Well it took a little while, but I’ve got myself out of boxes and am enjoying the new studio! There were boxes upon boxes, labels on everything, and I almost made everyone synchronize watches but we’ve officially moved from Broadway to Osborne. The new office feels like a cozy home away from home, with everything close by and the thermostat set to just the right temperature. Best of all? We’re still in the middle of Winnipeg, the little city I love :)


Cleaning up the new studio before the moving day, my POV of Leigh-Ann & Amber

Having a dedicated work space where Leigh-Ann and I can come together has been such a luxury, blessing, and important part of how Freckled Nest works. The biggest reason that we have a dedicated workspace outside of our homes is that in Canada you can’t hire an assistant and have them help you in a home studio. From the start of working together, Leigh-Ann and I both knew that having help with hands on things that we couldn’t give to a virtual assistant – especially for our etsy shop – was going to be a great help and an option that we wanted to keep open for ourselves.


Cleaning up the new studio before the moving day, Leigh-Ann’s POV of Amber & I

Beyond that, there are some real practical concerns that come from having a business partner who’s working alongside you, not for you. Having dedicated side by side work time is a top priority for us, but LA is a night owl & I’m a morning person so our hours don’t always match up, we have dogs living at both of our houses who need tending to when we’re home. We’ve found that when there’s a big or difficult decision to make it’s hard to have that conversation when you’re in someone else’s “home base”, and while we both have lovely little houses the emphasis is definitely on the little. Having a “perma” or “part time” house guest just wouldn’t work for us, and since rent is fairly affordable in our city, we’ve decided that having a studio is an investment that’s important for us and our business.


Unpacking our making section of the office

I always appreciate having a space where I can just focus on work, and even when we’ve had to hustle as hard as we can to make it work, walking into a space that’s the Freckled Nest “HQ” always lights me up and reminds me that this life I’ve been dreaming of & working so hard for? It’s totally real!

And then slowly, while I unpack my bag and think about what I’ll do that day, the gratitude washes into routine and I switch to taking on my inbox & a pot of tea. But I’m always glad that I’ve taken the time to do an inner happy dance. Which may or may not look a little like this ;)


My little dog Mal surveying the new space

Last week I took a mini-blog break to work ahead with my clients after getting behind in the move, but I’m excited to be back this week with a delicious recipe that was requested from my Instagram feed, along with some beautiful finds for Weekly Weak Knees.

I’d love to know, what makes your work space productive for you?

Having a spot for my planner right in front of my keyboard keeps me on track, and being able to see a clock stops time from getting away from me. Also tea, lots of tea :)