Steviewren of A Little Birdie Told Me So has asked that today we share where we work and the places where we have our brainstorms, so I’m showing mine below.
Although I get most of my poetic inspiration in the middle of the night when my brain has hit the R.E.M. stage (I can’t show you right now, because I haven’t made the bed) – I do have spaces where I develop those ideas after I’ve let them marinate in the cerebral cortex for a while.
This is where I do most of my work, blogging and correspondence – right at my dining room table. I love it, because it looks out onto my back porch, the trees and all the creatures who come and go. (It’s also right next-door to the kitchen for when I get those cravings for chocolate biscuits and cups of tea!)
Speaking of my kitchen, this window has been the jumping off point for many a poem – the cemetery poems, Snow Upon Snow, Raising the Dead, and more recently Dead and Buried have all been spurred by this sight. Mind you, I have written many poems about birds, weather, squirrels and plants simply because I looked out the window while rinsing out a coffee cup, or grabbing a banana.
This is my office. It’s out of commission at the moment because we are trying to save some money by closing it off for the winter. It’s pretty chilly in there right now, let me tell you!
This is one of my bookshelves (sorry, it’s a bit messy – I recently bought some new ones – you know, the way you do – and I’m running out of room).
You’ll notice the stuffed animals at the top. I used to have a collection of around 100! They were running us out of the house, so I had to make the ultimate sacrifice and cull the group. I couldn’t even look as I packed them into a garbage bag to take them away. *sob*
Anyway, I did keep a few favourites and there they are at the top.
Funny story: Do you see the two boxer dogs in the back? Well, I had only one and thought I had donated him along with the others in the bag. One day we were at our favourite thrift store and I saw one just like the one I had donated, so I said to my husband, “I’m going to buy him back – I should never have got rid of him.” So, we brought him home and I went to put him on a rocking chair with the others and what did I find? I had not given him away in the first place! Now I have two identical stuffed boxers! I call one “Pisa” because he tilts when you stand him up and the other one is “Flo” for Florence. (And now you all know that I’m just a little bit kooky!)
Here’s a better shot of my “Mikado” poster. I found this at a thrift store and I was over the moon! I am a big fan of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas and the Mikado is one of my favourites. I also love the Mike Leigh film, “Topsy Turvy” with Jim Broadbent and Alan Corduner. It is full of the music, but also gorgeous to look at with its lush interiors and fantastic costumes!
Here’s another place where I find inspiration. I guess my mind just wanders off into worlds away when I’m shampooing the noggin. Some of my best ideas have come from behind this curtain!
3-5-3, 3-7-5 
Kat, thanks so much for showing and telling about your inspirational places. The picture of your dining room “office” immediately reminded me of an old masters interior. I think it is the dark wood grains and the natural light. I too find inspiration gazing out of my windows. The big one in my living room does it for me. I noticed your Mikado poster and was about to enlarge the photo to see it better when I noticed that you had another picture of it below. It was a brilliant find indeed. Thanks for the Topsy Turvy recommendation as well. I'll be putting that one on my Netflix queue. And finally I noticed that you have lots of cat stuff (shower curtain, coffee cup). I am sure your cats provide hours of love and inspiration for everything you do.
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Thanks for this peek into your world! I find it really hard to part with stuffies, too– my daughter has a few favourites that I saved from my own childhood. Each one has a personality and a story of its own. There are also dozens of puppet stuffies that I made when my son was little, and my daughter's room is filled with her own huge menagerie. I'm not looking forward to the day we have to cull any! It's easier to cull my excess books, and I hate doing that, too.
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Enjoyed the tour, your place has a nice feel to it, and the view out the back – just essential! I recently bought a stuffed animal. they had very realistic and cheap plush bunnies at Shoppers Drugs, so I bought one for the cats. They like to cuddle up to it and look adorable, but every time I go for the camera, they think it's kibble time. One day I'm going to get that shot!
