The Hand Me Down House: Dressing Up a Boring Shelf

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Let me start by telling you....I LOVE TARGET! And because we're Target-Loving people, we have a decent amount of furniture from the bulls-eye store. And don't get me wrong, I LOVE it; but sometimes I get a little bored with the plain-jane look of it.

Case in point, exhibit one. We've had this shelf for a few years - and like most of our Target furnishings I'm sure we got it on clearance for some ridiculously low price:

BO-RING!

Well first things first -- I removed the cardboard backing

The next thing I did was take some of my Mod Podge (yes, this has become an obsession) and Mod Podged some lovely scrapbook paper on the cardboard. I thought about this afterward, and you could just cover the whole back cardboard with a nice fabric -- it probably would have been easier, cleaner and there wouldn't be any seems....but a good idea too late for me, so we used scrapbook paper.

I liked the look of it, but I wanted to spruce up my shelf even more. Wouldn't some glass doors look elegant?? Well I thought so too. :)

Now, I will preface this with some encouragement; don't be scared of cutting your own glass panels. It's easier than you'd think. I put this project off for a few weeks because I was so unsure of how to do it and so worried I would do it wrong. Well I successfully cut my glass panels - and believe me, if I can do it without slicing up a finger or breaking glass all over the place -- so can you!!

The first (and most important part) was to measure my shelf. I'm no math buff, but see if you can follow my logic of how to measure and calculate the size of my glass.

1. Measure the width of your shelf from inside the edges - so you are measuring the open space inside the shelf (mine was 26")

2. Divide the number in half (mine would be 13") - this is the width of each door

3. Now take the number from #2 and subtract double the width of your trim. (I used 2" trim so I would take 13 - 4 = 9") This is for the trim on either side of the glass.

4. Add 2" to the total for #3 (mine would be 11") - this is for the ledge that the glass rests on - this is the width of your glass.

Now to measure for the length:

1. Measure the length you want your doors to be. (Mine was 38")

2. Subtract double the amount of your trim (I used the 2" trim so it would be 38 - 4" = 34")

3. Then add 2" for the lip where the glass will rest (for me it would be 34 + 2 = 36")

So I needed to cut my two glass panels at 36 x 11.

So I went to the hardware store and bought two glass panels (they happened to come in a 36" length -- LUCKY ME!!). The panels were around $7.00 a piece.

I then bought a glass cutting kit (around $11.00).

Read the instructions - and then follow them to cut the glass -- easy as that! I measured my new width and marked it out on the glass panel with the special pencil in the kit.

Then I took the little cutting tool that came with it and dipped it in the glass cutting oil.

Next I scored the glass along my line I drew. NOTE: I had the glass laying on a soft plush blanket to protect the glass. I also had to press REALLY hard to score the glass.

Once it is scored, you can gently press the glass down over a ledge to break off the peice you cut. It should break in one smooth peice.

It's easier than it sounds -- I promise!

Well now that we have our glass it's time to make the doors and cut the trim to lay the glass in.

I took a 1/4" piece of plywood and used a jigsaw to cut out a rectangle. Think of it like cutting a picture frame out. You want an opening that is just lightly bigger than your glass pieces with a 1" to 2" frame around the opening.

First I drew out a rectangle (I traced my glass pieces for accuracy). I then drilled a hole in the corners of each rectangle so I could get my jigsaw started.

Then I cut out my rectangle frames.

Then I attached (by nailing and gluing) the trim on my to my frames. You will want the trim to stick out beyond the inside of your frame (this is where your glass will lay.