Organizing closets with custom shelves

Keeping children's closets organized can be tricky

Step number one is assessing what they already have that may be used and what is not working.

The girls didn't want to loose their hamper on the bottom of the Pepto Bismal shelving bag. But I wasn't sure how else it could be used.

My oldest grandson had confiscated wooden shelves from his brother's closet to stash his stuff but they didn't make good use of the space he had. Basically, nothing fit without bulging into the room.

Every child liked to keep stuff so we had to figure a good way to keep the keepsakes in good shape. I was amazed how easily each youth went through shelves and shelves of old things and pulled out the best ones to keep in one sturdy box per child. Well, one sturdy box plus a large paper envelope for the larger art projects. Okay, one child had another corner on her upper shelf for "things that took a long time to make". Neither she nor I can tell you what they were but I'm sure they must be valuable.

Important tip: additions to the keepsake box should be easy or at least easy enough to keep the items off the floor and dresser top. Otherwise, it will be the same project next summer.

 My youngest grandson's closet was the most confusing. No one could decide whose stuff belonged where. The only instructions I received from "Mom" was, "No toys with the cloths."

 The girls had enough bags to start their own store so a shelf and hook rack did the trick. (There is another large bag full of bags in the unused corner of the closet.)

 Robes seemed like a good item to be kept on the Pepto shelves. They are not used very often and didn't fit anywhere else very easily.

 I noticed that most girls like a shelf to stash their stuff that is high enough to use easily. Otherwise, their dresser becomes the "catch all".

 Teenage boys need lots of shelves too for important things like old magazines and pop bottles. Who knows the purpose behind that common collection but it's easier to make room for them than to get into a power struggle of some kind.

The little boys closet was easier to fix. Take the corner shelves back from their older brother for clothes on shelves rather than stuffed in drawers, move the older boy's hang ups high and the younger boy's low. Wow that was genius don't you think? Toys found a new home outside their closet but we'll see how long that lasts.

Anyway, rooms have been kept much cleaner the past month and I haven't heard of anything missing yet. There is hope.

Headboards and keeping belongings out from under the bed

After making one full size headboard, I realized that I had more 1/4 inch plywood enough to make my grandson a queen size headboard.

I used a similar design as the girls only put three strips down the center without the beveled piece along the top. Otherwise, I notched out the 2 X 4's like before. I used wood putty to fill holes and gaps. It sanded down nicely. You want to be picky about what wood you pick. It can be filled but not straightened very easily. Lowe's and Home Depot can show you how to test for straightness.

It was screwed together the same way with wood screws and Elmer's wood glue. Staining and varnishing was actually easier than painting, varnishing, and glazing.

Now the challenge was to keep belongings from finding a home under the bed. I used 2 X 6's on all three sides. The girls got white guards while my grandson got stained wood to match his headboard. The queen beds were 6 inches high, but the twin and full beds were only 3-4 inches off the floor. All children agreed that 6 inches was ideal so the smaller beds are actually held up higher on the 2 X 6's.

In order to screw the 2 X 6's to the headboard, I had to put a spacer in to fill the gap. I wanted a toe kick space so I set the pieces inside the wheel on the metal frame rather than on the outside where it could stub any bare toes that came too close.

After screwing it all together with 3 inch wood screws, it was very sturdy. It even passed my son-in-law's "jumping on the bed test". The 2 X 6's aren't going anywhere fast. In order to move the bed, they will have to take off the mattress and box springs. From there, the bed can be moved relatively easily.

How to make a headboard

We had one simple twin headboard and turned it into the perfect girl look adding a full size headboard to match.

We used simple 2 X 4's and a table saw to cut 1/4 inch into the wood at about 1 inch wide.

This allowed the 1/4 inch plywood to fit into the 2 X 4's without bumping out

Since I was going to paint the wood, I used ordinary drywall mud to fill in knots and gaps.

Of course it took plenty of sanding before and after applying the filler. I used wood screws from behind to hold it together as well as metal strips where the 2 X 4's came together. We used a short nail in a finish nail gun to add the middle strip of wood and beveled wood. Elmer's wood glue was used in a small amount at all joints..

I added a beveled piece of wood along the top edge for something to decorate and add style to the beds.

