Bedside Bookshelf

I love to read and I am thrilled that my kids have inherited my love of books.  We easily have hundreds (if not thousands) of children's books here at our house from my years of teaching and we make frequent trips to the library to get even more.  The problem?  Those library books often get mixed in with our other books and I inevitably end up with fines and misplaced books. 

Then one day, I was browsing on Pinterest (love, love, love that site!) and saw several people using an IKEA spice rack as a bookshelf.  Because the kids do most of their reading at bedtime, a narrow bookshelf that I could mount on the wall right next to their bed would be perfect.  What's even better is that the spice rack was only $3.99!!  I added a little paint and a name plate, and I had an awesome bedside bookshelf for less than $5.  With the money I save on library fines, this project will easily pay for itself in just a few months!  ;)

Isn't this perfect?  Right next to the bed, the books face out, but it's not in the way!

They were really easy to make, here's what I did:

1.  Make a trip to IKEA to get the spice racks.  ( Allow the kids to play in the Smalland children's area while you shop in peace and then grab some yummy swedish meatballs for lunch!)

You could totally just mount them on the wall just like this and they'd be fine, but I wanted to make them a little extra special so the kids would be motivated to always keep their library books on their new shelves.

2.  Assemble your shelves (took only minutes) and spray paint them white (or the color of your choice).

3.  Make the name plates.  To learn how to do great lettering without a fancy machine, check out my post HERE!

I found this pack of wooden slats at the craft store that were the perfect size and really inexpensive ( the pack of 6 was under $2 with a coupon).  I painted the wood pieces white, then added their names. 

4.  I hot-glued their name plates to the front of each shelf.

5.  Finally, just mount the shelves to the wall and add your books!

The kids love them and know that they MUST keep their library books in that shelf only.  With luck, this little project will eliminate any future library fines ( before I single-handedly finance a new wing for our public library! )

Sharing this cool little shelf at:

Skip to my Lou
Sugar Bee Crafts
Moms by Heart
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog 
Reasons to Skip the Housework
Not Just a Housewife 
 Sugar and Dots
Someday Crafts 
Night Owl Crafting 
seven thirty three 
Katie's Nesting Spot 
Tatertots and Jello 
Design Dazzle