Woo! Time for the unveiling!
and now it's time to share it with the Wide, Wide World of Web!
....drumroll...
I give you,
the Little Free Library!
Isn't it awesome?
I read about the Little Free Library movement in the LA Times last summer,
and vowed to make one for myself.
I love, love love sharing books,
and thought building my own box would be a piece of cake.
(Spoiler alert...
... it was NOT a piece of cake.)
My woodworking skills are rudimentary at best,
and mistakes were definitely made.
But after a month of Sundays,
it looked like I was finished.
EXCEPT...
ARGH!!!
Anything bigger than a paperback wouldn't fit!
So I went back to work, adding another story.
I learned a few things from the first go around, such as:
mark a channel, instead of a single line, for cutting,
so that the end results will be more accurate.
And, use one of those L-shaped thingies to keep things lined up
while attaching them together.
Also, pony up the freakin' $30 for a power screwdriver,
instead of laboriously doing forty-eleven screws manually.
So after another month of Sundays,
my fine Little Free Library was ready to take out to the sidewalk.
Do you see what I used for the roof?
CDs!
The idea literally came to me in a dream.
I originally was going to do the library in soft, ocean shades,
and shingle the roof with river rocks.
But once I got the painting done,
I realized that while the rocks may have worked with the Shaker-like simplicity
of the boxes offered on the Little Free Library site...
... my color choices were just too Afro-Circus
for anything but an unconventional roof.
Afro! Circus! Afro!
Polka-dot, Polka-dot, Polka-dot! Afro!
So if you're in Simi Valley, California, stop on by!
I'm on the map!
You'll be able to check out books
with a "no-shush" guarantee.
This is LITERALLY the coolest thing that I have ever seen. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Floozy! :)
DeleteYou are so crafty! This is awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Scott! I haven't heard from the Acorn yet, but I hope I do!
DeleteYou might think you're ready to see the mini-library. But then you do. And you think "I should take a book" but it's Just So Damn Cute, and so I didn't take a book.
ReplyDeleteAw, there's always next time! The Little Free Library is open 24/7!
DeleteWhat a great idea!
ReplyDeleteAnd, it looks great!
Thanks, Gina!
DeleteOh you fabulous book person! That library is AWESOME!! I am so impressed with your presentation on the blog, too. What a great idea for the roof, and I LOVE the bright colors...it will make people come close to take a peek at "what is that?"
ReplyDeleteBeth, you are totally cool!
I'm really glad I went with the bright colors, too! It definitely catches the eye!
DeleteAre you willing to share more of your actual building plans? I don't really even know where to start. We have tools, but I am a novice with wood working. I would love to know sizes, kind of wood and how to put the corners together. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAw, Mika, I wish I could help ... but I really just winged it, and I think I threw away any of my notes. BUT! At the Little Free Library site, they have free plans, with tutorials and videos: http://littlefreelibrary.org/builders/
DeleteGood luck!