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Friday, August 28, 2015

DIY Doors for IKEA Expedit Cubby Shelf


I have this wonderful IKEA Expedit Shelf Unit, which is fabulous for storage, but a bit of an eyesore with all of my junk on it.


I love the look of the Knipsa baskets, but there are 20 cubbys. That would really add up! And there are some things that I need stored here that just won't work in a basket. I decided to create a pattern by adding doors to every other cubby and use baskets in between.

First, I cut 10 doors. I often peruse the "as is" section at IKEA to pick up super cheap shelves to use on other projects. A while ago I stocked up on some square shelves that were $0.50 each! They were a little larger than the openings on the shelf and I wanted the doors to be inset in the cubby squares, so I cut the bottoms and left hand sides on the table saw so they were 13" x 13".

To attach them to the shelf, I used these:
CONCEALED EURO CABINET HINGES FULL HALF INSET OVERLAY FACE FRAME FRAMELESS   
They were $1 a piece on eBay as opposed to the $6.50 they are at Lowes!



The only problem with buying them on eBay is they don't come with any instructions to help you measure for attachment. This info can easily be googled, though :)
 
 

These hinges required me to drill holes in the door which showed through on the front a little, but I decided to cover the marks with an overlay design. I started by marking 1/2" from the edge.


Then I used some 1/4" poplar craft wood that's 1 1/2" wide. I was originally going to use giant paint sticks, but my store was out of them. I just kept marking, cutting, and using the wood width as a guide till I got a design I liked.



Then I sanded the edges and primed and painted the pieces.


I decided to use some mylar (affiliate link) in the background to create a "mirror" look. I had some leftover from a nightstand that I re-fabed. (You can read about that here.)


At this point I needed one more coat of paint, but since I was nailing the pieces on, I decided I would first attach the pieces to the door, fill the nail holes, and then add another coat.


Nail holes.


I filled the holes with some white spackling, sanded, and painted!



I decided to add these oval mason jar wooden labels (affiliate link) to the baskets. I spray painted them white and added some vinyl words. I used long brads to fasten them to the baskets.



It really cleans up the look of the room. 



Linking to: Link Party Palooza,That DIY Party, Something to Talk About Link Party 32, Merry Monday 69,Inspiration Monday 830,Show and Share 270, The Scoop 186, 283 Inspire me Tuesday, Inspire Me Monday 75, Tutorials and Tips 224, Be Inspired 176, FDTR 182, Wow Us Wednesday 237, Wake Up Wednesday 84, Dream Create Inspire, artsy-Fartsy Link Party, YTT 47, Creativity Unleashed, Remodelaholic September Link Party, Remodelaholic Ikea Hack Party,      


Thursday, August 20, 2015

Mirror Gallery Stair Wall


One thing I find challenging in my house is how low the ceilings are. Even over the stairs it feels closed off and makes me a little claustrophobic.

To help reflect light and make things seem brighter and more open, I've been putting mirrors parallel to the handrail. 





There's no natural light at the top of the stairs, so forgive these dark images.



I've been able to find most of the mirrors from thrift stores and on clearance at Hobby Lobby (love the 80-90% clearance sales) and spray paint them. I also got a little creative with some things I already had on hand.


Linking to: Creativity Unleashed 83, That DIY Party. Merry Monday 68, The Scoop 185, 282 Inspire Me Tuesday, Inspire Me Monday 74, Show and Share 276, Tutorials and Tips Link Party 223, Be Inspired 175, Wow Us Wednesday 236, Wake Up Wednesday 83, FDTR 181, Vintage Inspiration Party 203, Dream Create Inspire, Link Party Palooza, Get Your DIY On,