To refinish, or to paint: that is the question.

I scored an adorable antique desk off of Craigslist the other night. I paid $75 for it. In my book that’s a pretty penny, a really shiny and pretty penny. But being an antique it’s incredibly well built with dove tailed joints and solid wood.

This sweet little baby is so perfect for my new “creative corner”. The size is perfectly proportioned to the wall space, not too large and imposing, and not too small robbing me of precious work space. I love the deep drawers, I love the fact that there are drawers at all. I’m so accustomed to crafting at our dining room table, on the couch, on our bed, or on the floor, that I’m genuinely giddy about the hidden storage within my reach.

Here are some detail shots:

I love the drawer handles. These would be given a hefty coat of gunmetal spray paint if I choose to paint the desk.

I love the curved front of the desk. It’s a petite desk and the curve gives it a feminine feel.

So the question remains…. to refinish? Or to paint? When I bought the desk I planned on painting it white. My “master plan” for our living room design, as a whole, is a monochromatic color pallet where furniture is concerned. My hope is to anchor the space, by using all white furniture of various styles to compliment our Martha Stewart “Bedford Grey” walls.

Here are a few inspiration images:

Much like the spaces above, we’ll be combining some sleek and modern white furniture with existing antique pieces; like our coffee table and antique chairs. This desk sits in the back corner of our current living room and will be accented with crisp white shelves above it for open storage.

I particularly love the staggered look of these shelves:

So, do I stick with my master plan and paint this little baby white? Painting the desk also happens to be the easiest option. Or, do I take the, what promises to be a great deal of time, to strip, sand, and re-stain the desk?

Precious Time

I’ve been reminded of the truth that time is precious. We welcomed our sweet baby girl into the world on April 20th! She weighed in at 6lbs and 2 ozs. Our little peanut has blessed our family in so many ways. Her sweet smell, dreamland smiles, squeaky hiccups, and feisty little attitude bring smiles to our faces.

Soaking up every second of this sweet time with our baby girl has pushed a lot of “priorities” off my very full plate. But I rest in the knowledge that my Etsy shop will wait for me as long as it needs to, my twitter followers probably don’t even realize I’m absent, and the blogs I love to read don’t take it personally when I don’t have time to read every post.

I’m spending my days hugging and kissing on my two children, taking insane amounts of photographs, leaving said photographs on large memory cards to edit at a later date, making mental “wish” lists of things to do (like taking a shower before 3pm), and appreciating the little things. This time will end all too soon and responsibilities, schedules, school, business, and countless other priorities will have to be squeezed in….

But for the time being I’ve got nothing but time… time to breathe in these moments.