7 UHeart Organizing: DIY Wall Shelf with Corbels!

Wall shelves make my organizing heart go pitter patter. They quickly free up surface space by going vertical, and they are also a wonderful way to combine form and function. Mix and match your favorite collections and accessories with storage boxes, canisters and trays and you are well on your way to a stylish and functional space.

I especially love to use smaller wall shelving in entryways as the base of a command station, in bathrooms over the toilet or hamper and even in kitchens for dishes and cooking items. And while there are times when the stars align and you are able to find a shelf that is the perfect size, width, depth and color; purchasing exactly what you want and need isn't always feasible. But no fear, my pal Jen is here! She is a pro at offering up simple building solutions for areas all over your home, and I am so honored that she shares those builds and tips with us. So, if adding a shelf or three is on your current home checklist, then she has you covered with a fabulous DIY solution.

Hello iHeart Organizing friends! I’m excited to be back here, sharing my easy DIY shelf with corbels with you! Whew. It’s been such a fun and busy year, hasn’t it? I can’t believe it’s almost over! Thank you for allowing me to share my easy drawer dividers and kids’ lunch organization earlier this year.

I’m guessing you’re about knee-deep in Thanksgiving meal-planning and hosting family and friends in your homes. We certainly are and it’s a mad dash to get everything done in time! I love this time of year, even though it’s the most hectic. I’m always thinking of ways to make our guest room a little more accommodating and this easy DIY shelf with store-bought corbels is sure to make your guest room or bathroom a little more functional and pretty.

This DIY shelf will only take a day or so to complete. Let’s get started so you can focus on more important things… like turkey and dressing. Don’t mind me, I’m just going to be carb-loading over here like it’s my job.

First, you’re going to want to make a jig. Basically, it’s a template that you make so that your drill holes will be identical. To create my jig, I glued and nailed a couple of scrap pieces of wood together as shown in the photo below. Then, with a 5/16” drill bit, I drilled 2 holes into the jig.

I received these pre-fabricated corbels in the swag bag from a blogger’s conference a couple of years ago. These corbels are made by a Georgia-based company called Osborne Wood Products. They make a variety of turned furniture legs, corbels, and other wood parts. You can find corbels at any big box home improvement store, as well as at architectural salvage yards and the like. I like these because it comes complete with hanging hardware that’s already inset so that the corbels will sit flush to the wall.

I also picked up a package of 5/16” fluted dowel pins from The Home Depot.

Then, using my jig, I clamped the corbels onto my workbench and drilled the holes. Don’t drill the holes too deep so that when you insert the dowel pins, they disappear. You want the dowel pins sticking out a little.

I had a piece of 1x6 scrap wood lying around my workshop, so I decided to use that as the shelf. I sanded and stained the pieces before moving forward. My shelf measures about 24 inches long. You can use your own measurements to fit your space – I would just recommend not making the shelf so wide that it begins to sag.

I eye-balled where I wanted my corbels to be, and marked a line. Then, using the same jig, I was able to drill identical holes into the shelf. Insert the dowel pins into the corbel, and the corbel and the shelf should fit together perfectly.

These dowel pins simply make it so that the shelf doesn’t slide around on the corbels. You could also glue and nail the shelf to the corbels once you hang it up on the wall, but being a serial renter (Army wife here), I usually go for the non-permanent solution whenever possible.

Now that I’ve dry-fitted everything, it’s time to hang it on the wall!

With a stud finder, locate the studs in the wall. Here’s a handy little tip: make a photocopy of the back of the corbels so you know exactly where to place your screws. I put one corbel where I wanted it on the wall and traced a line. Then, holding up my photocopied template, I drilled the screws into place. Be sure not to sink the screws all the way into the wall – you’ll need them to stick out a bit so you can hang the corbels from them.

Then, place the shelf and the other corbel on the wall, check for level, and mark the placement. Take the shelf back off, screw the screws into the wall and hang the other corbel. Double-check that everything is still level, adjust as needed, then simply lay the shelf in place! Easy as pie.

Great. Now I want pie.

This easy DIY shelf with corbels would look great in a guest room or the guest bathroom, right? Right. Okay, now let’s go bake that pie.

Thanks to Jen for having me. If you’re looking for more easy DIY building projects, be sure to swing by and say hello! Wishing you the happiest of holidays, friends!

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Hello friends! I’m Jen Woodhouse, the author of The House of Wood blog, my creative outlet for all things DIY and design. By trade, I am a performing songwriter based in Nashville, TN - I’ve released three albums, toured the world, and licensed my music to national television shows and films - but more recently, I've added ‘DIY Blogger’ to my eclectic resume. The House of Wood is where I document my adventures in woodworking, interior design, and life as a musician, military wife, and mother of two unbearably adorable babies. When I’m not writing, recording, or touring, you’ll usually find me in the garage building furniture! I’m pretty freakin’ excited to join the iHeart Organizing team and I can’t wait to share a few organizing DIY projects with y’all!

12 UHeart Organizing: Lending a Lunch Making Hand for Back-To-School

Although Jen is my "go to" gal for building plans and DIY wood projects, she is also a mom that is on a mission to organize her life. And just like many of us, she had to quickly switch summer gears to prep for back-to-school. #sigh #notready

When it comes to making lunches, there is something great about knowing just what our kiddos will be munching on at school. And for some, packing lunches at home is the only option for kids with specific food allergies and needs. But I know just as well as anyone, making the time to put together lunches requires a little discipline. I can't invent a time making machine, but there are small ways to organize the main snack and lunch items to be easily accessible throughout the week for both parents and kids.  Jen is here to share her no-fuss favorite storage products for an organized lunch station in the fridge and pantry (and offer a little eye candy), and she is also sharing a few creative lunch ideas that are still simple to put together.

Hi friends!

Jen from The House of Wood here to share how I organize our kids' school lunches. If your Back-To-School season is as chaotic and fast-paced as ours, this post is for you! Anything that makes this hectic time more organized and efficient gets an A+ in my book.

We're fortunate to have a walk-in pantry with enough space for me to dedicate an entire shelf to the kids. I have a first-grader and a preschooler so the shelf is low enough that they are able to reach the items on it to make their own lunch. After I do the grocery shopping, I take a few minutes to separate some of the snack foods into individual snack-sized bags so it's easy for them to just grab and go.

I picked up several of these clear plastic pantry bins from Target. I like how they keep everything nicely corralled and organized.

Our refrigerator has a middle deli drawer which is where I keep the cold kid-friendly food and drink. The kiddos can easily open it up and help themselves. Again, I used the clear bins from Target as well as these fridge bins from Crate & Barrel.

Sometimes I let the kids pack their own lunch, but I actually really enjoy doing it too. These stainless steel lunch boxes make lunchtime so fun. I bought mine from Pottery Barn Kids, but I can no longer find them on the website. I found some similar ones on Amazon here.

Here are a couple more school lunch ideas.

I love this time of year, even if it is Crazy Town around here. How about you? Do you have any clever ideas that help calm the chaos?

Thanks so much for reading! See you next time!

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Hello friends! I’m Jen Woodhouse, the author of The House of Wood blog, my creative outlet for all things DIY and design. By trade, I am a performing songwriter based in Nashville, TN - I’ve released three albums, toured the world, and licensed my music to national television shows and films - but more recently, I've added ‘DIY Blogger’ to my eclectic resume. The House of Wood is where I document my adventures in woodworking, interior design, and life as a musician, military wife, and mother of two unbearably adorable babies. When I’m not writing, recording, or touring, you’ll usually find me in the garage building furniture! I’m pretty freakin’ excited to join the iHeart Organizing team and I can’t wait to share a few organizing DIY projects with y’all!

21 UHeart Organizing: Easy-Does-It DIY Drawer Dividers

Drawer dividers certainly make my organizing world go round.  And when I can customize a product to fit my specific needs?!  It feels like I won the organizing lottery.

Well, I won the lottery when Jen of The House of Wood joined my team, because this girl is brilliant, kind and super smart.  And she builds things!  Organizational things!

Even more, I want to hug her so hard right now.  We DIY'd some kitchen dividers last year, that are holding up fantastically and that we love.  However, they really can't change if our needs ever change.  And in the kitchen, they do change frequently.  I wish I would have known about Jen's recent find; ultra easy, no real DIY experience necessary, endlessly flexible drawer dividers.  I will let her spill all the details below.  Be prepared to never live the same after reading this post.

