Aw yeah, we’re living on the ledge. We’ve been waiting to hang our postcard shelves from our first house’s office for over two years and we finally found the right spot for them. Ba-dow:
We detailed the whole how-we-made-them process here (you should click that just to see how tiny Clara was) so here’s how we adapted them for this space:
- we measured how wide the dresser that would sit under them was (we thought they’d look top-heavy and odd if they were a foot longer, which they were at first)
- we lopped off the extra length on a miter saw, so they were all 2″ narrower than the dresser that sits under them
- we hung the first one (the lowest one) 16″ above the dresser after holding it up in a few different heights and deciding it looked best there (using a level to be sure it wasn’t wonky)
- we used long-ish screws (2.5″ guys) in three places to hold them nice and securely (anchors would be necessary for shelves with heavy items on them, but for small light shelves that hold small items like postcards, screws can easily do the job). Oh but we already had predrilled holes in the shelves so the screws could go right through them and hold them in place. So for more info on that click here for the full postcard-ledge-hanging rundown.
- there were some high-fives along the way
- we taped a yardstick to the wall (we used a level to be sure it was perpendicular to the floor) so we could use that as a guide to hang the left edge of all of them
- we hung each shelf on the wall with 9″ of space between each one (there was more bean-help and a few more high fives).
- we stepped back and enjoyed the view…
Then I broke out two things I’ve been hoarding saving for a nice long time.
Clara loves both of these boxes of flash cards, so I’ve been waiting not-so-patiently to hang the postcard shelves and rename them as… flash card shelves!
It’s a crazy easy way to add inexpensive art/color/interest plus there are even letters and words on them, so it’s a subtle little learning zone for Clara. She already gets a kick out of counting the number of animals on each shelf, finding specific ones that John or I call out, and even learning the first letter in many of their names (she woke up the other day and said “F is for Flamingo!” loud and proud as I lifted her out of her crib).
One more picture. Because I’m a flash card ledge fiend.
What are you guys cutting/leveling/hanging these days? Do you like to hang things from your first house in a different way or put a new twist on old art/shelves/ledges in a new space? Not gonna lie, it’s pretty fun to tweak something you already have for a whole new room and function. And I’m also pretty proud of myself for not droning on and on for once. 493 words in this post. Wooot! $herdog’s keeping it klassy koncise.
Amanda says
I adore Charlie Harper! Just FYI, he has some fun kids books too; our son (around Clara’s age) loves them!
YoungHouseLove says
We love those too!
xo,
s
Megan R says
Her room is so sweet. Lucky lady! Can’t wait to see what else is in store :)
Suzanne says
I have those Charlie Harper flash cards! I used the to spell out my daughter’s name – Caroline (luckily it doesn’t have any repeat letters!) – over her crib. I just tacked up a ribbon and hung them from clothespins. I did it the day we brought her home from the hospital and 2 years later it’s still my favorite part of her room.
YoungHouseLove says
Such a cute idea!!
xo,
s
Shelley says
Kinda like “Postcards from the Edge” starring Meryl Streep only it’s “Flashcards from the Ledge” starring Clara P
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo,
s
sandra says
nice! we have a LOOONNGG narrow hallway in our home where i’ve hung up our girls art on a line. this inspires me to take it up a notch. thanks for sharing!
Amy @ PaintWineRepeat says
Perfect! I am still trying to plan a gallery wall in my dining room… still trying to acquire just the right amount of things!
michellectrent says
Love this! And I love the idea of taping the yardstick to the wall as you are hanging them! As always, great ideas!
Debbie C says
I love those Charley Harper flash cards! I helped decorate our church nursery/playroom and to spruce up a large blank wall, I clipped these cards to twine and hung it up in three rows. It looks cute! Sadly, I don’t think they sell these flashcards anymore.
Corey Ann says
Oh this would be a brilliant way to display photos I’ve taken and/or instagrams with the ability to update at will. This is super uberly duperly awesome.
Anika says
It’s fabulous to see Clara getting involved and helping you guys with projects, especially the ones in her new room. Those are valuable life skills she’ll be able to use for years, plus I’m secretly hoping that one day your blog might include projects that are all Clara’s brainchild or that she took the lead on. Very, very cute pictures of her and John together!
