DIY

How to Build a Basic Shelf

March 4, 2013 by beth 2 Comments

Hey Y’all! I hope you had a great weekend! In my last post, I showed you how my train wreck of a hall closet got an organization intervention. It was such a disaster! One of the most helpful changes in the closet is in the form of some shelves that go up the wall, maximizing the space in there.

As promised, today I’ll show you how I built those basic shelves. I’ve seen them a million times in my life but never really knew exactly how to build some myself. They seem pretty straight forward, and I had a basic idea of what to do, but I learned a few things along the way that may be helpful if you decide to build some, too.

First, you need shelves and brackets. I considered going to a hardware store and asking them to cut some shelves for me, but then Allison reminded me that Ikea has precut shelves and brackets. I weighed all of my options – time, price, degree of difficulty, painting vs. not having to paint, etc and decided to go with the Ikea shelves. Plus I got the chance to go to Ikea, which is always a good day for me.

Each shelf cost $2, and the brackets were 50 cents a piece. So, for $9, I had shelves that were already cut and painted. Super easy!!

And I highly recommend having a clean space to work in. You’ll be sitting on the floor for awhile, and it is so much easier to scootch around if your closet is already decrapified.

Next you’ll need to decide how you want your brackets to stay securely in the wall. If you have a stud finder, and want to put screws into the studs, then you can go that route. I do not have a stud finder, so I went with Option B (which is a little easier, in my opinion!): drywall anchors.

I found mine at the hardware store, and they cost between $5 and $6 a package. There were 25 anchors and screws in the box, and I used 12, so I still have some left over for another project. When choosing the amount of weight you want the anchors to hold think about what you are placing on your shelves. I chose 50 lbs anchors because I knew our shelves would be holding things like gloves and hats and exercise bands. But the anchors go up in weight if you need them to hold heavier items.

Something to take into consideration…each anchor holds 50 lbs IF it is flush against the wall. The amount actually goes down the farther out the wall you go. So, because I was using shelves – which are away from the wall a foot or two – the weight these anchors can each hold is a little under 50 lbs. Luckily I have 4 anchors per shelf, and they aren’t holding terribly heavy things.

The anchors are easy to screw into the wall. The instructions on the box are simple, and I used a Phillips screw driver and a little muscle to get them secure.

When choosing my placement of the shelves, I just thought about what was being stored where. The bottom shelf is 18 inches above the floor because I needed extra space to store things underneath. The remaining two shelves are about a foot apart.

I measured the wall to find the middle, then marked it. Then I marked 18 inches up from the floor, and that is where I placed the bottom shelf. I used a level to keep things straight.

My cute Pickle was home sick, but he still wanted to try screwing in a few brackets.

I found it easiest to work on one shelf at a time. So, after screwing in the brackets, it was time to turn to the shelves. Using the same method I used to build The Hubs’s desk, pilot holes were drilled into the bottom of the shelves before they were screwed to the brackets.

Each shelf was placed on the brackets and then screwed in underneath. At first I tried using a drill, but I found that I got a much tighter result with a regular screwdriver.

After the bottom shelf was finished and level, I measured one foot up and began the process all over again. I think it took me about an hour or so? to build three shelves.

Even though this isn’t some huge DIY project, I still feel so empowered when I make something myself. Especially when it benefits our family in some way. And yeah, we rent, so I don’t think I’ll be taking these shelves down when we move, but I’m pretty sure the next family that lives here will be grateful for some storage, too. And for about $15, I’m pretty happy with the results.

Have you ever built some shelves for a little extra storage? Where did you put them? Do you have any other tips for building them? Ever tried drywall anchors before? What kind are your favorite?

Hope you have a great day! We are celebrating Pickles’ 9th birthday. Can’t believe that sweet boy is 9 already!! I’m off to buy some cupcakes.

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Filed Under: DIY, Organization, Small Spaces Tagged With: DIY, Organization, Small Spaces

How to Build a Wooden Mail Organizer

February 22, 2013 by beth 4 Comments

K, so The Hubs and I are notorious for getting the mail, looking through it, putting it on the kitchen island, and then letting it sit. Everyday. Until the end of forever. It’s super annoying to me (and probably him, too…I’d ask him if our kids would let us talk to each other every now and then). I get overwhelmed by clutter, and mail is a serious culprit.