Hi friends! I'm Jen Woodhouse from The House of Wood and I am so excited to be back here, hanging out with the most organized people on the internet! Are you guys ready to whip your desk drawers into shape? You're going to flip when you see how quick and easy this project is.
I recently carved out a small corner of my bedroom for my workspace and I've had everything 'home office' on the brain ever since. I bought a new desktop computer but had no desk to put it on, so I built one! For the full tutorial on how to build this DIY desk with hidden printer storage, click here.

By the way, that hexagon succulent planter is made from a scrap 2x4 and that's a DIY calendar I made too! If you'd like any of the product details and sources for my home office, you'll find them here.

Okay, so back to this desk. I designed it so that my bulky printer is tucked neatly away on a pull-out tray behind two faux drawer fronts. Super sneaky.

Are you ready to see what's behind the real drawer fronts? Alright. Let's do this.

Will you check out those snazzy drawer dividers? I love that they're hardwood and totally customizable.

The other day, I was wandering aimlessly around Williams-Sonoma (which is very dangerous because I have hoarding tendencies when it comes to collecting kitchen stuff) and I found myself in the aisle where all of the utensils are. Of course, as I stuffed my basket full of unnecessary spatulas and spoonulas (totally a thing, btw), I couldn't help but notice how nicely each little cubby held the different utensils, no matter what size or shape they were. I took mental note of how the displays were built. #builderproblems

Do you see how the dividers are constructed? So clever, right?

After a bit of hunting, I found similar plastic drawer dividers online and couldn't click "add to cart" fast enough. Once they arrived, I measured my drawer, cut the plastic dividers to the length I needed, peeled the adhesive backing off, and then stuck them to the sides of the drawer.

Then I picked up a few 1/4-inch poplar hobby boards from the craft store, measured and cut them down to size, and just slid them into the dividers. Super quick and easy! I love that these dividers are modular; they allow me to easily change the layout if I ever need to.

Remember when I mentioned that I tend to hoard kitchen stuff? Well, this may also apply to washi tape.

And stamps.

And pencils.

But can you blame me? Wouldn’t you hoard pencils if they looked as cute as these do? Yeah, I think so.

Big thanks to Jen for allowing me to share my fun and functional workspace with y'all! My new desk is already getting a ton of use and these easy drawer dividers make staying organized a breeze. Until next time, happy organizing!

Hello friends! I’m Jen Woodhouse, the author of The House of Wood blog, my creative outlet for all things DIY and design. By trade, I am a performing songwriter based in Nashville, TN - I’ve released three albums, toured the world, and licensed my music to national television shows and films - but more recently, I've added ‘DIY Blogger’ to my eclectic resume. The House of Wood is where I document my adventures in woodworking, interior design, and life as a musician, military wife, and mother of two unbearably adorable babies. When I’m not writing, recording, or touring, you’ll usually find me in the garage building furniture! I’m pretty freakin’ excited to join the iHeart Organizing team and I can’t wait to share a few organizing DIY projects with y’all!

24 UHeart Organizing: A Pretty in Pink Closet

Not only is my friend, Jen, awesome because her name is Jen... she is also awesome because she has an insane ability to create stunning projects from wood.  Another awesome fact?  Her last name is Woodhouse.  And another?  Her blog is titled The House of Wood.

Mind blown.

I know I am a nerd and I girl crush gush about my contributing team all of the time, but they just inspire me so much!  For example, Jen has inspired me to pick up power tools.  Because of her, I am no longer afraid of their sharp edges or sounds.  I may not be quite as good as using the tools as she is, but I am using them!

After you check out her latest building turned organizing project, you may be inspired to grab for a tool or two as well.  And if not, maybe you will at least want to clean out a closet or two.

Hi friends! Jen Woodhouse here, from The House of Wood. I’m happy to be hanging out with you guys, sharing my latest organizational DIY project. The last time I was here, I shared my family command center as I dreaded the start of the school year with a Kindergartner. I also moved my sweet girl into her first big girl bed when I built her West Elm-inspired queen bed. You guys. I am trying to keep it together – the days are long, but the years are way too short. Am I right? Now that my daughter has a pretty bed on one side of her room, it was time to focus my attention to the other side.

Brace yourselves.

This is her very disorganized and dysfunctional closet. We moved into this house back in June and those moving boxes have been there ever since. #motheroftheyear

The bi-fold doors took up valuable space in her small room and those wire shelves were just not practical. I’m not very tall, but I am adult-sized and I could hardly reach the top rack. Having a clothing rod hung that high made no sense for a little girl’s room, so I decided to give her closet a bit of a makeover.

Here’s how it turned out:

This DIY project may look intimidating, but surprisingly, it only took a couple of days and less than $100 to complete!

First, I cleared everything out of her closet and removed the wire shelving. The wire shelving left gaping holes and unsightly tears in the walls because they were installed using large anchors instead of being screwed into the studs in the wall. After realizing I’d have to do a substantial amount of spackling to repair the walls, I decided to cut my losses and just cover it up. I picked up a bead board panel from The Home Depot and used construction adhesive and brad nails to attach it to the wall.

Then I moved onto building the center shelving unit. I used a single sheet of 3/4″ plywood and constructed the box using pocket hole joinery.

I picked up a few packages of these wood pole sockets and an 8-foot wood dowel for the clothing rods.

After painting the shelving unit, pole sockets, and rods with white latex paint, I brought everything into the house to install. I located the studs in the wall, then attached the shelf by screwing directly into the nailing strips with 3″ spax construction screws. The nailing strips are the three boards right under the top, fourth, and sixth shelf (the bottom one isn’t visible in the photo below).

Can you believe you can create a custom closet with plenty of practical storage out of a single sheet of plywood? I just love that.

I placed the clothing rods low enough so that my five-year-old can hang up her own clothes. Gotta start ’em young, right?

Of course, I had to make space for her many, many princess gowns. I think my little girly girl owns every single Disney princess dress except Pocohontas’ (because hers “doesn’t twirl”). #priorities

Finally, I hung up a tension rod and this pretty ruffled curtain, slipped some baskets on those shelves, and called it a day. I hung her dresses on the top left rod, her school uniforms underneath, and her princess gowns on the right.

Didn’t I tell you about those princess dresses? My daughter has more costume changes in a day than Whoopie at the Oscars. Alice, Belle, Merida, Aurora, Ariel, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jasmine, Elsa, Anna… you name ’em, they’re in there (except poor non-twirly Pocohontas – womp womp).

My favorite one, however, is Maleficent. My daughter insisted on wearing her Maleficent gown on her Daddy/daughter date, which I thought was super awesome and hilarious. Can she please stay this little always?

I picked up the baskets from Michaels (they have the best deals!) and they hide toys, shoes, and other miscellaneous items.

After getting everything installed, I decided I wanted to add a long shelf that ran across the entire top of the closet to store extra blankets, quilts, pillows and such.  I rummaged through my scrap wood pile and kept on building. I also added another clothing rod to hang her coats and raincoats.

You guys. I swear by these huggable hangers. They’re ultra slim so they’re a great space-saver and they’re velvety, so clothes won’t slip off. And they come in cute and colorful kid sizes too!

So there you have it – my daughter now has a functional and organized closet that makes the best use of her small space. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today, IHeart readers! I hope you find this project useful and inspiring. If you have a free weekend and about $100 to burn, you can build your own custom closet out of a single sheet of plywood. Happy building and organizing!

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Hello friends! I’m Jen Woodhouse, the author of The House of Wood blog, my creative outlet for all things DIY and design. By trade, I am a performing songwriter based in Nashville, TN - I’ve released three albums, toured the world, and licensed my music to national television shows and films - but more recently, I've added ‘DIY Blogger’ to my eclectic resume. The House of Wood is where I document my adventures in woodworking, interior design, and life as a musician, military wife, and mother of two unbearably adorable babies. When I’m not writing, recording, or touring, you’ll usually find me in the garage building furniture! I’m pretty freakin’ excited to join the iHeart Organizing team and I can’t wait to share a few organizing DIY projects with y’all!