project 6 of 25/BOOKSHELVES

Oh, this bookshelf. It has given me grief for almost three years, ever since we moved in. The biggest problem in the whole house, of course, was the kitchen, which we remodeled this summer, so now there are a handful of smaller projects I've been itching to fix. This bookshelf was a monstrosity from the seventies, and it was at the top of my list. The geometric division of the shelves made it really hard to store books efficiently (especially that stupid skinny part). So I cleared all the books out, stacked them on my kitchen table, and set to work to remove it from the wall.

I ran into a snag immediately (isn't that how these things go?). There were six screws, all different from each other, and they had been painted over at least twice, which means the grooves were totally filled and stuck. I tried drilling them out, I tried scraping at the paint to loosen them, and I even tried the rubber band trick to remove them. They were totally stripped and not going anywhere. I asked Conrad what he thought, and he suggested either cutting the tops off the screws (didn't know how to do it/didn't have the tools), or hammering them down and risk ruining the wall. I was stumped for about 30 minutes, then figured that since all the stuff done to the house before we moved in was done really shotty, I could probably just pull the shelf right off the wall. And I did.

After that feat of strength, I discovered that the screws had left huge holes in the wall, and the bookshelf was almost just floating there that whole time. I patched the holes, and while it was drying, I dug through my stash of leftover paint from various projects. I went with a dark grey that I had gotten a sample of a while ago, and since I was just doing this one wall, the little sample ended up being the perfect amount. I wanted a little accent, but not too bright. Then I painted the small adjacent wall with my leftover light grey.

I bought some white tracks, brackets, and shelves at Home Depot (they'll cut the shelves to the right size for you). A quick wipe down and some book stacking later, I had some completed shelves! It was actually a relatively simple (and inexpensive) project, and I think it looks so much more open than the old wall-mounted bookshelf. The straight, uninterrupted shelves are way more efficient - I couldn't have fit everything on the old one. An added bonus of the wall tracks is that you can adjust the height of each shelf whenever you want. I love the way it looks!

This is Project 6 in my 25 Projects challenge. I am attempting to complete 25 projects this year. Contact me if you are interested in sponsoring one of the projects or featuring an item on the blog Craft supplies, handmade items, and home decor are encouraged.

View Project 1

View Project 2

View Project 3

View Project 4

View Project 5

home tour/OFFICE IN A CLOSET

Blurry cell phone pictures, right? Moving on. We have this really large hall closet in our house, and I had been wanting to make it more functional. I had even daydreamed about turning it into a little office-in-a-closet for myself. It was stacked to the ceiling with boxes of storage and old stuff that I hadn't even looked at since we moved. So I spent one whole weekend working on it, making giveaway piles and trash piles, and everything that didn't need to stay inside went out to our little outdoor closet. You can read a little more about that here.

In my daydreams, I'd stick a little desk in the little nook to the left, maybe a built-in since it would have to be super small. Or I'd do one along the back wall, using two little cubbies and a slab of wood (more here). I flip-flopped between the two ideas, and finally decided that it just wasn't the perfect spot for me to use as an office. For one, the only light turns off when the door closes and there's no natural light. For two, there are no outlets. And for three, after a desk was constructed, almost nothing else would fit, and storage would be lost. So I decided to make it a sort of storage paradise. 

I had Conrad take down the shelf and bar along the back wall so I could build a shelving unit. We have one in the closet in Henny's room and it's amazing how efficient the space becomes. One of my goals with this closet was to move all my crafting stuff in here so I could access it when Henny naps. I hate starting a project, finally getting some momentum, and having to stop in the middle because something I need is in the same room as the sleeping baby. So I assembled the shelves (these are our favorite - sturdy, lightweight, easy to assemble, and we can take them with us when we move, unlike a built-in) and started moving my stuff in from Henny's room. 

It was so fun (I'm a total geek when it comes to organization) because everything had it's own perfect spot. I moved stuff into Henny's closet that I knew I'd likely never need to access when he's sleeping, like the car stuff and the big tool box. I kept my little pink tool kit though. You never know what projects you'll need a hammer and nails for. 

With the shelves pushed up against the left wall, there was just enough room to cram our beach chairs. On the other side, there was a little extra floor space, so I moved my wrapping paper over there. That big Nordstrom bag is full of more bags for presents, and that big black box next to it is full of bows. I guess that became my wrapping station! I hammered one little nail into the wall and hung my wreath frames for easy access (wreath projects one and two) More stuff I kept in this closet: a box of Henry's clothes that he's grown out of or will grow into - I do the switches during naptime, water bottles and paper towels/toilet paper, five or six leftover cans of paint from various projects (one two three)

On the wall to the right when you first open the closet, I kept the upper shelf and bar, because it serves as a perfect spot to hang my dresses and skirts (which don't currently fit in my closet). Our vacuum is right in front so I can pull it out easily, and the big white plastic table is against the wall behind everything. 