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Hello Kat, I loved the tour of your places where the ideas hit you.~~~ Thank you for the e-mails with the cute things in them. My little corner of the world where I read blogs and type away can be found in “My Reading Corner.” I am surrounded by my books. It's where I hole up for the winter. In the spring, summer and fall, you will find me on the enclosed porch or as I call it my little sun room. The stuffed animal collection is cute there on top of the bookcase. I understand how the books begin to take over our lives, along with the pets demanding our love and attention and bossing us around! Kat, have a wonderful week-end!
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Stevie, thanks for inviting me to participate.We try to keep the “cat stuff” to a minimum and confine it to the bathroom which is done in a feline motif. There are only a few things in the rest of the house that are cat-related. (Once you tell anyone you're a cat-lover, they tend to inundate you with cat paraphernalia.RachelW – I much more ruthless now than I was before, but I still find myself picking up new “stuffies” at Goodwill (before Kev makes me put them back)! Books are even harder to part with.Deb – We've got giant tiger (not the store) on our spare bed and Daisy likes to snuggle up next to him (his name is Richard Parker, after the tiger in Life of Pi).Gramma Ann – I've seen photos of your reading corner and I envy you a place of undisturbed quiet where you can go to read. There's no such thing here – between my husband and the cats, someone always wants me to fill a bowl! Ha ha.Kat
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Thanks for the look in to your creative space. I always find this intriguing, & were I not so confoundedly busy today, would do the same– perhaps some time in the near future. Eberle & I also love stuffed animals, so it's fun to know that others go in for them in a big way. Sorry you had to cull them– Eberle & I would dread that day.
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Always fun to picture places and people and where they view their birds etc..more kitty pics requested he he
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Great inspiration place, Kat. Love how you strategically placed yourself close to those chocolate biscuits 😉
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Poetikat, you have a number of very lovely spots for your creativity and inspiration, right within your own home. I pile sutffed animals on top of bookcases too. Thanks for posting these pics, and the commentary accompanying them.By the way, I envy you your kitchen window. Must make washings dishes almost fun with so much visual stimulation in front of you.
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John, I find places to tuck the stuffed ones – now that I know I'm not the only one and others don't think I'm too crazy to have them, the collection may blossom once more! (Do you name yours' too?)Sandy, I'll see if I can post a few – maybe with a little cat poem. I'm going to see A.L. Webber's CATS in a couple of weeks and will probably post some T.S. Eliot.Isabel – You can never have enough chocolate biscuits – chocolate anything for that matter. (I like it dark!)Lavinia, You're welcome, and thanks for the compliment. The garden window in the kitchen was what sold it for us. There are many nice things about the house, but that view is the best!Kat
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Thanks for sharing your creative spaces, Poetikat! They look very neat and organized compared with mine!! I love the view from your kitchen window – I always like to have a view, it lifts the spirits and inspires. (I don't see any custard slices, though …)The furry animals are cute and I love the boxer story!! What is the animal on the right, with the long stripey tail? BTW, where is the secret panel?
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Raph, you can't see the mess on that desk! Good eye though with the animal on the top of the bookcase – that's a ring-tailed lemur (with baby). They're called Goody and Will since I found them at the Goodwill charity shop.I don't have any custard slices at the minute. Maybe I'll pick some up for Valentine's Day (they're pretty tricky to make).The panel is in the closet in my office (but, shhh! don't tell anybody).Kat
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That was a lovely tour of your Creative Spaces. Love the soft toys. Hard to get rid of them. I have lots given me by work colleagues, my children and grandchildren so I just can't give them up.
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Thanks for showing this wonderful place. I can see where you get your inspiration from with such a great view from the kitchen You've got a nice place. I like the cat on the bathroom curtain as well.
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Wonderful! Great idea to show the places where creativity sprouts for you. Love the deep colors in your dining area. I've never had the nerve to do dark colors on the wall. What is that black-spotted item on the table in the background? Is that a Holstein cow cookie jar or something? I have a collection of cow stuff….mostly stored away now.
