DIY Bookshelves

Disclaimer: This is a long post. With a lot of pictures. I venture to say it’s taking me longer to get this post around than it was to actually do the project. With the cabinet finally finished, I realized that my daughter really needed some more room for her books. I didn’t want to fill that pretty thing with all books, so I had to come up with something.

So here’s the something.

I will admit that it’s the first project involving wood/nails/labor that I’ve done completely by myself. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive, but it turned out better than I expected.

As the books were being placed on the shelves, my little one kept saying, “Hey! I forgot about that book!” “Oooh, I wanna read that one!” Mission. Accomplished.

  

How about a tutorial for this oh-so-easy project? The first stop was to Lowes for some primed MDF strips. I spent more money with the primed version; However, I know you could do this for less money. I knew I’d be painting it light, so I didn’t want to worry about priming it. Worth the money, really.

I drew a small bead of wood glue along the edges to be nailed and held it for a few seconds. It offered some support and kept things from shifting while I was nailing them together.

I knew I wanted three shelves, and they measured out around 27” each. This meant I needed an 8 foot piece of each. I took the three pieces up to the wood-cutter guy (official name) at Lowes and had him cut them. Yeehaw! How easy is that?

After painting them (including the exposed edges), my husband screwed them into some studs on the wall. I didn’t bother hiding the screws. Who’s gonna see them?

Because the beauty of this project is really in the color of the books, I wanted the shelves to be as simple and streamlined as possible. Luckily, that was also the easiest to build.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a success unless this goofball liked them. I think she approves.

Supply breakdown:

• 8 feet, 1x6 (three shelves at @ 27” each)
• 8 feet 1x4
• 8 feet 1x2…………………………….Total of $28.00
• Wood Glue $2.97
• Nails/nail gun, paint—already had

The Art of the Toilet Paper Roll

Ahhhh….the master bedroom. It has eluded me for years, and I’m still trying to tackle it. It all comes down to one final element—art above our bed. I didn’t want to spend any much money; I was dealing with some difficult dimensions, and I wanted it to be VERY simple. How’s that for easy?

Here was my plan of attack--toilet paper or paper towel rolls. I tried using some wrapping paper rolls, but they were a little too thick to cut through easily, and they didn’t measure the same in width as the t.p. That stands for toilet paper—we’re tight like that.

I measured out the rolls by about 1 1/2” marks and cut them into their little strips. Once they’re all cut out, I glued the joints of them together. I used hot glue because I knew I’d be painting them. Plus, it’s waaaaay faster.

I’ve seen them attached and arranged in a variety of ways, but I was very careful not to make mine too flowery. I didn’t really want flowers, but I did want a soft pattern. (The canvas was from Michaels for $15—it remains unpainted.)

I took the rolls/now shapes to the basement and spray painted away. I would highly recommend using primer for this. Obviously, these suckers soaked up the paint. I followed up with some glossy white paint.

So here it is. Toilet paper wall art. For $15.00.

Because my bedding and curtains have gray in them, I liked that the insides of the shapes throw off a bit of a gray tint. If you’re looking for a more solid color, I would look into painting them a little more carefully inside—perhaps with a paint brush?

I’ll probably still play around with the shape of it. They’re easy to move around since I just attached with a little dollop (I like that word) of hot glue. When I get tired of it, I can throw out the rolls and reuse the canvas.

There’s some pretty good t.p. art out there. Googling it will provide you with a number of pictures, and you can just go from there. No “big reveal” of the bedroom just yet. Still some things to do, but THAT was a biggie.

The Cabinet is D-O-N-E

Okay. So it’s not completely done. I lied. But I figure I have held you off on this project for long enough. It just needs to be jewelry-fied, so I guess you can see it by now. Let’s take a look at the before, shall we?

I loved everything about it—the glass details, the shape, the storage, etc.  The wood was beautiful, but it was badly beat up. That certainly helped with my decision to paint. Of course, my favorite part of it was the price. $60.00 off Craigslist. Ya-to-the-hoo!

After taking it apart, this is what it turned into. For months. Michigan weather hit, and there was just no finishing it in that cold.

And here it is today…

I seriously looked into crystal knobs for it, but the idea of filling holes, drilling new ones, and spending more money on this than I already had was not appealing to me.

I’m pretty much in love with it, and I’m taking my time filling the top with accessories. It’s quite the balance making sure I like the way it looks, and it’s still functional for my daughter’s things.

Of course, her favorite part needs to be gussied up as well. We’ll be working on that one very soon.

Well, there you go! I’m in love, my daughter’s in love, and my husband’s in love with the price. That’s a win/win, don’t ya think?

I almost forgot…Dutch Boy sent me the paint for this project (free!!). It’s painted Timeless Ivory, and it’s just that. What a classically beautiful shade. It’s perfect.

Creating Your Masterpiece E-book

I’ve been sitting on a little nugget of information that I’ve been wanting to pass on for some time now. My friend Shaunna is absolutely brilliant when it comes to refinishing furniture (well, I’m sure she’s brilliant at other things too), and she has written her first e-book.

