DIY Tabletop Leaning Shelf Photo Display

I’m back in blogland after a bit of a hiatus… SO. MUCH. YES.

Without getting too detailed I’ll address why, because it makes sense to me to do so, and I’m the one running this show. Suffice to say the one formerly referred to as “the fella” and I decided to go our separate ways. The simple facts are that it didn’t work out, and that’s very sad, and we wish each other all the best in life.

Why is that relevant? Much of my content up until now includes references to him and it’s weird to just stop talking about it and not explain why.

Also, I’m not going to make up a fake story as to why I’m currently staying with my parents (thanks again M and D) because I don’t feel like it. #keepingitreal

So while I’m on the hunt for a new place, some of my next few posts will probably be set in my parents’ backyard, which has ample space for project execution! Seriously dudes… This is about 1/5 of their yard…

So lets get to it. One of my favorite toys ever is my Instax Mini 8 camera. There’s something so magical and special about the fact that each picture I take with this camera is completely unique and can’t be reproduced in the way that digital photography can. And I totally love watching the photos develop – so much fun!

PS this post isn’t sponsored, but if Fujifilm wants to send me some goodies I’ll flip my stance on that quick-style. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

I’d been displaying most of my instax pics in a clothesline-esque format in my cubicle at work until recently. ‘Scuse the bad phone pic please.

Here’s how I made a super cute display shelf for them… And how you can, too.

Supplies

8′ long piece of quarter round
16″ W x 25″ H x .75″ D pine board
electric sander
hand saw
steel wool
wood glue
clamps
paint / paintbrush

Many times when an diy idea – a diydea? – pops into my head, I take to the old school pencil and paper method to really think all of the steps through and make sure my measurements aren’t off. Real scientific stuff.

My shelf didn’t end up being as wide as originally imagined, but I couldn’t find any lumber that was reasonably priced that would work for a 25″ wide board. I stuck with 25″ high, though, because Instax pictures are 2 1/8″ W x 3 5/16″ H and by placing my 0.5″ quarter round every 5″ on the board I’m left with 4.5″ of shelf space.

The back board is part of a 0.75″ x 16″ x 36″ Craft Master’s, pre-cut, stain grade project panel. I’ve used them before on both my bench and my nightstands so I feel like I can vouch for them. They come in tons of sizes and are good quality. I had a helpful hardware store guy cut it from 36″to 25″ H and then took it home and gave it a good all-over sanding.

I also rounded the edges with my sander, and sanded an angle onto the back bottom edge of the board to assist with all the leaning this shelf will do. It would have been super nice to create this angle with a compound miter saw, but since I do not have one nor do I have access to one, I had to improvise.

I gave the board one last sanding with steel wool (which leaves a velvety soft finish) and then wiped it down with a damp towel. Then I marked where I’d put my ledges – every 5″ from the bottom. The method I used to make sure my ledges were level was to mark little dots on each long side every 5″ inches from the bottom, and then use a yard stick to draw a straight line across, connecting both dots.

I cut my quarter round using this hand saw

After using a reciprocating saw did this

Obligatory Interjection from the Safety Police: Do NOT use a reciprocating saw to cut quarter round. It’s a damn mess. Also, never use a rusty hand saw. For anything. Don’t. Just because I make a bad decision in diy desperation doesn’t mean you should too.

I used Titebond interior grade wood glue to attach the ledges to the board, clamping the sides as I went along.

Titebond dries really quickly, but I left the board clamped overnight to be safe.

The quarter round I bought was the straightest piece I could find, but there was still a bit of bowing so I caulked all of the seams to make everything as smooth as possible.

Then, because the sides of the quarter round were a tad rough, I hit them with the electric sander real quick.

Homestretch – painting! I didn’t prime this time (hey, that’s a rhyme). All of my primer is packed in a box and I didn’t want to buy new, or wash my brush multiple times. And I’m not super upset about the prospect of the wood grain creating a little bit of texture under the paint. Gotta pick your diy battles, friend.

I used a little Valspar sample (Greek Tapenade) laced with a couple of ounces of Floetrol, which reduces brush strokes. In person this color is like a subdued citrine with hints of avocado. So. Much. Color. Love…

The first coat always looks like hell.

But coat number two looked awesome!

It didn’t even need a third coat and because it’s not going to get heavy use, I didn’t feel the need to seal it with anything. How cute did this thing turn out?!