bee + spool

The DIY was mostly in the choosing of a designery paper and then the transporting myself to a copy shop.  Lamination (the key feature in an alternative desk blotter–or, more accurately, a desk protector–that will last for awhile) was outsourced to OfficeMax’s copy center, called ImPress, on Geary x Arguello (San Francisco). 

Select a graphic, pretty sheet of giftwrap.  Sheets [...]

Before,   and after,   .
Not so complicated, thanks in no small part to Adobe Photoshop (the edition that is packed with digi cameras, not even the pro-version), Wordpress (blog templates) and Dreamhost (webhost) one-click installs.

What $3.00 will buy at SCRAP, which is another random San Francisco gem located in the Bayshore Blvd. area of the city:

1 retractable tape measure (good for keeping in the car to measure potential purchases!)
12 large folded cardboard popcorn boxes (perhaps a theater “medium”)
20 less-large folded cardboard popcorn boxes (I suppose a theater “small”)
9 folded cardboard popcorn [...]