I’ve finally had enough. After browsing through Pinterest, organization catalogs, and a few magazines, I’ve come up with a pretty solution that I think will do the trick.

The Wooden Mail Organizer

Here’s what you need to make one, too:

*3 wooden brackets (I found mine at Home Depot for about $2.50 each)

* a piece of scrap board (mine is about 13 inches square)

*spray paint in the color of your choice

*wood glue

*finishing nails

*hammer

A little back story on the scrap board…While I was roaming Home Depot for the wooden brackets, I knew I needed a board for a foundation. I went to the lumber section, and they have an area for already cut pieces of wood. These pieces are sold for 70% off the original price because they are not their original size. I found a long board that was about the height I wanted and asked if I could have it cut down (it was too wide). Because my piece was a cut of a cut, he couldn’t charge me anything. FREE baby!

Step one: Figure out where you want your brackets to go. On the back of your scrap wood, draw the outline of your bracket. (You will need this later!)

Step two: Use the wood glue to glue the brackets to the board.

Step three: Spray paint the entire piece. You will need to spray multiple coats, especially if your paint doesn’t already have a primer in it. Allow the glue and paint to dry completely.

Step four: Turn the piece upside down and reinforce the foundation using finishing nails. This is where your bracket outlines will come in handy. Make sure you hammer within the lines so the nail goes straight up into the bracket.

Step five: Add your mail. (But don’t forget to sort through it occasionally….)

If you’d like to personalize the organizer, you can paint a monogram in each mail slot. Or, using a vinyl letter machine, each person’s name could be added to the front with vinyl.

This project is very quick (apart from the paint drying time). And the price is awesome, too!

I spent $8 total:

brackets: 3 @ 2.50 a piece + tax

scrap piece: free

paint: already owned

wood glue: already owned

finishing nails: already owned

I’m super excited to get part of my kitchen island back! No more piles, no more, “Honey, where’s the …bill?” or, “Is this today’s mail?”

Now on to tackling more clutter in the house…starting with the closet under the stairs. (I’m pretty sure I’m going to find Harry Potter living in there it’s so crazy!) Wish me luck!

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Filed Under: DIY, Organization Tagged With: DIY, Organization

Pottery Barn Inspired Lantern

January 16, 2013 by beth 2 Comments

Here is a recent post I wrote for Or so she says…The Pottery Barn Inspired Lantern.

Large lanterns are a decorating trend I’m seeing just about everywhere lately. From Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs, to Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware, lanterns are a popular accessory that look great in just about any room.

I especially like the Pottery Barn’s Weston Lantern. They are asking $39.50 – $119 for them, though, which is way too pricey for my blood.

Weston Lantern

Pottery Barn

Of course, we don’t have to pay such crazy prices. For reals. Making one instead is super easy and so inexpensive. I found a lantern at our local Habitat ReStore and paid $3 tops for this brassy beauty. And, if you (or someone you know) is remodeling their home, they may be tossing out their light fixtures, so keep an eye out for a freebie!

To create a knock off version, the lantern was disassembled, with the light guts removed and tossed. I kept the top pieces and laid them out in order so they could be put back together easily.

Because I didn’t want to spend any more money on this project, I used paint I already had at my house (a combination of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White and Graphite that I used on our dining room chairs). At first, I started to tape off the glass to keep from painting on it, but it was taking forever. And I can be super impatient. Instead I just carefully painted free hand and used baby wipes to get any spills.

If you don’t happen to have chalk paint on hand, there are lots of options to keep this project super FabuLESS and inexpensive. Use one of these products instead:

*homemade chalk paint (there are tons of recipes online)

*Rub ‘n Buff (found at craft stores)

*spray paint with primer (already combined in the can or separate…which ever is more cost effective)

*paint from your garage

This project goes pretty fast…it took just about an hour to paint and let dry. (Ooooo…a nap time project! Awesome!)

And I love the price: $3 total!