Leilani says
Clara’s room has the same layout as my 6 year old daughters room, so I’ve been waiting patiently to see what you do above the dresser so I can steal your idea! Bahaha! And I love it! Just not sure if alphabet flashcards would work for a 6 yo room….off to brainstorm. Thanks for always inspiring!
anita says
Love those Charley Harper cards! I have them up in my son Charlie’s room. They look great in Clara’s soon-to-be room too! It’ll be a sad day when Charlie wants to replace them with ‘bigger boy’ stuff. Maybe my husband and I will hang ’em in our room and brush up on our ABCs.
Laura says
Love this! I was just reading that original postcard shelf post the other day, so it’s extra-cool for me to see how you repurposed it. Gotta love those early readers, too! ;)
Becky says
THAT is darn cute and a learning tool as well. Love it!
Rachael says
Love that pop of color! You guys are such an inspiration. :)
Tania says
Love this! Still SO bummed to have missed your visit to the Bay Area, our whole household was down with that massive cold that was going around, finally back to normal around here. Glad to see you enjoyed your trip!
Andrea says
High five Clara. Great job!
Justine says
This comment is totally unrelated to the post but have you seen this???
“I’m not looking to be Apartment Therapy or DesignSponge – they already do that sooo well. I aspire to be more like Young House Love. They give so much information along with a healthy dose of entertainment and always relatable.”
That come from the one and only E. Henderson (http://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/) I got all “finding the perfect thrift store furniture piece “giddy when I saw it so I thought you might too.
Oh ya and I love how Clara got involved in this project. Start em young!
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow, no way! Thanks for the heads up!
xo,
s
Amy @ a new old house says
Love these! And thanks for the tip on taping the yard stick to the wall- that’s genius!
Christina @ Homemade Ocean says
That is beyond adorable!
Caitlin says
Awww, Charley Harper is our most famous Cincinnatian! We have several framed postcards in our apartment, and a sweet big print of “vigilant vireos” that I found for 75% off and framed (with a $2 frame)!
Caitlin says
Awww, Charley Harper is our most famous Cincinnatian! We have several of his postcard prints framed throughout our apartment, and a sweet big “vigilant vireos” print that I found for 75% off framed (in a $2 frame) in the kitchen.
Gretchen@Boxy Colonial says
Love it! I am a big flashcard fan. I have a string of them (twine with clothespins) right in my dining room. And what kid room doesn’t need a little Eric Carle?
Roxie says
We built/hung the Ana White shelves from your book in our kitchen this weekend! We tweaked them a little to our liking and are in love! Lots of leveling, centering,and drilling!
Becky @ preparingforpeanut.com says
Adorable! Ethan is OBSESSED with his Eric Carle flash cards. He asks for them all the time and carries around his favorites (elephant, giraffe, and hippo, in that order) for hours. They are really great learning tools and beautiful to boot. I’ll probably be buying another set cause his are getting a little beat up.
Erin says
I ADORE those Charley Harper cards!!! I’m a huge Charley Harper nerd. I always buy myself the CH wall calendar every year to hang in my office, then I recycle my favorite prints from the calendar by framing them as wall art. And you know how you can purchase calendars for super cheap a couple of months into the new year? That makes for a primo opportunity to frame some 12×12 Charley art. I’m pretty sure I gotta get my paws on those cards for the future beans of my household.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea!
xo,
s
Meagan {Green Motherhood} says
Still loving that dresser y’all scored! (And the cute flash card shelves to go with it) I haven’t been so lucky in my hunt for a dresser for Isla June’s big girl room. One month left before I need it!
Safe travels today, Petersiks!
Heidi says
Super duper cute! I love all the colors in the postcards and that Clara got to help too. And I need to remember that yardstick trick!
mopock says
OHH OHH OHH!! Book idea! Red Ikea thingie you spray painted! So fun to see it show up in the big girl room. Yay!!
~A
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo,
s
Jessica A says
I love love the flashcard ledge! Such a fun and affordable option!
Just curious, are you going to paint the dresser? I really want to see a navy dresser :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes that’s on the agenda! We’re leaning towards navy too!
xo,
s
Rachel Debell says
so cute! by the way, I really like the dresser in the natural wood. I think it adds alot to the room. Especially with all the white and color you have going on!
Hanneke v/d Wateren says
I love these shelves, such a great way to decorate your house without it taking up a lot of space. I am pinning it as I write this, lol! Thanks for the idea! Hugs, Hanneke
Bianca says
I read back to the old post and am curious as to how you guys ended up keeping the cards from blowing around if a window was ever opened? Thanks! I love your blog :)
YoungHouseLove says
Nope! I think since they’re against the wall and in that groove it held them in place :)
xo,
s
Diana says
The shelves are great, but Clara’s high five is precious!
