Baby B Shelf

I have got to tell you about a book. The authors have my favorite blog. I read their blog once, and created mine after theirs the next day. They are crafty AND thrifty. They always do a project I can afford. It’s that fact alone that keeps me reading. Plus, I like their style. 

Their book came out the first week of November. They purposefully were hiding their book projects from the blog so that they wouldn’t spoil the book sales. I had NO PROBLEM buying their book. I feel bad that I have a girl I worked with that had a book come out this year too (recipe book) but that’s not my thing. Her recipes have fancy ingredients you can’t buy just anywhere. I like crockpot style recipes without fancy ingredients. Just like my projects, I like using what I have around the house.  I feel bad I haven’t bought her book, yet I bought a stranger’s. But I don’t feel like they are strangers. I know them personally and read them every day!

Right before I ordered this book, my mom and I just had a lengthy talk about not adding any more to my plate after I go back to work. I had just frantically done a lot of projects and left some stranglers and she didn’t want me stressing about NEW projects.

So I bought the book, opened it and flagged it with all the projects I was pining over. I think there are 25 possibilities that are fast and affordable. 

There are so many cool things. And they aren’t planning on posting on their blog their book projects. You have to buy the book!

My first project was a shelf for Baby B’s room. There were many nights during his first two weeks at home where he only wanted to sleep on my chest for the short two hour periods. During those times as I “tried” to go back to sleep, I sat around and stared at his room. That’s when trouble starts. When I have time to stare at a room over and over or the yard, I can come up with ideas!

The first idea came as I stumbled upon the nook behind his bedroom door.

To me this felt like wasted space and I was desperately trying to find place for “high shelves ideas.” Those exact words have been written in a digital note in my phone since September! I saw Pottery Barn put a shelf 1.5 feet away from the ceiling and liked it. Of course those items cannot come down every day.

I measured the nook and of course it is an odd length if I wanted it to touch both walls. Forty-nine inches is not something you find in stores. I could find 42 and once I found a 48-inch. I considered that shelf but it wasn’t the style I like and it wasn’t a cheap price. $50 is too much for a shelf!

It was after I browsed my new book that I found a guest article in the book about making a shelf out of reclaimed wood and “L-brackets.” The same L-brackets I used on the boys game table.

4-inch vs 5-inch

I could cut the wood to perfect size and be cute with how I hung it, all the while being very sturdy! I bracket underneath and above made the floating shelf much safer than your typical floating shelves. I get nervous with those; especially if they are long. This would be my guinea pig for possible shelves somewhere else!

I did not get reclaimed wood after my experience with the pallet wall. I bought a piece of wood that was $4/foot  (I thought it was $4 total and got so excited! But $16 is still cheap.) Then I bought the L-brackets for $4 for a grand total of $20.

See the bubbles?

I used the same wood stain that I used on the table refinish and the game table. Since I finished, I learned of a trick to get the bubbles out from a dear friend that used the same stain and poly in one can. Let the stain dry some and then wipe it. If you wipe too early, the stain comes off. But if you wait, the stain stays and the bubbles disappear! I have half a can left so I will remember this for my next project.

Before I drilled the brackets in the wood, I found where the studs in the wall were. I was fine if the brackets were not perfect; as long as they were in studs. The original brackets I got made me nervous. If they were suppose to be right on top of each other, that meant the screws would hit. I then noticed the example in the book at brackets with staggering holes. I then went to get me some of those.

I spray painted the brackets oil-rubbed bronze.

That Gator sign was a gift from our Nebraska friend. Mr. JCrew's response was, "No out-of-state tuition!"

The shelf went up smoothly and I was in love! I quickly decorated it with random things already in Baby B’s room. 

This project took me forever. Every time I had a moment to do it, the baby was sleeping... in his room. I think the project was so slow, that the hungry little caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly three times! That's at least how many time we have to read it each day to Little JCrew. 

Sorry I broke our pact, Mom. I promise there are no more projects (right now.)