Do you need a desk for your laptop and printer and all the other things you want close at hand without buying a large computer stand? Want to hide as much as possible? Do you want it to be unique-not one of the standard computer desks? Start with a table and use your imagination. Here's what I did.
I started with a table, which is 20 inches deep and 49 inches wide, with one center drawer. I made a "runner" for the table from a piece of upholstery fabric. The runner goes from the floor on the left, over the top of the desk, and down to the floor on the right. Then with the extra material, I sewed on the side pockets to hold mail and pens. I placed the pockets so the mail (folded envelope size) would not show above the level of the desk. Then I placed the laptop on the desk.
I bought decorative boxes to hold items such as stamps, Post-it flags, receipts, ink cartridges, etc. and placed them on the back of the desk. In addition I put a basket behind the laptop to hold more items. It doesn't show when the laptop screen is open. I found a lovely cherry letter box to organize and hide bills, and other papers.
Under the desk are two metal stands sold by office supply stores. My printer is on top of the higher stand. The lower stand under it holds the surge protector and plugs. There is room enough for my footrest under the lower stand. The view of this "mess" is camouflaged by the runner on either side of the desk and by the covered chair in front of it.
For a desk chair, I used a plain folding chair and took the remaining material to make a cushioned seat and back rest. The seat is simply a covered throw cushion that fits the bottom of the chair. The backrest contains a rounded piece of foam to support the lower back. The cover for the back slides over the top of the chair and hangs down to the seat level. I have bookcases on each side of the desk, so everything I need is close at hand.
Where did I find these items? Most are available on-island at Silk Greenery (silk flowers and furniture), The Fabric Store, Office Max, Caribbean Herbals at Tillett Gardens (Jason's heavenly scented candles). The letter box was a mail order item from Levenger in Florida.
Please share your ideas for creating workspaces in small places.

The Ulla Muller Elementary School advises all parents and guardians that the school will close at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, so that the teachers may attend an in-service Professional Development workshop.

The Michael J. Kirwan Elementary School will host a lecture series commemorating Black History Month beginning with a lecture at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26, at the school.
The program entitled "An Evening of Poetry," will feature presentations by Mrs. Aloma Blake, Dr. Vincent Cooper, UVI Professor Gene Emmanuel, Dr. W. Gumbs, Dr. George Newton and Mr. Larry Sewer.
The second presentation, "Famous Virgin Islanders," will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 5. This program will feature Casper Holstein and Governor Charles W. Turnbull.
The public is invited to attend.

The Ulla Muller Elementary School advises all parents and guardians that the school will close early at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, so that teachers may attend an in-service Professional Development workshop.

The Michael J. Kirwan Elementary School's second Black History Event will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 5, at the school.
The presentation, "Famous Virgin Islanders," will feature Casper Holstein and Governor Charles W. Turnbull.
The public is invited.

Former Sen. George Goodwin, who lost his Senate seat in a November election squeaker to Sen. Lorraine Berry, has been hired as chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II.
Sources confirmed that Goodwin will pull down the same salary he earned as a senator, $65,000 a year.
He replaces Nathan Simmonds, who last month was nominated by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to be director of the Office of Fiscal and Economic Recovery Implementation. That office is charged with implementing the Five-Year Operating and Strategic Financial Plan.

The Michael J. Kirwin Elementary SChool will host a lecture series commemorating Black History Month, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26.
The program, entitled "An Evening of Poetry," will feature presentations by Mrs. Aloma Blake, Dr. Vincent Cooper, UVI Professor Gene Emmanuel, Dr. W. Gumbs, Dr. George Newton and Mr. Larry Sewer.
The public is invited to attend.

Former Sen. George Goodwin, who lost his Senate seat in a November election squeaker to Sen. Lorraine Berry, has been hired as chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II.
Sources confirmed that Goodwin will pull down the same salary he earned as a senator, $65,000 a year.
He replaces Nathan Simmonds, who last month was nominated by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to be director of the Office of Fiscal and Economic Recovery Implementation. That office is charged with implementing the Five-Year Operating and Strategic Financial Plan.

Science scholars from the territory's eight high schools will match wits starting at 4 p.m. Friday and continuing Saturday, in the Territorial Science Bowl competition at the Charlotte Amalie High School Auditorium.
The double elimination tournament will begin with simultaneous opening matches featuring last years' champions. All Saints Cathedral School will vie with Antilles School, and St. Croix's Good Hope School will face off with St. Croix Central high School.
Winners of the tournament, which is sponsored by the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority and the Department of Education, will represent the V.I. in the National Science Bowl, details of which were not available at press time. WAPA has sponsored the Science Bowl for four years and awards a computer to the winning school.
The second round of matches starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday featuring CAHS vying with St. Croix Educational Complex, and St. Croix's Country Day School facing Ivanna Eudora Kean High School. A Parade of Schools and awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. between the matches.
The matches continue at 9 a.m. Saturday, with the final matches beginning at noon. WAPA and the Education Department invite the community to come and witness the V.I. students' brain power.

In the wake of Senate hearings during which he was criticized as a hands-off, "absentee director," Fire Services Director Pedro Encarnacion this week announced that seven Chevy Blazers had arrived for service in the Arson and Prevention Unit, according to a Government House statement.
In the statement, Encarnacion stated that three of the vehicles will go to the St. Thomas-St. John district and four to St. Croix.
During last week's hearings called by the Committee on Government Operations, Planning and Environmental Protection, Andre Smith, president of the fire service supervisors' union, and Daryl George, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Association of Fire Fighters, told senators that lack of leadership at Fire Services was a major problem. They said Encarnacion fails to respond to letters, memos and grievances. Encarnacion blamed a lack of adequate staffing.
In the statement from Government House, the Fire Services director also said St. Thomas-St. John firefighters had received their clothing allowance with which to buy uniforms. He said repairs to the Cotton Valley Fire Station on St. Croix were 90 percent completed and the station would reopen "in the very near future."
Encarnacion also stated that renovation work on the Tutu Fire Station on St. Thomas would begin after negotiations for a contractor are finished.