For the winter, I really wanted a mercury glass or antiqued mirror for our mantle, but I couldn’t find any in a wood frame that I liked, in the size that I wanted. A few quick searches online yielded plenty of DIYs that were just the solution I needed! We used the method provided by Rustoleum.
Here’s how we made our mirror:
We bought a clear pane of glass from the hardware store– they have a few size options, and luckily one fit the bill.
When the paint is still wet, use a spray bottle to spritz vinegar onto the glass. Spray where/how much you’d like.
Blot with paper towel. Continue these steps until it is antiqued to your liking.
When dry, spraypaint with a darker color (this way the distressed parts show through darker on the front side of the mirror.) We used a brown that we had on hand.
For the frame, we simply cut pine boards to size. We created a bevel so the mirror would fit snugly inside the notch and used mirror clips to secure everything in place.
We used the Kreg Jig and wood glue to attach the boards.
Use any stain you’d like to finish it off- we used a mix of Early American and Provincial because we had some from previous projects.
I love how my magnolia leaf looks hanging on the mirror!
In this post I shared my plans for L’s big girl room in the new house. Since we moved in two months ago, we’ve been busy completing projects day and night (mostly at night after L is in bed). I thought I’d share the progress we’ve made in her big girl room so far.
We decided to use L’s nursery furniture until she’s ready for a big girl bed. The paint color on the wall is Benjamin Moore Foggy Morning. Originally, I was set on a neutral tone, but I couldn’t resist this shade of pale pink. It does have a beige undertone which makes it appear neutral in natural light. The ceiling fan came with the house. L’s pretty obsessed with the butterflies, so we are keeping it for now.
I went with vinyl decals to create an accent wall instead of painted stripes in the original plan. The white clouds were purchased from this Etsy shop. I cut out a few gold ones myself using vinyl sheets from Joann’s. I like that they aren’t uniform which created a more whimsical look and easy to install (don’t need to worry about perfectly lined up or straight).
The gray rug is the third one we purchased for the room. The graphic yellow rug in the original plan just wasn’t big enough. Her room needs a 8′ by 10′. The second rug we bought was a cushy shag rug, but it smelled terrible even after airing out for days. Upon research, I learned there are so many scary chemicals in synthetic rugs (I get paranoid about these things), so I went on a hunt for a backless wool rug (no backing means no glue which means less chemicals). I was drawn to the color and the graphic element of this rug and it was on sale. You just can’t pass up a 8′ by 10′ wool rug for $310. It doesn’t have a high pile and it’s a bit scratchy, but it doesn’t smell and hides stains well. I put a felt rug pad and an old blanket underneath for cushion and that seems to do the trick for now. I’m keeping my eyes open for a high pile, colorful, affordable wool rug.
The bookshelves are spice racks from IKEA. I’m sure you’ve seen this hack all over Pinterest. They turned out really cute and I like that they display the books’ covers so L can pick out exactly the book she wants. The reading nook is made from old sheer curtains, an embroidery hoop and some upcycled pillows.
You probably recognize the alphabet cards from L’s nursery. We decided to keep those in her room to give her a sense of familiarity in the new space. Plus she is really into pointing out letters and singing ABCs these days. Eventually I want to add a mirror and framed art to this wall.
For now I can cross off a few things on the list for L’s big girl room.
paint the walls
accent wall
new light fixture/ceiling fan
big rug
make reading nook/book shelf
new curtains
gallery wall art
closet organization build-in
night stand (in a fun color)
build-in seating for bay window
round play table
I hope to find time to complete a few more projects and give you another update in a few months. When do you tackle your DIY projects around the house?
If babies are so tiny, why do they come with/need so many things?! Our nursery is a smaller room, so when planning out our space we did not have the option to fit many pieces of furniture in there.
When we discovered that there wasn’t enough floor space for a bookshelf to house all of the fabulous books I had envisioned for our little one, my mind went into solution mode. In the nursery, the closet door opens out into the room, rendering the wall that the door opens against almost useless. This was the perfect spot to create a recessed bookshelf. After all, if you don’t have the floor space, think vertically and use the wall space!
My husband and I did not use any plans or consult any tutorials for the bookshelf. We wanted to keep this project as simple as possible in order to ensure that we got it all done in advance of the little one’s arrival.
Bear with me on this one—there are several steps, but I promise they’re pretty easy. Writing out directions makes it look way more time consuming than it actually was, especially if you have a solid weekend of time to dedicate to the project instead of splitting it up across weekends (which is what we had to do).
What you need:
Stud Finder
Reciprocating saw
Drywall/Keyhole saw
Wood- 1 sheet of birch plywood, 3/4” for the bookshelf; 1 2×4 for Header/Footer
Wood Screws
Table saw
Miter saw
Drill (which might also be your electric screwdriver)
Electric Screwdriver—can be done by hand, but be prepared for some muscle strain
Dowels
Nails
Speed Square
Wood Glue (optional)
Casing
Caulk
Wood Filler
Sanding pad
Paint/paintbrush
Step 1:
Locate the studs for the wall on which you want to put the bookcase. Usually studs are 16 inches apart, if not that then possibly at 24 inches apart. Use your stud finder and mark with pencil on the wall—do this a few times to verify your readings! Our studs were at 16 inches. As this is narrow, we decided that we wanted the bookcase to span the width of two stud areas.
