DIY shelf above the stove = extra storage in a small kitchen

When you have a small kitchen like I do, you need to use every inch of space that you have. I maximized the use of the space above my stove by adding a simple DIY shelf. It’s the perfect spot for extra large spice containers and cooking utensils: everything is within easy reach when cooking, it frees up precious cabinet space for other things and it turned out to be the perfect addition to my DIY magnetic spice rack and my reconfigured stove top (I took out 2 of the electrical heating elements and used glass cutting boards to cover up the holes to give me more counter space)

Here’s what you’ll need to build this simple shelf: 4″ x 1″ pine board (6 ft – less than $1 per ft), wood glue, wood filler, wood screws, corner clamps, drill and a countersink drill bit, and stain or paint

Step 1: Cut pine board and apply glue

Cut 2 pieces of the pine board the width of your stove and 2 pieces 5 inches high for the sides (you can do the cutting at the hardware store or use a miter box and saw) – apply glue to the ends.

Step 2: Clamp pieces together

Using 3″ corner clamps, join a long and short piece.

Step 3: Drill pilot holes

Drill 2 pilot holes through the top and side piece using a countersink drill bit – this will allow the head of the screws to sink below the surface.

Step 4: Join pieces together with screws

Screw the pieces together, using thin wood screws (this will help avoid the wood splitting).

Step 5: Install remaining pieces

Repeat step 1 to 4 for the other side, and then screw in place the remaining long piece.

Step 6: Prepare the shelf for staining or painting

Add wood filler to cover up the screw heads and sand everything.

Step 7: Make it pretty

Stain or paint – I used Minwax classic gray wood stain. 

Step 8: Add the shelf above the stove

I simply rested my shelf on the top of the stove but adding a bracket to attach it to the wall will make it more stable. This extra shelf space has made me like my kitchen so much more - sometimes it doesn't take much to make a huge difference! 

Recycle lamp-shade

Step 1: Lamp-shade

Find big book and cut.

Step 2: Bulb holder

Make bulb holder

Step 3: Mount

mount bulb holder

Step 4: Holes

make two holes

Step 5: Strings

mount strings

Step 6: Bulb

Mount bulb, max 10-15W (temperature) !!!

Step 7: Hang

fix lamp

Step 8: Finish

Well done. :) good luck

MAKE YOUR OWN BUFFALO PLAID STAMP SET

 I love the simple and graphic style of buffalo plaid, and judging from its popularity, odds are you love it too! Wouldn't you love to be able to add the simple plaid pattern to any of your crafts? Gift bags? Scrapbook paper? Cards? Even textiles? 

Are you nodding your head yes? Well then you'll love this simple technique to make your own buffalo plaid stamp set. Now that my little infomercial is complete, check out how simple these stamps are to make.

Supplies:-wooden block (in size of your choice) or acrylic stamp block (if using this stamp mounting foam)
-stamp carving kit-static cling mounting foam (for acrylic stamp blocks only) or foam tape (if using wooden blocks)
-craft blade
-cutting mat
-steel ruler (optional)

Step One: Use the diagonal lines on your cutting mat as a guide to cut diagonal grooves in the rubber from your stamp making kit. The kit comes with two tips for the cutting tool— it's up to your preference to find which one you like best.

To keep the width of the groove even, keep the pressure uniform across the length of your cut. Try to keep the grooves the same width as the space between them.

Step Two: Cut out your rubber design to be a bit larger than the wooden block. Cut out a piece of mounting foam the same size, peel back the adhesive side, and press the rubber onto the adhesive. If you aren't using the static cling mounting foam made to work with acrylic blocks for easy storage, then you can use foam mounting tape instead.

Step Three: Use a craft blade to cut grooves into the rubber, tracing the outline of your wooden block. It'll be tricky to cut all the way through while the block rests on top of the rubber, so remove the block and finish cutting out the rubber using a steel ruler as your guide.

Step Four: Peel off the back of the static cling mounting foam, and your stamp is ready to mount onto an acrylic block. If you aren't using the static cling mounting foam, peel off the back of your foam mounting tape and stick the rubber onto one side of a wooden block.

Repeat this process with an uncarved piece of rubber for your solid square stamp.

For a true buffalo plaid design, follow the above pattern with your stamping. When beginning your first row, you might find it helpful to cut out a square piece of paper (the same size as your rubber square) to use as a spacer. Make sure you keep all of the diagonal squares going the same direction. You can see I messed up on one square in the image above.

You can also leave out the solid square stamp to make a simpler plaid design as can be seen in the pink gift bag below.

ELSIE'S WEEK IN THE LIFE ALBUM

Like most people, I don't feel like my everyday life is all that interesting. For the most part my weekdays and weekends are pretty routine. I go to work at 8am. I sometimes take either a coffee or lunch break with Jeremy. I work till five-ish. We eat out a lot. And some nights we cook easy meals at home. We watch The Mindy Project and Scandal and The Biggest Loser. And on the weekends we do brunch and usually work a few hours in the afternoons (Jeremy loves working to break up a day, and I am always behind on my to-do list), and then go to a Mixtapes show or hang out with another couple. And to me, that pretty much sums it up! We have a happy life, but I didn't feel like I would have a lot of different things to take photos of. I was worried my album would be boring. 

Well, I was right, and I was wrong. 

My week wasn't perfect, and it wasn't always photogenic. It was boring at times. It was a stressful week at work, not one of my best. I didn't get tons of awesome photos every single day. But what I did get, I LOVE. Taking the photos and making the album made me realize how many special in between moments each week is filled with. 

Looking back through it now, I am so glad I took the challenge. I am so glad I didn't quit on Tuesday. I feel like the album accurately portrays the ups and downs that my real life is made of. The week happened to fall on Halloween (yay!), and there are some super special fun photos in there of our funny costumes and my niece's Disney princess moment. But there are also photos of the little things, like a cleaning day I had and some outtakes from a work shoot that I wouldn't have normally printed. 

All in all, I'm so happy I took this challenge. It inspires me to do more. Next up, December Daily! (Last year was my first year and it was totally worth the time invested.) 

Alright—enough talking. Here's a bunch of photos of my completed album—

(I used our Emoji Stamp Set and Jet ink to stamp the entire inside cover of my book. I love the pattern it adds as well as the sentiment of a very emotional week!)

(Had to include a closeup of Penny's epic solo sword fight.)

What do you think? Do you feel like everyday life is awkward or special to photograph? I think it's definitely both.