DIYing = Self-Care...for me anyway!

Making time to be creative and truly express myself through DIY projects is always a part of my self-care routine.

I know this may sound a little crazy but it’s so true! Self-care for me is a weekend in the wood shop with power tools and tape measures. I think smell of plywood and 2 x 4 on Saturday morning is the beginning of a relaxing, well thought out much needed self-care weekend.

For this particular project I measured out an empty space in my formal dining room converted to additional living room, that needed filled with a bookshelf. I absolutely love the mid century modern style and knew that I wanted something like that to sit in the empty space.

With my list of measurements and stain samples in tow I headed to the lumber store.

Lumber store list:

• (1) sheet of 4x8 sanded birch plywood

• Small box of 1.5 inch wood screws

• (2) 1.5 inch dowel rods

• Small can of wood stain Note: I actually decided to use a can of stain I had purchased previously

1. Choosing the best lumber for your project is important. Each piece of of wood holds its own individual characteristics so I like to make sure that the pieces flow together. For this piece, I went to the hardware store grabbed a cart found the plywood isle where I proceeded to pull each piece off of the massive shelf one by one until I found the grain pattern I was looking for. Once the perfect piece was on my cart I headed back to the cutting station with my well thought out list of measurements. (You MUST bring a list or you could be left wondering aimlessly....).

2. With my perfectly cut boards, dowel rods and sandpaper I headed home. I measured each cut then remeasured to make sure they were correct. I cut and sanded each piece. I cut the dowel rods and drilled the screw holes for a perfect fit. (Once all of my pieces are cut and sanded I like to lay them out and make sure everything looks correct)

3. Next, I pre-drilled all the square holes and assemble the top and bottom piece separately. Once each piece has been assembled I’ve attached them together. I always re-measure and level at this point to make sure everything is correct.

4. Lastly, I stain the piece and let it dry. This usually takes 24 hours. I had pre-measured the space in my house where I wanted to piece of it so when I brought it in it sat perfectly.

This particular book shop took me about five hours to build, starting on Saturday morning, drying time overnight, I was able to put the shelf in my home Sunday evening. this piece is very simple and very easy to build. Having the larger cuts done for me at the lumber store makes it’s so much easier and less stressful. I own a table saw and could do this on my own but working with a full sheet of plywood can sometimes be difficult.

I love this project so much that I re-created it with a smaller pattern for my coffee bar.

Using power tools to be very liberating and actually very relaxing. Definitely make sure you have the proper safety equipment before you start you DIY project and you are trained and comfortable with each power tool you’re using.