I've Been Waiting...

...and if you can read that title without hearing Mark Salling's acoustic version on last night's Glee (and humming it to yourself), then you are obviously not a Gleek or you just have no soul.  Either way, I'm not sure we can be friends.

So yeah. A long, long time ago I discovered the world of scrapbooking when a friend took me to a Creative Memories party. And I loved the idea of pasting photos and stories in books (and, to be honest, I've had a thing for Mrs. Grossman's stickers since I was, um, seven) so it was a match made in heaven.  I started out scrapbooking every now and then, with a plastic box of supplies I'd pull out and use at the dining room table every few weeks.

Then I got more involved. I discovered scrapbook magazines, the Two Peas in a Bucket site, and scrapbooking became a much more frequent event for me. I started submitting layouts to magazines, finally getting my first publication in the March/April 2004 issue of Simple Scrapbooks. I accepted positions on a few design teams and scrapbooking evolved into an everyday occurence that quickly outgrew the plastic box and dining room table.

Fast forward to today.  I have a lovely office set-up that, in theory, should work for both my graphic design and scrapbooking.  In reality, however, I have discovered that I am a stand-up scrapper (Homo Sapien Scrapper Erectus) which means I am either stooping to work at the too-short desk, or moving my work to the floor which requires advanced level yoga moves and contortions. So after a few trips to the chiropractor, I decided it was time to find a counter-height scrap table.  And so the hunt began.

I looked for a long, long time, scouring home decor, big box, and furniture stores....garage sales and Craigslist and eBay...and every antique store in a 50 mile radius....waiting and searching for that elusive piece.  It needed to be tall, long, with a decent amount of storage, and preferably fit in with the ecclectic vintage/peeling paint/furniture-with-a-history vibe I had going on in my workspace.  And then, two weeks ago, I walked into Cozy Cottage at Flat Irons and saw it:

<<cue the angels singing and symphonic overtures>>

There it was... an old postal counter from the 1910s, counter-height in a perfectly distressed and patina-ed finish. And a glorious 8-feet of workspace! (I might have squealed like a little girl).

After pitching my argument for its purchase to Mike, which might have gone something like "If I don't get this table, I might diiiiiieeeeeeee.  Or at least pout for six weeks and make your life horrible."  (Sometimes I can be so convincing. And whiny. It's a highly developed talent.) he agreed and handed over his credit card. And I made darn sure the store slapped on a SOLD! tag before I'd leave.

So this baby was delivered on Monday and we've been getting to know each other ever since. It's got a slight slant to the work surface, but not so steep that things slide off.  The edge against the wall is level, and will soon be lined with jars of scrapping goodies.

Since the table will be replacing the glass-doored bookshelves that used to reside on this wall, I have to find places for all the stuff in that bookcase. Luckily, these drawers are big and deep, and I'm slowly working on filling them up!

I'm also realizing that I have too.dang.much.stuff and am in the process of yet another ginormous purge. Which means it looks like a scrapbook store exploded in here right now.  But by fueling up on candy corn and coffee, I'll have this space whipped into shape in no time.

Welcome home, sweet scrap table.  I've waited a long, long time for this day!