Step 2:
After marking where the studs were, we decided on the overall height of the bookcase. The dimensions we went with were 30” by 57.25”. Use a level to draw straight lines outlining your bookcase. Use a drywall/keyhole saw to cut your hole. Get ready for lots of dust.
Step 3:
If you’re only using the narrow space between 2 studs, you can skip over this step. In the photo below you can see that after cutting away the wall, the middle stud still stands. We also discovered an odd piece of metal in the bottom right corner.
The metal was not doing anything structurally so we cut this away before dealing with the middle stud. Use a reciprocating saw to take out the stud.
Step 4:
Since we took out the middle stud, we wanted to make sure to put a header and footer at the top and bottom of the bookcase hole. This would guarantee that even with the stud gone, the hole is still structurally sound.
We cut down a 2×4 to the width of the openings on the left/right of the middle stud. We then used wood screws to place the header and footer behind the drywall at the top and bottom of the opening. Secure the header/footer by fastening the screws into the studs on the left and right of the hole, as well as to the middle stud itself.
Take this time to vacuum up all the lovely drywall debris.
Step 5:
Before we cut any wood for the cabinet itself, we sketched out the unit and marked all of our upcoming measurements. With this in mind, we were able to cut our wood at one time. Two heads are certainly better than one when it comes to calculating measurements—remember the golden rule of measure twice, cut once.
Here’s what our schematic looked like. Here it is as well in PDF: PDF Plan of Schematic
Step 6:
With all measurements exact and ready to go, it was time to start cutting the wood. We cut the sides, top, bottom, and all shelves first. It was helpful for us to layout the wood as each piece was complete—the bookcase was clearly taking shape.
We cut the back panel last as it was the largest piece of wood.
Step 7:
This step is purely optional. Maybe you noticed in the photo above that there was a line running along each shelf. We wanted a slight notch on each shelf to better ‘catch’ a book if it started to slide.
We measured where the notch would go and marked it on each shelf. We made the notch by running each shelf over the table saw when the blade was very low.
Step 8:
We stood the wood up on the ground at the correct measurements (according to our diagram) to ensure that everything fit. We were glad to see that it was perfect!
Step 9:
With the unit coming together, it was time to turn our attention to the sides of the bookcase. If you’re not using dowels to keep your books on the shelf, this step will be modified for you.
While the bookcase was lying on the garage floor, looking like a ladder (photo above), we made a mark on the side pieces at the top and bottom of each shelf. Remember, we had the unit in exactly the measurements we wanted it.
We then used a straight edge to draw the line across the side pieces, from front to back.
As you can see in the photo above, we also marked 2 small holes where we would use screws to secure the side pieces and shelves together.
The other hole in the photo is the hole for the wooden dowels. Again, the placement of the dowel was decided when we did our earlier schematic.
For time’s sake, we placed each side piece on top of one another and pre-drilled all of these holes with a drill bit close in size to the screws we were using. This way we knew that the holes were in exactly the same spots on each side, which would give us nice, level shelves in the long run.
Step 10:
Begin to assemble the bookcase. Grab the back panel, sides, and top/bottom pieces of wood.
We used wood glue and 4 wood screws each on the top and bottom pieces of wood and fastened them into the side pieces. Use a speed square to ensure that each corner is 90 degrees.
We flipped this on its face and affixed the back panel with wood screws, spaced evenly around the perimeter. Again, we used some wood glue to secure everything together.
Step 11:
With the overall cabinet complete, it was time to slide the shelves into place. We aligned the shelves with the marks we had made earlier on the side pieces. We then used wood screws (going from the outside of the side pieces) to secure the shelves to the sides of the cabinet. Repeat this step for as many shelves as you have.
I took this picture from the top end of the cabinet. Looks good so far!
Step 12:
Trim your dowels down to the width you would like them to be.
Slide your dowels into the left side hole and push it through the cabinet all the way into the right side hole. Repeat for each shelf you have. You may have to use a mallet to nudge them into place.
Step 13:
The moment of truth came when we slid the cabinet into the wall opening—it was a perfect fit! Boy does it feel good when you do a woodworking project right!
Use screws to secure the bookcase to the wall studs as well as header/footer you installed.
In our merriment I forgot to take a picture of this step.
Fill in your screw holes with wood filler, let dry, and sand.
Step 14:
Time for some beautification. We used casing as trim around the bookcase because we wanted it to match the closet door it is closest to. Use a miter saw to quickly cut the 4 pieces of trim to size. Use nails to secure it to the studs and the header/footer around the bookcase. Caulk where the corners of the trim meet and let dry.
Step 15:
The last step is to paint the bookcase. We went with white because we liked that it was a simple contrast with the wall color. If you’re cooler than us, you could always use an accent color to make the back of the bookcase really pop. Two coats of paint, and she was ready to go.
We love how this project came out. It was a nice way to put a personal touch on the room and is an extremely functional use of space. Furthermore, it was such a nice, special project to do together. We know that this bookcase will see a lot of use, and can’t wait for many story times ahead!
