Tuesday Mini-Transformation

Sometimes the best transformations are not the ones that take days and hours to complete. Sometimes, the best trash to treasure projects take no more than an hour, but make a huge difference. Here is an example. 

I work with a laptop with a secondary monitor, keyboard and mouse attached. Sometimes, that leaves me with little space to put my papers. And I don't want to smother my laptop with books and papers. What papers you ask?  I guess I should admit that I cleaned up my desk a little for the photo.

So, I figured if I could find some way to get my laptop up off the desk a little, I'd have a little place to put papers I need handy while I'm working. I went down the basement to browse around in our stash of scrap lumber. I found a pine frame from a small cabinet door that was damaged in shipping and replaced by the manufacturer. I just couldn't throw it out after they sent me the new one. Now it looked like just what I needed.

Believe it or not, it is exactly the size of the laptop! I had my hubby help me put "legs" on it, which were just scraps of pine 1 by 2.

Sanding would have been smart, but I was in a hurry and didn't take the time. Bad example, I know!

Once the piece was put together, I grabbed a can of spray paint, left over from the deck furniture project, and quickly transformed it into a rich chocolate brown.

The opening in the frame also allows air to circulate under the computer and give me a place to slip cords through as needed.

With my hubby's help, I had this completed and in use in less than 45 minutes. I'm pretty handy with power tools myself, but he offered to do it while I made dinner. Win-win!

I'm so glad I found a use for something I almost threw away. Honestly though? I've had it in that lumber box for many many years. Like more than ten. I think that qualifies me for pack-rat, don't you think?