Sunday 22 May 2016

Pinspiration | Office Goals


I've been working for myself from home for almost a year now and I absolutely love it. Granted, my current living situation is a little 'unfortunate' and I don't have complete control over my workspace yet - I'm still working on boosting my finances since graduating from university and currently bunking in with my parents - but I've managed to carve out a little office space for myself in the guest bedroom and am currently trying to make it my own. I'm also dreaming of the office I'm going to have once I've finally got the deposit for my own house together. As always, I've turned to Pinterest for ideas and inspiration and thought I'd paint you a picture today of my dream office using Pins...

(Note - embedded pins may not show up on mobile devices so switch to web-view)

Colours

My dream office is full of flowers, books, efficient storage and lots of natural light (which my current dark space is seriously lacking). As a general rule in my home decor, I like a combination of white, wood and neutral, soft colours, mixed in with metallics. I find bright colours really distracting in an office environment, and I'm very easily distracted when I'm writing. The slightest thing can throw me off and make me lose my thread.



Desk

My current desk is the IKEA Micke. I chose it because it also provides me with a white backdrop for blog photography when I need it. In an ideal world I'd probably choose a pale wood finish for my desk-top, but I love IKEA for their affordable, functional options, and the drawers in the Micke mean that my surfaces don't get cluttered and plenty of room for my hoard of office snacks.



Storage

I love shelves. Historically I've always favoured floating shelves in either white or pale wood (see above), but recently I've started coming around to the idea of shelving units and bookcases. Eventually, I'd like my home office to also be a place where I can come to relax and read, so all my books will be kept there and I believe books should always be on display. Although drawer space is important to me, and I detest a cluttered workspace, I'm not keen on having too many drawers, so well-organised shelves are a must.



Lighting 

In my head, the windows in my office of dreams are going to be huge. Due to chronic fatigue syndrome, a dark room makes me sluggish and drowsy and no amount of vitamin D is going to compensate for lack of natural light. While I know in my heart of hearts that having my desk face out of a window will seriously affect my productivity, it's nice to dream. My current office lighting is a bit slap-dash, as the room gets almost no natural light whatsoever, but I've put a himalayan salt lamp* in there for a soft, pink glow while I work because I find the artificial glare of most desk-lamps too harsh.



Decor

I love the idea of having a feature wall in my home office, with interesting prints or art on it, while leaving other walls more minimal. I'd love to do a DIY job or giant pinboard, using various prints and quotes, but I also really love the idea of a large world map canvas. I'm working with a client at the moment that makes the most beautiful wall maps and murals (they made the map wallpaper featured in this pin - although I'd style it completely differently myself) and I just know I'm going to cave in and buy one as soon as I've got somewhere to put it. That wasn't a shameless client plug by the way, I genuinely love their products, which makes my work even more awesome.

I could go on forever about all the things I *need* for the dream office I don't have yet, but if you want more office Pinspiration, you should definitely follow my board. I've been going mad on office pins lately! Once I've got my current little corner the way I like it, I'll probably follow with a photo-tour post.

I also love sneaking a peek into others' home offices, so if you have an office tour on your blog or channel, do link to it in the comments, and it'll probably end up on my board!!

What's in your dream home office?


*Affiliate link  (I purchased this product and absolutely adore it)
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Monday 16 May 2016

My Vegan Life (In Pictures)

My Vegan Life - That Lisa Clare

I've been vegan for over two years now. It's not a secret. I've completely embraced it in every aspect of my life and it's been the most positive thing I've ever done for myself - although I didn't actually do it for myself to begin with - but I don't talk about it much. Sure, I'll wax lyrical about cruelty-free beauty products or what I had for dinner and I think I've used all of the vegan hashtags at some point in the last two years, but I don't really get deep and ethical about it online. To be honest, I'm a little self-conscious because I don't really fancy being stereotyped, and I don't want it to overshadow other aspects of my identity. Today, however, I really feel like giving a bit of insight into my day-to-day life as a vegan...


Vegans are some of the most food-obsessed people I've ever come across, and I'm right in there with them. It's not because we have trouble finding food either; it's more to do with the fact that a whole new world of food options opens up to you when you ditch old habits. Hand on heart, I can honestly say I don't miss anything that I used to eat - mainly because I've been veggie for most of my life, and because, a lot of the time, the meals I cook now are just plant-based versions of the meals I used to make.  I may experience the odd feels when I see someone with blue cheese or a poached egg, but I definitely don't want to eat those things now. They don't register as food with me any more. Those feels are pure nostalgia and have been relegated to the 'been there, done that' folder in my brain. 

Pizza Express Pianta - Vegan Pizza
Pizza Express Pianta Pizza
Nowadays, you'll find me getting ridiculously overexcited about artichokes, guacamole and sweet potatoes (although not on the same plate). Yesterday I baked a swede in the oven and devoured it whole, sprinkled with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. I never enjoyed steak or bacon as much I enjoyed that swede yesterday. I'd describe my current diet as high-carb-low-fat, with mostly whole foods, although that may not be reflected in some of the photos in this post. We're all allowed treats once in a while, and vegan treats are positively saintly compared to their meat, dairy and egg laden counterparts. I shop in regular supermarkets and eat out at regular chain restaurants. 


Beauty has been more of a challenge. I'm still using up the dregs of my pre-vegan makeup stash because I'm not in a position to be able to afford to throw away expensive makeup. Non-vegan ingredients are harder to identify on beauty products and animal testing is a minefield thanks to various legal loopholes. Thanks to sites like Logical Harmony though, I'm able to make more informed choices now and, although there are occasional slip ups - I bought myself a new Barry M eyeshadow palette recently and the primer included with it turned out to contain beeswax - you live and learn) - I now know which brands to avoid and which brands offer amazing cruelty-free products for vegans. 

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation - Vegan Beauty


I wouldn't say that being vegan has changed anything about my personality or who I am as a person, although I'm definitely more mindful now in my day to day life. I've learned that it's okay to ask questions and not to be scared to say no to something because it conflicts with what you feel is right, because people who belong in your life, and deserve your time, will always understand and respect your choices. The most powerful thing I've learned is that it's okay to change your opinion based on new information. One of the most humble things we can do in our lives is to be constantly in search of knowledge and to grow and shape our lives around the things we experience. Some things we see along the way may be shocking and unpleasant, but sometimes they make us better people. I'm definitely a happier, healthier person today because of those things. 
Now that I'm starting to ease myself back into regular blogging again, I'm going to try and share more vegan lifestyle related content, some amazing resources, and maybe even dabble in the odd plant-based recipe post (although don't get too excited about that - I'm a 'fly by the seat of my pants' kinda cook and very rarely use precise measurements or keep track of what ingredients I'm throwing in my pot). 

For more snippets of my vegan lifestyle, feel free to stalk me over on Instagram and Pinterest. I'd love to see you all there! 

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