It’s finished!!! I finally took this hunk o’ junk… and transformed it into a beautiful office desk!!!
Isn’t it awesome?!?
There is even a neat little cubby space underneath for future storage!
It’s not perfect but that’s JUST the way I like it! The cable spool adventure has FINALLY come to an end. I am SOOOOOO happy I didn’t let Jon convince me to throw it away! hehe
I mean… even though I let it take up garage space and collect dust for what felt like ages…
And even after we realized that it wouldn’t even fit through the office door… Yes, I DID ever so sweetly ask Jon to take out the window in the office. I’m a lucky girl aren’t I?
and ever so kindly took my good friend Kayla’s offer to help us squeeze it through the window…
which as you can see, still didn’t work… HA!
I STILL believed, ever so stubbornly, that I would make it happen! So we took out the window all together. Really…
But alas where there is a will there is a way and my unique custom desk is being put to good use! I’m SO excited to use the home office for what it really is! YAY!
Tips: In the end I found that I needed to cover the top with glass as the cable spool still had too many nails and bumps to really use effectively. I found a round glass table top on Craigslist for $40 bucks. Not too bad considering the spool itself was free. I used dark walnut stain that I had sitting in the garage as well as old white paint for the top and purchase a soft teal paint for about $25.00 at my local hardware store. The total cost ended up to be about $70.00!
It’s been almost a year since I discovered an old and abandoned cable spool.
I realize it’s old and weathered but there’s something about it that I find so lovely. After a year in the garage, it was about time to do something with it. Last month Jon even put his foot down and gave me an ultimatum. “You either do something with it by the end of the year or I’m throwing it out.” He’s not usually so adamant about anything but given that I let it take up space for a whole year… well, the man had a right to speak up.
So I finally got to work on it… on December 31st!! Talk about procrastination! Up until then I was pretty sure that I would turn it into a breakfast table, that’s the only use I could think of for it. A couple of things led me to change my mind. One, we are currently remodeling the office and two, I need a desk and so a desk it shall be!
Here’s how I did it…
I needed more leg room at the bottom of the spool. So I flipped it over and drew a circle around the base.
Originally I thought a jigsaw would be able to do the job but unfortunately it wasn’t strong enough. I found myself using several saws to get the job done and ended using not only the jigsaw but a circular saw and a saw-zall. Not fun.
The process took a good 5-6 hours with plenty of breaks in between. My arms wanted to fall off but I would not let Jon win. By the time I was done attacking it, it looked like this…
I decided to remove three planks from the base while I was cutting around the bottom. I figured it would give my legs even more room and that it would offer some storage space too! Yay for extra storage space!!!
The next step was to sand it down and… paint it. I really didn’t want to paint it because the weathered look of the boards is what appealed to me in the first place. But the truth is that it’s kind of yuckie when you’re up close and personal with it. Plus, I would only paint it if I had some awesome inspiration to do so, which of course I did when I came across this table on Pinterest.
Lovely isn’t it? I’ll paint it soon enough and get it in the office for a nice reveal in the coming week or so.
Oh yes, and if you’re wondering what Mr. “You’ve got to do something about this” had to say, then know this… I’ve gotten an extension on my “deadline”. hehehehe
I’ve always known that I would one day become self employed. As the daughter of an entrepreneur, it was inevitable. In 1969 my mother emigrated to the United States from Cuba with her two siblings and parents. Here’s a picture from way back in the day when Mom was still a little girl. She’s the taller one with the little bows in her hair. Isn’t she a cutie?
So mom came to the United States with her parents and two siblings when she was 15 years old. My great aunt Tinita sponsored their move and almost immediately began teaching my mother her trade… skincare. So Mom became Tinita’s apprentice and thus began her skincare education. To say that my family owes her much is an understatement.
By the time my mother was 30 (and pregnant with me) she had established enough of a clientele base and skill to begin working for herself full-time.
Not only was I born into the skincare industry, but I was also born the daughter of a self-employed woman. As a matter of fact, I barely have any memories of mom working for anyone but herself. If you ever grew up with a self-employed parent then you’re probably familiar with hearing phrases like “there’s nothing better than working for yourself”. So the truth is, I’ve heard those kinds of phrases in the back of my head my entire life. The spirit of what they mean is strong.
