DIY Office Shelving

The Problem::

Boxes upon boxes cluttering my office space, full of reference books, notepads, binders, supplies and files.  The puppies don't mind, but its been driving me insane!  I wanted them up, out, off the floor, out of my sight!  The number one rule of organizing in a tight area?  Use your vertical space, which is exactly what I intended to do.  This is the giant wad of wall in front of my desk:

The Supplies::

A few weeks ago, a neighbor was throwing away a cabinet.  I checked it out, and it being in ok condition and only needing a wipe down and to be torn apart, I took it home with me.  It probably looked something like this at one point, but had stains, a few spots of water damage, and duct tape all over it to keep it from falling apart.  I didn't know what I was going to use it for at the time, but am so glad I scooped it up.

The four pieces of wood here are the two sides of the cabinet and the two doors.  You can still see the holes from the original hardware.  I'm going to put the holey sides facing up so they won't be seen anyway.  And yes, they are two different sizes but they were free and I'm cheap so I really don't care.

Two 5 ft Rail Shelf Tracks, a drill, a package of mounting hardware, a pencil, a level, a tape measure and a stud finder.  Also, 8- 12 inch support brackets-- two per shelf.

The Process::

First, I found some studs and paid them to put the shelves up ;-) Just kidding.  I lined the rail tracks flush against the ceiling and marked where the screw hole was.  I pre-drilled holes, then, making sure each track was level, screwed them into the studs.

 I placed two support brackets just to ensure the shelf was level.  It was.

Lastly, I rummaged around for some screws to attach the shelving to the brackets.  Didn't buy these, I just had to try to find some that were long enough to reach through the bracket and into the shelf, while also not poking through the other end, AND making sure the head was larger than the hole in the bracket.

After playing around with spacing and placing of each shelf for a bit, I finalized my plans and filled up the shelves.  Sure, they're boring and white, and I'll have to paint them soon, but just having the crap off the floor and out of my hair makes me sigh in relief and look forward to working in my office now.  Maybe I can finally get some work done in comfort.

The Monetary Breakdown::

Shelf tracks 2x $10.98
Brackets 8x $4.98
Screws $3.34/10 pack
Shelves At cost of my ingenuity and foresight, given a little elbow grease, FREE!  .... I like free

Total Cost:  $65.14
An organized, refreshing work space: Priceless peace of mind Ahhhh

DIY Shoe Racks

THE PROBLEM::

If you are my husband, or any other man, the problem you see is having too many shoes.  If you are a woman, or a shoe-lover, the problem you see is what I always saw stepping into my closet:: Not enough space to accommodate my awesome shoes!!!

I took matters to Pinterest and found a solution!!  Don't ask me which pin to reference, I didn't actually follow any instructions; but you can follow my pinterest page here and dig around-- there's some cool stuff on there, if I say so myself.  I just saw this a few times and decided how I was going to do it.

THE SPACE::

So head to Lowe's did I and picked up an 8 foot crown moulding of my choice, a can of primer and some finishing brads (about $22 total).  I had the carpenter on staff cut my 8 feet into 4, 2-foot pieces (free for a smile).

I sanded down the edges when I got home, slathered on some black paint then I got to the fun part.  Martha Stewart has these amazing glitter acrylic paints at Michael's, so I had some in the color turquoise which I sponged on top of the black, leaving the creases dark.

After they dried, I figured out what height I wanted my "superstar" shoes, at a little above my line of sight.  I am only 5'2" (and a half) so if I'm going to custom make something, damn sure its going to be custom made to ME and no one else.  So while the racks may begin relatively low on the wall, they are perfect for me and other midgets, and I make no apologies for that. Hmpf.

End Rant.  I used a level and hammered that shelf into place, using 5 brads.  Then I eyeballed about where I wanted the next rack; leveled it and set it in place.  Here is the only time measurements came into the equation:  I found out how far apart those two racks were and made sure all racks were evenly spaced after that.  They ended up being 10.5" apart, if you care; which I enjoy because it leaves space to expand above and below.

THE RACKS::

 And full and happy::

So while these do not house ALL of my shoes, it does fit very well my most worn heels.  Some sandals and others wouldn't even stay on, so those I just kept on the small wooden shelf I already had on the floor.  Also, it made me really think about how often I wear, or how much I really like the shoes I had and so a few went to the Donation Station to hopefully find a happy home on someone else's rack. 

Overall, I am quite pleased with myself and my rack! ;-)