Every year I try to make a handmade ornament to give as a gift to family and friends. I probably over think this every year but I am a bit fussy about what I chose. I have seen a particular snowman tutorial popping up all over the internet and I finally thought of a way to do them that I would enjoy. And so, excited about the prospect, I headed off to buy the supplies.
Wow, did I under estimate the power of the internet...and crafters! This idea has been on many, many sites and in every case, the crafters have mentioned where the supplies were bought. A lot were from the Dollar Tree. I have four stores relatively close to my home and was sure I would find what I needed in one of them...I was wrong! And, of course, the one thing missing was the snowman form itself so, no ornament without that. Guess its back to the drawing board. An employee did tell me to keep checking because they are continuously restocking so we shall see where that goes.
My other possible fail is happening today. I have wanted to have some open shelving in my kitchen for awhile. I actually thought of having a set of cabinets removed and shelving added. Unfortunately, with the way my kitchen is configured and the how moldings and decorative trim flow together, this would have been a bigger project than I could handle myself-which also means a much more expensive project than I was willing to do at this time.
But, somehow, that idea would not leave my brain and I was constantly on the lookout for metal brackets that would fill the bill. But, unfortunately again, the only place I could do this would be at the end of the kitchen and all of the brackets I could find had too large a projection.
But, I guess I tucked that idea back in the corner of my brain...and, to my surprise, somehow an ad for a wood shelf with metal brackets scrolled across FB or Yahoo yesterday. And, when I checked the measurements, it was EXACTLY perfect. I failed to mention that is also a very narrow space.
In any case, the shelf was from Hobby Lobby and, since they were on my list of stops yesterday, I decided to see if the store had them in stock...which they did.
I will admit, it is not the "classiest" shelf I have ever seen but the size was perfect...as was the price. It was $24.99 but I had my 40% off coupon so I grabbed one. Since I put a lot of seasonal signs in this area, I thought I should keep it at one shelf leaving a tall space to prop the signs when needed. This is the shelf I saw online...and I loved it.
The thing I love the most about this shelf is that even though it looks like it has those separate brackets, it really doesn't, so hanging is simply a matter of putting in two nails or screws and hanging the shelf on them. That in itself is so much less work than mounting the brackets and then mounting the shelf to them.
When I held the shelf up, I did realize that it will cut off the light to the top of the wall coming from the lamp on the desk. Right now, I think I will be OK with that but we will see. Quite honestly, if I hate it, I can take it down and will only have two small holes to fill in.
And so, I got ready to start. As I looked for the stain, I could not find my favorite dark walnut. I knew it was in the garage somewhere but I couldn't find it. And so, being the very patient person that I am (wink wink), I grabbed the pecan stain. I knew it really wasn't what I wanted, but, oh well. Of course, as soon as I was finished re-staining and went to the garage to put away the pecan, what is sitting right in front of me but the dark walnut.
I was ready to re-stain but decided to see how the pecan looked knowing I just have to slip the shelf off of two nails if I want to darken it at a later time.
Once the stain was dry, I couldn't wait for my "easy" assembly. But, as soon as I went to hold it up to determine height, I realized there would be at least one issue. The right side screw would probably be going into the metal trim that protects the corners on sheetrock. I got out my drill and got through the metal fairly easily but then ran into something that I could not get through. Because I'm not sure what all will sit on this shelf over the years, I decided to use anchors and screws. Of course, the anchors I have are the screw in type and now too long to fit into the very shallow hole I am left with. No problem, I simply snipped off the tip and got it in. The screw on the other side was just a bit difficult because it sat so close to the edge of the cabinet but I prevailed.
The shelf is now up...and level...so I am happy. I'm not sure I hung it low enough but, if I decide to lower it in the future, at least I now know all of the tricks. And, I got a pleasant surprise when I hung the shelf. Because the bracket holders sit out a bit from the wall, the light actually has a spot that it can shine through and the wall isn't as dark as I anticipated.
If you're still here, I am in awe of you. Even I got bored reading this loonnnggg post about one tiny shelf and a failed craft idea. But, this blog is mostly a journal of my life. I do it so I can remember the good, the bad and the ugly. Sometimes, it all comes together...sometimes, not so much. Such is life. Stay tuned-I dare you. Lol
No comments:
Post a Comment