Sometimes, I find the odd quick project so satisfying. Art is ongoing, continuous- there is no real beginning or end. I have a seemingly endless amount of house work to accomplish and not the cleaning upkeep kind- I mean the finish carpentry kind: building the master closet, building closet door, finishing baseboard, building floating shelves, building the vanity/counter in my studio from driftwood lumber I nearly killed myself cutting up and dragging off the beach with my poor husband, and most recently- building the chicken coop. This is no ordinary coop. I couldn’t make life that easy on myself. No, it is a chicken palace clad in tongue and groove cedar to match our contemporary home that I designed and have my hand in almost every element of its construction. And this coop is taking a long time.

Yesterday, Sunday, it was painfully cold and windy so I gave myself the day off from the coop build, constructing instead a table that I dreamed up a few nights ago. I had been searching for a second hand piece for that space for months but nothing seemed right. So, as I do way too often, I decided I would whip something up. Normally when I say ‘whip something up’, it usually ends up being a much bigger endeavour than intended but too my delight, this went as planned.

I use chip board for as many projects as possible. For one, I like the look. Also, it doesn’t’ require whole trees to make like normal plywood. It is manufactured from leftover bits and is very strong. Yesterday afternoon, I came home from the lumber yard at 2pm and by 4:30, I had cut, constructed, and assemebled the table I had envisioned. It feels great! A bit of decorating with my favorite objects to off set and highlight the driftwood mythical bull skull I made that hangs above, and the space will look great.