Up top is a costume box and some sleeping bags. When we were little, my mom had this big costume box in the top of her closet. We'd ask her if we could play dress up, and she'd reach up where we couldn't, pull down the big box, and let us play. There were wigs and dresses and safari hats and green witch fingers and chunky costume jewelry, and we'd wear it all at once. I have such fun memories of "The Costume Box" that I started one after our first Halloween together over four years ago, waaay before we even had kids.

I love this new system for organization. Everything is way more streamlined and easy to get to, especially since it's not in Henny's room anymore. Go organization!

ARBITRARY NORTH MAP

Ok, so I'm a little late on sharing this, but I wanted to share since this was such a fun little addition to our home. We were sitting together one night in December or January, and we stumbled across 27 maps that will change your view of the world. Most of them were really interesting and provided some fun perspective, and then we came across an arbitrary North map - the regular world, but flipped upside down.

Conrad, being the geeky engineer type, went bonkers about how great the map was, and how our map is only "right side up" because someone decided it was. In space, there's actually no such thing as right side up. He said he loved that map and would like one in his office one day (you know, when we get an office). I logged the conversation away, and knew I'd get one for him as a surprise.

Skip to: Valentine's day was coming up, and I decided to get him his upside down world map. It's not just a regular map hung upside down, it's actually labeled correctly so you can see your familiar cities in a new way. I found this one on Zazzle and bought it immediately. We love it! I liked the earthy tones as opposed to the typical rainbow map.

It's currently covering a hole in our entryway (the patching of which will count as part of a 25 project), and helps complete the space. Without it, the wall is really bare and the room looks unfinished. I've got a couple of ideas to complete the space further as part of my 25 projects, and I'm thinking it will all tie in and display the map really well!

CLOCK WALL

Recently at IKEA, while shopping in the marketplace section of the store (as opposed to the showroom), I came across the clock section and was hit with the idea to do a clock wall somewhere in our house. I decided the wall that the kitchen cart sits against would be the best option, since it's the most practical place to keep clocks, and the wall is small enough to fill easily with a few clocks. Another thing I like about doing a clock wall is that if I ever decide to rearrange them or move one to a different room, I could easily do so and it wouldn't be weird. If I had gone with a single piece of art or photography and ever decided to move it, I'd be stuck with an empty wall again. I bought three different clocks, an all black one, a silver-rimmed one, and a white-rimmed one. I'd love to go thrifting and find some unique ones to add around them! My only criteria is that they don't tick. The little white one ticks, and it doesn't bother me too much, but I know if there was one more clock that ticked, I'd feel like Captain Hook in Hook. 

LAST YEAR'S PROJECTS

In light of this year's 25 projects challenge, I thought I'd do a little round-up of last year's projects! Despite being sick for the first few months of the year, hugely pregnant for another part, and adjusting to life with a newborn/recovering from surgery for the last part, I was able to get about 12 projects done. Some of them are big, like furniture renovation and kitchen remodeling, and some are small, like journaling and little paint projects.

Here's a list of the projects I completed in 2013: 

DIY Apothecary Jars (2-in-1 with apothecary jars and layered candle)

Paper Pendant

Paper Leaf Painting

White Walls

Nautical Jute Projects (2-in-1 with vase and lamp)

Wooden Desk Renovation (my personal favorite)

Baby Book Smash Book (really popular on Pinterest)

Art Journaling

Kitchen Demo

Kitchen and Living Reno

Gold Dip

Chalkboard Cheese Tray

SIMPLE JEWELRY ORGANIZATION

This idea came to me in a "no duh!" type of way. I've seen corkboard jewelry holders like this before - the one that springs to mind belongs to one of my girlfriends, and then of course, I'm sure I've also seen similar ones on Pinterest. I have this beautiful wooden box that housed all my jewelry (which I hardly ever wear), but it was bursting at the seems with all my bling. Which is ironic, since I never considered myself a jewelry girl in the first place, but then we went ahead and threw a grabby baby in the mix and now the LAST thing I want on my body is something pulling on my neck or getting tangled in my hair or around Henry's fingers. Only I actually really like my necklaces and kind of would like to wear them more? Question mark? This is they type of conflict I struggle with.

I had originally tried to turn this corkboard into a calendar. I made a grid using washi tape, and cut little squares of paper to stick up there with push pins. The whole thing would have been adorable if it wasn't ugly. Isn't that so with all ugly things? Anyway, it ended up being a sad waste of washi tape - almost a whole roll of it - but I'm glad I decided to nix the calendar and go with the jewelry holder. There's a few things about the whole situation. First, I already got a large desk calendar that was actually, you know, a calendar, and not a corkboard with washi tape and pushpins. Second, bare walls make a house feel like you just moved in, and my master bathroom was all walls-y. And we've lived here for, what? Three years now? It was time to make some holes. (For this reason I finally hung pictures in gallery fashion in our living room) And third, I knew if my jewelry was in plain sight when I was getting ready in the mornings, I'd be more likely to actually put some of it on.

