DIY IKEA Inspired Wooden Book Holder

Woo Hoo! Another project completed for Con-Man's Room! He has a lot of books and I had them piled in this cube shelf:

Since we're bringing in a bigger bed and transferring the cube shelf to the new baby's room I needed some kind of storage for his books. I saw this cute idea on Pinterest:

Isn't that neat? Those are the Bekvam Spice Racks from Ikea. I liked it because they don't take up floor space and it will be easy to see for Con-Man all the books.

They are only $4 each- since I need a few of them I thought they were my perfect solution. But problem: Bekvam is not available for order online and the closest Ikea is over 4 hours away. 4 hours isn't a bad drive is your in the market for a bed or sofa, but the cost of gas trumps $4 spice racks.

So I started thinking, what's better than $4 spice racks? How about FREE ones!!

I had wood leftover from Con-Man's bed and a few scraps of dowel rod laying around from my wreath project, surely I could make my own.

This is what I came up with based on the dimensions given on Ikea's website:

(Look at me all fancy with Sketch-Up!)

If you want to make some of these yourself here's what you need:

3/4" pine board or MDF (I used a mix of both)

1/2" Dowel Rod

1 1/4" wood screws

Wood Glue

First I started by cutting my wood down to size. 

Cut 1 long piece to 1' 3 3/4" long x 3 1/2" wide, and 2 short pieces 2 3/4" x 3 1/2" for the sides. Cut your dowel about 1' 3" long.

After your pieces are cut, drill a 1/2" hole for your dowel rod in front center of each of your side pieces. I used a drill press for this but you could use a drill bit like I used here, just a smaller size.

Next add a little bit of wood glue to the bottom of the side piece and clamp one of the side pieces to the end of the bottom. (I used the other side piece as a support, but did not glue it at this time) Predrill a hole for your screws. Then screw 2 wood screws to secure the side.

Next add some wood glue to the holes of the sides pieces and insert your dowel. Add more wood glue to the second side piece and place it at the other end of the bottom piece. Then predrill some holes into the bottom wood piece and insert your screws.

Let it all dry and your done! If you used all pine you could leave it natural or stain it. I used a mix of MDF and pine so I painted mine. I sanded them a bit to add some age and wear.

Then added hooks on either side and hung them in the same manner I hung his chalk/ art supply holders.

Time to add books!

These book holders came together really quickly and we pretty easy to make. I'd love to hear if anyone else has used the spice racks as book shelves, or are thinking of making some of your own!

Linking Here! and here

Doggie Bookcase

So I was thinking more about that scroll saw wasting away in the shed and thought I should do something with it. But what?? Well after some research I saw this super cute Elephant Bookcase on Design Public. I wondered if I could make something like it with the scroll saw for Con-Man.
I don't know if Con-Man likes Elephants or not, but I know he loves Gracie, she's a dog, so maybe he likes dogs? After some thought I though a wiener dog might make cute bookcase.


If you think you'd like to make one of your own you'll need:


1 piece of Pine Board 7" tall (Try to look at a few and find one that is not warped and has few knots)
A scroll saw or jig saw with a fine blade
Wood Glue
Sand Paper
Paint and Pencil


 I sketched an image of a wiener dog to the size I needed- approximately 7" tall by 12" long. Then I traced out the shape on a piece of wood. (Download the Dog Templates to trace here: Dog Bookcase Templates )


My saw can't handle wood much larger than 1" so I traced the dog template 3 times then cut each out with the saw.




Once I had my 3 shaped cut out I glued them together with the wood glue and set it under some heavy books overnight to dry.

Ta da! I then sanded it down with the attachment on the saw to smooth out the edges. (It didn't dry perfectly straight and since its my first time using a scroll saw I had some jaggedy edges..) If you don't have a power sander sanding by hand will work just fine but may take a little longer.

Using some leftover paint I painted and sealed the bookcase. Check out the finished product in Con-Man's room:




The wood was only $5 and this didn't take a incredibly long time, I just had to spread it out over a couple of days because of work and taking care of Con-Man. And getting the hang of the scroll saw wasn't that bad either. You can tell which was my first and last cut out. It might be fun to try some other shapes- a dinosaur, snail, strawberry. I'd love to see what other people come up with!