Anyhow, this is what it was supposed to look like:
This is how mine looks:
I used martha stewart wrapping paper on clearance at Michaels to back it. I sprayed spray mount onto the boards they provided and carefully adhered the paper. I was very surprised how well this step went...I was high on my own cleverness & fumes.
Then things went terribly wrong {this never would have happened if I had waited for the guy to get home & he had helped me}...
I carefully lined up the backing to the shelves and nailed it on with perfectly spaced nails. I was nervous that when I turned it over the design would be crooked. I held my breath...I turned it over...the pattern looked great...too bad I nailed the backing on the finished side of the shelves...
Now, in my defense I re-read the directions and they could have been a little clearer about how you were supposed to turn over the unit before attaching the backing. They could have had one whole step showing the shelf turning...they could have, but they didn't. They didn't think about the crazy people so focused on their pattern paper looking good that they wouldn't even see how they were nailing into the finished edge of the shelf. They shouldn't assume people are focused...you know what assuming does...
Anyhow, I painted the rough edge of the unit so it doesn't look too bad until you get close to it. I am hoping that the patterned paper takes the focus away from the obvious mistake.
To further divert attention I put my buttons on the shelves:
What is still sad though, is that this shelf was supposed to hold all the stuff on my work-table but in the end it only had room enough for the buttons. Which means that I still have to find a place for all this stuff:
I'll save that for next weekend...
I'm going to go have a glass of wine now...
12 comments:
From where I'm sitting your shelf looks adorable. =) And all that leftover stash looks like fun. I can only imagine the thrill of going through it all. When you get your next shelf.
If it makes you feel any better, I have a feeling Martha has made a few mistakes in her lifetime too. Just a hunch! {wink}
none the less I love your self-o-button goodness. I have a lot of buttons but your collection sure beats mine!
I think it looks cute too! I just recently found your lovely blog :-)
Holy cow, look at all those buttons! I love it and brilliant idea with the patterned paper!
thanks guys! I do like the way it came out - the fact that its not perfect actually makes it fit right in at our house... Plus, I got a good story to tell on the blog which is the most important thing!
I love your shelf!! I don't think I would have thought about putting the paper on the back. Great jars too!!
Oh what a fab shelf! I love the idea of using paper in the back... and you're not alone in your strugles with those dang things, I have a similar shelf and oh boy - what a bugger to put together!
Wow, what a fabulous collection of buttons, though!
Still VERY cute nonetheless!
Yours shelves came out great! What a resourceful idea for the background of the shelves
What if you glued some ribbon, ric rac or something else to the edge of the shelves so it sort of hides the mistake? You could glue on ribbon and maybe even a button or two here or there. That might be fun! Nevertheless, you did a great job of taking something pretty boring and making it very cute!
Love those jars of buttons! They show up so nicely against the light backing.
If you decide you do want to cover the edges of your bookshelf sometime, you can get iron-on veneer like cabinetmakers use to finish exposed edges. You might even be able to get a formica one to match the paper in the back of the shelves.
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