The unexpected can be delightful, and our table shelf DIY gets its considerable charm from a base fashioned with four jumbo wooden clothespins. The clothespins evoke a homey, casual feeling, while the painted board that acts as the shelf can be covered in a neutral hue, or one that complements your wall color.
There are countless applications for this ingenious project. You could use a clothespin table shelf in the bathroom to tame toiletry clutter, place one on your dresser to corral jewelry, or put one atop a coffee table to showcase some extra-special decorative pieces. You can double your storage space on the kitchen counter too, and store spice bottles on it and below it. The clothespin shelf blends the practical and the whimsical stylishly.
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Materials
- 1 piece of 12” by 12” plywood
- Jar of chalk paint
- Fine art paintbrush with wide brush head
- 4 jumbo paper clips, about 6” long – available at craft stores
- Roll of blue painter’s tape
- Bottle of Tite Bond III Ultimate Wood Glue
- 1 piece of 12” by 12” plywood
- Jar of chalk paint
- Fine art paintbrush with wide brush head
- 4 jumbo paper clips, about 6” long – available at craft stores
- Roll of blue painter’s tape
- Bottle of Tite Bond III Ultimate Wood Glue
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Lay the square piece of plywood down flat on the work surface.
1. Lay the square piece of plywood down flat on the work surface.
2. Get the jar of chalk paint.
3. Coat one side of the wooden square with the paint and allow it to dry.
4. Lean the square on one side and coat the narrow edge facing you with paint.
5. When done, rotate the square counter clockwise and paint the next edge.
6. Continue doing this until all four edges are painted.
7. Lay the square back down with the unpainted side facing upward.
8. Coat that side with paint and allow it to dry.
9. Gather the jumbo paper clips.
10. Tear a 1” piece of painter’s tape from the roll and stick it on one side of the clip end of the clothespin, opposite the end you press to open the clothespin.
11. Repeat step 8 but tape the other side of the pronged end of the clothespin. The tape will serve as a barrier and prevent the glue from seeping onto the outside of the clothespins.
12. Repeat steps 10-11 on the other three clothespins.
13. Stand the clothespins up so the taped ends are facing upward and the ends that open and close the clothespins are on the work surface.
14. Arrange the clothespins about 12” apart so that they form a square, with one in each corner.
15. Get the bottle of wood glue and apply glue thoroughly to each of the taped together ends of the clothespins.
16. Place the painted board on top of the clothespin ends you just coated with the wood glue.
17. Make sure these ends are positioned so they fill each corner of the board and meet the edges of the board.
18. Allow the wood glue to dry completely before handling the table shelf.
19. Put atop a table or on a bookshelf for displaying any number of favorite things or organizing essentials.
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