The cute lantern decorating ideas are endless. I’m imagining a collection of lanterns on our porch; on top of a bookshelf in the living room; on a table behind the sofa; or a couple of large ones on the floor next to the piano….just to get started. (Watch out…lanterns may soon be taking over our house!)

Have you seen these cute lanterns around? How would you decorate your home with them?

And stop by and check out my most recent post for Or so she says, 15 Inexpensive Ways to Help You Get Healthy and Fit. (Just in time for the New Year!)

best of april

Filed Under: DIY, Knock Off, Paint, Thrift Store Tagged With: DIY, Knock Off, Paint, Thrift Store

A Stenciled Bathroom {How to Stencil}

August 24, 2012 by beth 13 Comments

K, so we have this little powder bathroom downstairs by the family room, and it’s functional and serves its purpose, but it’s a little on the blah side. Nothing to write home about, really.

Back when I was in the One Crafty Contest, one of the rounds incorporated the use of stencils as the challenge. I knew that if I made it to that round, the powder room would get a little makeover, stencil style. I didn’t make it to the stencil round, but once the idea was in my head, there was no stopping this transformation.

I recently met Regina with Royal Design Studio Stencils, and she taught me the correct way to stencil. (I’m so glad she did, too, because it took me some practice. I would’ve made a big fat mess on the walls!)

After I told her about my super boring bathroom, Royal Design Studios sent me a stencil, paint, and a stencil brush to try. Because I wanted big impact in the room, but the space is small, I chose the Large Marrakesh Trellis Moroccan stencil and Pearl Oyster paint. The large stencil gives the me the change and style I’m after while the subtle silver sheen keeps the look from being overwhelming.

Here’s the bathroom before:

Pretty boring, huh? Nothing a little stencil action can’t fix!

Now the only hard part about stenciling the bathroom was that I had to do a little math (not my fave). But it worked out in the long run because I knew I would be super annoyed if the design was off. I just picked the part of the room that I knew would annoy me if it wasn’t right, and started there. Measuring the length of the wall, I marked a spot right in the middle, and that’s were I started.

Here are a few tips and tricks to insure a great stencil outcome:

1. After pouring a bit of the paint into the lid of the paint container, dip your stencil brush into the paint.

2. Swirl the brush onto a paper toel to remove the excess.

3. Starting on the outer edge of the stencil, swirl in toward the stencil. Any excess paint comes off on the stencil and not the wall.

4. Use your hand to hold down the section of stencil you are using. Hold down each small section of the stencil as you go around.

5. Paint from the outer edges in. Once you’ve painted all of the edges, fill in the middle.

The trickiest part, for me, was the corners. I followed the instructions included with the stencil, and that definitely helped. The stencil is made of really sturdy plastic, which tells me it’ll last forever, but sometimes I wished it would fold like paper to make the corners a little easier. Make sure you have taped off one side securely, but leave the other side loose so you can adjust things easily.

I snapped this crazy shot after a few hours of stenciling on day one. I had to work late at night when my cute kidlets were sleeping, so I started to get pretty loopy.

I’m pretty pleased with the Royal Design Studio paint. It had very little odor, and, like the chalk paint on my dining room chairs, it didn’t make our house smell like paint at all. The paint cleaned up easily, too, with just soap and water.

It took a couple of days, working in sections, to complete. And I got pretty intimate with the toilet and sink when I was trying to stencil around those. (Luckily I cleaned the heck out of the whole place before this party got started!)

But I am SO happy with the results!!

I love the subtle silver sheen. LOVE it!

The stencil makes a great impact without hittin’ ya over the head with it, right?

This new pretty potty is a big deal in our house right now. I’m happy to have guests use this “guest bathroom” when they come because it looks so cool!! Even though we rent, I took the leap and painted this room because I felt like it only adds to the value of the home. (And we gotta paint if we move out eventually, right? So why not make this space our own for awhile?)

Overall I am really happy with the Royal Design Studio stencil products. They are great quality, and I will use the stencil and brush again on other projects.

And guess what?! They want YOU to have a stencil, too!!

Giveaway next week, peeps!

Keep your eyes peeled for that!

Have you ever stenciled a room before? Did you hate the corners, too? Got any stencil tricks you’ve learned? Please share!

