Closet fix

Before.

I was excited to move in with my boyfriend over the summer because it included a few perks.  One of them being having more than one closet, which is every girls dream.  Unfortunately, my closet lacked shelving space so I couldn't unpack all of my stuff. 

I decided that I needed a second shelf to create the much needed storage space.  To do this I needed my boyfriend's muscles and math skills to help with my creation. 

Our first mission was to go to Home Depot after we took a few measurements to purchase the necessary ply wood and shelving materials to install my new shelf.  

If you have never been to Home Depot, they have a department that can cut wood for you to make it easier to transport and/or (for me) already have it project ready. 

After painting and securing the shelving brackets.

Installing a shelf is not as easy as one, two, three.  There is kind of a process to the madness, like sanding, painting, and securing our shelving brackets.  I opted to paint my shelf (that doesn't photograph well) a pastel purple.  

I enjoyed working with my boyfriend on this project.  I learned he had never done a DIY project or painted.  He learned not to use excessive paint or the board will dry on your tarp and/or clump on the edges and cause more work for this chick. 

After hand sanding the rough clumpy edges we were ready to secure the the shelving brackets.  We decided to secure them onto the ply wood before we secured it to the wall.  That's what levels are for! 

I am so happy with the finished product.  I was able to finish unpacking the remainder of my belongings after about two months of living at my new place. I finally feel at home and have enough space to tuck away my clothes without making the space look crowded. 

It's coming along quite nicely! 😍

When I moved, I made the decision to get rid of my dressers in the attempt to adopt a minimalist lifestyle, but I don't think I thought it through very well. I remember packing and not thinking I had a lot of clothes, but when I started unpacking I immediately started to feel overwhelmed.  I was without dressers and left with boxes of clothes sitting in my living room until I found a new home for them. 

Not only was the clutter bothersome, I had to find a reasonable cost effective solution.  I did not want to go through the headache of finding the "right" dresser for my new space.  It sounded like a headache and I didn't want to spend money on an item I had before that I thoughtlessly got rid of.

I think I made the right decision in installing a second shelf.  I love using a drill and my hands to make stuff.  I grew up helping my dad with projects and it felt nice to get my hands dirty again.

Working on this project with my boyfriend was the highlight of it all.  We work well together and I had fun working alongside him.  I am confident he will learn how to paint by the time I find a new project to reel him in to do with me.   😉