The cover alone is knock-your-socks-off gorgeous, isn’t it? She basically does things to furniture that I didn’t even know could be done. I was feeling really cool about myself when I painted things and didn’t have any brush strokes in them. After seeing her work, I am suddenly realizing I’m not so cool.

Her inspiration gallery is downright endless. I could have selected numerous pieces to include in this post, but I limited it to a few of my favorites. FYI: The chest of drawers above is my soul mate. Love. it.

Why would any talented painter stop at furniture? Why wouldn’t she paint her door? I love every inch of this picture.

Alright. Here’s the fabulous news. Shaunna has written 203 pages of information for you on how to paint/stain/beautify furniture. If you’re like me, you’ll hang on her every. word. If you’re really like me, you’ll watch the video tutorials over and over ‘cause you just love hearing her voice. How much?

$11.99 

It only took me 7 attempts on my calculator, but I think that’s about $.05 cents a page! It’s either that or $5.00 a page. I couldn’t quite figure it out.

I wouldn’t promote something that I didn’t truly believe in, and I believe in Shaunna. I’ve read the e-book cover to cover numerous times, and I’ve taken a lot of notes. It’s that good.

I’m including this second picture to prove that we’re friends. Look at her right shoulder. Those are my fingers. That means we’re friends ‘cause my arm is around hers. She’s politely trying to pull away, but I clearly have the vice grip on her.

All you have to do is click on one of the e-book links that I’ve provided, and you’ll be on your way to your very own e-book. Feel free to visit Shaunna at Perfectly Imperfect, too. It’s one of my absolute favorites!

Coastal Bathroom

Back in July, I decided I needed to do something to my kids’ bathroom. The white on white just wasn’t working for me, and I needed something different. The only problem is that this was back in July…of 2008. Yes. That’s when this “remodel” began, and it is finally finished.

The before pictures are also before I had a good camera. It also helps emphasize how much better the afters are. You with me still? Ok. I give you the before.

Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE white. It’s my favorite color. But with no window and well, no window, it just didn’t do it for me. You ready for the after? How ‘bout a during? Still with the crappy camera.

Alright. No more messin’ around. Here’s the after…

Amazing what a new camera will do, eh? Well, that and some beadboard, crown molding, and a ton of absolutely perfect accessories. 

This angle gives you a much better idea of what the beadboard looks like. (Having no natural light in here proved to be VERY tricky when photographing.) I decided on the wider plank beadboard—I think it looks more beachy—and I would have gone even wider if I could have found it!

My favorite item in the room was also the least expensive. I found this little printer’s/stamp box for $5.00 at a flea market, and it now houses shells that we’ve collected on our family trips to the beach. L-o-v-e.

Needless to say, I am so glad this room is done! It took a lot of work (and some hard labor from my FIL), but I’m thinking it was totally worth it!

Because I never know how to approach these “room reveals”, I guess I’ll just see if you have any questions. If you’re anything like me, you do! There are a few things I should probably share with you (painting the cabinets, making the mirror frame, baseboards, and shelf, blah, blah, blah), but for now I hope you enjoy!

Brooch Magnets

Some time ago I had written that my grandparents moved in with my mom and told me they wanted me to take anything valuable.  Being the sentimental sap that I am, I quickly took anything and everything that had meaning to me--namely, my grandmother’s brooches.

I thought it was such a personal item that I would cherish for years. Her brooches and my grandfather’s collection of fedora hats have always intrigued me. It’s a tangible reminder of a more formal time period that doesn’t seem to exist anymore.

                     

           

Trying to figure out what to do with them/how to display them/how to do them justice, I simply did nothing for months. But THEN…I came up with an idea.

Why not turn this little $7.00 beauty into a framing piece for the brooches, yet still be reminded of my grandmother while using them? Brilliant, Chris.

Want a tutorial? Good “cause I’m gonna give one. I went to Lowes and purchased a piece of sheet metal in the plumbing department. I laid the frame backing over it and cut the measurements with a utility knife. They have fancy schmancy scissors that cut sheet metal, but I used an old pair of scissors I had around the house. It worked perfectly.

It was a scary moment, but I took some wire cutters and cut the backs off of each pin. No going back now.

They offer a wide variety of magnets in craft stores, but NONE of them work like the ones below. Trust me—I’ve wasted some money figuring that out. These babies are strong! I glued them on with some E-6000 glue. Also very strong!

Spray painting the sheet metal black helps the brooches show off their color better (I think), and it turned out beautifully.

Another treasure that came with me was my grandmother’s recipe box. It’s full of hand-written family recipes, and I just love it! There’s just something about hand-written items.

I paired it with a couple of my favorite pictures of them called it good. I love neutrals, but the color in this project has me smitten.

The moral of this story? Don’t be afraid to show off family treasures in a non-traditional way. I think about how long these beauties remained hidden simply because I wasn’t thinking “out of the box”, and it’s so disappointing. So go forth and rethink those heirlooms that have been stored away for too long.