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I am so pleased to meet you through this viewing of your creative space Kat. I can see how your spaces are calm and give you lots of room to let your imagination roam. I so know how you feel when trying to purge books. UGH..I have a terrible time doing it. As to stuffies, I have a collection of finger puppets that I bought for, ahem,errr the Grands.
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Winifred – I couldn't give them ALL up; I get way too attached.Marja – You're right, my kitchen view is a real gift. Yes, the cat on the curtain is just one element of the cat-themed bathroom.Jeannelle – all the colours in the house were already here when we moved in 8 years ago. That is one of the reasons why we chose it – because we loved the colours so much. The only one we changed was the bathroom – it was all pink and blue cabbage roses (not us at all) and we went with a sage green and the cat border. We love our home.To answer your question: It's a very round (Japanese-looking) cat. Did you notice the Holstein cow picture next to the bookcase?Lisa – I used to have a box of finger puppets and I loved them! They had little wooden heads. I still remember my favourite was like a Snoopy dog. I also used to make my own sock-puppets.Kat
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That was fun! I may try that sometime. I think I did a post something like that on one of my blogs. Happy Valentines Day!
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Brenda, you should have left the link, I'd like to see it.Kat
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You have such a nice place, so bright and cheerful. No wonder you're inspired to write! Congrats on the great place with the beautiful views. ♥ ∞
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I think it is marvelous how we share so much of ourselves in the blogosphere and you have done a beautiful job with this post.I can certainly understand why your kitchen window view is so inspirational Kat and I enjoyed your funny story about the boxer dogs.Hugs Peggy
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You might consider painting your office blue; that color is supposed to be excellent for fostering creativity.P.S. today's word verification: rednesshmmm….
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What a beautiful view from your kitchen. Kat thank you so much for your wonderful and kind email. You so totally rock!Just testing out my Valentine's day link-a-delic karma. I linked to BFTP too!
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Call that messy? Hah!Pass us a chocolate biscuit, will you, I've just got a cup of tea and it would be nice to share a snack break with you!x
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Thank you, Sparky! You're right, it is definitely a place of inspiration – inside and out!Hi Peg! You had to be there when we pulled the one boxer out of the bag, only to find the other one sitting on the rocker at home.Cameron! How the heck are you? “redness” – It's fixed, I tell ya!I think blue would be nice, but I want to do it an eggplant colour. It will warm up the room in the winter, don't you think?Blicky – Thanks for linking to BFtP. I really hope to build on that audience – not for acclaim, just because I think people can relate and it's fun!Rachel Fox- Whenever I hear someone mention a cuppa on television, I have to go and put the kettle on.One of our grocery chains had a box of imported “English chocolate-covered biscuits” especially for Christmas, but they ended up having tons left over and put them on sale–well, I just HAD to get some. They are divine! There's a chocolate-orange covered shortbread cookie that is heavenly. Stop by anytime for a tea-break; I'm always willing.P.S. That's about as messy as I get (but not for long).Kat
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What a very fun and creative idea! I really loved this post; you have some beautiful spaces, Kat. Such a cozy looking place. We too are running out of bookshelf space….
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Very interesting post. I love seeing the insides of homes. The photos show a warmth in your space. I love your shower curtain.
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What a fun tour, Kat! I love seeing where my blog friends live and work. Your home is very cozy! I can see why you gather inspiration from it.Hugs,Debbie
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I like these pictures. Our bathrooms look the same. Same fixtures. Same white tile. Same green paint. Sans the kitty-kittys. But, I do love kittys! I, too, find inspiration at night, or sometimes, outside while the kids play. There is a virtual carnvial of blog posts in my head on any given day. Unfortunately, I dare not publish most of them.
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I love your cat shower curtain! Too cute! We did the same thing with our office last year, but this year we ended up putting the media computer/server in it and now the room is toasty!
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