Faux Custom Bookshelf's

Okay, here is my “custom” bookshelf’s for our new house. Since we weren’t able to sell our house in Nevada before we moved back to Utah and bought our new house, we are very, VERY tight with our budget. Sooooo……here was our solution to the tight budget, a near empty room and years and years and years of books being packed into boxes while we moved a gazillion times. (Seriously…this was our 7th move in 3 years-Whew!) I LOVE to read and I’ve even sold a ton of them on Amazon, so this is not very many compared to what we had as college students.

We went to Walmart and bought their plain black bookshelf’s for $29, although they are frequently on sale for $25. After we had put them together, we bought some molding and trim at good old Home Depot and painted it black. (I used matte black spray paint, because I am impatient and wanted them to be finished NOW.)



Total cost of this bookshelf unit was around $120 when all was finished. (Actually, now that I think back, our in-laws bought the bookshelf’s for us as a house-warming gift, so technically they were free.) No complaints.



After cutting and measuring all the pieces, we attached them first with wood glue and then teensy tiny nails. As you can see in the photos that I’m not quite done filling in the holes and fixing all the little spots, but hey, I have to kids and I’m 6 months pregnant. I’ve got more important things to do. Like, sewing and anything else I don’t really feel like doing right this minute. Know what I mean?

Anyway, we also wanted them to be moveable in case we ever do move again. (I’ve already told my hubby that I will NEVER move again and that he can commute as long as he needs to, but I’m staying put! lol!) (Crossing my fingers…and toes…and legs…)

So, we made cuts between each of the bookshelf’s so that they could be pulled apart if needed or could be slid close together so they look like a built-in, one-piece unit. As you can see I haven’t gotten my hubby to get them as close together as they could and should be, but hey, I’m basically lazy and I’m pretty happy with them anyway.



On another note, I have to say that everything in this room, aside from very few items, was either hand-me-down’s we got as newlyweds, given to us since then, or bought and fixed up from a thrift store.



The little stand with the lamp on it, was a hand-me-down and is still in need of a good painting. The couch was $20 from DI and I just bought a couch cover to make it a little more attractive (okay, a lot more). The coffee table was from DI for $10 and I sanded it down, fixed the drawer and painted it black. The brown, gorgeous, wing-back chair in front of the bookcase was given to us by my in-laws. (I’m kicking myself right now, because I found a nicer one at DI for $20 which I was too chicken to buy because of all the moving and inconvenience it would be to grab it that minute, that they replaced it with and gave us the brown chair.) It is soooo comfy anyway and in pretty good shape. Not even any wear and tear on the velvet fabric. It’s my reading chair. Most days you can find me there with a good book or reading my scriptures whenever I can pull away from the kids for more than 3o seconds.

The one item that was pretty spendy was the large picture hanging above the couch. I love, love, love this picture. I got it for Christmas a few years back when Deseret Book does all their artwork on sale for 50% off. So instead of $300, my hubby picked it up for $150. (With a lot of hinting and nagging.) It is called “Oh, Jerusalem” by Greg Olsen.





The gold and black chair, which I am extremely proud of, was my very first attempt at upholstering anything. It used to be a funny shade of green. We got two of them from my in-laws, so I spent HOURS taking one apart, painted it black and purchased some fabric for under $20 from Hobby Lobby and improvised until I was happy with it. Let me tell you that nail head trim may be pretty, but it is no easy thing to get them on straight and anywhere near perfect. Just don’t look too closely at mine. I found the pillow on the chair from DI last week for $1.

Here’s a picture of the other chair that hasn’t been redone yet. I use it as my reading chair in my master bedroom. See the lamp on the table, which was also hand-me-down free, I picked up the pair of them for $5 at the DI. So gorgeous!



Do you see that tiny little shelf up in the top right hand corner? I bought about a gazillion of these because I love them and they are easy to put up by myself. They are only $5 each at the Home Depot.

Okay, so I made the curtains and pillows on the couch, but when I trimmed the curtains, I wasn’t very patient and trimmed them too short. So, the plan is to buy some fringe or beads or something and attach them to the bottom. But…not until the budget allows that.