Interestingly though I never saw myself following in my mothers footsteps. I had other plans for myself… And now my blog friends… I prepare to “reveal” the life changes I’ve been alluding to lately. So here it is…
A few months ago my mom approached me about a new business endeavor. If you’ve been following my posts, then you know that my teaching career was… up in the air shall I say?
To be honest, I could have cared less when mom approached me in June 2012. She was selling a new skincare product and it seemed as though she wanted me to sell it with her. All I could hear though was “scam, scam, scam”. Mom was getting herself into another one of those “pyramid schemes” Relationship Marketing companies… I’d seen this happen several times growing up and it was always… well, a waste!
But I’ve gotta tell you… this one appeared to be a little different. For one, the product was something that my mother knew all about. I should have given her 40+ years of experience a little more credit when she first came to me. Like so many though, I believed I knew better than she did. How awful huh? I feel so guilty about my arrogance now when I look back at everything.
To make a long story short here’s what happened on June 28th, 2012.
Mom: “Emily, I don’t care what you say! If there is one thing I know, it’s SKIN and this opportunity is too great for me to let you miss out on. I’m signing you up! At least I’ll have the peace of mind knowing that I gave you a chance at this.”
Me: “Fine. But I’m not spending a DIME of my own money! If I DO make anything, I’ll pay you back. But I’m not giving you any guarantees”
Mom: “Fine.”
Me: “Fine.”
The conversation went more or less like the one above. The point is, when I look back, I see how strongly my mother believed not only in me but in Nerium International. The whole scenario reminds me of a quote that Helen Keller once said “It’s a terrible thing to see, and have no vision!”
I could see. Mom had the vision.
So I gave the endeavor a shot. After all, I didn’t have much to lose anyway. I had just left my career in education to run our woodworking business full-time from home. If anything, I could at least tell my mother that I tried. So I was a good and obedient (although skeptical) daughter and scheduled a “Real Results Party”. What the heck is that? I didn’t really know at the time but I figured it would be something like those Mary Kay parties I was always invited to and never attended…
I didn’t take it seriously. I created an invitation on Facebook, made a little spiel about mom having 40+ years in the industry and how she found an awesome product blah blah blah. Honestly though, I was nervous. What would my friends think of me? “I’m not a saleswoman” I told myself. For Pete’s sake, I was a high school history teacher! But lo a behold two of my friends immediately RSVP’d. IMMEDIATELY!
Seeing those RSPV’s made me feel at peace. My girls were coming out to support me. It didn’t matter what I was doing. They’d be there for me. A HUGE “Thank you” to Tracy and Lorry for giving me that itty bitty teeny weenie ounce of confidence. It went a long way and I’ll never forget it. Really.
So I hosted the party and had a great turn out. Everything was themed for the Fourth of July and I clearly paid more attention to the entertainment portion of the evening. Check out my entry way display with our DIY pallet flag that I still haven’t blogged about…
I even made these super cute Star Spangled Pound Cake desserts that I found on Pinterest. They were so totally YUM-O!
So I was ready to entertain, and Mom was ready to work haha! Here is a picture of us before the festivities.
I didn’t know it at the time but this little party would be the launch of what has now become a career that I love. My girlfriends and I joke about that party to this day. While Mom did all the “work”, I ran around like a ditz and passed out appetizers in the middle of her presentation. I was awful.
However, by the end of the night I had three customers and a “prospect” sampling the product! Not too shabby! The night had caught my attention but even then I still wasn’t a believer. No, I casually pursued the Nerium “thing” for another couple of weeks. Then, something happened. My neighbor Sue had been using the product for about 3 weeks and we were anxious to take an “after” picture…
What?!?!? You mean this stuff really DOES work? Hey Mom!!! Guess what?!?! This stuff WORKS!!! I THINK you mentioned something about some “breakthrough” ingredient and all…
Then something else happened…
I won and iPad2?!?!? WHAT?!!? Seriously? Who be trippin’?!?!
Yo! Mama! You didn’t TELL me I’d be gettin’ an iPad out of this!!! Hmmm on second thought… you may have mentioned something about it…
Oh wait, I’m not finished… Why was the Fed Ex guy showing up so much?