I pushed some pins (I've gone and made it sound like I hate pushpins, but they're really wonderful things) about an inch apart across the top and hung my necklaces on it. A couple of my necklaces were shorter and I was able to push one in about halfway down to hang the one and only bracelet I've ever been happy to wear in my life. I would have hung my men's watches, too, but I figured I should keep something in the old jewelry box.

If you're interested, the necklaces from left to right: wooden bead necklace from Target about five years ago, rose gold chain from Stella and Dot about two years ago, orange carved stone necklace that I picked up while in China, twisted chain with rhinestones from American Eagle about two years ago, mother of pearl beaded necklace I got in Hawaii when I was sixteen, dangle chain statement necklace from American Eagle about two years ago, white bauble necklace, vintage locket that belonged to my Oma, handmade stone slice necklace from a local vendor's fair/farmer's market in Salt Lake City about five years ago, leaves and chains necklace (I've scoured my memory and can't remember where it's from), treble clef necklace from choir in high school, Tiffany's bracelet given to me by my highschool boyfriend. The framed corkboard (approximately 18x24 inches) was given to us (this one is really cute but a little bigger. If you have lots of jewelry and a slightly bigger wall it would look cute).

GALLERY WALL ABOVE THE COMPUTER

Since we rearranged our furniture to have the office space on the smaller wall by the fireplace, I've put up a little gallery of some art and photos that are meaningful to us. Art is a hard thing. I feel like what I like changes all the time, and then my style is kind of all over the place. So I went with stuff that is special to me or that I just plain love. I love the idea of a gallery wall because it can expand as you acquire more pieces that you love! I plan to make something special for this wall for one of my 25 projects for the year.

 The big photo in the middle on the top is a photograph of my ancestors on a trip to Yellowstone in 1891. My grandma's mother was a little girl in the photo. The sketch of a log cabin and the small painted vase of daisies were done by my grandma a long time ago - she has since gotten tremors that make it almost impossible for her to write or draw, so these were special to me. The numbers in the top left are our dates: Conrad's birthday, mine, our wedding, and Henry. The long picture in the bottom row is the Frame Coat of Arms. The Frames are of Scottish descent, so this was another family-centric item for the wall. The two larger flowers on the bottom row are my most recent additions.

 They're both original pieces by an up-and-coming artist in the LA area, Brittany Ciauri. She painted something for my brother before he left on his mission, and it's hanging in his room. When I saw it, I knew she was really talented and wanted to share her work. I approached her and asked her if I could show her to my readers, and she not only said yes, she offered to give away a painting to one of you!

The small sunflower is 8x10, and one of you will win it! It's really beautifully painted, and despite it's bright colors, it somehow works as a neutral piece, which means it's great for any wall and almost any style. All you have to do to enter is follow her on instagram and then leave a comment here telling me where you'll put the painting if you win it! She posts a lot of her paintings on instagram, and if you see one you like, inquire for a price (she did one of a lion that is amazing)!

Happy entering!

I received a painting in exchange for writing this post, but I approached Brittany for her incredible talent, so you know these opinions are my own. Picture frames are from Costco and Michael's.

project 1 of 25/NATURE BOY SCRIPT PAINTING

I have a small rotation of lullabies that I sing to Henry, and none of them are actually lullabies. Sea of Love is our song. I sang it to him all the time while I was pregnant, and as if the song was written just for us, when we were leaving the hospital, the song was playing in the lobby. That song never plays. It was the sign I needed to boost my confidence and know that this baby, right here in my arms in this wheelchair, is the baby I sang to, the baby I waited for. 

I was going to paint that song for him, but the lyrics are very short. I needed more words, so I chose our second favorite song, Nature Boy, originally sung by Nat King Cole (see? also not a lullaby).

I'm a canvas recycler and decided I was done with the yellow drip painting (pictured above) that hung on our walls. The canvas is huge - probably the second largest one that Michael's sells. I propped it up, popped a movie on, and started painting. 

I quickly realized that I would use a whole tube of paint in order to cover the previous layer, so I called on the can of extra paint from when we painted our master bedroom white. I was worried it would have too much sheen once it dried, but it looked great.

I used a pencil and wrote the words in a whimsical, kind of sloppy cursive. I knew if I tried to paint it without tracing the words, it wouldn't look right, and I knew it would look best if it was my own natural handwriting. To balance the shininess of the white paint, I wanted to use a more matte black, and luckily, I had extra chalkboard paint from when I made the chalkpaint cheese tray.

I had to go over the letters a couple times to get the depth I wanted. You can see that those bottom two rows (pictured above) are a little too light with just one coat. I hung the finished product over our dining room table, and it anchors it really well since the canvas is almost as big as the table. 

I'm linking this project to Remodelaholic's link party and Tip Junkie.

This is Project 1 in my 25 Projects challenge. I am attempting to complete 25 projects this year. Contact me if you are interested in sponsoring one of the projects or featuring an item on the blog.

Some links to products are affiliate links. This was not a sponsored project. That white pitcher is from Target and the kitchen table is from JC Penny Outlet (five years ago).