A Project & Its Story

Hello friends!

It seems I’ve taken yet another unintended blog sabbatical. I haven’t forgotten to blog…in fact I’ve thought of it often and missed it very much. But the last week or two has been filled with deep cleaning the house and finishing some projects in preparation for hosting a bridal shower for my sister.

I wanted to post a few random things that have been going on, and then finish the post today with photos of my latest project.

Randomness…
*I have newly discovered and fallen in love with goat cheese. Seriously…where have I been?! It’s creamy and tangy in just the right way, and it’s changing my world. 😉

*I now despise my once-favorite store, Goodwill. The prices at my local Goodwill have sky-rocketed, and it’s not even worth looking there anymore. Three hundred dollars for a dresser and $120 for a rocking chair? Hello??? This is a THRIFT store?!? Such a bummer.

*I’ve discovered an even better way to make my morning coffee with my Aeropress I’ve blogged about before. I liked the coffee I first started making with it, but the new way is even better! Check out the sign my husband made for me to hang next to our coffee cupboard:

And now, for my latest project…can I tell you the story behind it?

I have a fetish for desks. Yep, desks. Each member of my family has a desk in their bedroom, and Tanner and I each have a computer desk in our family room. About a year ago I started dreaming about adding another desk to my repertoire. I didn’t tell anyone…after all, we currently have six desks in this house…I thought Tanner would go crazy at the mention of another one. But I had a purpose and a spot in mind for said desk. As my love for writing has blossomed in the last year or two, I’ve wanted a writing desk…a desk free from the clutter of computer cables and screens, free from coloring sheets and homework…a spot to house just my journals, pens, and inspirational items. And the spot in mind? This little corner of our living room. 

Kind of an awkward space to fill, it housed this cute little $5 chair I found. There was nothing wrong with the space…I just felt it could be used more effectively. And my desired writing desk would be the perfect effective use. The only problem was finding a desk small enough to fit there, but large enough to house my writing items. And, it had to be cheep…not a lot of extra cash flowing through our house right now.

And then I saw it. An adorable little roll-top desk posted on a local Swap Site for $15. The size would be perfect, and I saw great potential in it. The only problem? So did a half dozen other people. Someone had already spoken for it, and there were 5 or 6 other people in line for it in front of me. And so, I prayed. Prayed that if I could use this desk for a purpose that would please the Lord, that He’d work it out for those six other people to pass on it. I prayed, and then I waited. Decided not to even check on the progress of it…didn’t even log on to the Swap Site to check on it. That was hard for this control freak, but I knew that if it was really meant to be, God would work out the details.

Several days later, I got an email…I was next in line for the desk, as all of the other ladies had changed their minds about it. Really?! Pure excitement!

I drove my van as fast as I could and picked up this little cutie. Ugly oak and all, I saw great potential.

Using leftover paint from my kitchen cabinets, I immediately gave her a coat of black paint for the undercoat.

Once dry, I rubbed a candle on the corners and edges where I wanted it to look distressed once finished. The candle wax prevents the topcoat of paint from sticking to the black, and effortlessly comes off with a light sanding.

My mother-in-law generously gave me some grey paint leftover from one of her painting projects, so I used that for the topcoat.

Base coat, top coat, distressing…still not totally satisfied. So I experimented with a glaze. Not an expensive store-bought glaze…a “glaze” made with watered down black paint applied with a dry paintbrush. It added just the right amount of character to the piece, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

A coat of polyurethane finished it off, and I think my heart might have skipped a beat once everything was in place. Love!

The window I hung above the desk was one I already had. A fresh coat of paint re-purposed it for its new home. The black and white family photos in the glass panes speak to one of my greatest passions, my family. What better inspiration for writing! The cute little frame in between the family photos was given to me by Tanner’s grandparents, and it holds a quote I came up with to describe the purpose of this desk.

And that is precisely what I plan to do. To sneak away minutes during my sometimes crazy days to capture memories on paper. To let the feelings of my heart flow through pen and turn to words on paper. To create. And in this I find great joy.

You know what else I find quite joyful? That this entire project cost $20 from start to finish. $15 for the desk, and only $5 for the other materials I needed. Most everything was re-purposed or used from leftover projects. Frugal furnishings at it best! 🙂

Blessings to you all. I won’t be blogging more this week as I get ready to celebrate with my sister with several bridal showers on the horizon. Hopefully I’ll be back sometime next week. See you then!