(Ep. 3 – UTILIZING SPACE)
Welcome back to another episode! To be honest, this is so much fun for me to do. I hope it’s just as fun for you to try too! This month, I want to talk about utilizing the space you have for your decor. But that’s not the only factor! From the age of your Littles (if you have any), to your budget, your preference with functionality, and so much more.
For this blog, I decided to make two projects to share with you. These were already things I needed to create, which can be one of the best ways to get motivated to create projects in the first place! And as with every blog, feel free to click the photo to watch the video!
But without further adieu, let’s get to it!
Shelves Your Way
The first project my husband and I built was a shelf for our bedroom. (Okay, my husband built most of it but I helped a lot!) Our bedroom is rather small, so we needed a way to get things off the ground and onto the wall. So we created a custom shelf to fit our space. And so can you! For supplies, you will need 2×8 lumber of your choice in length of choice, stain of choice, 2-6″ gas nipples, 2-1″ close nipples, 2-18″ nipples, and 1-1′ flange, and screws. We got a 44″ piece of Douglas fir, used Varathane Classic Penetrating Wood Stain in ‘Smoke Gray’, and painted all our metal fittings with Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch in ‘Flat Black Primer’.
First, we cut our piece of wood into 2 pieces-20″ and 24″. Then we stained those and let them dry, as well as the metal fittings. After placing the 24″-piece of wood as a top shelf at a height where I could still grab things from the top, we screwed the metal fittings to the wall. Then we screwed the top shelf into the metal fittings and then the bottom shelf. Now that it’s all said and done, I’ve been able to utilize the space as much as I can. And it’s helped out in many ways! You could always create different shelves as well. From rope-hanging shelves, to floating shelves ,and more! It’s all about your style, your space, and your budget!
With A Function
If you’ve seen my social media posts, you know that I have a booth set up at a local faire in my town. And with other businesses around me, I needed to figure out a way to display my business name. So my husband and I built a custom one that works perfectly for my area! For supplies, you’ll need 1×2 lumber of your choice in length of choice, 1×6 lumber of your choice in length of choice, stain of choice, an 8″ piece of gas iron pipe, a 1′ piece of 3/8″ all thread, 2 wing nuts, and a 24″ piece of small chain. We got Douglas fir for all the lumber (2-40″ pieces for the 1×6 and 2-65 1/4″ pieces for the 1×2), used Varathane Premium Wood Stain in ‘Sunbleached’ and ‘Vintage Aqua’, and painted our metal fittings with Rust-oleum Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch in ‘Flat Black Primer’.
First we cut our 1×2 lumber into 4-24″ legs, 2-8″ cross pieces, and 2-9 1/4″ cross pieces and stained those with the ‘Sunbleached’. Then we cut our 1×6 lumber into 4 pieces all 20″ in length and stained those ‘Vintage Aqua’. We drilled a hole and attached the 4 legs with the metal fittings and wing nuts, and added the cross sections of wood to the legs. Then we took our 4 pieces of 1×6 lumber and screwed those onto the cross sections of wood. Lastly, we cut the piece of chain into 2-12″ pieces and screwed those into the 4 legs as well. And the fun part is you really can make it into whatever you want it to be! You can paint it with chalkboard paint or add a slat of wood to the bottom to make it an art easel! Or you can even make only half of it so you still have a sign but one that fits your space!
Related: Ep. 1
Style, Space, & Budget
Like I said, each of these ideas is totally up to your style, your space, and your budget. But no matter what, you can make it work for you! One of my favorite parts about creating things for our own space is how things actually go with each other now! No more trying to match colors from different brands! And it’s so cool to look at something and know we made it with our own 4 hands! So please, try some of these out – in your own way, of course! And don’t forget to tag ETM on social media so I can see the amazing things you create!
And as always, thank you so very much for being a part of ETM’s community! I encourage you to join discussions, interact with others alike, and be unapologetically yourself! Until next time, I hope I’m able to help make your life as simple as could be. (:
With all my love, Brandolyn – Earth To Momma
