"If I could, I surely would..."

Recently, I've been seized with the desire to build furniture. This is ironic, to say the least, as I've never actually built any furniture, don't own a drill or proper saw, and lost my hammer when I accidentally packed it in my carry-on luggage the Christmas I received it and had to leave it at security. (I did replace it at some point; maybe when I used it to rip out my Bowling Green kitchen countertops?)

These visions started with a bookshelf. My neighbors, whose apartment mirrors mine, built themselves beautiful, tall bookshelves (and then filled them with the sort of books that only two liberal arts graduate students can amass). They claim that building them was ridiculously easy, which, coupled with the desire to house my own overflowing books, I find terribly inspiring. I did some measuring and drawing and looked at wood (and drill) prices online, but that's where I got discouraged. Somehow, it looked like making the shelves myself would be more expensive than buying them at Ikea. Doesn't anyone sell just laminated particle board? Home Depots and stores of that ilk are hidden in the suburbs; I'll still swing by one and do some in-person pricing when I'm on a teaching run.

Next--wandering around the Ikea website?--I thought about how nice it would be to have a real bed. Right now, my bed is an air mattress resting on plywood balanced on four dining room chairs. It is functional, but a real bed would be awfully nice too. I did more measuring, drew more plans, and wondered whether there were enough 2x4s in the basement to make a sturdy frame. Apprehension of spiders and other basement nastiness have so far kept me from exploring that option (and, of course, having to actually start the project).

Most recently, I've been thinking about living room furniture. Today I finally sorted (read: moved to the other room) the multitudes of classroom books that have been cluttering my apartment for the past five weeks, and can once again see my living room floor. My new chair is in a sort of decorational purgatory right now, as the corner it should live in is currently occupied by a bookcase. Nonetheless, it is inspiring me, and I was thinking how cozy the room would be with an ottoman or some sort of bench seat under the windows. And, what do you know? The internet is full of ideas for DIY ottomans!

Given my discoveries regarding the price of wood, however, as well as of foam (it looks like a 7" deep 20 x 20" piece to replace the chair's missing back cushion will be around $30!), I thought maybe I'd find a piece of furniture at the thrift store that could be modified appropriately. I did not find one--at least one that fit my budget. As I was on my bike at the time, it was pretty much a reconnaissance mission, anyway.

What I did find, though, were the tiny curling iron I'd been looking for ($1.99!) and a pair of practically new Anne Klein tan leather mary janes ($6.99!). Sweet action.