Shelf reveal

I was wanting to beef up the decor above our tv. Because let's be honest, we spend a whole lot of time looking at that wall;). I wanted to be able to actually put substantial pieces on the shelf so I knew I needed to build my own because any store bought shelf was not deep enough. And while I was at it, I went ahead and painted room a much lighter color. It's called Barely Jade.  I used Behr paint and primer in one in flat. It is amazing how bright the room became! It is a neutral with a slight hint of green. It needed to coordinate with the white with a hint of green that I painted our bookshelves and half wall in that room. 

To get rid of all the green that was in room, I had to paint the backs of the bookshelves too.  Winter Glaze by Behr in eggshell finish.  One project leads to another which leads to another....

 These were the shelves right after they were built.

Here they were a few months ago.

 

And here they are now...

Sorry the lighting is terrible but you get the gist.

I left my chalkboard wall above the half wall because I am still having fun with that. 

I don't have a fireplace in the living room so I wanted this shelf to serve as a "mantle" of sorts. And I am pretty happy about how it turned out. 

Here it is...

Darn near impossible to get a decent pic with a giant tv. Gotta be careful what it is reflecting:)

There is one item I most certainly did not place here. The hubs likes his high school clays project prominently displayed:)

But how did I make the shelf and get it to stay up there, you ask?

First, I made a brace. I bought a 2x4 from Home Depot and had them cut it to 5'. They cut wood for free for you as long as you tell them the measurements you want. It's awesome!

Then I had a second 2x4 cut into 4 4" pieces. I attached these to the 5' 2x4 with screws like so...

Next step was to attach this brace to the wall. I found the studs and then used the level to make sure it was straight. Then I drilled holes through my brace, wall and into the stud. Then I screwed the brace to the wall. Ta da!

Meanwhile, I made my shelf with 2 1x8 boards and a 1x6 board.  I used my nail gun to nail them together. The only cut I had to make was for the little caps on the ends. The hubs used a jigsaw for this part after I measured it out and marked it. I apologize for the lack of pics on this part. If you need some visualization of this and some actual plans to follow that follow similar steps, check out this post by Shanty-2-chic here. 

Once my brace was up and my shelf made, it was time to hang the shelf. I had the hubs help me ease the shelf over the brace and the pre-drilled my holes for 2 screws into the brace. Then I sunk in the screws. 

Then I immediately got to accessorizing!

*prior to assembling the shelf, I stained it with a stain mix of 1 part classic grey and 3 parts dark walnut. If you make this mix, don't forget to really mix the grey. I didn't do a great job at this and much of the grey was still in sludge form at the bottom of the can:(. I didn't realize it until after the shelf was up and decorated. But I like the color it is so I am not going to go back and re-stain it. 

Bunting banner was made from my all time favorite remnant fabric ever!  If you are observant, you will bee seeing it soon in another area of the house. 

 The boy. Up to no good, I am sure. 

And now I have a great big new shelf to decorate and change out decor for the seasons!

Here is the only before pic of that area I could find.

And now.

 This project may have prompted rumblings of a new project involving DIY chalk paint to the cabinet below the tv. Nothing has happened just yet, but I have plans...

Also, if this post doesn't make sense in some areas, I blame it on my jabberjaws 4 year old whom literally needs to be touching me and talking to me every second today.  Not exaggerating AT ALL!