Hey, I never claimed to be perfect. Still trying on that one…

On that note, I’m not very good at arranging things so they look good together. HELP! Any suggestions would be most welcomed! I’m slowly, but surely, putting my home together. It really is the second home I’ve ever owned, but our first house that we own in Nevada, I didn’t feel like I had enough time to really decorate it. We built it, lived in it for 9 months and got recruited back to Utah. Hardest decision we’ve ever had to make, but well worth it. It’s soooo good to be back.

Linking up to

Vinyl in my New House

My friend Rachel has a really great vinyl cutting business and she made the most amazing custom pieces for my home. I'm sooooo happy with them. They turned out amazing and I am definitely going back for more.


This is in my kitchen above my pantry door. It is Italian for kitchen. I have red as the major accent color and she matched it perfectly.


So, this is my front door on the inside. I am completely obsessed with the fleur d'lis lately. I love it. I think these turned out great, too. She made them custom.


Isn't this the most amazing font? I fell in love with it and had her make all of it in it. Stay tuned because I'm sure I'll come up with more projects to use vinyl on.

Very Easy DIY Plate Hangers

Here is a very easy, very inexpensive way to make plate hangers. This project cost me a total of $4.41 at the Home Depot. Here is a link to the Martha Stewart Living where I originally got the idea and instructions. Mine is a lot more detailed, trust me. But check it out anyway: http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/wire-plate-hangers

Here's what you need:

- 16-18 gauge wire (I actually used fence wire minus one accidental shattering)
- plates to be hung
- needle nose pliers
- wire cutters
- pencil
- measuring tape
- patience (it took me two hours to make them all and hang 11 plates)


Here is what they look like in my home after I finished. Don't mind the not-so-great picture. The awkwardly placed light is another project.


Once you've gathered all of your supplies, Martha tells you to cut two pieces of wire 3" longer than the diameter of the plate to be hung. I found that it was easier to cut an ample length and then trim them down when I had them placed.


Just had to show off my e-bay find. These Bavaria, Germany blue floral china plates. I think the set of 16 cost me around $20.00, if I remember right. Gorgeous!


I chose to hang my plates around the wall that surrounds my dining table. Inspiration struck after weeks of pondering what to do with these walls in my brand new house. Plates, genius!


Next step is to take one piece of wire and twist it so that you have one loop in the middle; this piece is used to attach the plate to the wall.


Next, bend the other piece of wire into a V-shape. Then, slide one end through the loop of the first wire piece. Cross the V wire over so that it is secure (see picture). The V should hang upside down and rest on the bottom of the loop.


Next, make sure that the loop or first wire is resting just under the lip of the plates base. This is vital if you want the rack to stay secure and not come loose. Now, turn the plate over and wrap the ends of the wire around to the front of the plate and trim them to a uniform length. Leave enough wire to twist into a decorative loop. This is where you use your creativity or lack thereof. It can't be done wrong. It is so genius that it still looks good. Trust me, it's Martha.


Okay, so here is the part where you have to be careful. Once you have finished making and attaching the plate to the hanger, make sure that it isn't loose. I got a little zealous around the 10th plate or so and shook a little hard and whoops! Broken china, sob! Now make those wire plate hangers and enjoy!

Cheap & Easy Home Decor

It's DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land - Check it out!!!!



This is as cheap and easy as it gets. I bought two frames from DI and spray painted them with paint I already had. I used some leftover scrapbook paper and cut them into three strips of equal size to cover the 8"x10" frames and taped them together. I hot glued two flowers I had already in my craft stuff and added a button in the middle. I added two large rub-ons that I had picked up at the latest Scrapbook Expo. and hung them on the doors. Voila! Instant home decor and cheap/easy craft that my oldest helped me put together. It took all of 15 minutes once the spray paint was dry.

Picture frame - $1.00
Letter rub-ons - $1.00
Total - $2.00 craft multiplied by 2 since I made one for each of my children = $4.00



By the way, don't you just love my doors. They have that beadboard look to them and I looooooovvvve them!