Picture Frame Book Shelf

Is this a clever little project, or what?

I love to read.  Because I am a busy mom, I often read after the kids have gone to bed, and before I fall asleep - which means I keep my books by my bed. 

Usually I borrow books from the library, so I tend not to have too many at one time, but even so, I only have a tiny night stand by my bed that I have used to pile my books, lamp, phone, lotion, and a number of other things that find their way there :)

When I saw this pin on Pinterest, I think my jaw fell open a little bit.  I loved it!  So clever, so DIYable!

Lucky for me, I found this picture frame in the giveaway pile! (okay someone's garbage pile...along with some other home decor I didn't want...listen it is not as weird as it sounds!  People pick stuff up off the side of the road all the time here!) ;)

It is probably an 8x10 picture frame, wood, funky design...perfect for a bookshelf!

Using some scrap wood that I had, about 4" wide, I built a box frame the exact size needed to fit inside my picture frame.  I used wood glue and nails to put it all together, as seen below:

As you can see below, it fits perfectly inside my picture frame.

From here, I glued the box to the picture frame.  I would have used nails too, if I could have...but I couldn't get them to go in at the correct angle.  So, since I knew my books would not be resting on the frame itself, I used wood glue to attach the box and the frame, and weighed it down with some bricks until it was dry.  After all, wood glue bonds really strong, as long as it is held tightly together while it cures. 

Next, I painted it.  I could have stained the box for a natural look, but I decided to paint it.  I can always paint it a different color if I want - so I went simple black and white for now. 

I painted the whole thing white, and then taped off the inside to leave the box white and then painted the frame black:

Here it is all painted (above) and distressed a bit and sprayed with a clear coat (below).

I used 2 D Ring Hangers (click on the link to see what those are), attached to the back of the box, to hang it.  Then, I put mollies and screws into the wall to hang the D Ring Hangers on.  This method allows the box to hang flush against the wall, and it is very strong, so the books won't rip it off the wall.

I am so excited to have my books off the night stand, and in this handy frame!!  It is working great, and it looks pretty cool too.