Bookshelves!

For at least 6 months I've been eyeing this image of bookshelves...All those books facing out makes my book loving heart happy!

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There was this sad little corner of Tuckers room that barely deserved to even be called a reading nook. Not inviting at all, right? Even the bear is hiding his head in shame.

I knew those shelves would be perfect, but even though the plans looked simple it still seemed daunting...I don't exactly have a background in woodworking. But finally this past weekend I had some spending money and just decided to dive in and give it a go! I sort of followed this tutorial, although I did make some changes.

I got primed pine from Home Depot (YAY! I HATE priming). This cut out so much time that I would have spent painting. I used 1x2's for the front, 1x3's for the back, and 1x4s for the bottom. Am I the only one that things its dishonest how a 1x2 is really a 3/4"x 1 1/2"? I think we are getting cheated. I got 3 8' boards in each length and had Home Depot cut them down to 4' boards. After the first few screws I realized I needed to pre-drill the holes (I'm sure this is a no brainer but its called a learning curve for a reason!), then things went smoother. Until I realized I needed to countersink the screws on the front pieces in order to fill and sand them smooth. Thankfully we had those bits too and my sweet hubs lent me a hand till I got the hang of it. There were some frustrating moments, I'm not gonna lie! I also used wood glue to make things extra strong. I had visions of them being used as a climbing wall....hopefully not! Finally all the holes were drilled, screws were in, holes to hang them predrilled and countersunk, and I was ready to paint! I had white paint already on hand from the trim in our house, so I slapped on 2 coats with Tucker's "help". He used a little paint brush and his paint bib. I got them hung yesterday and here is the "after"! Ta-da!

 And from the side:

I LOVE it so much! I walk in his room just to gaze at them. Haha. Before, Tucker always asked for help finding books, but now he is so excited that he can see them all, and Maddox is pumped that he can reach all the board books on the lower shelves. Believe it or not, this is not all of their books. Yes, we are a family of readers!

Here are a few special books...Mickey Mouse's Picnic was a favorite of mine when I was young, and I buy any copy I find at yard sales. This is our third I believe, but they are so old and are also a favorite of Tucker's so they end up tearing or loosing a cover sooner or later. Usually sooner.  The Puppy Book was mine when I was young.

 Make Way for Ducklings was a favorite of mine also and I found this copy at a used store. Tucker has not come to appreciate it yet. But he does share my love of  Dr. Seuss!

Total out of pocket cost was just under $50 for all 6 shelves. So worth it! I just couldn't be happier. I know we will use this corner so much more than we did! In fact we already are. Is there a project you've been wanting to try but putting off? Do tell!