DIY'ers Look Out!

Today has been one of those days. You know the ones; you are snippy and short, but for unknown reasons, its hard to pinpoint what your problem is, exactly. That's where I've been today. Melancholy...grumpy and apathetic. A hard place to be on a gorgeous afternoon! So instead of allowing myself to succumb to these feelings, I made myself find something good in the day & allowed myself to just do whatever I found needed to be done. Amidst my drifting moments of work and relaxation, this is whatI found to do and I'm so excited to share it!!

 Creating a Side-Bar From an Old Bookshelf

 

 

When I get bored, I try to think of creative ways to get myself out of my self-made slump. Sometimes they're good and other times...lets just say sometimes my ideas are so atrocious that they should never be considered, ever! But every-so-often I come across an idea that, once implimented, is quite ingeniois. I had one of these ideas this weekend!

 

Yes, this is my embaarassingly cluttered cook-
book bookshelf

I have a book shelf in my breakfast nook which houses all my cookbooks and miscalaneous recipes I've collected throughout the years and unfortunately, it's just a cluttered mess!! I'm sick of looking at it everytime I sit down at my table...so began my hunt for a way to aleviate this eye-sore. I considered hanging a simple curtain at the front but decided this wouldn't capture my 'style'...I wanted something that fit me and was practical. After spending a few moments perusing my house for something I could use to cover up my 'clutteredness' I remembered some window shutters I purchased on a whim at a local thrift store...and suddenly I had a solution! Use the shutters to enclose the bookcase, covering its very cluttered contents, but looking somewhat stylish (at least in my opinion :-) and practicle in the mean time!

 

 This was my solution! I found two, four-pannel window shutters at my local thrift store two months ago and bought them, both, for $4!! I was planning on trying to find a way to use them in my windows, but was unsure as to what their exact usage would be when I purchased them.(Honestley, I've had the shutters sitting idly in my living room until now. It's sometimes nice to be able to sit back and evaluate your needs before you jump into them, but remember, in order to do this, you MUST keep an eye our for 'useful' items at garage sales, thrift store, antique stores, or anywhere else you may find yourself. Pre-planning is crucial if you want to do someting on a whim...otherwise, knowing what you want and searching for it can work as well, it just may be a bit more expensive on your part.)

 

Once I had decided to use the shutters I had purchased on this project, I measured the heights and width to make sure to cut the shutters down to size. Once cut to the appropriate height, I had to separated one pannel from the second set of shutters. I then was presented with the fact that the shutters covered all but a 1 1/2" of the width of my shelf. Fortunately for me, I foud a piece of oak in our garage that would work perefectly for the job! I only had to attach the hinges and the apporpriate shutter heights, and I had a perfect solution to my clutter problem!

 

Once the shutters and oak piece were in place, it was easy to finish the job. I painted everyting to match, white, and let it dry. I'm extrememly proud to say I have created a beautiful side-board from a very neglected and cluttered bookshelf! And I didn't even have to worrry about our finances on this one!!

 

I hope this inspires you to keep a watchful eye on your local thrift store, garage sales, or antique markets! You never know what you might stumble upon ...especially when you least expect it!!

 

Enjoy!