Cheap Bookshelf Rustic Makeover

     Last week I completed, with the help of a friend, a project I'd been wanting to take on for quite a while now! We own several of those cheap Wal-Mart bookcases (such as this best seller) and I have started feeling like I can't stand them. Yes, they function just fine, but I have two issues with them:
                   1. They don't look great! A bookshelf should have a certain aesthetic to it, and these                                 shelves have zero character.
                   2. The backs are flimsy, tear easily, and are not sturdy.

     So I did some research. Which really means I browsed Pinterest for way longer than I should have, Googled terms such as "cheap bookcase upcycle," and spent days taking stock of available supplies in order to take on this project. My inspiration came mostly from these two photos:

Source

Source

    


The supplies I had on hand:
- paper and fabric, to mod-podge on the back or shelves to give it a colorful lift
- a friend who was looking to get rid of some wood
- both stain and white paint, both of which match other furniture in our apartment (blanket ladder, pantry shelf, dining table)
- tools to get the job done





With this list fairly narrow, I decided to go for giving just the backs of the bookcases a facelift. I can always go back and add paper or paint, stencil, or sticker the bookshelves or backs later on!

Here's the products, process, and final photos!

Photos (on left)

In the afternoon sunlight...

Products

- 3 "cheap-o" bookshelves (two white, and taller, one brown and shorter/more square)
- various sized 1-inch thick boards, leftover from other projects
- hammer and nails (you could use screws for a more secure finish)
- circular saw and power sander (and sandpaper)
- Stain (personally I am in love with "Early American" by Minwax)

Process

*I began with all the bookcases in disassembled and in pieces. Before step 4, I assembled the bookcases without the cheap cardboard back.

1. Measure and cut the leftover wood to the length needed for the back of each bookcase. Specifically, I laid out the boards until they fit the width of the cheap cardboard back, and then laid the cheap cardboard back on top of the boards to measure length. If I did this again, I'd add about 1/2 inch to the end, to ensure sufficient space to nail them to the back of the bookcases later on.

2. Sand the boards to desired softness. I did not sand them much at all, I simply softened the ends and nicks, and went over each of the faces once with the power sander.

3. Stain the boards. I stained them and let it dry; you could stain and wipe them for a different color, or paint them if you wanted! Options!

*assemble bookcases if they are not already assembled
4. When the boards have dried, place your bookcase front-side down on your work surface. Place the boards on the back of the bookcase and line them up where you want them to be secured.

5. I nailed my boards on the bookcase. I started on the top, lining the boards up for an even look, and nailed the tops of the boards. Then, my friend and I nailed the bottoms of the boards. Some of them were warped and didn't quite lay flat, and there were some small gaps between the boards, lengthwise, but we accepted it as "character." You could also drill holes and screw them in if you wanted a more secure fit!

I might add some paper or fabric to these shelves for a pop of color later on..

Finished products! I'll post some "glamour shots" later on, when I've got them set up and functional!

Explaining the Title

Polymath (n.): A person of great learning in several fields of study

     I was at work and we were eating (surprise!) someone else's baked treat that had been brought to celebrate a birthday. It was a DELICIOUS pecan monkeybread. I'm still drooling thinking about it. Anyways, I'm standing in the workroom, laminating cards for my students to use to play "Go Fish" (with fraction/decimal cards), and a coworker and I are discussing aforementioned monkeybread (drool). He starts asking about my baking ventures. "You're like, a talented baker, right? You just make all sorts of things?" We talk for a bit about that, my previous life with an egg allergy, baking inspiration, yada yada and then he asks how my other projects are going- the quilt I've been making, packing to move, prepping for the school year, blah blah.

     Enter another coworker, and coworker #1 says something along the lines of "Did you realize all the different stuff Sarah can do? I mean she has a million hobbies." So of course I'm flattered and embarrassed and try to avoid the conversation by bringing up whoever made the monkeybread (seriously I need a bib) and fumbling with my fraction/decimal cards. The two of them start talking about how I should start a blog. And one of them says "There's a lot of blogs out there, but you really have a lot of talents worth sharing!" Generally, I never share this sort of flattery. I admit, I enjoy it, and it made my day, but I don't usually like to brag about people bragging about me.  It even sounds weird in that sentence. But it's relevant to the next part of the story, so, yeah. I'll just be over here blushing (and drooling)...

     Fast forward to later that day, while I'm trying to finish THAT DARN QUILT. I'm tying knots (only 9 more to go!) and listening to this when-I-was-in-college-era mix of mostly acoustic mousic (I'm leaving that typo because I like it) when a Mason Jennings song comes on that made my brain wax a wee bit philosophical. I thought a good blog pursuit would be something about being a "Renaissance Woman." That sounds so...touristy, to me, though. It didn't feel flattering. Like, "Oh I can be a renaissance man but I'm a female so I have to classify that with gender specific vocabulary" and I just wrinkled my nose at the sound of introducing myself as "The Renaissance Woman." I also pictured this horrifying scenario where I just start getting offers to perform at Renaissance fairs, totally not the same thing.

     So I did what any average human being does, and I Google search the term "Renaissance man." There it is! My inspiration! I had completely forgotten about the Greek word where the idea of Renaissance man originated- polymath. I love the way the word polymath flows, though! And as a newly discovered math teacher, who's been nerding hard over manipulative activities this summer, the word has the added bonus of containing the word "math."

     I have always envisioned myself spending my life learning to be good at whatever I'm doing. I anticipate that my life ventures may change every now and then because I'm a very flexible person with a large variety of interests. I love the idea of using this blog to be a platform to that journey of becoming a person who spent their time on Earth cultivating knowledge of all sorts. Do I have a cluster of more strong interests? Sure. There will probably be a lot more posts on this blog related to things I pursue often- baking/creative outlets, active lifestyle pursuits (I haven't talked about running yet, have I?)- but I hope that my journey to discover and learn can bring along all sorts of people with me. I'm sure there are many interests that I have yet to discover, and I hope that blogging about them when I do discover will leave behind a trail of inspiration for others to follow.