Disclaimer: The Royal Design Studio sent me the stencil, paint, and brush I used in this post, but all opinions are my own.

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Filed Under: Bathroom, Before and After, DIY, Paint Tagged With: Bathroom, Before and After, DIY, Paint

Dining Room Chair Makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

August 18, 2012 by beth 6 Comments

Hey there! Hope you’ve had a great week! I’ve been working on a project that has taken up a good chunk of my time, but I think it’s paid off.

The Dining Room Chairs are DONE!!!

Whoo Hoo!! I’m pretty excited to say the least because this is a project that’s been a year in the making. Last summer we bought a set of six dining room chairs with the hopes of giving them a bit of a makeover.

It took me awhile, and some time on Pinterest, to figure out just exactly what look I was going for. I had a pretty good idea, and then fate stepped in and gave me a little help, too. I won a quart of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) in Old White at Haven, and an awesome Purdy brush came in our swag bags. “Time to paint the chairs, Beth!” They were practically shouting at me. (And luckily the paint made it safely home after getting shoved into my suitcase and put on a plane. So glad it didn’t open up and get all over my clothes!)

I have never used ASCP before, but I’ve only heard great things about it and was excited to try it out. I love that this is a low-fume paint because it has been so hot here this summer, I had to paint inside. No problem. The paint didn’t even make my house smell like paint. I’ve heard that with Old White especially, you need to use two coats. I found this was the case for me. This is after painting the first coat.

Another great thing about chalk paint is that there is no sanding or priming beforehand. I’m grateful I was able to skip those two steps because I had six chairs that needed the makeover. Could you image how long that would have taken? Shoot me in the face.

Four of the six chairs got two coats of Old White, but I wanted the two head chairs to stand out. A 4 oz. sample of ASCP in Graphite also came in my Haven swag bag, so, taking a great tip from Stacy @ South Shore Decorating, I combined the two colors to make a light grey.

I was surprised at how fast chalk paint dries! By the time one chair was painted, I could go back to the previous one and touch up or add a second coat. Everything dried in about an hour or so.

Once everyone had their coats of paint, I used fine grit sandpaper to rough the edges up a bit. The “chalk” part lived up to its name! There was lots of chalky dust after sanding…it reminded me of banging erasers together at school.

Because we will be using the chairs often, they need a protective coat. You can use varnish on ASCP, but furniture wax keeps the finish more matte than glossy. ASCP purists recommend using Annie Sloan wax, but I used Minwax Paste Finishing Wax because of the lower price, and because I could pick it up at my local hardware store. (Please don’t hate me forever, Annie Sloan peeps!)

The wax was easy to apply. It didn’t take very much…a little goes a long way. (Anyone need some wax? I’m gonna have this can til the end of time.) I used an old rag and buffed it on until I liked the look. The wax brought out the color but with more depth.

When it came to recovering the chairs, I knew I needed something durable and inexpensive, but still pretty. All it took was one canvas paint drop cloth from the hardware store to give me the look I was going for with a ridiculously low price. I paid less than $5 for the drop cloth, and it covered all 6 chairs. Awesome!!

I am in love with the finished chairs.

So much better than all that brown from before.

I hated that this is what people saw when they first walked into our house. And the brown chairs added to the boring look in the dining room.

Now the chairs add a little bit of color. Our dining room is anything but formal, and the matte chalk paint keeps the look beautiful but not stiff. And the drop cloth chair cushions are pretty, easy to clean, and not expensive to replace if we had to.

So, what do you think? I’m really happy how these chairs turned out!! When someone comes to the house, I’m not embarrassed to open the door and let them see inside. And slowly the brown is getting reigned in.

I’m grateful for the sweet Annie Sloan ladies at Haven, and some good luck!, so I could give the chairs such a pretty makeover. Have you ever tried ASCP? If so, what’s your favorite color? Any pros or cons for you? I’ve heard you can make your own chalk paint. I wonder how it compares to Annie Sloan. If you’ve made your own, how did you like it? Please share!!

Disclaimer: Annie Sloan Ltd. did not sponsor, or pay me, to write this post. I won a free sample of this paint and was happy to try out the product. All of these opinions are my own.

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