Fantle upgrade

If you follow me on facebook (if you don't why the H not? Whoops, sorry to yell. *Wink*) You may or may not have read my "Mantle, Mantel.." issue. Well, then my dear friend Patti said-- and I quote

"It's a shelf" 

*ahem*

Let's just say I don't just want a shelf on the wall, I want a freakin' monster. Something that you look at and say "Wow, where's the fireplace? Because you have a seriously large, too big to be called a shelf masterpiece going on up there"

Fantle was born.

I've also decided that my future book *double wink* will be named,

"Because Patti called it a shelf, and other decorating dilemmas." 

See you there.

So I sat there at 10:00 at night-- my witching hour, and grabbed the tape measure. The candle holders are about 5ish feet apart and it would be splendid if they could be on either side of gigantic shelf fantle, but if they were any further then the door would hit it, because well we have no foyer just a front door that opens to the living room. Oh well. So 5 feet it is, how about depth? Yes--- how about that depth? If we're going to go all out it might as well be thick enough to hold as much crap I mean.. gorgeous accessories as it can. 7 1/4 inches it is.

Dear Five foot long and 7 1/4 inch think fantle.. I'm in love with you.

It was super easy to make, let me show you the ways!

1.) Ask builder Dad to go with you to Home Depot to wrangle the littles, because well just as HD is my playground, they seem to think it's their own personal playground too. Help is needed, even if it is from a Grandpa who isn't any help at punishing them.

2.) Get a piece of wood that's 6 feet long and 7 1/4 wide. Frown, then have a light bulb go off and remember that they can do free (at my store, probably at yours too) cuts for you!

3.) Bat your eyes at the HD employee and show a sparkly smile. Give the stink eye to your builder Dad when he shakes his head at you. You think everyone gets free cuts? Oh yeah..they do.. Shoot.


4.) Pick up some super thick and lovely trim to well..trim around your shelf so there's a cute little lip that hides all the glue you're going to use to put this beast together.

5.) Get home and use every muscle in your arm to cut the trim with your box cutter. Awesome.

6.) Here's the tricky part. I had to wait a whole week for Mr. Fingerprints to come home to help me hold this together long enough to screw one side. It kept slipping when I'd screw it and it was off.. way off. Glue, then screw it in to hold it long enough for the glue to dry. Did you get all that nonsense?

7.) Fill in the major ugly gaps from the corners not being perfect. Not that you didn't do it perfect. Mr. Fingerprints must have messed with it when he got home. You only do things 100% perfect.

All. The.Time.

8.) Sand, prime, paint.
9.) Hang the monster.
10.) Love the monster.
11.) Stare at the monster.
12.)Decorate the monster.
13.) Take pictures of it.. Cuss at the weather for being so gloomy and making the pictures sub-par.
14.) Love it more.

I dare you to call it a shelf.

Linking up to

Best diy projects of September