Easy + Functional DIY Couch Shelf

I spend more time on Pinterest than I'd like to admit.  In fact, I recently spent hours rearranging, reorganizing, and creating new boards.  Now Pinterest is great, but I know some people (including myself) are "guilty" of finding a plethora of ideas/projects, but rarely taking the time to actually implement them.  In some ways, it is just as satisfying to create these virtual spaces via the virtual pinboards.  And/or we often pin great ideas for a very distant, future time and place. 

I mean, recipes and clever household tips are one thing, (I've definitely tried several recipes and have utilized various little tips here and there) but up until this point, I had never built anything from Pinterest. Well, since I'm not currently working, I have a lot more free time...aka I now have time to implement some of these Pinterest projects. 

Project #1:   

I had seen this image on Pinterest (The original pin links to this blog) and was truly inspired. It seemed pretty straight forward, not rocket science, and our new home had the perfect couch "nook" to house the shelf.  I was excited to finally build something I pinned to my DIY board.

It was not a difficult project at all, so here's my first little DIY how-to:

What you will need:

1. A supportive friend who will shop with you, let you borrow her drill, and help you install the shelf.  This person is also great for much appreciated moral support. Enter my sweet (and  very crafty) friend Kristie.  [She has an adorable blog about Hawaii living and if you're interested, click here]

2. A piece of wood

Kristie and I went to our local hardware store, Hardware Hawaii, and picked up the supplies we would need for the project.  We asked for the cheapest piece of wood they had.  Functionality was my main goal - it didn't have to be anything special. I had previously measured the space in our house, and the store cut the wood to size for free. For less than $7, we left with a piece of wood that was 7 inches deep and 90 inches long. 

It's never a bad idea to have an adorable, four-legged, furry companion around. Sydney was right there with us, every step of the way. 

3. "L" brackets and drywall screws 

Again, I went with the cheapest brackets, because when finished, you don't see them.  They were around $2 each. 

4. Stain

We have a variety of mismatched wood in our home - some dark brown, some dark cherry, some rustic/unfinished, some walnut-ish - so in the end, I ended up picking a dark cherry color stain that would blend in with our maroon couches.  If you're just purchasing the stain for this project, you can go with the smallest can.  I had plenty left over. 

5. Other various tools - drill, tape measure, level, screw driver, paint brush

Again, this is nothing profound and it's pretty self-explainable, but here are the steps we followed along with some things we learned. 

What you will do:

1. Purchase/gather the above-mentioned materials. 

2. Stain the wood. 

I had never stained wood before, so my "tips" might seem silly if you're a pro at wood-staining.  First, I bought two red bricks at the hardware store and placed them under the board on either end.  This way, you're free to get the edges perfectly. Second, buy cheap brushes for a one-time use OR buy paint thinner to clean the brushes.  We did not realize that since the stain is oil-based, brushes (and hands for that matter) will not come clean with mere soap and water. Thankfully, I used cheap brushes, so I didn't go through the hassle of cleaning them.  Third, plan to stain the wood a day or two prior to installing the shelf.  It's suggested that you wait 8 hours between the two coats, and it's not a bad idea to give it more time to air out before bringing it in the house.  After two coats of stain, the shelf was ready to go!

3. Measure the space/decide where to drill holes/drill holes. 

I let Kristie have the honor of drilling the holes since it was her drill.  A nice drill is already on my Christmas list. 

4. Mount the brackets

5. Place wood on the brackets (probably the hardest step...joke, obviously) and admire your work.

...or ask your dog to admire your work.

Since our board wasn't heavy, and I didn't plan to place heavy things on the shelf, we didn't mount the wood to the brackets.  For added security, you could do that, but we didn't think it was necessary (and the shelf hasn't fallen!) Plus, the couch is right up again the shelf, adding extra support. 

6. Decorate

And ta-da! You're done! It clearly looks more impressive than it is, so try it...and impress your friends/family. 

After we finished this project, Kristie helped me hang curtains in the guest room.  I figured I'd use her drill for as much as I could while it was at my house. I think this room is finally complete.  I'll post a photo "home tour" soon.

Mini Project #2:

Keeping on my productive role, the next day, I updated our family binders and went through several piles of paperwork.  I know there are tons of links on Pinterest for home/family binders.  I've seen and pinned many, but honestly haven't looked at any of them closely.  I just created something that works for us (one for Army stuff and one for other home stuff).  

Saying I love organization is an understatement, so creating organized binders with tabs and labels and finding cute covers comes fairly natural to me.  As my dad would jokingly/lovingly say, "Nerd Alert!"

[Note: I did not create/can't take credit for the binder covers.  Again, thank you, Pinterest]

I was worried I wouldn't know what to do with myself since I'm not teaching full-time this year, but I think I'll be just fine! (Although, in all seriousness, I do miss teaching and my job very much!)

Keep Smiling...