Short post today, this week has been busy! I should be back to normal next week :)

For now, here is a pic coming back from our drive up the coast last weekend. (yes, it does have to do with our next project!)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

How to Build Custom Shelving for Only $35!

Want to know how we built this shelving unit for $35? Read on to see! 

First a little background info and why we decided to build instead of buy and why we selected the materials that we did ... 

We decided on an open shelving unit for between the office and living room because a. we needed more storage b. we wanted it to feel open, but still have something to divide the spaces

We decided to make our own instead of purchasing Ikea's Vittsjo, because a. the Vittsjo wasn't quite long enough and two was too long b. we are 4 hours from Ikea ... c. it was cheaper by about half

Pretty convincing, huh? :) 

We opted for MDF shelves instead of using 1x12s because we needed it to be about 14" wide to fit our baskets (on bottom shelf) and it ended up saving SO much money! We got two large sheets of MDF at Habitat Restore for only $7! (they aren't always there, but hopefully yours will have some too!) One 1x12x6 starts at about $12 and goes up depending on quality. So we were able to save about $53 on the shelves and get them the width that we wanted! 

We then purchased 2x2x8 (x6) redwood pieces from Ace Hardware for about $4.50 each for the other wood. We could of saved even more money and went with pine, but we wanted it to be a little stronger and they were more finished, which required less sanding! ALWAYS a plus! 

Ok, now here's how we did it: 

The overall height was 5'3" and width was 14.5". The drawing and photos don't really show it, but for the center rods we cut a 2x2 in half with a table saw, this allowed us to save on wood and less wood = sleeker appearance (which we were going for). 

For the two end ladders, the 2x2s (cut in half) were placed on the edge and the center ladder had them centered. 

While building the ladders, it was helpful to have one person hold the pieces in place, while the other attached them. 

Next we moved onto the shelves. We had them cut to 14.5"wide at Ace Hardware (before we got the table saw) when we picked up the 2x2s. We then measured where the 6 notches went (on the ends and centered)

Annabelle visited ... this is how she tells us that she is bored and wants back inside :) Inside she went, and David cut the notches with the jigsaw.

He tested to see if the 2x2 would easily fit inside and then cut off a little more if needed. Since the shelves are pretty tight to get in there (more on that later) we wanted the cuts to be slightly big so that they would fit. 

Now we started assembling. We predrilled holes in the center of the ladder pieces for the shelves to attach to. (This would of been easier before the ladders were assembled). Balancing the three ladders (you need at least two people :) we carefully slide the shelves in at an angle and placed them and then attached them with screws. We did have to cut a few of the notches slightly bigger at this point so that the shelf would fit. 

and then we added braces at the bottom for extra support and to ensure that it is straight. We used a thin piece of poplar hobby board. 

We actually painted the pieces separately prior to assembling since we had to install in place (our stairs are too narrow for it to fit). So paint prior to assembling or after, whichever work best for you! I used Zinsser cover stain oil based primer because it bonds to shiny surfaces like laminate (works great!) and a custom mixed light minty blue for the top coat. 

and that was it! 

Total Cost:

MDF sheets $7 (Habitat Restore)

2x2x8 Redwood $4.50 x6 (Ace Hardware)

Paint (already owned) 

Primer $8

Total Cost for wood $34

plus primer = $42

I still can't believe that we got all of the wood for about $35!! Make sure to keep your eye's peeled at Habitat Restore or other similar stores to cheap building supplies, it can save SO much money! 

Barbeque Chicken Pizza on the Grill

Today I thought I would share a new favorite time saving recipe. After all, less time cooking = more time for projects ... ok not just for projects, but sometimes :) And I do really like cooking, but shortcuts can be great too!
 
We started using our grill more and I love it! Friday we decided to try making pizza on it and it turned out AMAZING, I just had to share!

We started with Trader Joes fresh pizza dough. You just take it out of the bag and let it rest for about 20 minutes and then it is ready to go! I love this stuff, you get the taste of fresh bread without any work! Of course making it from scratch is the best, but this is a great time saver!

Friday we made barbeque chicken pizza, yum! Here's how we did it.

We cooked a few chicken tenderloins on the grill first and put them aside (chopped and mixed in a little barbeque sauce). On the stove we sauteed some onion and finished them off by reducing a little balsamic vinegar.

We spread the dough out, sprayed it with cooking spray, put it on the grill and let it cook for about a minute or two (sprayed the other side with cooking spray) and flipped when it had light grill marks.

We put a little barbeque sauce on the crust a few pieces of cheese (grate if you would like it more even), we added the chicken, and cooked onion, closed the grill and let it cook for a few minutes, checking the bottom to make sure that it didn't get too dark.  It cooked SO fast!

Once it was done we put a little chopped cilantro! This pizza has so much flavor that it doesn't need a lot of cheese which is a nice calorie saving alternative!

Last night we made pretzels with TJ fresh dough, (boiled them in baking soda water for about a minute first) and finished cooking them on the grill. I make these in the oven often and didn't think that they tasted that different, but nice if if you already have the grill out!

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and in project news, we added the supports last night for the shelving and it is a lot studier and straight! Tutorial tomorrow :)

Custom Shelving for only $35!!

This weekend we "finished" our new shelving unit! We decided to go with a custom mixed light minty blue. I really enjoyed seeing the poll and reading all of your comments. It helped me sort out the pros and cons of each color and what would work best in the space! Coral was also popular, but since it is tall and in the middle of the room, I wanted something that would blend in a little more. But maybe coral for the round table that will go next to it...

It's a little unsteady and leans a little so we still need to add supports on the bottom to make it more secure (don't worry we cleared everything off for now, to let the paint cure and to not put any more weight on it till we add the supports :).

I'll give a full tutorial a little later this week once we finish the supports, but for now, enjoy a few pictures!

We wanted something that you could see straight through to make it feel a little lighter. Annabelle in her favorite sleeping spot (as usual :)

We left most of our books on the east coast before we moved to CA, so we don't have too many here. Mostly baskets and boxes to hold office supplies and other miscellaneous things that need a home. So that there won't be too much color to compete with the color already in the room ...  

and my favorite part!? It only cost about $35 for all of the wood! We were able to save by cutting down large sheets of MDF from Habitat Restore. All of the shelves only cost $7!! 

I'll be back soon with details on how we made it!

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This weekend we started working on a new project, if you're following on instagram or facebook you may have seen a little preview.   

Through facebook and instagram about 23 said A and 78 said B. I really don't think that we could've went wrong, they are both great! I was leaning towards B, the vote said B, and B it is actually easier ... so B it is! Stay tuned to see what we are making! Sorry to tease ... I want to get a little further before we fill you in! 

4 years

We're taking a break from our normal project posts to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary! Time has flown by, it's hard to believe that we've been married for 4 years!

 We've been together for over 10 years, and I feel so blessed that we found each other so early in life.

So we're taking the day to celebrate! I hope you have a great weekend! :)

Home Tour at It's Overflowing + Project Update

Today our home is being featured on It's Overflowing, make sure to stop by and take a look! It's almost like a brand new home tour since SO much has changed recently!

Make sure to browse Aimee's amazing site too! The decor and project sections have endless inspiration!!

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and a project update. Two of our five shelves had laminate (we used two sheets of mismatched MDF but the same thickness from Habitat Restore). Well that laminate was unsandable, and when I put my regular primer on it flaked off too easily when dry. My original plan was to put a coat of poly ontop of the paint for added durability, but I ultimately decided to do it right and start with a better primer.

So I sanded off the primer from the two laminate shelves, followed Kate's advice and used Zinsser Cover Stain Oil based primer. It is designed to stick to glossy surfaces without sanding, and after two coats, it looks great!

I'm a little behind, but I think it'll be worth it!

A BIG thank you to everyone who voted on their favorite paint color for the shelving! The poll on the sidebar didn't collect the votes properly (like it said 50 votes and then went down to 10). I won't be using that one again! So I don't have a 100% accurate count, but I'm going off of your comments and what I saw in the poll throughout the day. Check out my instragram today to see what I decide! 

Color Options - I want your opinion!

Yesterday I primed the shelving unit that we built over the weekend. I took it apart since we'll be assembling it upstairs (it's too big to make it around the tight corners of our stairs). Taking it a part by myself was ... lets say interesting. Luckily I'm ok and the shelving unit is ok and we didn't have any major accidents! But now it is all primed and ready for paint!

 To save money (and since I have a lot of left over paint) I'll be using paint that I already have on hand.

In addition to the photo above, we also have the statement pendant (sw rivulet) and the turquoise ottoman in the room.

So what's your vote? Cast it in the comments or the poll in the right side bar!

Our Next project + Weekend in Review

Hi! I hope that you had a great weekend! David's parent's were visiting from the east coast, so we had fun exploring the area (and of course we fit in a little project time too!)

Saturday we went to Santa Barbara. It was such a hot and pretty day! We toured the mission, love the contrast against the mountains in the background! State St. is always one of my favorite stops.

Anthropologie and Paper Source always have fun things to look at. I made it out with just this napkin from Anthro, isn't it great? :)

We had dinner out on the pier. I love the glass bottom tables there. There are seals nearby, but we didn't see any swimming below. But, just looking at the water is pretty!

Finally, we decided that we would build a shelving unit similar to the Ikea Vittsjo for next to the sofa in the living room. $70 is definitely reasonable for the unit; however, taking into account that one wasn't quite long enough and needing to sell it at the end of the summer (we'll be selling lots of furniture when we move then) and not getting our money back, building made more sense. Our building supplies were super low, about $35! We still need to paint, but I like it so far!

Paint is up next! Check back for updates.

Get the Look

For today's get the look, I'm using one of my recent favorite bedroom pins. I'm typically not a huge fan of purple in adult spaces because it can look youthful easily. However, this room by Gary Riggs Home works because the purple is the perfect shade and mixed with bold yellows and patterns and an eclectic mix of furniture/accessories are perfection! I want move right in!

I've put together a list of how to get a similar look (either exact or close to sources) of the furniture and accessories in this space. See below the images for the sources!

kravet prospect shadow | world market origami pillow | target fieldcrest silk allure quilt | west elm chevron duvet

1. | 2. + 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. 

I think that my next bed must include an upholstered frame. I love how tailored it looks! The rug is beyond amazing too! I'm crazy about the subtle pattern and sheen.

What about you? Are you ready to move in too? :)

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I'll be back soon with project updates!!

Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Lisa M. for winning the Zimba inspired stencil! Thanks so much to all who entered!

I'm still working on compiling the PDF for the stencil print out for anyone who would like to make the stencil themselves, but I should have that done shortly :)

Congrats again Lisa, you'll have an email waiting for you in your inbox!