Homeboy was just here yesterday! He MUST have the wrong address…
Huh? You mean I’m getting FREE product? “Oye! Pero eso no PASA en CUBA!!!” hahaha (It’s a saying amongst the Cuban peeps down in Miami… whenever something happens that would never happen in Cuba they say that haha)
What the heck was I supposed to do with free product? WHATEVER I WANT!!! Ho-lla!!!! See where it says “Thank you for your business” on the slip? Damn straight you bes’ be thankin’ me! You are welcome for my half-ass hard work!
In all seriousness though, Nerium International shouldn’t be thanking me. I’m the one who has so much to be grateful for.
Next thing I knew I was on fire. Why wouldn’t I be? I was getting REWARDED for doing a great job and honestly, I should have done MUCH more than what I did. I had the humbling opportunity to learn that my mother deserved so much more credit than I had given her. The product DOES work. The opportunity IS real.
I was even able to call my mom and say “what’s your bank account information? I’m ready to pay you back” after just 4 weeks! I didn’t just pay her back but I had also earned income for myself, an iPad, and free product to keep my business growing. Most importantly, I had the opportunity to say “THANK YOU” for loving me so much even when I didn’t deserve it.
This whole Nerium “thing” has now turned itself into a full time career. I’ve got business cards!!! People even ask me for them! How cool huh?!!? I gotta admit, it’s pretty awesome pretending to be a business woman. It’s… empowering.
Why, Mom and I were even asked to speak at the Regional Bash in Nashville, TN!
Check out Mom on the right going over her notes. When it came time to speak, she forgot everything she had written down which just made her story even more genuine. <3 She was asked to share her story because the company strongly supports something called the “Nerium Ripple”.
The Nerium opportunity has not only helped Mom send more aid to our family in Cuba, but she has also able to get a toilet in one home that didn’t have one as well as running water for another! Mom’s “ripple” has been so inspiring that the company asked her to share her story with our Nerium family. I got to join her along with our AWESOME friend Kim Moehring who has guided our success from day one. That evening a gentleman in the company walked up to us and said that he knew of the devastation in Cuba and wanted to help. He handed us a wad of $20 bills and asked us to send even more aid!!! Little did he know that Mom was saving up to send a bicycle to a woman who had to walk several miles every day to work. She put that money to good use right away!!!
One of the best things about my new life is that it has brought me even closer to my mother (As if that were even possible. Mom and I are practically inseparable). Not only do I get to earn income from home now but I also get to do it with my best friend!
AND the company motivated me to sign up to be a Big Sister!! I’m sooOOOooo looking forward to meeting my Little in 2013!! Here I am signing the pledge to make a difference in the life of a child.
So I’m definitely a believer now. It was kind of hard to still be a skeptic after collecting several “before and afters” from my own customers. Here’s another one of Sue after 3 months… She’s lookin’ mighty sexy isn’t she??!
Here’s a picture of a former student’s mother after 30 days. I don’t know about you, but I got chills when I first compared these photos… 30 days just seems like a ridiculous amount of time for results like these!
And here’s the photo of another non-believer after just 30 days (and now a good friend )…
And yet another non-believer after another 30 days…
My own mother-in-law after 2 months for Pete’s sake!
I could go on and on with before and after photos. Really.
This whole time Mom was just getting me ready for something she knew I’d be great at. She was preparing me to launch… and now I’m ready for blast off baby!!!
So feel free to follow along with me during this journey. I’ve got huge plans for myself and for my awesome, amazing, one-of-a-kind team members in 2013!!! It’s gonna freakin’ ROCK!!!!!
and transformed it into a beautiful office desk!!!
Isn’t it awesome?!?
There is even a neat little cubby space underneath for future storage!
It’s not perfect but that’s JUST the way I like it! The cable spool adventure has FINALLY come to an end. I am SOOOOOO happy I didn’t let Jon convince me to throw it away! hehe 
And even after we realized that it wouldn’t even fit through the office door… Yes, I DID ever so sweetly ask Jon to take out the window in the office. I’m a lucky girl aren’t I? 
and ever so kindly took my good friend Kayla’s offer to help us squeeze it through the window…
which as you can see, still didn’t work… HA!
