Home Decor, Making a House a Home

Crafting for Charity: How to Create an Extended Shelf Desk

Hello Eveyone! I’m Destiny from A Place for Us ! I’m honored to be participating in such a CREATIVE and charitable event hosted by Homes.com!

Boys Room Makeover Desk

I’ve been working on my boys room since they were babies. I’ve had plenty of plans but finally settled on just going with the flow. Well that method had gotten me NO WHERE! With that said I’m determined to finish this room ASAP. Why? Well because their growing up SO fast and I kinda would love to see them settled into a real room before college!

Last year I got rid of the stripes and painted the room a neutral Tony Taupe by SW. I also simplified their bedding and went with neutral bedding with plain white sheets which are a breeze to clean! ha.

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One of things I wanted for their space was a place for my oldest to do his homework write his stories, read and let his imagination go wild. He’s SO like me in that way, so giving him a space to explore and discover was really important:0)

So I decided to set up and extended shelf and make him a desk. The process was super simple and I’m positive that anyone, including YOU could do it.

  • What you will need:
  • 2 large brackets that can hold about 40-60lbs of weight total
  • Custom piece of wood cut to size
  • Wood screws and anchors for bracket and wood desk top
  • Wood Stain of your Choice
  • Paint color of your Choice
  • Painters Tape
  • Laser Leveler

Before you install the bracket, take some time to make your wood pretty:0) I used some painters tape and some walnut colored stain to make some subtle diagonal stripes on the desk. That way it just gives the wood a little more visual texture. After the stripes dried I went over it with the same stain to blend the stripes in. Of course you don’t NEED to do this but…

DIY DESK for Boys

DIY SHELF DESK

Another detail that I added which I thought made a BIG difference was the red trim. It really defined the desk and tied in with some of the other accessories I picked out for the room.

To install the desk, measure 25-30 inches from the floor and mark a spot for each bracket. Use a laser leveler to make sure each hole is even.

Next take your brackets and screw them into the wall. Depending on if you have a stud or not you might need to use and anchor to secure the brackets.

One your brackets are in place your stained and painted piece of wood on top! Attach screws underneath so the wood won’t shift of move and that’s pretty much IT! Told you it was simple!

Of course it needed to be decorated:0) So with some flea market, garage sale and other found items I made him a very special space that I hope inspires him!

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DIY DESK

Boy Room Makeover Sports-12

It’s such a great solution for a small space! Plus it’s very affordable if your not ready to dish out the big bucks for a “real” desk!

Can YOU tackle this project! Love it? Like it? Great! Now go get your vote on and help me donate $5,000 to a wonderful AWESOME cause that I will be helping out with at the end of 2013.

Around the holiday season some children will get everything they ask for but as we all know there are THOUSDANDS of children who’s parents won’t be able to provide them with anything. This December I am joining TOYS and MORE in PHOENIX with the help of Palm Valley Church and our local community to help 4,000 families provide their children with a gift for Christmas. Not only will they receive a toy but each family member will enjoy a meal, groceries and LOTS of love too;0)

This is the first time we will be doing this in Phoenix but my good friend Jeannie was mentored by the founder of TOYS and JOY in San Diego. Last year they were able to provide 10,000 toys; 14,000 bags of groceries; and 196,000 articles of clothing and shoes to brighten the lives of many San Diego kids! It’s been a yearly event that has served over 35,000 families!! Amazing.

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Check out some of the JOYful faces……

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With the help of local sponsors, volunteers, local churches, schools and companies like HOMES.com we are going to make a big difference in the lives of these children and their families!!!! Thank you SO much for your vote homelovers!

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Hi! I’m Maria, the Marketing Coordinator for Homes.com. I am part of a dream team that is dedicated to running this awesome blog along with Homes.com’s social channels. If I am not busy writing blogs and socially sharing for Homes.com, you can find me painting, drinking tea with my friends, and doing DIY projects!