Craigslist Find - Secretary Desk

I inquired about a secretary desk on Craigslist last weekand it was delivered on Sunday.

I love secretary desks.  I love how you can hide your mess by just latching the door.  Plus, they seems so official.  My parents had one when I was younger.  {Actually, I think they still have it but I am not sure.  I should find out and see if I can have it.}  I used to keep all my money and my coin collection in it and count it when I was bored....a little weird? Perhaps.

Secretary desks always remind me of those money counting days.  Someday {hopefully} I will be able to count money on my $40 Craigslist find.

I love and hate the shape of it.  It is deep, which is perfect for hiding my mess, but it looks so bulky. 

I prefer dainty ones like this one that I found on San Diego Craigslist...at $650 it was way beyond my budget.

Or, there's this one from Ikea, it isn't dainty, but it is super functional {and totally boring}.  This sells for $159, still more than I wanted to spend.

So, I got this one.  Also a bit boring, but a great deal at $40.  I think it's an older Ikea design.  It does seem bulky in the space I have it in, but if I could put it in a larger space, it wouldn't feel so bulky.

And, it needs to be painted yellow. 

And the knob and pull need to be changed.  That will give it a more desirable feel.  I think this or this and this would look fab.

The best part is that I can hide all of this:

By doing this:

Ahhhhhhh.....

The ugly lamp on the top right side of my new desk was a present from my husband. It is one of those "crafter's lights." I figured it was just a gimmick, but I pretended to love it to be nice. Yesterday, when I set it up and plugged it in, I was shocked. The box boasts about "HD" lighting and it did not disappoint. Lately, when I work for hours on my designs, my eyes start to get tired and cloudy. So, either my retina is detaching or I am getting old. Here's hoping it's the retina thing.

Photos courtesy Craigslist, Ikea, and me