Makin' a Shelf

We built a shelf this weekend.  I wanted an extra surface for cutesy stuffed animals, picture frames, and other non-functional but cute baby stuff we've gotten at showers.



I had just about decided to tackle it on my own (so as not to bug Daniel), when he offered to help*!  So I gladly accepted!



We used leftover birch plywood from the closet project.  Daniel got to practice his joint skills, making the two pieces into an L-shape.

 

Turns out joints are difficult.  We will need to invest in a jig that helps you make perfect joints in the future.  But this one turned out good enough.



After joining the two pieces with pegs and wood glue and allowing them to dry, we applied the facing to the front and sides of the shelf.



Then we filled in the tiny gap between the plywood and the facing with wood filler (check out how big Lucy is getting!).



Then we sanded.  Err... Daniel sanded.  



And then we stained it!  The goal was an espresso brown final product.  What we got was more like black.  (To those of you who didn't know... turns out "ebony" = black).



But you can still see the wood grain through the stain, and it definitely sort of looks espresso if you squint your eyes... and if the lights are out.  Doesn't matter.  I think it looks great. 

Got it hanging on the wall now, all ready for cutesy stuff. 

*read: do most of it