daughter’s room – how is she the only person in the family to have her own space?!). I wanted my little nook to reflect my style and my hobbies – not my kids’ or my husband’s.

One of my biggest creative outlets (besides writing this blog) is sewing. I am not that great at it, but I love it. I’ve had a machine for years but have always had to set up shop on the dining room table. I decided to make part of my bedroom my own little craft nook – it took a little convincing because, let’s face it, not many men want to wake up and see a sewing machine – but as long as it meant all of my creative “crap” was off the dining room table, my husband was game.

I enlisted the help of a college friend, Tessa, whose interior design blog Two Inspire Design continually inspires and amazes me. She and her blog partner, Amy, came up with some awesome ideas for my very uninspiring little nook – I was overwhelmed thinking about how to design the space myself and they were so on target with what I really wanted. I couldn’t wait to implement the ideas.

After a few trips to Ikea, the Container Store, World Market, and some help from super Smarty Mom Adrienne Matthews for the curtains, voila, it’s done (I HATE sewing curtains and Adrienne is way talented – easy decision)! Here are some pictures (many thanks to my supermom sister-in-law, Heather – mom-of-twins, full-time architect, wife AND phenomenal photographer – makes me tired just writing it!).

I am so in love with my little corner of the world. It’s my favorite place in the house. I love that it’s so bright and cheery and organized. I love that I can see when carpool is pulling into the driveway while I sew. I love that I can hang pictures of my friends – old and new – and see their smiling faces while I write my blog (I’m realizing I need to do a better job of taking pictures with friends – I hardly have any. I’m going to think I was friendless when I look back on my 30s). I love that I can see all of my beautiful fabric all the time.

If you’ve been thinking about making your own little space in your house, here’s my advice: DO IT. It’s totally worth it. Maybe it’s an awesome place to cook. Maybe it’s a place to read. A place to write. A place to do crossword puzzles. A really pretty place to surf Pinterest. Whatever you love to do deserves its own space. It doesn’t have to be huge to be great. It just has to have YOU written all over it.

Have you already made your space? How did you do it? What do you love about it?