DIY Wall Book Holder

 

On Tuesday, I showed you my boys’ room, and the great little collector’s shelves my father-in-law made for the boys.

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He made them for me because I have always loved the ones in the Pottery Barn Kids magazines.

Oscar Bedroom

Well, I was wanting one for Eli’s room too, so that’s how I got the idea for my Gorilla Glue project.

Shanty 2 Chic

Now girls, I am always thinking about you! (‘Cause I could just let my husband make it.) But I’m really hoping that this might be a project that you could do too!

So this is what I keep in mind when planning a project…

“How can I make this in a way that anybody could do it too?”

And “How can I make this inexpensively?”

Well, I think this project is both EASY and THRIFTY.

Here are the supplies you need:

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* 2 – one inch by three feet pieces

*1 – one 4 inch by three feet piece

*2 – two wooden plaques

I got all of these supplies at Hobby Lobby.

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They were originally $15.00 all together, but they are 50% off this week, so that’s only $7.50!

I bought a bottle of Gorilla Glue Epoxy and used my 40% off coupon, so it only cost about $3.50.

(I totally stole this picture of Gorilla Glue from The Shanty Sisters because I forgot to take a picture of mine! Hope that’s alright ladies!)

I bought some “d” rings at Lowes for about $2.00 to use to hang the shelf.

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And I had white paint at home, so that was free. But you could spend a couple of dollars on a can of spray paint, and have about $15.00 in this whole project!!!

Not bad considering that the 3 foot long collector shelf from Pottery Barn costs $59.oo! (plus shipping!)

First of all, I took the 4 inch wide piece (which would be the base of my shelf) to draw a line where I wanted to cut the plaque.

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Then I used that same piece to draw a line where I wanted to cut off the bottom of the plaque.

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Then the plaque looked like this. To show you the part I wanted to keep to make my shelf, I scribbled on it. IMG_4027

I used a miter saw to cut on my lines, but you could use a regular blade saw for this part.

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Then I laid the cut piece on top of the other piece to draw the line where I wanted to cut. I wanted to make sure they were exactly the same length.

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Then I used my Gorilla Glue Epoxy to glue my 4 inch base piece to both sides of the cut plaques.

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I measured one inch from the base and glued my first one inch piece.

As you can see, I had to use my nail gun to hold the pieces in place. The Gorilla Glue bottle said to hold the pieces together with a clamp and let it sit. But I couldn’t figure out how to clamp two pieces that formed
a 90 degree angle!

So the staples were my solution, and it worked for me.

I added one more rail by using the Gorilla Glue.

The rails seemed a little “flimsy” to me, so I need a little piece in the middle to support it.

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I paid $1.52 for a one foot piece of 1 x 4 poplar at Home Depot. One of the workers at Home Depot even cut one piece 4 inches long (which is the width of the base of the shelf) to save me a step at home!

For the sake of time, I just used my nail gun to attach this piece, but I could have used the Gorilla Glue too.

Then I painted it white.

I attached the D rings that I got at Lowes.

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And it was ready to hang in my sweet Eli’s room!

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I put it right under the window by our rocking chair.

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Perfect for reading some books at bedtime!

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I love that the shelf is wide enough to stick stuffed animals in it too!

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I absolutely LOVE it! It is exactly what I wanted.

And guess who else loves it?

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How cute is that?

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The perfect height for my little man!

Thank you Shanty 2 Chic for hosting the “I made it with Gorilla Glue party”!

I have been wanting to do this project for-eva!

And now I can check it off my “to do” list.

I am headed over there now to see what other amazing projects have been done with Gorilla Glue…

And then I’m headed over to The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday…

Come join me!

Blessings,

62 Comments

  1. Traci,
    That looks great!

    I have no idea how I missed your news about your mother, and I am sooooo sorry and you will be in my prayers. Hugs to you, my friend. I feel terrible for being so slow to figure it out, but I'm only an email away if you need me!

  2. Ran across this from Shanty2Chic's Gorilla Glue contest. Looks AMAZING. This project has officially been added to my super long list of stuff to make. BUT, we have been talking about shelving for my son's books rather than the bins we use now, so it is a definite possibility SOON! : ) Thanks for this!

  3. Just realized: One question-

    I don't understand how you hung them. Did you put a nail in the wall and hang from the D-rings? Wouldn't that mean that the shelf can move away from the wall if pulled on?

  4. Jaimie,
    Yes, I used drywall screws and anchors to mount it. It can be pulled off the wall, but it takes some effort. My two year old played with the shelf a lot tonight and it didn't budge.
    I had a hard time trying to come up with a way to hang it, but I think this will work.
    Thanks for asking,
    Traci

  5. Oh, Traci! Dear One, what can you not do? I'm so impressed! You even messed with the man tools! Oh and the little book holder looks so precious! I have to admit the little reader is adorable! :)
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

  6. I have always loved these little book holders. You did a great job making your own. How perfect in your little boys room! I also loved what you did with your other boy's rooms.
    -Angela

  7. You are so welcome Traci! I really hope you like everything and enjoy it.

    Your box is ready to go and my hubby will mail it from the base tomorrow okay. You should get it soon!

  8. Hey Traci. I just saw that you won Melissa's Heart and Home giveaway. I just had to run over and say Congratulations! You deserve a good win.

    I love seeing all the great things you make and that book rack is perfect. I just love Eli's room and what a cutie he is.

    Hugs…Tracy :)

    P.S. Thanks for telling me how to do my signature. Now I just need to actually do it. OOXX's

  9. Hello Traci,

    You are so resourceful! What a great job. Now that is something else I must add to my "to do" list. I would like to add one in my son's room.

    Thank you for sharing the "how to" with us!

    ~ Tracy

  10. I am headed to Hobby Lobby in the morning to buy stuff….well, if the wood stuff is on sale. I only buy at HL if it is on sale or with a coupon! Love HL! This will look perfect in my daughter's play room. I might even make some of these to hang in my preschool class! Love them!

  11. I like getting ideas from PBK, too. And I actually have those little shelves taped into my idea binder! I just had a friend build the dollhouse bookcase for my girls- so cute and much cheaper! I've enjoyed reading your blog!

  12. It's so neat and will grow with your boy through the ages. I did notice the blinds on the pics are very long. I too had that problem until last week. I walked into Home Depot and an associate showed me how to "customize" them to desired length. I told them I'm a visual learner so the lady took out an actual blind (since I bought mine there) and demonstrated how to shorten them. It definitely makes my windows look larger and I don't know what took me so long to do it.

  13. Traci,
    Thanks SO MUCH for posting this tutorial! I have eyed those shelves from Pottery Barn for YEARS and now I am gonna make some. I have just discovered your blog, but am so glad I did! I look forward to knowing you better!

  14. Aww, that last photo of him is precious!!

    And this is incredible!! I am so excited about finding this post. I for sure want to do this. Thank you so very much. It looks perfect. Well done.

  15. Ahhhh, I love the white one!!!! I’ve had my eye on those forever for the nursery but I’ve never seen anyone make it before. I’ll be adding this post to my favourites. Thank you for the inspiration and great job!

    :)
    Sarah

  16. Hi! I just wanted to say that I LOVE this blog! I made this shelf…well, actually 3 of them for my boys’ rooms! It was super easy and I LOVE them! Very proud of this since I made it myself! Thanks!

  17. I LOVE THIS!!! I’ve been eyeing up the pottery barn version for ages, but just can’t bare to pay that much! So, thank you for a fun solution!! :)

  18. I want to make one of these for my bathroom, my reading room. (Ha-Ha) I never get surprized at what you come up with because you always come throught. I love your blog.

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