We have a small WC on the hall level and as I’ve said before I’m not doing anything dramatic to it just yet but we do need a little bit of storage in there. I found this wooden plank in the basement and it had somewhat the correct dimensions.
So I cut it down to the right size with the intention to add brackets I had bought but as I was tapping the shelf into place it got stuck between the walls and I realized no brackets were necessary!
It’s one ugly shelf though, scribbles underneath and all, free floating or not, so something needed to be done about it. I considered paint but I wanted a quick, fairly no mess, fix.
Enter a scrap bit of wallpaper from the old house and some wallpaper paste. It’s not the correct type of paste for that type of wallpaper but in that instance I couldn’t care less. I just slapped it on, let it soak for a little while and then…
… after a bit of drying time, Hey Presto, a Wild Flower green shelf.
Oh, and I went to Ikea on Sunday (don’t go to Ikea on a rainy Sunday) and among way too much other stuff got the towel hooks and matching TP holder and T-brush. Cheap and simple.
Brilliant! It is wonderful to have a classic Benita post- making something practical, beautiful, and ingenious. Love it!
Posted by: Lisa Johnson | May 18, 2011 at 02:05 AM
Sweet!
Posted by: AnneinPortland | May 18, 2011 at 02:06 AM
Very quick, nice and practical :-)
I am curiouse. What do you store in the birdshouse? I do not expect it to be empty.
Posted by: Lena | May 18, 2011 at 02:32 AM
Nice!
IKEA open on a Sunday? Were did you get the white baskets?
PS Happy birthday ChezLarsson!!! Sunday was it?
Posted by: Siri | May 18, 2011 at 02:45 AM
The Benita magic is starting to spread through the new place! We've missed 'you'!!
Posted by: Hxx | May 18, 2011 at 02:54 AM
I was missing this type of posts :-) Thank you!
Posted by: May-amycapdet | May 18, 2011 at 03:19 AM
How sweet, looks great!
Posted by: Leena | May 18, 2011 at 03:21 AM
i've never used wallpaper, i love this idea, so simple. scanning the house for possibilities. x
Posted by: elisa | May 18, 2011 at 03:34 AM
genius! Nice to have a little sprig of color in there!
Posted by: Juliette R. | May 18, 2011 at 03:35 AM
Benita doing her magic... :)
Posted by: Central-Portugal | May 18, 2011 at 04:08 AM
Voila, instant colour! Nice to see some of your golden oldies (both wallpaper AND tricks like this) back in the new place.
Posted by: Petra from NL | May 18, 2011 at 04:35 AM
Great shelf AND you lived through Ikea on a Sunday?! You really are a Miracle Girl!!
Posted by: Sara | May 18, 2011 at 05:45 AM
Small changes can make such a difference!
It's looks great!
Posted by: Peta | May 18, 2011 at 05:48 AM
I love your simple yet stylish solutions! One of the many reasons I am a regular follower of your Blog :-)
Posted by: Julia | May 18, 2011 at 06:08 AM
Wow, looks fresh and lovely. What a nice green.
Couldn't agree more on IKEA on a rainy weekend, it's nuts and my husband refuses to go. The weekend before university starts is probably the worst though ;)
Posted by: Giulia | May 18, 2011 at 07:20 AM
Benita stikes again- white, green, d.i.y. and amazing!
Posted by: nicolezh | May 18, 2011 at 07:26 AM
Hi,
How everthing looks so neat by you :-)
Very nice and pleasant
Posted by: kmorakefet | May 18, 2011 at 08:41 AM
Benita, great as usual. You are the best at thinking outside the box and using what you have. :)
Posted by: Nichole@40daysof | May 18, 2011 at 08:44 AM
I also love posts like this with quick easy ideas! So nice to see how quickly you're making the new place look like home.
Posted by: celia | May 18, 2011 at 09:23 AM
It IS empty :)
Posted by: Carlos | May 18, 2011 at 09:44 AM
I got them a few years ago at a local dept store "Åhléns".
Posted by: Carlos | May 18, 2011 at 09:45 AM
In this instance I really deserve that title. After the first floor I was exhausted and by then I had only picked out a third of what I neeeded...
Posted by: Carlos | May 18, 2011 at 09:46 AM
I went to Ikea on a Sunday....once.
Posted by: julia | May 18, 2011 at 09:47 AM
Very cute. Nicely done!
Posted by: Kari | May 18, 2011 at 10:07 AM
Dear Benita, I'm writing on behalf of that adorable birdhouse. Please put up a pair of white brackets to support. The shelf when the air becomes cool, which could allow the wood to shrink, which could allow the shelf to slip, which could dump that adorable birdhouse to the floor. Better safe than sorry. &; )
Posted by: Kat | May 18, 2011 at 10:09 AM
I feel a little silly writing this, given that it is a bathroom, but these pics make me feel at peace just looking at them! I'm amazed that you can achieve this kind of simple calm in the middle of moving chaos. Fantastiskt.
Posted by: Anna | May 18, 2011 at 10:21 AM
Ja,ja! Ikea or any place like that is not a good option on a Saturday or Sunday, specially if it is raining!
Love your self and towel hooks!
Posted by: Alicia | May 18, 2011 at 10:39 AM
A Benita look and make-over for sure!!! Love it~
Posted by: Norma | May 18, 2011 at 11:06 AM
I spent a month in Ikea one Saturday... That shelf looks so fresh and pretty - I love that you took the time to wallpaper it and make a bright happy spot amongst all your unpacking and settling in.
Posted by: Vicki K | May 18, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Just discovered your site. Nice projects.
Posted by: gabricci | May 18, 2011 at 12:05 PM
This is super adorable. Just have to say that I admire your scrappy spirit: you want a quick fix, so you go for it, despite "wrong" wallpaper paste (or whatever). Too often at our house, we get bogged down in the 100% "right" way to do stuff... which just keeps the to-do list long.
Posted by: blake | May 18, 2011 at 01:30 PM
Genius. And I second whoever said above these posts are the best. :-)
I would have been happy with the 'before' version, by the way! I thought it looked nice. ;-) But the green is perfect.
Posted by: Messy | May 18, 2011 at 01:46 PM
You manage to make toilet paper look nice. Seriously Benita, you're my hero.
Posted by: Lindsay | May 18, 2011 at 01:49 PM
Love it! A simple idea with your magic touch.
Posted by: Helena | May 18, 2011 at 03:54 PM
F-a-b-u-l-o-u-s, Benita! I'm so excited that you're sharing this new phase of your life with us. You're a DIY genious, you know that, right? When is your book coming out? ;)
Posted by: Concha | May 18, 2011 at 04:27 PM
Love it when things come together like this! It looks great - you should be very proud of yourself! Just make sure you don't put anything heavy on it!!
Posted by: Rebecca @ beautiful square feet | May 18, 2011 at 05:08 PM
Love it! Have you gotten any birds in the house yet? :)
Posted by: AmyeToTheRescue! | May 18, 2011 at 10:41 PM
Benita, your creativity never ceases to amaze me...
Posted by: r8chel | May 19, 2011 at 12:37 PM
I second that. I know you've made sure it's really snug, and you're a very handy lady. But worrywart me thinks when you repetedly pick things off the shelf, it could shift a little forward or something, and the next time you're on the loo- BOOM, birdhouse in the head.
It looks to good to be risked...
Posted by: Lisa | May 19, 2011 at 06:47 PM
love the splash of color!! cheery! simple! & clutter-free! can't wait for more posts.
Posted by: christine e-e | May 20, 2011 at 12:49 AM
thirded.
Posted by: D | May 25, 2011 at 01:31 PM