I have a bookcase that I’ve been wanting to put some sort of basket in. I started sewing a fabric one, but wasn’t happy with the results. So I got the idea to do wood crates, but I wanted them to fit perfectly in the shelf space. This meant I would have to make my own. Woodworking always intimidates me because I don’t have any of the big tools most folks use. I’m excited that I was able to make these with only simple tools!
Step 1: Determine sizes
I measured the bookcase and determined that it needed to be 19″ long, 11″ deep, and 9″ high.
From that I needed to determine the sizes of wood to buy. I went to Home Depot with a plan, and learned that the dimension listed on the wood for sale is not actually the size. For example, a 2×4 is actually 1.5″ x 3.5″. This caused me to sit down on the floor in the wood department and rework all my wood sizes. Hopefully this will save you some on-the-fly measurement calculations yourself!
The sides and bottom were only 1/2″ in depth. The slats were 3/4″ in depth. The 1/2″ depth was very difficult to get a nail in without splitting, so keep that in mind, and maybe go up to 3/4″ depth for all wood. I was worried it would be too bulky, but in hindsight it would have been easier and not bulky.
Step 2: Get supplies
You’ll need the following supplies from a hardware store:
- Wood per the sizes and amounts above. You can ask them to cut it to size for you! The exact kind of wood doesn’t matter, so we went with a cheaper wood, the benefit is that it’s lighter weight too then. Just make sure it’s not rough on either side or you’ll have a lot more sanding to do.
- Wood glue
- Finishing nails (the skinniest possible, but long enough to go through both pieces of wood)
- Sand paper (around 100 grit)
- Hammer
- Primer
- Paint
Step 3: Sand, prime, paint
The first thing I did was sand down the rough edges from the cuts. Then prime and paint all the pieces. These Painters Pyramids were a huge help at getting all the sides painted faster.
Step 4: Nail together
See the picture to the left for how you will assemble and nail the pieces together. The sides and slats will all be flush with the ground. Be careful when nailing that you don’t go too far to the edge and split your wood.
Nail the left and right sides to the bottom first. Then the slats. I did the top slats to make sure they were lined up with the top edge. Then the bottom slats to line up along the bottom edge. Then just measure and evenly space the middle slats.
Step 5: Finishing touches
Finally you’ll likely need to do a little touch up paint from the nails. Then add any final touches such as handles as you wish. I did also add some felt pads to the bottom since it was going into a wood bookcase.
Share pictures of your creations!
It’s easy to make doll bracelets and necklaces with a few simple supplies!
Tie a knot at one end of the bead cord just to keep your beads from falling off as you string them. Then start adding beads and charms! For an 18″ doll bracelet it took 39 beads and 1 charm. Once you have it the length you want, then tie a simple knot with the 2 ends, cut the extra, and enjoy!
Our favorite hairstyle for Valentine’s Day is a heart shape! Here are instructions so you can do it too. It’s easy!
First, section off some hair and secure with a rubber band. I personally love using an inexpensive plastic rat tail comb like 
Slide the rubber band down a little and split the hair above the rubber band in half.
Now you want to pull the ponytail through the hole you just made. Do this by rotating the rubber band down towards the head, then up through the hole.
Pull the ponytail all the way through.
It should now look like this.
Pull the rubber band tight.
Use water or hair gel to get the ponytail smooth. Then divide into 2 equal sections.
Individually twist each section in the direction of the other one. This means the left section will twist over to the right, and the right section will twist over to the left. Keep twisting until you have the size heart you like. Secure the 2 ends together in a rubber band.
You can also decorate with ribbons…
Or our personal favorite is to sprinkle with glitter!
When my daughter was really little I let her color her own valentine’s day cards. Using card stock, I cut a big heart in one color (I used a variety of valentine’s day colors like red, purple, and pink). Then I cut a smaller heart in white card stock. I used the Cricut machine to cut the “Love” word cutout from the white paper. You could also look for paper punches, or even stickers. I gave my daughter some crayons in valentine’s day colors and let her decorate the white paper. Then I used a glue stick to glue the white heart on the colored heart. Don’t forget to sign her name somewhere! We did it on the back, but you could also put it on the front.
Similar to the heart above, I cut out 2 butterfly shapes in different sizes and colors. I used the template from here 
Then I used that larger size as a template to cut out from glitter card stock in bright valentine’s day colors. Glue them together with a glue stick. I used a hole punch on the pre-marked holes. Then add googly eye stickers to tootsie pops and poke them through!
This valentine looks like those conversation heart candies, but it’s a pocket with candy inside! I cut out 2 hearts of the same size in valentine’s day colored card stock. Then added stickers for the words (you can tell I used different font and size stickers here because finding a ton of the same was difficult). I punched holes along the edge used a simple hole punch. Then I laced white yarn on a plastic needle and had my daughter lace around the cards. Before it was fully closed we put a piece of candy inside! Then I tied at bow on the back so they can easily open and get their candy back out.
This is the easiest valentine! We did these when my daughter was in her slime phase. I bought Valentine’s Day slime from Oriental Trading company. It even has little heart glitter shapes inside. Warning: when you buy bulk slime it does tend to be more watery. My daughter likes it, but it is more messy. You can also make your own, but then you have to buy containers anyway. I liked that this was pretty much done for me! 
Then I got on my computer and made a simple red circle to the right size with the words “Happy Valen-Slime Day! From Ella”. I printed out a bunch and cut them buy hand. Then glue them to the top of the container. I used Modge Podge, but have found it’s starting to peel up, so I’d recommend a glue stick instead.
These valentine love bugs took a little more work, but were definitely the cutest! I bought a bunch of multi-colored pom poms at the craft store. I cut some pipe cleaners short, folded them in half, and glued the middle folded part to the top of a pom pom. On the ends of the pipe cleaners I wrapped them around some little open heart glitter that I found. If you don’t add the heart glitter to the ends, it’s still important that you fold the pipe cleaners down to avoid sharp pointy ends! I glued googly eyes to the face. Then I glued heart stickers on the bottom for feet. For glue, any craft glue should work, but I used 
I tried a chiropractor who did an XRay and found arthritis, and my soft tissue and muscles are a mess. He admitted that chiropractic care isn’t generally a valid solution for migraines, but they also offer massages that have helped me deal quite a bit.
. I got the outdoor lenses that are polarized, and 100% UVA/UVB blocking. The main point of these glasses is that they block 80% of the blue-green wavelengths, called FL-41 lens technology that theoretically can trigger migraines. Honestly, I don’t usually buy into marketing like this, but I got desperate and figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. Immediately upon wearing them I saw a difference! They also offer them custom made with your prescription, and I now regret not doing that! They have a few different styles and sizes, so check out their collection here: 
and have had great success!
When I saw the chiropractor he recommended massage therapy. They offer medical massage at their office. It gets billed under the physical therapy code, and luckily my insurance covers it! However, these aren’t like a relaxation massage at a spa. It’s deep tissue, so it gets pretty intense. They also do Gua Sha, which involves scraping the skin with a special tool to increase circulation. It usually leaves really nasty looking bruises down my whole neck and back, although it doesn’t hurt. I go twice a month, and while it doesn’t prevent my migraines, it does seem to shorten the length. It also reduces the severity of my daily baseline headache by relaxing the muscles.
is a sports cream that works the best, in my opinion. Another treatment that can provide temporary relief of your pain symptoms, especially if they are accompanied by sore muscles.
looks a bit intimidating, but if you have migraines it also looks tempting. Especially if you get relief from physical therapy or massages. I tried this out and found it basically stretches your neck. Even when I’m not in a full migraine, it feels really good and does provide relief and comfort.