Finished Product: Birthday Calendar

Following through with a promise from a previous post, here are some photos of the birthday calendar I made, as well as the products and process listed below. Enjoy!

Photos

Products

- 1 wooden board, 1" x 6" x 20" (leftover from previous project) and sandpaper
- Acrylic Paint (blue, white, black), palette paper pad, masking tape, and brushes
- Alphabet stickers (leftover from wedding crafts, ha)
- Burlap "ribbon" (I can't find the product exactly online, but it was the same brand and packaged the same way as THIS product. It was in the party decorations section, and it was a thicker ribbon, for sturdiness) (~ $2.50)
- Small clothespins ($3.99 for 30) and thin marker or hefty pen
-Hot glue gun and glue

Process

1. Sand the board until desired smoothness (edges and faces)

2. Stencil the "birthdays" text. I would give you a specific process for this but I have a talent for being able to look at a font and replicate it fairly accurately, so that's what I did. Font I used was a classic Typewriter font. You could place stickers here if you'd like, but in that case I'd do it after step 3.

3a. For the stripe background, place long strips of masking tape roughly 3/4" apart. Paint one color and let it dry (I had to use several coats). Be sure to paint around the outlined text!
3b. Take off the masking tape and place it on the edge of the previously painted stripe, to give a barrier. Paint the blank stripes with your second color (again, may need to use several coats).

4. After the background dries, paint the sides (or leave, or paint the same as the stripes; there are a lot of options) and then paint the text outlines (Or use stickers. Options!). Let dry.

5. Measure out the spaces for the month labels. I placed mine 1.5 inches from the edge, and spaced them 1.25 inches apart. Place your stickers (the initial for each month).

6. Cut ribbon into 8 inch pieces (Or longer, or shorter if you have a small family. Options people!!). The burlap I used frayed when I cut it, so I sewed each edge with a zigzag stitch. Warm up the hot glue gun and place a pea sized dot on the backside of one end of the ribbon. Place that end of the ribbon underneath the month initial sticker, making sure it is perpendicular to the board's edge, so that it hangs straight. Press down on the ribbon so that the hot glue dries flat.

7. Cut another piece of ribbon to desired hanging length. Hot glue the ribbon to the back of the board. I placed the ends in the middle of the board and hot glued the ribbon from the middle to the top of the board (not done in the picture, which is why it hangs forward instead of flat).

8. The hard part! Write down the names of family members on one side of the clothes pin, and on the edge which clips, write the number of the person's birthday date. Clip the clothespin onto the appropriate month, and voila! A reminder of when people's birthdays are so that you don't forget them. The hubs is already using it to remind me of birthdays coming up!

Food Blog Recommendation: Budget Bytes

 Head on over to www.budgetbytes.com and check it out!

I have to say, when my husband showed me this website and said it looked like a good way to curb extra spending in the grocery category, I rolled my eyes at him. I feel like local grocery prices can vary so much, especially with in and out of season produce, local meat and dairy markets, etc. etc. that saying "this meal only costs $$ per serving" is kind of a gamble.

That being said, I browsed the recipes with him and many of them look pretty tasty. Even if the cost effectiveness of the meal is negated by local grocery price factors, or simply what we have available in the kitchen at the moment, the meals are pretty easy to make and are tasty. We've made a few recipes from their blog so far in the last few weeks. Tonight I made One Pot Chili Pasta, without the diced tomatoes and macaroni noodles (subbed in diced green chiles and egg noodles, because that's what we had in the pantry instead), and it was delicious. Simple to make, few directions, and the least amount of ingredients for the best amount of flavor. It's a good thing we both like the recipes, as I'm sure my husband will use this for his weekly dinner once school starts up again in the fall.

(Side note: I delegate a meal -or two, if it's that kind of week- to my husband every week, as a way I can feel like I have "extra time off" during the school year. He's great with a recipe! I recommend this strategy to all couples; the non-cooking individual should do some of the cooking every now and then. It builds up kitchen skills and also gives the cooking individual a break, but it also makes sure both parties are involved in the process of providing for each other. At least, that's how I see it. My hubs sees it as an adventure each week, although at first it was definitely more of a chore and I had to help quite a bit. Time and patience and a good source for recipes will cure that!)

A Little Patriotism

At 7:00pm (Eastern) on FOX is the FIFA Women's World Cup Final game, between Japan and the USA! I really think we've got a shot, the way this team has been playing the last few games, and I think the level of play will be fairly high! Here's some Women's World cup team statistics, information, and hype for you as the daily whatever. Enjoy! And Go USA!

News

• USA TODAY: United States vs. Japan, 2015 Women's World Cup final (there is an autoplaying videa, FYI)

• FIFA: Match overview

• FOX Sports: History between the two teams (There is quite a competitive history!)

• FIFA: Interview with Abby Wambach (The most senior/veteran player on the team)

Stats/Roster

•  ussoccer.com: Latest Roster

• FIFA: Top 15 goals in Women's World Cup history, as voted by users

• FIFA: "33.3 - Japan have scored 33.3 per cent of their goals in the first quarter of an hour of their games in Canada and a further 33 per cent in the last 15 minutes. By contrast, the Americans have notched a third of their efforts between the 45th and 60th minutes and another third between the 60th and 75th – two periods in which the Asians have drawn blanks."

Images

Source: ussoccer.com

Source: ussoccer.com

Source: ussoccer.com