Creations: Portable Desk & File Storage

Mike likes to work on his computer and filing while sitting on the couch, because it's nice and warm in the living room. He bought himself this nice handy plastic filing box from a local stationery shop and I spent a few weeks looking at it on the floor of the living room. I couldn't think how to make it easier for him to move it around and have somewhere to keep his laptop until I realised this bedside table from Ikea might do the trick. This is what it normally looks like:

I had to alter the height of the bottom shelf to make the cavity larger and as you can see I have flipped it over so that pens etc do not roll off the sides. There is enough room for a mouse or for charging his phone from the laptop. I got the castors from Ikea too, and drilled holes into the top (my base) and glued them in place.

The bedside table was $AU14.99 and the castors $AU 1.99 for a 4-pack. It works a treat and we can roll it away into the spare room or even into Mike's office in the front room if necessary. It also means the laptop has its own place.

Creations: Headphone Hat

I'm the first to admit that running can get a bit boring, especially if it's for anything more than 35 minutes. I can usually keep myself entertained with thoughts for a while but then sometimes I like to listen to something while I'm running. I especially like BBC4 Podcasts or 97.3 FM.

However, I really don't like headphones in my ears and I've heard (haha) that they bounce out when you're running anyways. I also didn't like the idea of the hook-over-ear ones as I wear glasses or sunglasses and I thought the ear hooks would probably annoy me.

As a result, I created my own headphone device - my headphone hat!

I stitched a little elastic onto each side of my hat just above the ear, and another one at the back adjustment strap to hold the cords. That runs down my back to attach to my ipod nano which snugly fits into a back zip-pocket of my running shorts.

It's perfect for me because although I can easily listen to my podcast or the radio (provided I am not in a heavy traffic area), I can also listen out for other sounds like cyclists, cars, other people, pedestrian crossing signals, etc. I like to be able to hear the world around me. Plus, I ALWAYS wear a hat when running. It's perfect sun protection and sweat mopping - and now entertaining - at the same time!