The newest addition to my creative arsenal

I have very exciting and big news.

It's not a new sewing machine -- it's better. It's a project desk!



I've been dreaming about this desk since September, I think. On Saturday K and I went to Hardware Hawaii and got a 30 inch by 80 inch hollow core door. Last Sunday we got the 2x4s and had them cut at Home Depot in Pearl City. My parents gave me the sawhorse brackets for Christmas. I'm not sure how much the sawhorse brackets cost, but I can't imagine much, because they only consist of heavy-duty molded plastic and the bolts to secure them together.

The 2x4s were $1.99 each, untreated pine (I think). We got five pieces of lumber, but we calculated that we really only needed four, because our math was wrong and the legs ended up shorter than we originally thought. The lumber was around 90-something inches long, so we could have gotten three of the 30-inch legs out of each (we needed eight total), but we had calculated the legs to be 38.9 inches -- too tall. I wanted it to be a standard height desk of around 30 inches. Despite the angle of the legs making it less than 30 inches tall, the brackets, crosspieces, and the door make the table just under 32 inches tall. So it's a little taller than a standard desk, but it works well and is great for standing up and sitting down work.

The door was a plain, unfinished hollow core door. We got it for $37 at our local hardware store, but it was cheaper at Home Depot for $30. However, it would have cost us more money to have it delivered ($75), use their "you haul it" truck ($20/hr), or borrow K's boss's truck and drive 30 minutes each way (figuring in gas and time). So paying $7 more and hauling it ourselves in that truck was way cheaper, as the hardware store is about three miles away.

I only had to drill four holes for the bolts to fit into, so assembling this was easier and faster than any store-bought piece of furniture (we've assembled two in the last few months). Someday I may paint, stain, or varnish the door and/or legs, but for now I like them bare. If I ever paint or glue on the table (quite likely), it will get the spills, splashes, and remnants of those projects. I like that idea.

So I paid about $47.75 for the desk, not including the brackets, which I doubt would add much to the cost. So cheap, and I saved a ton over every other possibility I found on the internet. It's easily taken apart -- the door is very light because it's hollow. We carried it out of the store ourselves.

I'm so excited about this desk. I haven't put much on it yet, except for my computer, my sewing machine, and a lamp in the far corner. Underneath I put a three drawer rolling chest full of fabrics and yarns. It fit nicely underneath one sawhorse and is easy to get to and see. On the other side I have a basket of patterns and a bag of current yarn projects. The desk is perfect for what I need. My computer, possibly with a pattern or instructions, can sit on one side, while my sewing machine or other project will have plenty of room on the other. And you know what? My dressform (which I'm trying to think of a name for) looks great standing next to it. It feels like my creative space now.
:-)

Now if only I could find the time to catch up on posting about the crafty projects I have completed and start on my new ones....