Heartstrings :: Share.Grow.Love - Making it in the Mountains

Heartstrings is place which introduces you to a post from a fellow blogging buddy that will hopefully inspire you and tug on your heartstrings.  I love connecting people through my blog and when I find a post that makes me want to jump out of my seat I couldn't be happier to share it with my readers. My hope is that this series will allow us to share new perspectives, stories, projects and inspiration that will make you want to connect with other bloggers. Just one simple way to connect minds, souls and hearts.

If you have a specific post that you feel would be great for this series, please contact kentheartstrings(at)gmail(dot)com! The post can range from a unique DIY project to thoughts on marriage and family...all aspects of our lives are important and we want to hear about all of them! I look forward to hearing from you!

Today I am pumped to bring you Kristi who is the voice behind making it in the mountains where she writes about all things DIY.  I love all her great tutorials on how to make fabulous pieces of furniture and statement pieces of decor for your home. I hope you enjoy her and this fantastic tutorial on how to make these ladder shelves, you will see what I mean!

Follow along as she journeys through making her boring new house a rustic mountain retreat.

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest

Today, I am SOOOO excited to share with you our very last DIY project for the Outdoor Makeover Challenge! If you missed anything, you can catch up on all of the details here. In keeping with this Outdoor Makeover Challenge , we've been tackling all sorts of fun DIY's through the month of June, my favorite of which would have to be this DIY Pottery Barn Knockoff Table. This weekend, we finished up the last piece of the puzzle ... this DIY Ladder Shelf.         It all started with this soon-to-be empty corner of our courtyard deck (we intend to move the BBQ to the backyard, so that we'll have access to it directly from our kitchen doors).     This corner gets a ton of sun, so I knew right from the start, that it would make the PERFECT spot for a plant stand. And so, off to Pinterest I went in search of some inspiration. At first I was picturing a potting bench style table, but then this bright shelf by none other than my favorite handy-gal, Ana White, totally caught my eye. Knowing we eventually want to build a small bar table in another corner, it seemed like a much better idea to go with something completely different for this space. I also really liked the idea of having a bit of a ledge around each shelf to help keep everything contained and safe from any wind. My mind was made up the moment I saw it ... I needed this shelf! Following these plans, Brady got to work building the shelves and the frame in just a couple of hours. We did make a few changes along the way, the first of which started with the lumber - because our little hardware store didn't have any 1x3 available, we decided to use 1x4 in it's place around each shelf.       Brady followed the instructions screwing the ends together, but decided to use finishing nails along the bottoms of the shelves to avoid having a zillion screws show across the front.         And then it was my turn to get to work with some painting. Thinking it might be easier to get into all the nooks and crannies, I wanted to tackle this part before it was all put together. First up was a good coat of primer because, let's face it, I don't want to have to repaint this thing every year! I slapped on a generous coat of Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 heavy duty primer and let it dry overnight. The next morning, I did a really quick all-over sand as recommended on the back of the primer can and then I was finally ready to paint! With some help from my friends on Facebook and Instagram, I decided on an absolutely GORGEOUS paint colour (Benjamin Moore Origins's Sweet Turquoise OR-368) and I just couldn't wait to see it on my shelf!!! Because this baby is going to live outside, I was sure to pick up an exterior paint to help protect it from the elements. Here's how everything looked after some primer and the first coat of paint:           And the second coat:   It was definitely LOVE at first sight! In fact, I smiled a HUGE, this is the prettiest colour ever, smile with the first brush of paint!!! Even more ... I loved it SO much that on my walk back in from the garage to our main level, I found myself looking for more things that I could paint! Perhaps this will be the summer of Sweet Turquoise (I couldn't possibly regret that, right?)!     Finally, it was time to put it all together! Brady went his own way with this part too - the original instructions called for the shelves to be offset a bit, but he really wanted the shelves to all line up along the back. So, to do this, he simply placed the shelf frame with the back down on his workbench and, after marking the suggested distance between each one, he set the shelves in so that their backs rested on his workbench too, creating a flush back. Lastly, he attached them all to the frame with a couple of screws on each side. Here's how it all came together:          
 What do you think? I hope you are just as in love with it as I am (and I'm not just talking about the colour)! Clearly this shelf isn't just made to hold plants outside ... where could you see putting one of these to work in your home? Would you paint it a bright colour, a classic white or black, or maybe stain it? I CANNOT wait for you to see how the whole space comes together in our Outdoor Makeover Challenge!!! Follow along with me on Facebook and Instagram to catch all of my sneak peeks and be sure to check back first thing Thursday morning for the full reveal! *UPDATE: See how I put this lovely ladder shelf to work in our finished space here!*

Thanks for being here today Kristi!