Happy Monday everyone!! Are you all recovering from your Easter sugar highs? Easter Monday is a holiday here so I have one more day off with the kids before returning to our regular schedules. Oh, how I love little vacations!
I have been continuing on with some work on the reading nook this weekend and will hopefully have things completed by by tomorrow. I was planning on starting this little project almost a year ago now so I will be SO happy to have it checked off my list!
The plan for this weekend was to set up the bookshelves. We have a TON of books at our house and both of the boys have traditional book shelves in each of their rooms. Connor still has a lot of trouble putting them away though and is not able to read the spines of the books yet. So, each night, we tend to get the same book over and over again….
I have seen a number of ways to display books with the front facing shelving {you can see some of my pins here} but figured that the rain gutter bookshelves would be the easiest. I am all about easy these days!
I purchased two 10 foot rain gutters from Home Depot and the nice guy helping me out cut them in half so they would fit in the car. When I got home, we just measured them {ours are 43 inches} and trimmed the ends down with a hacksaw. I filed the ends down a bit but, due to the placement of our shelving, it was not really an issue. If your shelves are going to be exposed, you can buy caps for the ends so you don’t have to worry about little fingers getting cut!
To mount them, we just used the gutter spacers and drilled them into the studs in the wall {one on each end}.
Although the spacers do take up a bit of room, they help to strengthening the shelving a bit and just seem a little more solid than just drilling into the back of the gutters. The books in the corner just perch on top of the spacer and it actually provides a nice height difference.
The bins on the bottom were purchased from Superstore and provides another quick storage option for the books. I am planning on changing out the Book of the Month box with seasonal or theme books each month.
The total cost for the shelves and 3 bins was around $50. Not too bad for a completely new look!
I just have a couple more little projects to go and things will be all ready for the big reveal!
Hope you have a fabulous week!
I linked up with Chic on a Shoestring, Glue Sticks, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Today’s Creative Blog, Skip to My Lou, Under the Table and Dreaming, Ask Anna, Craft-O-Maniac, CRAFT, Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Simply Klassic Home, Tatertots and Jello, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Thirty Handmade Days, The Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Delightful Order, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, The 36th Avenue, Not Just a Housewife, Blue Cricket Design, Lil Luna, Uncommon, Oopsey Daisy, Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Tip Junkie and Coastal Charm.
I linked up with Chic on a Shoestring, Glue Sticks, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Today’s Creative Blog, Skip to My Lou, Under the Table and Dreaming, Ask Anna, Craft-O-Maniac, CRAFT, Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Simply Klassic Home, Tatertots and Jello, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Thirty Handmade Days, The Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Delightful Order, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, The 36th Avenue, Not Just a Housewife, Blue Cricket Design, Lil Luna, Uncommon, Oopsey Daisy, Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Tip Junkie and Coastal Charm.
They look wonderful!! Megan
I have been wanting to do this FOREVER! I love this! And I am with you…I am inspired by different ways to display the gazillion books we have but not sure which one fits us just right. And I have a section of the girl’s room that I want to make a nook too. Love the inspiration friend!
I love this! What a perfect cheap solution! I bet the boys really love it! So fun! I like those bins too- you hit this one outta the park mom! Nice job!
This is such a great idea. I have been wanting to do this forever in my daughter’s room. Thanks for sharing.
This looks great! Awesome job!
Just pinned it, I’m loving the combination of 3 gutter-shelves and the 3 bins, it holds so many books! Which is exactly what we need in our house:)
Jessica
stayathomeista.com
This is such a great idea. Well done!!!
Looks GREAT! I keep meaning to do this and have seen all sorts of “Pinteresting” ideas but the rain gutters has got to be the best/easiest option! Thanks for sharing & inspiring! I’m hopping over from Tip Junkie & am now following GFC & linky – I would love for you to check out The Vintage Milk House – Have a great week! – Kali
They look really nice and I bet Connor is happy to be able to see the fronts of the books.
Wow, Great idea. Would love to do the same in my home. You have a lovely blog. I am visiting you via Tuesday Treasures. I look forward to seeing you at My Dream Canvas.
What a clever idea, and so cute! I would love for you to share this (and any other creations) at my new linky party starting this evening “Pin It and Win It Wednesday” @ http://www.cheapcraftymama.com!
That was ingenius-wow what a creative mind you have that is so cool
It turned out wonderful! I love how clean and finished it looks. No one would ever guess that it is a gutter! I really like your book of the month crate idea… may have to steal that one from you!
Take care,
Trish
I love this idea! I am sending my husband to get some tomorrow to use in my daughter’s room! TOO STINKIN’ CUTE!!! Would love for you to share it at my linky party… http://www.stringtownhome.blogspot.com
-Heather
You are SO organized Jen! I love this project, and love the reading nook idea altogether!! Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!
