The suitcase lid can be the desk. I also meant to add that I have seen some cute re-doing of old vintage suitcases on Etsy, though not sure if any are available now. I trashpicked a really cool round american tourister case last year, with a red satin lining. The outside is gray blue, very hard plastic vinyl type material, would be easy to paint, and I saw one online (etsy again) painted white, with black trim along the edging seams, and then big red poppy type flowers painted on it. Very simple design, even a non-artist could manage it. That would look great on the one I found, especially with the red satin lining. I have also seen many where vinyl decals or stenciling is used for decorating them. The problem with the suitcase I want to do is that it is in perfect condition except for a musty basement smell that I just can't seem to get rid of. No point in doing anything to it if I can't first get rid of that smell!

Tell her to carry on a couple of outfits, etc. onto the plane cabin in case her luggage doesn't arrive when she does. Make a Xerox copy of her passport, airline tickets & any credit cards she might be taking & pack that separately from her documents, as well as leave a copy at home. She can stuff socks/underwear, etc. inside her packed shoes. Find out if hairdryers will be available where she'll be staying & if so, she won't need that plus the converters. If she really wants to take laundry detergent, figure out how many loads you think she'll be doing & zip-lock enough for each load (powder, not liquid.) If she takes it, it will take up luggage space but will be used so she'll have room for a few souvenirs to come home with. Pack basic colored bottoms (neutrals, khaki, navy, black) that will mix & match with the tops. If she's a reader, take paperbacks that can be left behind. Remind her to pack any scissors, sewing kits or sharp objects in her checked luggage or they'll be confiscated. She might want to take disposable cameras & if so, buy at discount places because I've found they're cheaper in the US than in other countries. Rather than take an address book along if she's the type to send postcards you could type up a sheet of address labels on the computer (remembering to put USA after the zipcode) & that way she can just slap them on the cards. Also, tell her to not keep all her money together in one place but to divide it up (NOT in packed luggage) & to never leave her backpack or bags unattended anywhere. Anything that can do double-duty will save luggage space. Also, those sample bottles or hotel-sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner can be used up & then tossed rather than taking bigger bottles. If she's going to Fiji she should probably take any sunning products with her as they might be a lot more costly there.

Hey everyone - thanks for responding. Sorry for the delay in my response, this weekend was busy and Trick or Treating with the kids last night have kept me away from the computer. I looked again at a piece of the original butcher block and I realized that there was a good amount of variation in color to begin with. I think that applying the oil stain brought out the differences in colors and in addition, made all the grain and specs pop. I think this was the biggest surprise for me and what was the most concerning. So I tried one more sample with gel stain (Minwax Mahogany gel stain) and I like the result much more. It had a great color and the contrast was more consistent with what I wanted. I think I am becoming a fan of this product. Thanks again everyone for your help.

The plant front and center is Stachys bysantina.