Tonnye Fletcher
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The WordSmithery

July 17, 2020 -- I don't know when I've been more excited to share something. . . . Shane and I have been working in this space for over a month.  The beginning of June, it had unfinished drywall and was full of JUNK -- nothing but storage!   Much of the space was still raw lumber.   We finished putting up drywall, finished it out, painted, cut trim, put down flooring, and made this beautiful space happen!  My husband has worked so hard to give me a space of my own to write and think and dream and read, and it may not be perfect, but it is so perfect for me!  It is a lovely space which has taken lots of blood, sweat, tears, a few temper tantrums as he tried to get things as level as possible (I wrote a blog post about that. . . .)  I helped all along the way, but he did the hard stuff -- the heavy lifting, the thousands of trips up and down the stairs cutting and hauling.  My mother-in-law and niece came to help for a few days -- we painted together.  She brought me the recliner and the lamp, which saved me lots of $$. Other pieces in here came from her directly or indirectly.  I went "shopping" at my mom's earlier this week for some of her yard sale treasures --so much love and kindness and help have created this lovely space, and I am humbled and oh, so grateful!

I've chosen a name for the space.  I've tried a few things, but nothing that really seemed "right".  When my sister (who helped me with her artistic eyes in choosing colors for the desk, shelf and frames) came up for a visit, I was pondering the right name.  We consulted with Google, and found what I think is the perfect name for this place of work and inspiration and words and writing and love and craftmanship.  I'm calling it The WordSmithery.  The name is perfect for a few reasons.  For one thing, wordsmithing is what I do here, obviously.  My mother's family name is Smith and just like the "smithy"s of her ancestry, this is my place of work and crafting with my hands.  (And this house is old, and, can I just tell you that even with our brand new A/C unit up here, it still feels like a smithery some days :-O)  It's been a long time coming, and I have a long way to go, but I am a wordsmith -- and this, my friends, is my WORDSMITHERY.  Welcome!    
Here's a 5-ish minute video tour or you can click through the pics at the bottom.  Forgive all my "favorites" in the video -- they really are all special "favorites", but a bit redundant to be sure :-O
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My comfy recliner, where I read, write, watch the sunrise (although not often ;-), drink coffee, and think about writerly things. . . .
Birds are one of my favorite things and they show up throughout the space!
This is Kitty Sparkles -- a tortoiseshell who owns us ;-) She finally made her way up to the Wordsmithery to hang out with me while I write. Some days she thinks she is queen, but apparently, she was channeling her "inner book" :-D
This is one of our favorite picture books. Our house was built in 1882 and has been moved twice! Quite a feat for a 2-story, 2300-sq-ft house! This is her personal favorite book :-)
My desk and computer area. I painstakingly attempted to refinish the desk. While it didn't turn out QUITE like I had hoped, it's a perfect space to sit and write and it has lots of character!
My music and my planner. Quiet instrumental music -- lots of classical, but other styles too. My planner was a free download from homeprintables.com. They have lots of sweet printables.
Bird and nature books -- more coming to this shelf soon . My window is a perfect bird-watching spot and I have binoculars tucked into my drawer for those moments of inspiration.
Brainstorming/idea/planning board!!!
Daily goals -- Thanks to PB chat, Justin Colon, Suzy Leopold for helping me craft smart, measurable goals!
Poetry section -- There's more to add to this shelf. I love reading and writing poetry!
This door was originally a pocket door for one of the bathrooms, but my hubby repurposed it as my closet workstation door!
Here's the full daily goal chart. It has my life verse (Psalm 19:14 -- May the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer! and my personal mission statement -- basically to use words for all good things and only good things! :-)
Wide view of the shelf and drawer cabinet. I LOVE that piece! I actually love anything with lots of drawers -- especially small drawers. . .
This bulletin board houses my weekly and monthly writing goals (which are laminated so I can tick them off and [hopefully] stay on track -- I use dry erase markers to tally and check off items.)
More books to come, but these are the ones that have migrated up here so far. I LOVE Robert Munsch -- his books are hilarious -- or emotional. . . (Love You Forever!?!?)
All of the red-framed artwork is by artist Katie Daisy. I'm typically frugal, but I splurged on these prints from Katie. I love the nature, the quotes, the whimsy, and the vintage cottaginess of them. :-D
This MIGHT be my favorite . . .
Jan Brett is one of my all-time favorite authors! And I dearly LOVE this story!
A space feels so much more alive with live flowers! These are still hanging in from before Independence Day! They are almost 2 weeks old -- and still adding life and color !
Carol Crane books are terrific! After hearing her talk a couple years ago, I decided I wanted to be Carol Crane when I grow up :-)
The view from the hall heading into the WordSmithery. . . .
Music -- wherever I go. Oftentimes, I have YouTube playing in the background. Tim Janis is a personal favorite. But I am old school, so I also have CDs (and cassette tapes -- and vinyl :-O)
Max Lucado is a favorite inspirational author -- we have his kid books and his adult books! Butterflies and more nature, too -- they provide much inspiration!
Here's the view from the work closet -- what a sweet space! I love it so much!
Here's that mission statement -- obviously not all those E-words at the SAME time !?!?!? Depending on the writing/talking and the purpose, but I want my words to be a positive influence!
My writing trophies -- I have some medallions that will make an appearance at some point. Mostly, these are from NCRA's Young Author project. Check it out at ncreading.org
Copier, laminator, and storage for speaking engagement resources!
I love this little practical shelf -- tacks, markers and erasers for my goal tracking area.
Red has always been one of my favorites! Love the pops of color in this space!
Comfy for sitting, lounging and reading/writing and perfect for guests! And oh, yes, this IS my Happy Place!
So, since our sweet house is aged, she has lots of character and not a few character flaws. My dream magnet keeps the door from opening automatically. The door is level, but everything else is not :-O Even my house has quirks -- go figure!
Some of these books are childhood favorites and some are teaching favorites and some are just favorites.
Currently, as part of my Word Weavers book club, I am reading THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK -- and Loving it! I've laughed, cried, wanted to throw up, been angry, sad, inspired and elated -- and I'm not even half finished . . . .highly recommend!
Sweet little vignette. . . love my antique perpetual calendar from my MIL.
Sweet little Sparkles. She definitely adds sparkle to our life!
Jaqueline Woodson has been a part of NCRA's Reading Conference in recent years. I love collecting signed copies of excellent books.
Ready to capture thoughts and ideas. . . .
I love this Katie Daisy print!
Writers' craft bookshelf -- working right now on WRITING PICTURE BOOKS by Ann Whitford Paul, recommended by Cyle Young
Writing music selections (and my bird sounds CDs)
A couple of devotional books for inspiration and NCRA anthologies from writings across NC as part of their Young Author Project
This is right above my window -- the view is lovely -- fields and farm, my family's homes, and a bit of our yard . . . what a wonderful world!
Life verse. . . .every day prayer!
Savor life and its magic, indeed!
Every day is what we make it! Inspiration for every single day!
Sunrise this morning as I was reading -- just past the roof :-)
More childhood favorites, leftovers from my 2nd grade classroom and books I love!
Sweet siestas in my happy place. . .
I've always loved animals -- Heidi was one of my favorite books I read as a child, and I read all the horse books during 4th and 5th grades!
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