Thanks so much for hosting!
What a FABULOUS IDEA! I would be thrilled to have you share this at my link party too!
http://www.pincushioncreations.com/2012/04/homemade-by-you-7.html
Love rain gutter shelves and I like the boxes underneath too!
This is such a cool idea and way cheaper than wood too. Very cute! I found you via Delightful Order. 😉 Amee
so clever! I am planning on doing spice rack book rails in my son’s room but I like this idea too, hmmm…
Those look awesome!
I would love if you stopped by my Creative Inspirations party to link up – I would love to have you there!
Stacey of Embracing Change
http://staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com
How crafty. Love it. I would love it if you linked up your tips to my link party.
http://momslifevents.blogspot.com/
Thanks~ Taylor
so creative!! i would LOVE for you to link this post or any other posts you want to my weekend link party http://lovenotesbylauryn.blogspot.com/2012/04/spread-love-link-party-6.html it opens at midnight tonight, hope to see you there!
{love} lauryn @ lovenotesbylauryn.blogspot.com
THis is such a clever idea – wish I had come across it when my girls were little. At 20 and 16 I don’t think they would be so keen…!
These are so cool! Would love to put these in a nice basement nook.
Your space is so inviting and cozy! I want to read a book nowwwwwwww…. haha.
P.S. I love those bins!
This little nook looks so fun and inviting! I have seen rain gutters used for book storage in classrooms but never in a home. The bins are awesome, too! Did you get them at the Superstore recently because I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.
Love that you have so much Canadian content on your shelves 🙂 Go Robert Munsch!
Claire @ alittlesomethinginthemeantime.blogspot.com
So cool Jenn! I want to run and buy some of these right now!!
Thanks for sharing at Simply Klassic!
Liking the reading nook idea! The rain gutters look very nice — reinforcement was smart. I would love it if you would consider linking to Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy, a Sunday through Thursday link party for ideas that make life easier, better and more fun!
I love these!!
How clever….Pinned it to my honey-do board:)
This is SO awesome! I pinned it and FBed it. Thank you for sharing!!!
Anna
http://www.askannamoseley.com
i love this! we have TONS of books but like you, the kids can’t read the spines on the bookshelves. this is such a great idea. we’d love to have you link this up to our Sunday Best party going on now. http://griffithsrated.blogspot.com/2012/04/sunday-best-link-party.html
-marie
This is fabulous, I just love it. great.. GREAT idea. winks, jen
Oh….I love when books are displayed such as this one on the wall! What a unique way of using the gutter as a shelf:)
I love your idea for changing the bins out with seasonal themes. I just recently started rotating out my kids books (since they have so many!) and I find that they are enjoying them so much more now.
So smart! I love finding bloggers that come up with inspiring organizing ideas. I’d love it if you’d share this at my weekly link party tonight at wwww.thenymelrosefamily.blogspot.com/2012/04/whimsy-wednesdays-7.html.
you know we love this! Featured it tonight! Stop by and grab a button!! 😉
I love love love clever ideas and solutions– this is a great idea and I’ve never seen that done before. Very creative!
http://gosimplysavvy.com/blog
Love this idea!!! Much easier for the kids to see the books and looks great too!!!
Great book shelves 🙂
Visiting from Flaunt it Friday
Greetings from Australia♥
~Pernilla
This is brilliant! Great idea. I’m pinning this and giving you full credit.
I have two rain gutters sitting in the garage for this exact….project! Love how yours turned out…and those bins are to die for! Found you over at Fingerprints on the Fridge! I’d love for you to come link this up at my Tuesday Time Out Party – open all week!
http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/2012/04/tuesday-time-out-april-24th.html
Smiles,
Melanie
Reasons To Skip The Housework {The Blog}
Tinker B Boutique {The Shop}
Love your reading nook! I just started following your blog, I love finding new Canadian bloggers and I can’t wait to follow along on your blog 🙂 Feel free to stop by mine sometime as well!
http://becomingmartha.blogspot.com
Your rain gutter bookshelf looks perfect! Did you put a protector on the cut edge of the gutter? That would be the best thing to do keep your kids from getting hurt from the sharp metal edge of the rain gutter.
Love this idea…perfect solution to my littlest boy’s room. I purchased the gutters at Home Depot today; I didn’t see metal ones, so I got the plastic ones. I am not sure this is what you did…did you do metal or plastic? Do you see a problem with using the plastic kind? Also, what is “Superstore” for those bins? Thanks.
I’ll be featuring your project tomorrow during the link party. Thank you so much for linking up!
georgethaxton@gmail.com
You are just plain smart.
I love this idea! Can you tell me how far they stick out from the wall?
I love this idea! Can you tell me how far they stick out from the wall?