Project #6: Closet Shelving

This was the project I mentioned starting late on Sunday evening...and after a series of mishaps, it is just getting completed now.

So...my 16.5 x 44" closet shelves are made out of particle board purchased at Home Depot. (Thank you Mom and Dad K! Thank you nice men at Home Depot who put up with our back and forth on what to buy and how to have it cut...and then cut it for us!)

Anyhow...the shelves work out great! One downside-sweaters stick to it and get pulled when you move them. Never fear...we have a solution for that! It's called...FABRIC! Sunday night I went off in search of Jo Ann. Like Michael's and AC Moore, I believe Jo Ann soon top my list of most favorite places! Below is the lovely fabric I selected for my shelves. Love the pattern! Love the pop of green! My closet is going to be so chic!

I bought enough fabric to cover my shelves, a shiny new staple gun, and some fabric scissors. As soon as I got home I laid out my fabric, brought down my shelves and laid everything out. After some discussions with the hubby-I realized I'd planned this all wrong! Yup-mishap #1. He said I should cover all sides of the shelves, both top and bottom so they look nice underneath, and sweaters don't get damaged when they stack touches the top of the next shelf. See he knows I'll add to my stacks until they are stuffed! :P

Sadly at this point it was too late to go back to the store so I put off the project for a bit and of course moped about it all night. Monday night after work...after meeting the plaster guy at the condo...after returning the old modem to Comcast...I finally headed home at 8:30pm. I figured...stop by Jo Ann and pick up more fabric. So...I stopped, picked up the fabric and headed to the cutting counter only to realize it was a different color. Nope...not a different dye lot...actually a different color. So similar, but not quite the same. Bummer. Of course, they didn't have more of one fabric I wanted, so I decided to go with the new fabric. After laying it out, we realized there wasn't enough of that one either! So...they called around for me, found another store that had my original fabric, waited on hold for HOURS only to find out that the people at the other store couldn't find the fabric. So...no fabric at all!

I left the store with all I'd come with...and the same inability to complete my project. Sad.

SO...yesterday I decided to go home by way of the other fabric store. After a long wait I finally got my fabric cut to side. While I was waiting I had an epiphany or maybe it was two!! How would my fabric stick to the board and not droop without using some...wait for it...spray adhesive! AND...what's with the mini-staple gun I'd already purchases? Too girly I decided (or perhaps someone else suggested my purchase was too wimpy-just saying), so...I exchanged it for a larger more powerful, black, shiny staple gun!

So...after extra measuring, a little trial and error, my first experience using a staple gun...my shelves are complete!

Here is the before and after photos. Enjoy!