DIY Window Shelves for Plants

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Roeshel

I recently shared my craft room tour. And as a little reward for cleaning up that chaos and getting organized, I treated myself to a little DIY project. I love one of the windows in this room. Here’s how it looked in the past:

The window shown above nearly reaches from floor to ceiling and with the two different sized windows in the room (one tall window with trim original to the house/one high small window with no trim), window treatments always felt tricky or lopsided.

So why cover that beautiful trimmed tall window at all? It faces the back of the house, it’s a second story window and it’s not a room for dressing or a need for privacy. I’ve always wanted to put shelves on a window for plants. Plenty of sunshine should assist in changing my luck with plants, right?

Here’s what I did…

Materials:

(3) 1 x 4″ pine boards for shelves
(6) shelf brackets
Minwax Polyshades (Ebony)

I decided where I would attach the brackets to the window trim to calculate the measurement of my shelves.

Then cut my shelves.

Sanded the rough edges and wiped them clean.

Then brushed on the Polyshades using a foam brush. I let it sit for a few minutes then wiped the stain away and let dry. I did all sides. (I may apply a wax finish to the wood shelves for further water-proofing but I was on a bit of a deadline.)

Next I marked the holes for the brackets and drilled a pilot hole.

Then I just screwed the brackets into the window trim/pilot hole (can always be patched with wood filler in the future). *Use a level to be sure they’re ‘level’.

Attach the wood shelves to the brackets with screws (be sure these screws are smaller than the shelf thickness so the screw doesn’t poke up from the bottom).

It adds a bit of privacy without a long drapy curtain panel but still lets natural light into the room.

It’ll take some maneuvering/removing plants to open the window but the shelves don’t interfere with the function.

before

after

Craft Room Tour

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Roeshel

Have you been following along the Craft Rooms and Spaces series hosted by Angie at Country Chic Cottage? It’s so fun seeing where bloggers create, getting ideas and motivation to maybe initiate some spring cleaning and organization in your own space?

Thanks to Angie for the invitation to participate! I had no choice but to finally put things away. Here’s my chaotic craft room when I agreed to join the series…

Yikes!

I’ve made some changes and cleaned things up for your arrival today. Ready for oodles of pics? There’s lots to see!

Looking into the room from the hall (the resin button plaques on the wall are several years old, so no source to list).

One first thing you’ll notice is this room is PACKED full. But when everything is organized and tidy and in it’s place, its a great space for getting creative. The old farmhouse dining room table serves as a great workspace.

The skirt is sewn into simple custom sized rod pocket panels and attached using tension rods on 3 sides. I’m ready for an updated fabric/pattern but what I really love about the skirt is that it hides even more storage (things not so pretty to display, boxes of supplies and such) under the table.

The walls are lined with inexpensive shelving units, some tucked for a perfect fit against the back wall, providing TONS of storage and organization. A string of lights adds a fun festive feel.

A small DIY desk area holds our desktop computer, although I’m more inclined to work from my laptop in the living room most days.

I love the mix of old crates, baskets and vintage finds for storing craft supplies, mason jars for scrap ribbon by color…

I recently added some shelves to the window for plants to bring some “life” to the space.

I love that this window sits low, close to the floor. The shelves add a little privacy (second floor) but still allow for lots of natural light to flood the room.

I don’t remember where I got the light fixture (maybe Urban Outfitters years ago) but I really like the cage and sometimes clip cards or paint swatches there.

The walls are filled with a mix of fun frames collected over time, some with family photos, others just random art or thrift store finds and continues to grow here and there.

Pet Silhouette Art Tutorial

A DIY chalkboard + cork board + burlap message center helps keep ideas and schedules more organized.

A lot going on, right? A LOT of junk which I’ve unsuccessfully tried to downsize but perhaps one day I’ll grasp the truth that if I haven’t used it in 10 years, I probably never will but I’m still waiting for that day to arrive.

Ready to see more craft spaces? Start the tour at here to see Angie’s super organized space. Or if you’re visiting from the creative room at Major Hoff Takes a Wife, welcome friends! I’m so glad you stopped by! Or following along and ready for the next awesome craft room tour on the list? Head over to Homemadeville!

Easy DIY Indoor Outdoor Honeycomb Wall Art

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Roeshel

As a member of the Lowe’s Creative Ideas team, I have the opportunity to participate in monthly DIY challenges. One of the themes for April is outdoor wall art. I just happen to have a bare outdoor wall. This easy DIY indoor/outdoor honeycomb wall art project is super easy and perfect for decorating an outdoor wall in our covered party patio area.

Materials I used:

Style Selections Drawer Organizer x 3
Valspar Outdoor Spray Paint (colors: 1-Koi Pond and 1-Peacock Blue)

What I did:

I spray painted the pieces of the drawer organizers (not assembled) using Valspar Outdoor Spray Paint. I sprayed one side Peacock Blue and let dry about 6 hours then flipped and sprayed the other side Koi Pond and let dry overnight.

Once the paint was dry, I assembled my pieces. The honeycomb-shaped organizers simply snap together. No tools required!

Since I have 3 sets, I assembled two sets with closed ends and one with open ends (both options shown on pamphlet with instructions included in the box).

You could even leave them white = the only DIY is snapping them together! I hung mine using Command outdoor light clips.

Face on:

From the side:

From above:

They’re very light weight so not ideal for displaying heavy items but a great way to add color, dimension and interest to an otherwise plain outdoor or even indoor wall. I tucked in a few succulents for now.

My covered patio area still hasn’t been cleaned up for summer. I just grabbed some accessories for photo-staging. Pardon the leaves and dirt!

The outdoor hexagon/honeycomb wall art is going to look great on that back wall when the patio is cleaned up. See the patio when it IS ready for summer lounging and entertaining here.

I received a Lowe’s gift card to complete this challenge. Opinion and above idea is 100% my own. More DIY ideas at Lowe’s Creative Ideas, follow Lowe’s on Instagram, Pinterest and sign up for the Creative Ideas magazine and app!

More of my Lowe’s Creative Ideas challenges: