The "slide in" shelf

The one thing I hated about the nursery was the attic access (aka: cabinet door) on the wall.

I mean, how is this not noticeable:

So, I started debating my options, because, well, this was just not acceptable. I toyed with the idea of a large picture or other ways to hide it. Then one day I realized I was going about it the wrong way – don't hide it, embrace it. And that's where the concept of my "slide-in" shelf came from.

While we currently don't use our attic, we didn't want to block off access to it. So I came up with the concept of a built-in looking shelf that could slide out when necessary, and then put Brent to work.

The first order of business was to go through the cabinet, which was super exciting because I found my houndstooth stencil (so I can finally repair the hole).

Then we cleared it out:

Now it was time for measurements. We still managed to have scraps leftover from the man cave built-ins, so this was another free project. Brent didn't want to deal with the angle at the top – so we put a permit board there, and had the shelving unit below that.


Once it was built, the painting began:

The end result:

I am so happy with how it turned out!

I grew up in a 1920s cape code. There was detail everywhere and built-ins in every room. While this no nowhere close to that 1920s craftmanship, it does remind me of the house I grew up in and that makes me smile.

From eyesore to wow feature:

The master closet

While I'm a judgmental snob when it comes to those in "new construction houses," there is one aspect of new houses that I'm insanely jealous of – the master bedroom closets. I wish Brent and I had any form of a walk-in closet in our bedroom. Instead, we have this:


Yep, that's all the clothing space we have.

To make due, I also took over the closet in the second guest bedroom.


But, since that's Audrey's future room – something had to be done. So we cleared out our closet and got to work.


Brent had tons of board leftover from the built-ins in the man cave, so I figured why not get creative. We divided our closet in half, and each drew out a game plan of what type of storage we needed. Brent wanted a special section for his suites and some shoe storage, but maintaining room for other clothes was important to him. I went the opposite route and actually cut the clothing part of my closet in half. This way I had plenty of room for shoes, purses and other things. While it will definitely be different switching out close each season, that's what worked best for me.

Brent and had shelves built and installed in no time.


Then we got to buy/paint one of the few items we needed for this project – edging.


Much better.

The best part – my things now fit in this closet. Yay!


Sure it's not a walk-in closet, but I will survive. And now this means Audrey's closet is ready to be started.

Weekend Update

For having no plans, it sure has been a busy weekend.

Going green
Goodbye purple:

Hello green:

While Brent is still sad to see the purple go, the green looks so much better with the brown sectional.

The basement has been o constant project since we moved into this house almost 2 years ago. While it's still not 100% complete, I'm so happy to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The hole
Brent has been sick, but is finally feeling better today – so I harassed him with a project he's said he was going to do for the past 3 months.

Remember the unfortunate incident that happened when moving the sectional to the basement?

After 3 months, it's FINALLY being addressed:

Well, I'm less than thrilled to have to redo any part of that wall...no longer having a futon in the basement does make it worth it.

Because I have issues saying no
I agreed to do the Westie Rescue of Missouri calendar again the day before I found out I was pregnant. While, I'm sure I could have canceled that obligation once I learned the news, well, I'm just not that sort of girl.

So, in addition to early bedtimes and feeling pukey – I've been busy with this:

Thankfully, it's much more organized this year. And I'm hoping my part of the project will be wrapping up soon.

Because I really have issues saying no
The calendar isn't the only project I have going on. Aside from that, I'm also helping co-organize a neighborhood block party for our street. Thankfully, my neighborhood is awesome and we have lots of volunteers wanting to help out – so my plate won't be too heavy.

The other side

I love the built-ins Brent and I did for the man cave. But it was looking a little sad on the other side of the stairs.


So, during our "rush week," Brent and I added that task to the list and had this project finished in no time.


Our biggest obstacle was the vent, since we didn't want to block it. The solution: just letting the vent be.


The "end" result:

I still need to find something for the bottom. I was thinking some sort of basket for storage. As for the top, Brent's wanting to get a second TV.

Basically done!

I'm excited to say that the built-in shelves are basically done (well, kind of), but since I now have some free time, I figured why not.

Here are the progress pictures up until now:

Here's the "final":


Granted, the shelf decor isn't done (Brent has more sports memorabilia to dig out of storage), but you get the idea.

The unfinished part on the shelf is actually the side you see when going down the stairs (which I'll post about at a later date). The other thing left is putting the baseboard back up.

But, because Brent and I aren't that simple – the built-in project isn't done. There's more building left to do. See the other side of the stairs:


That, of course, needs a matching built-in with more DVD storage. :)

Progress report

So close to done...


All that's left is the trim. Hopefully that's a task for this weekend.

Tuesday

I'm excited to say that the building part of the shelves is done. Spackling, painting and adding trim is still on the agenda though.

Today's progress pictures:
And of course, the night I have energy to keep on going, I run out of paint. My goal for tomorrow evening is to have the painting done.

Monday

Brent is still going strong (he took tomorrow off as well), but unlike some people, I have to work tomorrow and my bedtime is near – so I'm calling it quits on Monday. And judging from the choice words coming from the garage, I think Brent's about spent himself.

Since we are doing the built-in in 2 different pieces (bottom and top), we've started repeating Saturday and Sunday's steps. I am loving this repetition because it means there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

While I was at work, Brent attached all the bottom shelving to the base:

And did all the wiring (pre-spackle photo):

Then it was back to Home Depot to have the cuts made for the top:
And while Brent is currently building those shelves, I've started painting the shelf backs:
Definitely a productive day. I'm trying not to read too much into the fact that the day things get done is the day I'm not there.

Sunday

Sunday consisted of a lot of painting and a very late night.


It was an awkward kind of day though, because when either Brent or myself was working, the other was at a standstill. Even though, I regretted it at work today, I'm happy I stayed up to get my painting done. Since Brent had today off, it gave him a good head start.

Saturday

Even with 2 mishaps (both in the mis-measuring department), more progress was made on the built-ins than I expected.

The before:
The blank canvas:

The "demo":

The purchase:
There are some things we just aren't comfortable DIYing, like things that require straight lines. We had Home Depot cut all the shelving. The first 2 cuts are free, and everything after is $.50 a cut. $17 is a small price to pay for straight lines. We dropped off our "order" Saturday morning and it was ready 40 minutes later. Totally worth it.

The base (not sure what's going on with the spots):

Saturday's progress pic:

The big blank area (which is DVD shelving) was done, but I'm mean and had Brent redo it this morning. The bottom shelf was too short (as in, you couldn't put a finger above the DVD to grab it out). He said we could make due, I gave him several mean looks and finally I got my way. While I still don't think he is happy with me, I'm sure he'll be thankful about it in the long run.

Aside from the shelves, we alo dogsat this little cutie: