DIY Arched Bookshelves

<span style="font-style: italic;">Update: Welcome, D*S readers! If this is your first time visiting my site, you can read a little bit about me </span><a href="http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2011/08/02/beyond-the-notebook/" style="font-style: italic;">here</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. I hope you look around and decide to stay a while! By way of a quick introduction, here are a few of my recent projects:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- </span><a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2011/05/diy-sputnik-chandelier.html" style="font-style: italic;">DIY Sputnik chandelier</a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- </span><a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2011/05/painted-detail-on-my-kitchen-island.html" style="font-style: italic;">Antique dresser as a kitchen island</a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">- </span><a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2011/05/heirloom-button-art.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Heirloom Button Art</span></a><br />--------------------------------------------<br /><br />Remember <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2010/09/arched-bookcases.html">this post</a> where I shared my love for arched bookshelves?<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/2d86e82ade9f.jpg" /><br /><br /></div>We decided to put a wall of bookshelves in my office, so it would sort of feel like a library. We already had two white <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/83688210">Billy bookshelves</a> from IKEA, so we bought two more for $50 each, and then eight $10 <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40197392">extender shelves</a>, so that the shelves would go up really high. I wish we could have gone all the way up to the ceiling for the true 'built-in' look, but the rafters in our loft made it tricky.<br /><br />This is the super sad before photo from the week we moved in:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/beforebookshelves.jpg" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And now:</div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/JennyKomendaArchedBookshelves.jpg" /></div><br />It was a <span style="font-style: italic;">crazy-</span>easy project! (I know I always say that, but it's true!) Here's the break down:<br /><br />I went to Home Depot and had four pieces of 1/4" thick MDF cut in to 14" x 32" rectangles. While I was there I also picked up three 8' lengths of 1/4" thick x 2" wide and two lengths of 1/4" thick x 1" wide flat trim moulding.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_7179.jpg" /></div><br />When I got home I sketched out my first arch one of the MDF pieces. If you're not comfortable with measuring out and eyeballing this step like I did, you can use a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027AEI2W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=littgreenote-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B0027AEI2W">flexible curve</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0027AEI2W&camp=217145&creative=399373" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> to give you a more exact curve.<br /><br />To get arches that look like mine, the top of the curve should be about two inches from the top of the MDF rectangle. No matter how high your arch is though, you'll need the bottom edges to be 1" wide.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8440.jpg" /></div><br />If you are new to the world of electric wood cutting tools, I think the jig saw is a good place to start. I have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P9H4VY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=littgreenote-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B000P9H4VY">this $30 model</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B000P9H4VY&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and it works great. My advice here is to go slow and cut carefully. If you start to move off your line while cutting, <i>slowly</i> readjust back to your line. The goal is as smooth a curve as possible, so try not to jerk back to your line.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8442.jpg" /></div><br />I used that first cut out arch as a template for drawing my other three arches. It was an easy way to make all the arches identical.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8475.jpg" /></div><br />After all the arches were cut out, I hand-sanded the arches a little, just to smooth out some imperfections. I love those big double wide sanding blocks! They last forever.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8469.jpg" /></div><br />Michael helped me hold up the arches while I drilled in a few pilot holes and some dry wall screws. It's a good idea to really get those screws in flush with the MDF or even counter-sunk so you can't see them later. We installed the flat trim in the same way.<br /><br />The idea is that the 2" wide flat trim covers where the bookshelves butt up to one another. The 1" wide flat trim is for the too far ends of the bookshelf walls.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8478.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I used white latex caulk to fill in the holes from the screws and to fill in the cracks.</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8494.jpg" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8496.jpg" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />We've had two of these Billy bookshelves for like six years or something (you can see when I first painted them peacock blue <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2009/07/living-room-curtains-are-done.html">here</a>), but the other two shelves and all of the extenders needed to be primed and painted.<br /><br /></div><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8502.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">IKEA laminate is <span style="font-style: italic;">HORRIBLE</span> to paint. It's seriously like paint-repellant. It took me three coats of primer and three coats of paint+primer to get full coverage on just the backs of the shelves.<br /><br />It was worth it though. I love the contrast! The dark green, almost black, paint really makes the crisp white arches pop.<br /><br /></div><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8506.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We let the paint dry for a day or two and then started filling the shelves with books.</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/JennyKomendaArchedBookshelves2.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It's all pretty loosely arranged right now, but I'm cool with a work in process.</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/JennyKomendaArchedBookshelvesIMG_7623.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">My husband loves books more than just about anything and I have a pretty big collection of books myself. So this was a really fun project for us to work on together. He's a big fan of the arches and it's fun to finally have a wall of shelves big enough to store all of our books.</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_7670.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">P.S. If you're curious how I hung the art on the fronts of my shelves (without damaging the wood!) check out <a href="http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2011/08/04/hang-it-all/">my post on Babble today</a>.<br /><br />PPS In yesterday's Babble post I shared my secret weapon for productivity: <a href="http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2011/08/03/getting-it-done/">Teux Deux!</a></div></div>

DIY Arched Bookshelves

Update: Welcome, D*S readers! If this is your first time visiting my site, you can read a little bit about me here . I hope you look around ...

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Dying Lampshades

It's super easy to change the look of cloth lampshades. I saw this beautiful photo in <a href="http://www.bhg-digital.com/bhg/201102/?pg=71#pg71">Better Homes and Gardens</a> (and Lindsay from Everything LEB did a post on the subject <a href="http://everythingleb.blogspot.com/2011/02/here-comes-sun.html">here</a>).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/Picture31.png" /></div><br />They suggested doing the whole dye bath thing, but I was feeling impatient the day I wanted to dye my too-simple <a href="http://www.target.com/Room-Essentials-Mix-Match-Shade/dp/B004BG3AUG/ref=br_1_28?ie=UTF8&id=Room%20Essentials%20Mix-%20-Match%20Shade&node=13361081&searchSize=30&searchView=list&searchPage=1&sr=1-28&qid=1312387351&rh=target_com_category-bin%3ALampshades%7Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%3ACream%7Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%3AWhite&searchBinNameList=target_com_category-bin%2Cstyle_name%2Cmaterial_type%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin&searchRank=salesrank&frombrowse=1">Target drum shades</a>, so I cheated a little.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/Picture32.png" /></div><br />I picked up a bottle of this powder form fabric dye at an art supply store here (Blicks). It's called Procion MX Dye. There were so many cool colors! I chose <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006IJZAW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=littgreenote-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B0006IJZAW">Bright Green</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0006IJZAW&camp=217145&creative=399373" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> for this project.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_8173.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I just put a tiny bit of the powder in a bowl and mixed it with cold water and then painted it on with an artist's brush. It was so easy and the project finished so fast that I forgot to take pictures of me painting! :)</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/Picture41.png" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">At it's brightest, the shade I chose is supposed to look like the above, but I went much subtler here. At the time I thought I was going to paint the girls door mint green and I didn't want to go into overkill mode. Since then though I've redyed them emerald green. Ha! More on that later (and on the pretty silver paper lining the insides of the shades).<br /><br /></div><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/Dyedlampshade.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Off to play with my girls who I haven't seen in a week! They've been in Arizona with my parents while I finished up some work projects here. I missed them so, so much!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/2IMG_9505.jpg" style="height: 236px; width: 169px;" /></div><br />Speaking of family, I put <a href="http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2011/08/02/beyond-the-notebook/">my first post up on Babble</a> yesterday. It's a little intro on me and my family - maybe some stuff I haven't shared with you here yet? There also may or may not be a photo of me in airplane pose. Do you play that with your kids?<br /><br />Anyway, I'll also be posting on Babble's <a href="http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec">The New Home Ec blog</a> every day, so don't forget to check me out there for more of my home decorating tips!<br /><br />xoxo</div></div>

Dying Lampshades

It's super easy to change the look of cloth lampshades. I saw this beautiful photo in Better Homes and Gardens (and Lindsay from Everyt...

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Minimalist Furniture Design Home Entertainment by Acerbis

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DwFyeqrZYlksxFEZZ10H-Gm8hzAK7ERLzUD-AeK0OKh-aWdzBJjil3eeheJ-PVQgtw5DzhMa4cR4_p_oI_B6n4ZxchKcQzZFkZx3R0ONae4-2YBH235pXqzp2cSEuFHyhxdgDbXu4Dfp/s1600/Minimalist+Furniture+Design+Home+Entertainment+by+Acerbis+%25283%2529.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636496394597057826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DwFyeqrZYlksxFEZZ10H-Gm8hzAK7ERLzUD-AeK0OKh-aWdzBJjil3eeheJ-PVQgtw5DzhMa4cR4_p_oI_B6n4ZxchKcQzZFkZx3R0ONae4-2YBH235pXqzp2cSEuFHyhxdgDbXu4Dfp/s400/Minimalist+Furniture+Design+Home+Entertainment+by+Acerbis+%25283%2529.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 440px; height: 304px;" /></a>This is the minimalist design of <a href="http://minimalist-home-designs.blogspot.com/">home</a> entertainment furniture. Modern furniture design for the living room. minimalist furniture designs by Acerbis. first introduced the theme of integration, physical and aesthetic, audio-video devices, the collection of a New Concept again subjected to further development, fully equipped with projection screen hidden in the closet, for those who do not want to leave anything and want to watch, to the wall Similarly, the small screen for games and news, or enjoy the large screen for movies and sports. Screen, with wide-available projection of about 2 meters for the 16:9 format and features high efficiency and luminosity, suitable for most projectors on the market commons. A solution that can be defined "plug & play", for those who want to avoid or do not have the opportunity to do a "custom" installation of the projection screen to the interior design.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRfvEqB1pzBsERQR3Tt0ps7IhL__4Rdp9zs9IBgKepDalAxyNt7jZIFk_gPEZucO2yu1C20DIGEjHPXIswZso_j5zmGKXySj0nnEJlei7oSBuSNtwcFJI_jJvFvSmI-Xru33iqVrgn6ZV/s1600/Minimalist+Furniture+Design+Home+Entertainment+by+Acerbis+%25282%2529.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636496388144486546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRfvEqB1pzBsERQR3Tt0ps7IhL__4Rdp9zs9IBgKepDalAxyNt7jZIFk_gPEZucO2yu1C20DIGEjHPXIswZso_j5zmGKXySj0nnEJlei7oSBuSNtwcFJI_jJvFvSmI-Xru33iqVrgn6ZV/s400/Minimalist+Furniture+Design+Home+Entertainment+by+Acerbis+%25282%2529.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 439px; height: 302px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEZCuhRlLVCeXAMO5ek1554YWCgTV_lYuWp1kQbO0N9PGz9RjZBHnBxJI0VSeqf4wS-jhMgZ0N3sV8bfF6LDqr8Mv8w0n2a-yFGnA-yjBbxJvw-pI4XZvnRHl1iQXBblzdTJc-Gr_l34p/s1600/Minimalist+Furniture+Design+Home+Entertainment+by+Acerbis.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636496390122730258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEZCuhRlLVCeXAMO5ek1554YWCgTV_lYuWp1kQbO0N9PGz9RjZBHnBxJI0VSeqf4wS-jhMgZ0N3sV8bfF6LDqr8Mv8w0n2a-yFGnA-yjBbxJvw-pI4XZvnRHl1iQXBblzdTJc-Gr_l34p/s400/Minimalist+Furniture+Design+Home+Entertainment+by+Acerbis.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 439px; height: 301px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorTCuWEy9Qa2C2QOC2ZWFyBFRhWrgQuchxKPMj97HVay4IXLdyepZehGM9ad8-tug6nqWqCqsEbPYSHKB2PoVAjAlFugJFD3jYQNsB5nTI2JlsO07Qwm5E4qx4xUAcv3GdzGAwiYAM-DZ/s1600/Minimalist+Furniture+Design+Home+Entertainment+by+Acerbis+%25284%2529.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636496400900280498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorTCuWEy9Qa2C2QOC2ZWFyBFRhWrgQuchxKPMj97HVay4IXLdyepZehGM9ad8-tug6nqWqCqsEbPYSHKB2PoVAjAlFugJFD3jYQNsB5nTI2JlsO07Qwm5E4qx4xUAcv3GdzGAwiYAM-DZ/s400/Minimalist+Furniture+Design+Home+Entertainment+by+Acerbis+%25284%2529.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 439px; height: 283px;" /></a><br />Modern interior design

Minimalist Furniture Design Home Entertainment by Acerbis

This is the minimalist design of home entertainment furniture. Modern furniture design for the living room. minimalist furniture designs by...

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How to Sew Pinch Pleats in Ready-Made Drapes

<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I just love the look of pleated drapes. Would you believe me if I told you they are not that hard to sew - especially if you buy ready-made panels?</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/DSC_0013.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I shared the surprisingly simple tutorial in this slideshow, <a href="http://kirtsy.com/2011/07/27/crafts/" target="_blank">10 easy Sunday Afternoon Crafts</a>, sponsored in part by <a href="http://www.giggle.com/eng/specials/signup_bs.cfm?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=ad&utm_content=blogstar&utm_campaign=giggleDEALS" target="_blank">giggle</a> and featured on the gorgeous <a href="http://kirtsy.com/" target="_blank">new Kirtsy</a> site.<br /><br />My pinch pleat tutorial is <a href="http://kirtsy.com/2011/07/25/pinch-pleat-drapes-how-to/?kp=YToxOntzOjE6ImkiO2k6NDAwO30=">HERE</a> but don't forget to check out the <a href="http://kirtsy.com/2011/07/27/crafts/">other ladies' crafts</a>. There is so much creativity in the blog world. I love seeing the ideas other people come up with!</div></div>

How to Sew Pinch Pleats in Ready-Made Drapes

I just love the look of pleated drapes. Would you believe me if I told you they are not that hard to sew - especially if you buy ready-made ...

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New Shade for the GG Sconces

<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I had planned to get custom shades made for the <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2011/04/gossip-girl-sconces.html">Gossip Girl sconces</a>, but every place I called wanted $60-$120 PER SHADE!! What?<br /><br />So when I stumbled across these vintage chandelier shades at the Chelsea flea, I snatched them up for only a couple dollars.</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_9043.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The shades are sort of wrapped in silk cording, which gives them a super cool texture. I thought about dying them a fun color, but I actually like the more neutral gray-beige.</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_9074.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">They have a floral, organic feel to them. My mom said they sort of look like mushrooms now with the new shades which I can totally see. I love them!</div><br /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_7723.jpg" /></div>

New Shade for the GG Sconces

I had planned to get custom shades made for the Gossip Girl sconces , but every place I called wanted $60-$120 PER SHADE!! What? So when I s...

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