This also tied the two sizes together. The original twin head board had a 1/4 inch deep line where the wood came together. Using the table saw, I cut the same design in the new head board.

After priming, painting white, and varnishing, I added color to the beveled pieces of wood. I used 5 acrylic colors from Walmart that matched the quilt.

The last step was glazing. This is my favorite look because it brings out the style and character in the furniture. However, the girls thought that I hadn't done a good job painting and the dark brown was showing through. I guess it's all a mater of taste.

Adjusting finished quilts to fit a smaller bed

   My granddaughters wanted new bedspreads for their Birthday and Christmas gifts this year. Basically, they wanted an overhaul on their room.

 I found a queen size quilt at TJ Max which had the perfect colors, style, and price. However, there was only one and it was a little too big for the full size bed.

We called around the state and finally found another queen size and some pillows and shames. The trick is to carefully unpick the binding from the edge, re-cut the side and then stitch the binding back on. I rounded the corners at the bottom so that they didn't hit the floor.

With the quilting material that I cut off, I added some pieces to the window curtain. Since the quilt was quilted tight, I didn't need to finish the edges. I just cut 1 inch strips and gathered them with my Bernina gathering foot and sewed three rows onto the bottom of the sheers. 

I used another piece of quilt for a valance above the window. In both cases, I used the back of the quilt since it had a smaller design and looked better than the top side.

Repairing splotchy grass

What to do with grass that just won't grow?

Year after year we had grass that just wouldn't grow. We tried sod, grass seed, and sod again. Each year it was patchy, thin, or dead.

So this year we broadened our boarders cutting out large sections of dead grass.

We moved the edging out into the grass. Yard experts taught us to make the edging deep enough to mow over without cutting up the edging. You want the edging about as high as the grass on the grass side and a couple inches lower on the rock or bark side so that you have space for the landscape coverage to sit. We hauled away quite a bit of dirt to make it low enough. However, it really didn't take that long.

We added ground cloth to keep most of the weeds out. Nurseries suggested we keep the section close to the tree uncovered so that nutrients can move down into the soil more easily.

We added bark around the trees in place of decorative rock.

We added more decorative rock in other areas where appropriate.

We didn't adjust the sprinkler heads but kept them as they were. The result were great and we're not worried about getting seed to come up or keeping sod alive. It was so simple I wondered why we didn't think of it before.

Chalk painted furniture

This end table was an old oak piece that had water damage due to fun loving children. I loved the look after sanding edges and glazing.

Here is the original table.

These nestling tables had fingernail polish damage on the top but the legs were in good shape so I tried the two tone look. It's different but not my favorite.

Here is the original

We bought this rocking chair unfinished before our first child was born. As a new couple, we stained and varnished this solid oak rocker. Needless to say it holds many memories as we rocked our five children. However I love the new look with little work compared to the first time.

Here is the old version.

This was one of my favorite changes. This solid oak dresser matches the bedside tables in our master bedroom. We don't need it in our bedroom any more but love it in our guest room. Look for furniture with texture that can be accentuated when it is glazed. I used a rubbed bronze spray paint on all the original handles.

This is the top of the dresser as it was originally. I forget to take pictures until after I had started the project.

Outdoor furniture was one of my favorite changes.

 I took the table apart and used oiled bronze spray paint on the metal

 These are pictures before. As you can see....boring!

Designer closet

This closet went from inefficient and bland to functional and dazzling. Rather than taking up dresser space in the bedroom, all of the cloths are easily stored in one place. The ladder in the center opens easily and is used to reach the upper shelves and rods.

I started with graph paper and measurements including the ceiling height. We talked to the owners about what they wanted to store in the closet and looked at how much room the existing items took.

 We made the closet with three decks of closet rods in place of one. This accommodated the hangup cloths stored in a different bedroom closet due to lack of space.

 We added corner shelves cut from 4 foot x 8 foot shelving material. The amount of cloths stored in the two corners was fantastic.

Again, you can see the three decks of hangup cloths. One on each side of the closet. Out of season or possible give away cloths were stored with easy view but out of the way.

This picture was taken before the changes. There was basically one rod and one shelf all the way around the closet.