Lilly says
Such a cute idea, and so much less expensive than buying a bunch of prints! I love repurposing for different houses and rooms. I have a stash of a few things from a former space that we will hopefully be lacquering soon to make our own bedroom suite from some thrifted pieces.
Jillian {Her Split Ends} says
OBSESSED! So adorable…and functional. Love it love it love it. Great tip on the yard stick too!! Loved seeing your “face” in Atlanta! It was a fabulous evening!!
Cheers
~ Jillian
http://www.hersplitends.com
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re so sweet! We had so much fun with you guys!
xo,
s
Jillian {Her Split Ends} says
p.s. my friend Sarah sent you our images from the Atlanta visit {be prepared for lots of goofy faces} and i’ve got a blog post going up tomorrow!!! Next time you are in the ATL – You / Me / Katie = wine night!!
XO
~ J
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, can’t wait to see them!
xo
s
mary says
how appropriate that clara’s first home depot trip was for the very same postcard rails that she helped hang in her big girl room!
Jen says
Oh yes! They work so perfectly there! It’s so fun to think how the shelves will evolve over the years, but for now, those flashcards are just too cute! <3
It's been so fun to watch the room progress!
Emily says
I freakin’ love it. Such a cute idea and I bet Clara has so much fun with it!
P.S. – I clicked on the the post of this the last time you did it specifically to see how small Clara was, and omg I couldn’t believe it. Itty bitty!
issy says
Charley Harper is great. Had the dresser been sitting mid-wall, I could have even imagined a slightly trapezoid arrangement, with the longest shelf on top and the shortest shelf pointing to the dresser.
Darcy says
Love it! One of my favorite projects of yours. So simple and clean, yet makes such a fun, colorful and artsy wall feature.
Katherine says
I have always loved the postcard shelves so I am happy they found a spot in your new home and not in your garage sale pile. I love the new look in Clara’s room. I am curious to see where all the artwork from her current nursery will end up.. I will be staying tuned for sure.
ellis says
As a tween, I had shelves similar to this on which I lined up my dozens of nail polishes. Fun to think of Clara doing that in the future. :)
Annie says
Oh Sherry! I can’t get over that dresser.. well, the shelves are spectacular as always… but the dresser, girl! I have a side/end table that has the exact pulls and legs and the curves around the top edge- even finished in the same stain. Almost as if mine is a long lost daughter that yours unwillingly gave up for adoption many regretable years ago. If you’re desperate for a match, call me up and we can do some negotiating.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha that’s so funny!
xo,
s
Wendy @ New Moms Talk says
The teacher in me loves it! I use my walls for all of the teaching and color moments I can cram into a moment when it’s best!
Oh, and we switched over to cloth wipes to go with our upcoming arrival of bumgenius diapers (thank you for the recommendation!). We love them! Susanna loves them more!
http://www.newmomstalk.com/2013/02/11/diy-baby-wipes-and-solution
They were simple to make (thanks Mom!) and the solution, too, was so economical and healthy for our daughter!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo,
s
Colyn says
Love the look, and I assume Clara will be
using them with you and loving it. All I
can see, though, are lots of little dust
collectors. Dust dread drives my decor
choices, I’m afraid.
kat says
oooh! I’ve been looking for a place to put my daughter’s pretty flash cards, this is a great idea!
Katie says
John/Sherry, I love you guys so I am not saying this to be mean…I don’t remember if you mentioned it, but is the dresser bracketed to the wall? I only ask because I recently read this horrific story (link below) and I feel like Clara may be enticed to climb the dresser now to play with the colorful pictures on the ledge. Again, not saying this to troll; just feel obligated to put this out there. :)
http://www.meghanshope.org/
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes we’re crazy about securing dressers and even TVs, bookcases, and leaning mirrors. We get systems from amazon.com and share photos from time to time too! Such a good reminder.
xo,
s
Cassie says
Is the Charley Harper stuff from the Cincinnati Book Fesitval?! I wanted some of those so badly but only brought enough to buy your book… which then sold out :( boo for poor planning haha
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man that stinks! We actually got it as a gift from our cousin last Christmas! But maybe try amazon.com?
xo,
s
Sarah@SBrandesDesigns says
I wondered if these would make an appearance in this house. What a perfect use for them!