a desk made for a doll

Today’s post is a very special one.
I’m sharing a piece that I just completed for my friend and soul sister, Alison Marie. She is hands down, bar none, a truly amazing human being.

I can’t remember exactly when we met, but sometime in high school. In a time when girls have a hard time figuring themselves out, I was lucky enough to befriend this very special lady. We bonded over the softball diamond (Go Irish!) and many, many other things since then.

Ali is the type of person who you just know is going to leave a mark on the world. She’s so passionate, smart and motivated. She’s been one of my biggest supporters and pushers in many aspects of my life, but this business is one of the biggest.

I am lucky to call her my friend.

And lucky to complete this desk for her.

Ahh, this desk. A score by Double B, it sat in my workshop for about 7 months before I ever got to it.

I was overwhelmed by the work that it needed.

I wish I could say that a vision hit me and I was compelled to start it, but thats not how it happened.

I needed something short and sturdy to rest another small piece on, so I pulled out of one the drawers of this desk to hold it up. As I tugged at it, a piece of old, worn paper came flying out of the back of the hinge.

It was an old piece of scratch paper with some sort of geometry equations with lots of coordinates, angles and numbers. I immediately knew this was the desk for Ali. Among other things, Ali is an extremely talented engineer who has a gift with numbers… something I am SERIOUSLY jealous of. The stuff she does on a daily basis makes my head spin!

I just knew this was the piece for her… I felt it in my bones! And after I texted her a picture of the desk and the sheet of paper, she was on board, too. Her faith that I could do it justice just speaks to her kindness and faith.

Ahhh, again, this desk. It was a MESS! I enlisted Double B to clean it up and pry off a layer of laminate on the top. Before this, it was ugly, fo’real fo’real!

Here’s a shot after it’s deep cleaning:

The amazing carved legs, all of the embellishments and curvy lines seem to fit an era long forgotten. It’s Beautiful with a capital B.

For this piece, we decided to go with a grey and white look.

I did some blending with Annie Sloan’s Paris Grey and Pure White.

There’s several coats and strokes in different shades to really help those details pop.

I’m so happy with the result and I hope Ali is too – I know she’s eager to see these pictures!

Also, fun fact, I shot these pictures in my dining room and I’m really excited about how the trim and wall color come off with the natural light source. I’m still learning how to handle shadows, so bear with me please!

Okay folks, here they are: