How to build a beautiful and functional built-in book case

What is it we want in our homes?  Apart from the obvious, a roof and walls to keep out the elements (still working on that one), I mean after that. I've been thinking about this over the last few weeks and have come to some conclusions.

• I'd like to be able to find a pair of scissors without searching every draw in the house. 
• A place for everything and everything in its place - ideal, but let's face it, not likely to happen.
• Comfort - yes, definitely
• Style - one can hope
• Cleanliness - yes but not to the extreme, I do have a life
• Beauty - frivolous maybe, but it just makes life more enjoyable
• My favorite things out where I can enjoy them

I love the idea of minimalism, but not the spirit. I've tried, I really have. If you've read my earlier posts you are my witness. But its just not in me. I love my stuff, I love finding new stuff (second-hand of course), and I love finding new ways to use and display my stuff. At the same time, I don't want to live in utter chaos either.

Miss B is affectionately known in the family as The Rat Baby. She likes to hoard all her things in a big mess in her room, and is appalled at the suggestion of throwing anything out. She remains traumatized by the time she witnessed The Bloke donating some of her toys to a charity shop. She still sheds tears at the re-telling. NEVER allow your child to see you giving their stuff away, think trust issues and expensive psychotherapy.

I suspect Miss B may have inherited her hoarding tenancies from me, as much as I'd like to blame The Bloke. Mind you, I'm not the kind of hoarder that has piles of newspapers from the last 20 years, or anything so extreme. But I do have a healthy amount of possessions, especially books, family memorabilia, and what I call 'bits and pieces'. Things that I love that have no function other than to make me smile when I see them.

So if minimalism isn't for me, what was I to do with all my things? To try and corral some of my possessions into some semblance of control and order, I asked The Bloke to make me a bookshelf.

After our success with both the wardrobe and the garage storage unit, I felt inspired to design a solution that The Bloke could make. I wanted shelving that would be substantial. Something that I could display my favorite things on, but also something to store the not so beautiful, like boxes of tax records.

I am beyond delighted with what we achieved. The shelves are exactly as I imagined them.

I had been looking at behind-the-couch shelves on Pinterest and thought I would combine the two.

From the top of the couch down is storage for business papers, and records that are rarely used, but have to be kept. The couch sits up against the shelves, so this part is not visible, but the sofa can be pulled out to access them if needed. Above are all the things I use regularly, as well as some display room for bits and pieces. 

We made the unit out of MDF board from Bunnings Warehouse.

First we worked out the measurements. I like the look of shelving that has segregated spaces. We planned how tall and wide the space was, and then divided that into three equal vertical spaces and four horizontal spaces from the sofa up. From the sofa down the spaces were made to specifically store various items.

the shelving made from MDF board.

I really wanted a unit that looked built in, and so we used a router to cut grooves in the vertical boards to slide in the horizontal shelves. The post on our wardrobe gives more information on using the router, you can read about it here. We also decided to add thicker 10 by 30 mm fascia to the front of the horizontal boards to give the shelves a nice chunky look. 

fascia added to the horizontal boards.

                        

We punched in the nails and filled the wholes with plaster for a smooth painting finish

hammer and punch tool to knock in the nails.

punching in the nails to just below the surface of the fascia

an example of the nail head punched in 

                           

plaster paste and spreader

plastering over the punched in nail head

filling gaps with polyfiller. We used plan white filler for dry areas about $6 a tube.

Next it was time to undercoat and paint. Once the undercoat is on, look closely for any more gaps that might have been overlooked prior to painting. Gaps show up really well against the white undercoat.

a small gap overlooked first time around

                          

We decided to fill in the gaps at the back of the shelves to give them a solid look.

                                       

And we also decided to add molding to the top to give a more elegant look.

               

I choose to paint the shelves the same colour as the walls of the room, Resene's Bianca, but used a semi-gloss to make sure the surfaces were easily wipe-able. Two coats of undercoat and two coats of topcoat. I wanted the shelves to blend into the background, rather than to be a contrast against the walls.

I used a microfiber roller and a quality paintbrush for cutting in.

undercoat on 

                                                 

Adding the final top coat.

The final effect

             

Before the sofa is in place, ugly boxes on display

Sofa in place...so much better

Once the sofa was back in place and the shelves filled with my treasures, the shelves look amazing. I am so happy with the final result.

This project required a moderate amount of skill. The hardest part is getting the routing grooves even, I recommend practicing this on some off-cuts. Take your time to fill all the gaps and use a good quality paint brush to achieve a smooth paint finish. The brush really does make a difference. We made this over the course of four non-consecutive weekends. The cost was approx $500 for the MDF, fascia and molding, nails and gap filler. We already had the plaster and undercoat. The paint from Resene paints was bought during their annual 30% off sale at $99 for 4 litres. This is way more than needed, but I plan to use the rest on the kitchen when we get to that area.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Have a great week.

Grace

How to make a super easy Ghosts and Bats Halloween tree.

I'll take any excuse to celebrate. Birthdays, Easter, Christmas, Graduations, any reason will do. The month of October is one celebration after another with barely a breath between. Five family members have birthdays, including Miss A and Miss B, and of course its Halloween baby!

I love Halloween. I know it can be a controversial holiday for some. But I have no problem decorating and celebrating. See my take on it here.

In New Zealand trick or treating wasn't something we grew up with, but it has grown in popularity over the last few years. In our neighbourhood, much to the disgust of Miss A and Miss B, it still hasn't caught on. So this year instead of going out, we are going all out to decorate our home and get people to us instead.

Having a limited budget for decorating I have been contemplating various ways to get the best bang for my buck and to re-purpose as much as I can from around the house. We already have a remarkably disturbing number of skulls in various materials, old worn books, wooden boxes, and the occasional decorative (not sure that's really the right word here) dagger. But I felt like we needed something more.

After all the stormy weather in the last few weeks, I have collected an assortment of branches blown down around the streets and beach. These inspired me to create a Halloween tree with two quintessential Halloween elements, ghosts and bats. I have seen examples of ghost bunting on Pinterest and decided that something similar hung on the tree would be just the thing. The best part of this project is that it cost a mere $2.00 in materials. Most of the items I already had or was able to find for free. It requires a ridiculously low level of crafting skill (am I the only one whose projects never turn out like the photo?), and it's easy for the kids to do too.

Ghost and Bat Halloween tree

If you'd like to create something similar in time for Halloween, you'll need the following materials:

• White material (I found a large scrape left over from another project)
• Scissors
• Black marker pen (felt tip)
• Ruler or tape measure
• Cotton or string (I used a neutral string because that's what I had to hand, but you could use white as well)
• Stuffing or batting (I had a bag already and it's super handy for crafts and is cheap.)
• Needle and thread (white and black)
• Tree (I used a broken branch found on the beach) the gnarlier the better
• Black card stock (I bought mine from the $2 shop)
• Bat shape pattern (I downloaded mine free from www.firstpalette.com here)
• Something to hold your tree up (I used a pot and some pebbles from the garden path) 

White material

Scissors, string, sharpie felt pen

Stuffing or batting (the inside from an old cushion would do)

Black card stock. I used one piece, the other two are for a different project

Fallen branch with lots of twig off-shoots to hand your ghosts and bats.

Bat shapes for the pattern

Steps:

Cut white fabric into squares. I made mine 20 cm by 20 cm. I also tried a rectangle shape but the bottom of the ghost "feet" sits better with a square shape.

Take a piece of stuffing and scrunch it to the size you'd like your ghost head to be. This might take a bit of trial and error to decide how big you want the head to be. I made two sizes and hung them on the branch together to see which one looked best. Place the stuffing in the middle of the white fabric square and fold the fabric down around it.

Using your third hand (or if like me, you only have two hands, a spare child) tie the cotton around the 'neck' of your ghost.  Don't make this too tight as the shape looks best if the neck is not too defined. You should end up with something like this.

Now comes the best part. Draw on the ghost's face with black marker or felt tip. You may need to manipulate the fabric to ensure a flattish space for the face. Get the kids to draw on the faces. You can guest which one below is the face I drew and which one is Miss B's, hers if far more interesting.

Fluff the ends of the fabric until they look suitably ghostly. Then using the needle and thread, make a handing loop from the top of the ghost's head to hang onto the tree.

Lay the bat shape pattern onto the black card stock and cut around the shape. 

Using black thread and needle, make a hanging loop from the tail so the bat is handing head down.

Repeat until your tree is covered with as many ghosts and bats as you like.

And there you have it. A fantastic Ghosts and Bats Halloween tree made by your family. Enjoy!

Do you have any special Halloween traditions? I'd love to hear about them, please comment below.


Have a great week.

Grace

Why I love second-hand books.

I love the written word. In fact I can spend an entire day dodging my responsibilities while consumed by a riveting read. And I love, love, love quirky little second-hand book shops. You know the ones I mean. They're usually found in some out-of-the-way arcade and are either the size of my wardrobe or roam over three floors served by rickety wooden stairs that would never pass a health and safety check. They're packed floor to ceiling with books, the assistant is so busy reading they don't seem to have any time to serve you, and they only take cash. Fortunately second hand books are cheap, so very little cash goes a long way.

A find this week (see pic below) set me to wonder what it is about reading, and about second-hand books in particular,that I find so enthralling?

Three beauties picked up for the grand sum of $2 each.

To start with, I love the smell of old books. I know that's not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy that musty dry fragrance. I love the feel of paper between my fingers - brittle and worn yet still enduring. I love the sound of pages flicking through my hands, and the thought that someone whose life will never otherwise intersect with mine, has done just that, through the book I hold in my hands. Strangers in all but this one common thing.

I love reading handwritten inscriptions, the ones you find inside the cover. Many are obvious. like 'To Madison on your 16th birthday', or 'Happy Graduation, love Nana'. But some set my imagination alight. One of my favorites I found in a huge white and gold family bible I bought for the grand sum of $8.00, 'Dearest Mum and Dad, thank-you for helping me to believe in new tomorrows, Judy - Christmas 1985'. I like to wonder about Judy, what was happening in her life to inspire such an inscription? Where is she now? Did she find her new tomorrow?

I love the unknown on entering a second-hand book shop. What will I find among these shelves? Will it be inspiring, challenging, entertaining, funny, horrifying, heart-breaking? Books can show you the beauty of life, and the cruelty of the soul. They teach us new skills, show us a new version of ourselves, introduce new possibilities. Books allow us to get lost in another world, visit foreign lands, different cultures, time-travel, find romance, great sex, and amazing adventure. Virginia Woolf wrote that 'second-hand books are wild books, homeless books...(and) in this random miscellaneous company we may rub against some complete stranger who will, with, luck, turn into the best friend we have in the world'.

I was listening to an audio book by Brian Tracey on my way to work one day (my favourite way to cope with Auckland traffic), in which he said the average adult in America reads one book a year. Hold the bus. WHAT.
That can't possibly be true? I felt sick. I rushed to the font of all knowledge (yes I meant to say font) and asked Google.
Up popped a plethora of surveys, research, and audits with such varying findings that I felt my heart rate begin to settle from my initial shock.

I can't imagine my life without a book beside me. I know some people who struggle to read because of dyslexia or similar challenges, but I also know some people (well actually only two people) who have no problem reading, who never pick up a book, ever. I suspect I feel more sorry for them then they probably feel for themselves.

Do you love second-hand books too? If so, leave me a comment and let me know what it is that enthrals you.


Have a great week, and remember, progress not perfection.

Grace

7 tips on parenting from my personal experience.

Remember when all you could think about was having a baby? For me the desire seemed to come out of no-where and just wouldn't go away. It was all I could think about, all I could dream of. I had this wonderful image of The Bloke and I staring lovingly into the face of our perfect offspring as she slept peacefully in our arms ...

And that did happen, for about 5 minutes. Then I realized that the words 'perfect' and 'parent' had nothing in common. That's not to say that my babies weren't adorable, they were. My children are the cutest, cuddliest, funniest, most fantastic children in the world, who have challenged my patience, temper and sanity.

They don't do what they're told, in fact often quite the opposite. They don't follow the 'children should be seen and not heard' idiom at all. I have discovered there is a fine line between protection and spoiling. It's hard to see the line and its super easy to cross it and doubly hard to get back again.

Currently Miss A is a few weeks away from being a teenager, and Miss B is hard on her heels.

I have learned a few things from the last 6 months of trying to maintain communication with an almost 13-year old. Please note that I am not a psychologist, or an educational specialist, or any other kind of expert in anything. But I am a parent, and I've been a child, so I have some experience. This is what I've learnt from that experience.

1. When you wake her gently with a kiss and whisper 'time to get up baby' and she responds with 'Go away mum I hate you', take a really really really deep breath and DON'T take it personally. It's hard to believe, but she really doesn't mean it. Somewhere deep inside that moody soul, she loves you. She's up and down like an emotional yo-yo, imagine how hard that is for her to deal with.

2. Be firm about the technology. I am not anti-tech. I think it is vital for our kids and us to stay on top of technology. In my day it was hogging the telephone and talking to your friends, now it's group chats on Instagram, but it's still communication with their peers and it's important. However, I am sure Miss A's poor behaviour is directly proportional to the amount of time she spends on the iPad. I don't know if there is any research out there to support this view, but for me I can see the difference. The more time on her iPad, the less pleasant she is to everyone around her. Her school did some research on technology use after becoming a BYOD (bring your own device) school and their research found that children who didn't have firm limits on their technology use were more socially isolated, and had lower self esteem than children who did have firm limits. So set them and stick to them. It's amazing how Miss A always has a sudden homework project that just has to be done tonight, as soon as I tell her tech time is up. Too bad.

3. Loads of people say it and it is true, having dinner together around the table allows time for everyone to talk without distractions. If, like my family, there is one child who makes dinner time stressful because they are a super picky eater, make a rule that the dinner is put in front of them and they can choose to eat it or not. Of course there is no dessert if dinner is not eaten. No further discussion, and no negotiation. "What if I eat these three peas and that bit of carrot, can I have three spoons of dessert then?" Kids are exquisite negotiators, don't fall for it. Everyone has to stay at the table until the last person is done. They may all start out grumpy, but mine usually can't contain themselves and have to start talking, and away we go.

4. No matter how many times your children say they hate you. No matter how angry you feel thinking of all the sleepless nights, driving around to events and birthday parties, you have done for them. The thing is parenting is not about keeping score. Your child knows they are loved. If they didn't they couldn't risk being so mean to you. While you shouldn't accept poor behaviour, be happy in the knowledge that your child is so convinced of your love, they can behave this way. Take solace...then ground them.

5. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In lay terms, everything has consequences. Make sure your child understands the consequences, then let them make some of their own decisions. Experience is the best learning tool. Obviously don't let your children take crazy or unsafe risks. Use your common sense.

6. Accept that you won't always get it right, in fact I often get it horribly wrong. Learn how to apologise. Getting it wrong doesn't make you a rubbish parent. Getting it wrong and not caring does that. Getting it wrong and then torturing yourself about all the psychological damage your child will now suffer sucks the joy out of life. Don't do it. In this I speak from experience. Apologising to your child when you've gotten it wrong is okay. It lets them know that no-one is perfect and no-one should expect to be perfect. It also lets them know we should clean up our mistakes and messes.

7. Find a way to laugh together. It gives everyone something to hold onto during the really rough times.

8. If all else fails, wait until your children are asleep, then sneak in and take selfies with them to hold as ransom...consequences remember.

Below are two resources I have used that offer really helpful and sensible advise. I am not affiliated with either in any way.

Nigel Latta's site  http://www.goldfishwisdom.org/parents.
The Parenting Place http://www.theparentingplace.com/

Let me know in the comments section if you have any parenting tips that have worked for your family.

Grace

How to have the finer things in life on a budget

When living life on a budget, maintaining a lifestyle to which I'd like to be accustomed can be challenging.  This is where thrift or vintage shopping comes into its own.

When I think of a luxury lifestyle, the first word that comes to mind is quality. But modern day quality is expensive. Luckily for us the quality things from days gone are not.

The things of yesteryear were made to last, and last they have. Can you imagine some of the items we purchase now days being bought second hand by someone in 30, 40, or 50 years time?
We live in this throw away society where everything can be replaced easily, and nothing seems to be repairable.

In the last century, when things could not be replaced and were held precious, they were taken care of. Does anyone remember Sunday best? The clothes you were only allowed to wear on Sunday, so you looked your best. Or having a regular dinner set for everyday dining, and one for guests, family celebrations, and Christmas.

Today items made with a similar quality to the last century are expensive. And with good reason. They are made with better materials, often by craftsmen and women who earn a decent wage (deservedly). But they are also often outside the family budget with all the expenses of living in a modern world.

How to get that same quality lifestyle; lovely things for your home, exclusive pieces of jewelry, or just the plain totally unique stuff? Thrift shopping!

Whether you are looking to live a vintage lifestyle, or simply enjoy the finer things in life on a budget, thrift shopping is for you. I know some people are appalled at the thought of using things others have used, but I love to hold a teacup,

or a set of pearl and diamante earrings,

and wonder about their previous owner. Where did they come from? How did they live? What did they think? Although I'll never know the answers to these wonderings, it still sparks my imagination and I feel privileged to be the current owner.

So next time you really really want a beautiful new table setting or a piece of original art no-one else has, grab a few dollars and head out on the hunt. You never know what treasure you'll find.

Maybe a set of beautiful gold leaf embellied dinner plates,

Or a cut glass candlestick holder,

Or a glass-domed cake plate.

What second hand, vintage or thrift treasures have you found? Leave a comment below.

Grace