Monday, June 11, 2012

MY UP-CYCLED LADDER SHELF

Thought you might like to see how my Up-cycled Ladder Shelf looks now.  I try to change it for the seasons.






I'm so excited.  I just finished hanging my new sign I got Friday in Jamesport -- WE ARE SO BLESSED.  

I saw this idea on Pinterest of taking an old ladder and hanging it horizontally on the wall and using the sides as shelves.  It took me a couple of months but I found the ladder at an antique show in Weston.  It was the perfect length for my wall that really needed something to show it off.  I filled it with pictures of my grandchildren (of course), a peach scented candle (my husband was called "Peach" in college by his frat brothers because he was from GA), a beautiful paperweight I received as a present from a student one year at Christmas, and a little vase that belonged to my mother that I put a little silk flower in.  The hanging heart was given to me to decorate a lamp at Christmas by a friend.

The ladder hung on the wall with just that for at least a month, before I found the wooden blocks that spelled SMILE and the wooden sign that has Life Is Good painted on it recently when I went to a vintage shop with my friend Janice.  I have a cap and a t-shirt that says Life is Good on it so I knew as soon as I saw the sign, that I had to have it for the top "shelf" of the ladder.  Friday, Janice and I went to Jamesport, an Amish community, in northern MO.  I was hoping I would find something to hang from the bottom "shelf".  And I did find several things that I liked, but when we saw the WE ARE SO BLESSED, I knew I had to have it.  I had a little trouble deciding on the color of the board as they had 4 different ones.  But I am so pleased with it and the whole look.  

Did you notice the other hook that is holding the ladder on the wall doesn't have anything hanging from it?  Well, I am still looking for just the perfect thing to use there.

If you haven't realized it, everything I have on my ladder shelf has a special meaning to me.


TIP ALERT!
I hung the sign using a tip from Pinterest.  It made it such a breeze.  Once I decided where I wanted to put the "eye hooks", I put a piece of tape across the space.  My helpful husband drilled a tiny hole in the sign for me to screw in the hooks.  (I could have drilled the holes, but I like for him to think I couldn't live without him. ha)
   Then I removed the tape and stuck it on the underside of the ladder so he would know where to drill the holes in the ladder for the hooks.  

It worked perfectly.
I like that every time I walk by it going into the living room or come up the stairs from the family room, I will see it and be reminded of just how blessed I am.

5 comments:

  1. Your creative shelf is very nice and worth all our efforts>

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    1. We did have fun searching didn't we Janice but we still need to find something to hang from the one hook.

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  2. How did you hang the ladder? those hangers look familiar. :)

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    1. Sorry I didn't answer your question sooner, Nancy. My husband and I escaped the cold by spending a week in Florida before going on a 2 week cruise to the Southern Caribbean.

      I used two old hooks that my husband had that have been around for years. I tried searching and found many utility hooks that would work but couldn't find the particular one I used. Initially it bothered me that the lower hook was showing, but now I like that I have a way of hanging something from above. Sorry I couldn't find the exact name to help you out. If you find them, please let me know what they are called. Patricia

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    2. Ok, Nancy, I searched some more and they are zinc single coat and hat hooks. I found them at True Value for 98 cents for two. National Hardware has them on Amazon. Hope this helps. Patricia

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