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Wednesday, September 13, 2017

DIY Bookcase and Bench



Last summer while my daughter and I awaited the coming of baby boy #2 we got busy with a project for big brother Jeffrey's room. Megan had seen this cute bookcase/bench on Pinterest and used it as her inspiration. It was pretty easy and I'll show you a couple of tricks.

She started with wooden storage cubes that you can find at Home Depot, Lowe's or Walmart. She spray painted them blue to match Jeffrey's room.
It takes 5 sets of cubes - 2 are vertical and one horizontal. In the original photo they are stacked higher but we felt that was too tall. This way Jeffrey can reach everything. The 5 units were screwed together.


Meg found some darling fabric to cover the cushion with.

 She bought a large piece of foam that had to be cut to the right size. How did I do it? With a hand held electric jig saw. The foam was really thick so I had to make one cut, flip it over and cut it again to go all the way through.

 Now, I could have been professional and sewn a cushion cover with piping and a zipper but I was simple too lazy, I mean busy. So I wrapped the foam just like it was a Christmas present! 

I folded under the raw edge and secured it all with glass head pins.

I mitered the corners. 
 I made sure I pulled the fabric nice and tight and stuck the pins deep into the foam.


 I then whip stitched all the seams closed and slid the cushion into place.

Many years ago I cross stitched this ABC chart for my little boy's room but it has been in a closet now for about 20 years. Time to dig it out!


Ta da! It' s a great bookcase, toy shelf and reading nook all in one!

I like to join these parties

2 comments :

  1. oh my gosh, i love this diy! your version with the smaller shelves is even better than the inspiration photo.
    b

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  2. What a great project! I like your daughter's version better, shorter makes more sense for a child's room (plus there's always the safety/toppling issue with tall things). Love your cushion cover too:) Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
    xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home

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