My New Desk

Whew! I think the studio is finally coming together. I do know that if this isn't the set-up that is going to work, I am on my own for the next go around!!! We decided to rework the desks so that I could have morework space with my computer. The little white desk it was on before was only 12 inches deep and barely held the monitor and keyboard. I couldn't set anything on my desk to look at while working at the computer. It had to be in my lap, on the floor, or on the desk behind me. We moved the two ikea desks to the long wall and built a desk to bridge the two. Now my 2 sons have ample work space as well as myself and I am between the two in hopes of preventing any space wars! These aren't the greatest photos ( I just snapped them withmy phone), but they show you what we did. Will get a cool piece of furniture from my mom's tonight to store all the goodies that were in the credenza along this wall before. Check #1, I think you remember the piece. Can't wait to get it in here, fill it up, and label the drawers. I'll post more pics when it is complete!

Laundry Room Makeover

This is a project I have wanted to do for a long time. I got the idea from Sausha at Show & Tell. I was hoping to tackle this one on my own, but DH made it into a much bigger project than I could have imagined. It is all finished now and I am thrilled with the results. Dare I say doing laundry isn't all that bad anymore.

I don't have a picture of the laundry room as it started out.

The biggest flaw was that there was no room for laundry baskets to hold the dirty clothes waiting to be washed. I knew that once this piece were built, I wouldn't be able to move things around for painting. Therefore, the painting had to happen first. We removed all we could from the small space and discovered we even had some old wallpaper lurking behind the cabinet. It was pretty ugly and hurt your eyes. I can't imagine and entire room of this stuff. The paint color we chose was Aegean Blue by Martha Stewart. Does that sound familiar Chick #3? I loved the way the paint color turned out. It was amazing how much brighter the entire room seemed by just changing the paint the color. It was yellow before which I

thought would have been pretty bright, but it just blended in with the white trim, cabinet, and floor. The blue really pops and makes the black appliances look awesome! The room was now ready for the "build". It was apparent that this build had become more than I was capable of. So, DH and his Grandfather took on the task of building. I was a bit apprehensive because I know they think differently than I do. For them, function is more important than form. And yes, ladies, sometimes I allow form to win over function. Oh well, back to the

project. We convinced our dear grandfather to visit for the weekend (we threw in a basketball game and a birthday party to sweeten the pot) and he and DH worked long hours to ensure that the base would be safe and secure. I was worried that it had become too much, but DH husband commented on how much he enjoyed having

this time with his grandfather doing things they both enjoyed. There were moments when they questioned whether or not this would safely hold the weight and movement of the washer. Safety was of the utmost concern. Thanks again to Sausha and her encouraging words that this could be done! Even my two DS's were able to help with the project; they painted, assisted in the building, fetched items, and helped get the washer in place. Speaking of washer - oh my! That thing weighs a ton!!! My DH's biggest concern was how to get that thing up onto the base. He knew we couldn't lift it ourselves and really didn't want to ask his buddies to help. We have reached the age where are potential for injury is greater than it used to be and we all know we don't recover like we used to either! Well, his gears kept turning and he finally came up with a solution; a pretty unconventional one, one I wouldn't necessarily recommend to others.

It did, however, work! Using several car jacks and being extremely careful, we were able to raise the washer to the height needed to slide it back onto to the base. With the washer in place, the remaining pieces of trim and paint could be added to the base. I am so tickled with the end result. It is taller than I had

planned, but my husband feels good about the integrity of the piece. The appliances open at a perfect height for moving loads of laundry and the baskets fit perfectly underneath. The laundry has been caught up ever since! Hope you like the finished project as

well. Would love to hear your thoughts!!!