More fun than football on a Sunday? Power Tools & Beer (Don't try this at home)

Way back in April, I posted about a woodworking project I'd be starting once I had the time.  I would be building a scrapbooking desk for my girlfriend, so she would have massive amounts of workspace and storage.

As I mentioned back then, I have never done this before.  Nervous then, nervous now.

Yesterday, we finally began the actual process.  She had designed the blueprints for the desk, and we had purchased the wood.  Now, it was time to start cutting, and turning planks into a desk.

*gulp*

She called her friend D, who works in contruction.  She brought the tools and the expertise, and in return, I brought the beer.  While D was drawing out the cut lines and the gf was assisting, I went to work cutting.

D fucking rocks.

Surprisingly enough, things went very smoothly, and we are now ahead of schedule.  We should finish up with the cutting by the end of next week, and can start on painting/assembly a week sooner than expected.

So Brandon, why is it taking weeks instead of hours?

Just look at the amount of wood we purchased:

• 7 planks of 1/2 inch thick wood
• 6 planks of 3/4 inch thick wood
• 1 thin board for shelving

This is a big project.  There is going to be storage and shelves galore, and over 125 square feet of tabletop work space.  Gigantic desk, but when finished, the girlfriend is going to have a much easier time getting projects done.

By the way, drinking and power tools don't mix.  Don't try this at home, kids.  By the end of the evening, we were doing 'saw off' races with jigsaws and goofy stuff like that.

As the desk progresses, I'll post pictures.  Mainly because this is my way of bragging.  I have never created something so massive before, and it's overwhelming me that I can actually do it.  Plus it's fun.

It makes me feel... manly.   Like I'm actually good with tools... or something.

Bob the Builder, I am not.

Can I build it?

Well, we will see...

Yes, that's me.
No.  Really.  That's me.
Stop laughing... I swear...
Wait, I already posted pics of myself?
....crap.

As I mentioned before, my girlfriend is now on the verge of becoming a professional scrapbooker.  She just landed her first major client, and the magic of the first check is still in the air.

Website?  Check.

Now, what's next?

Well, she has her own room for her hobby business, but the desk is a little small.  And storage is minimal.  Even when clean, it looks like a crafty explosion of scissors and punches and crap junk things.

So now, we are working on making a desk for her, with adequate storage, drawers, etc.

Let me define 'we.'  She is designing it, and doing all the measurements.  And then I gets to build the sucka.

Now, I have minimal woodworking experience.  I didn't take woodshop in school (*cough* band-nerd *cough*) and the only thing I really built with my dad were some pinewood derby cars in scouts.

So, needless to say, this is going to be an adventure for me.  And for some crazy reason, I'm looking forward to it.

For those of you who want to see what a 'proper' scrapbooking desk/room looks like, check these out:

...I KNOW.

Shelves, storage, and hidden compartments.
It's like a James Bond gadget... but crafty.

What's funny is we are living in her Grandmother's house right now.  We have talked in the past about buying this house at some point.  We could get a good deal and the mortgage would be reasonable, but we want to do a lot with it if we actually take out a home loan and finance this place.

For example, we want to knock out some walls.  Expand the kitchen, 2nd bedroom, den, etc.  Also, this place has WALL TO WALL carpet.  Yes, even in the bathroom and kitchen.  We can't do anything about it now, but we would re-floor most of this place.

In short, if I am successful with this desk endeavor, I'm going to have my work cut-out for me in the future.

Cut-out... get it?  HAHAHAHA....

Any advice from the peanut-gallery?  I could use some help...

Mixing Business With Pleasure

I have been working on and of for the past two weeks on a website.  I have done this before, on occasion.  I've freelanced as a web designer for local small businesses that want a web presence, and I know how to slap one together.

Why is this one any different than the others, you may ask?

This wasn't for a client.  This was for... my girlfriend.

Do what I say, or I'll KIIIILL YOOOU!!!

Granted, she's not an ax-wielding psychopath ALL the time, but this picture seems relevant at the moment.

(babe, don't kill me)

She is going through the process of turning a hobby into a career.  She's a damn-good scrapbooker, and a lot of people have told her she should do this professionally.

See what I mean?  Gorgeous.  And this isn't even her best work...

Over the last year, that thought has grown and grown, and now she has a website.  This Saturday will be her first craft fair, where she is going to sell her wares, and get her name out there for some custom-made stuff (custom, not pre-made, is where the REAL money is, but you have to start somewhere...)

Cards for Sale, along with pre-made books and other stuff.

Don't get me wrong.  I love that she's doing this.  If she can turn her passion into a paying gig, she'll be doing what she loves and making money from it.  Ultimately, that's what everyone wants.

But the website building... well, that was... a peach.  Let's just leave it at that.

When doing websites for a client, they're usually not that bright, web-wise.  So when you use a domain hosting site (I use iPage) and it comes with templates, you use whatever shortcuts you have.  I can do a half-assed job and they'd still be thrilled.

(And believe me, when I use only half my ass, it still looks good.  Full-ass websites are fantastic even if they ARE based from a pre-existing template!)

Not my girl.  She's as much of a geek as I am.  (I met her on WoW, enough said)

She knew the font, the layout, the color scheme, the slideshows, backlinks, crosslinks, etc. that she wanted.  She came with a list.  Which means not only did I need to bring my A-game, but I had to learn a few new things to give her what she wanted.  Thank goodness for Dreamweaver and it's many tutorials.

The design changed 3-4 times.  The color palette changed about as often.  Fonts were tricky.  And all the time, her show this Saturday was looming.  She had already printed business cards, and watermarks on all the books and cards, heralding her new site.

It HAD to be done on time.

Well, not just on time.  It needed to be done a week early, so she and her friends could test it out, and I can fix any problems/bugs they found.  (THAT list is already growing too...)

On a regular basis, I was reminded it needed to be done.

"Is it done yet?"

"You told me it was gonna be done 3 days ago."

"You KNOW I NEED it to be done ASAP, right??"

This was my face at about 7:30 Saturday night...

The good news is it's done.  She didn't kill me, I didn't kill her, and we have 5 more days for testing and such. She has her crack team of friends, relatives, and scrappy associates playing with it, so I'm sure I'll have plenty more to work on during the week.

So long story short, mixing business with pleasure was... an experience.  The good news is, if this show is successful, and she gets her name out there, it will be smooth sailing for her business plans from here on out.

After all, she has a website now!!