Thursday, January 19, 2012

A Place to Call Home



I thought it was about time we added some storage to Little Man's room -- his toys and stuffed animals were either lying helter-skelter in the corner when not in use or (more often) spread around his room in a rather dangerous array. Not wanting to shell out the money for a full bookshelf just now, we used a cheap bookshelf unit that we found by the dumpster at our old apartment. You know, the kind with the oh-so-stylish faux wood grain? This one also boasted half of the Thomas the Train stickers in existence when we found it, but fortunately they scraped off quite easily.

 It didn't have a shelf, but we had purchased a white laminated board, which provided both this shelf and a shelf for a similar dumpster find that we use as a microwave stand. With a little white spray paint, about a dollar's worth of flannel covering the backboard, and several days to destinkify (yes, of course that is a word!), it was ready to bring order and peace to the nursery.



I did try to do the proper thing with that flannel by stapling it into the backing board. But no, the staples just wouldn't penetrate. So instead I went with a far classier attachment method. I'm afraid to tell you in case you think I'm getting all snobby -- but since you insist (you do, don't you?), I used clear packing tape. See, I told you I'd sound snobby! *wink* It works quite well, and since the bookshelf is up against a well, you can't tell.

And while I loathe ads on blogs, I did have a sponsor that I must recognize. Technical support (i.e., lots and lots of spraying) brought to you by Pablo, my very patient and amazing husband!

So now we have more storage and another surface for Little Man to bang his toys into. And you may not be able to tell, but those stuffed animals look so much happier now they they have a place to call home. Really.



4 comments:

  1. You have done a great job! So satisfying to rescue something unloved and make it beautiful and useful again. Makes me think about how God does the same thing with us :)

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  2. Hi Shannon
    Great job on the bookcase!
    I have the same one in my son's room too (used for his school books). Question-how did you apply the packing tape to the flanne? I would of thought that it would come out all bumpy.
    Thanks!
    Irene

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  3. Irene,

    I cut the flannel to be about 6" bigger than the backing board on each side. I laid the board on top of the flannel, lined it up, and pulled the flannel taut on each edge. I folded the corners like this: http://www.homeworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/DIY-Upholstered-Ottoman-Corner-Detail.jpg.

    The packing tape applied very easily, to my surprise. All I had to do was use small pieces (about 8" long) and start on opposite sides. I added more tape as I went along.

    Hope that helps, and good luck with yours!

    Blessings,
    Shannon

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  4. Thanks Shannon
    I'am definitely going to make a stop at Joanns tomorrow!
    (so much fun looking for material)
    thanks so much for the tip!
    Irene :)

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