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You are here: Home / Create / Art Projects / Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

October 14, 2012 By Chelsey 26 Comments

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

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Have you seen all the cool ways people are using the IKEA spice racks as bookshelves? I found so many fun examples on Pinterest and just had to get some for our house too. I love the size~ they aren’t overbearing and hold a decent amount of books. And I love that they can display the front covers of the books~ so much more inviting for little readers. Best of all, they are natural wood which looks nice on it’s own or lends itself to so many ways to be decorated.

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

I decided to leave our first set as natural and hung them by our nature table in our main living room. We had been keeping our seasonal books in a basket near the nature table, but this is so much more welcoming.

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

The second set was destined for Lucy’s room. She’s been in desperate need of a place to keep books in her bedroom, and this seemed perfect. I thought it would be fun for her to be active in every part of the project to really encourage her pride and ownership and to just have fun!

So, step one was building the shelf. Lucy was able to have her first experience building an Ikea item with the help of her dad (and baby brother). She loved it!

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

Then we had to decide how to decorate them. We had some leftover non-toxic paint we had used to paint Lucy’s bedroom furniture. I thought it would be perfect to paint the shelves the same white to match her furniture and then, later,  let her paint her own designs on them. Here she is getting the first coat of white on the shelves. (I had to do a little smoothing later on~she really lathered on that paint!)

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

The next week we got out some paints and set up a painting area on the kitchen table. I put out all the materials she would need and let her begin painting.

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

The first day she painted two and half of the shelves, but then got tired. Here was her progress at that point~

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

The next day she finished the remaining shelves. I sprayed a few coats of an acrylic sealer over them to keep the paint from chipping.

Finally done and reading to be hung!

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

We hung the first two shelves in her reading corner, right above her beanbag chair. The second pair were hung near the doorway. 

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks 

I think they look absolutely adorable in her room. And, best of all,  she is so excited that she created them all herself!

Art Projects for Kids: Ikea Bookshelf from Spice Racks

 

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Filed Under: Art Projects, Tutorials Tagged With: art for kids, Ikea, tutorials

« Learning to Read Series: Part 3- Following Your Child’s Lead
Fun Visit to Daddy’s 4th Grade Classroom »

Comments

  1. What Do We Do All Day? says

    October 16, 2012 at 12:32 am

    What a great idea! Thanks for linking up to The Children’s Bookshelf.

    Reply
  2. sustainablemum says

    October 16, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    They look great!

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 17, 2012 at 2:21 pm

      Thank you! She was so proud of them!

      Reply
  3. Angela says

    October 16, 2012 at 10:35 pm

    Great project! Definitely going to have to make some to go by our nature table.

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 17, 2012 at 2:21 pm

      It was definitely a fun project! I love having some right by the nature table~ wish I had done that sooner.

      Reply
  4. We Play in Pa says

    October 19, 2012 at 4:13 am

    They look great – love the idea to have the kids paint them!

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 19, 2012 at 9:37 pm

      Thank you! I know Lucy really enjoyed it and is so proud. She shows everyone her shelves now when they come over!

      Reply
  5. Leanne says

    October 19, 2012 at 6:08 am

    What a great idea and creative way to have the kids be involved in organizing their books!
    mommytheliteracymaster.blogspot.com

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 19, 2012 at 9:38 pm

      Thank you! It really has helped with book organization. Lucy loves knowing where the books go~ it makes cleaning up so much easier!

      Reply
  6. Hannah says

    October 19, 2012 at 6:31 am

    We live 2.5 hours from Ikea and only manage to get there 2X a year.. last time they had NO spice racks (darn that Pinterest lol) But one day I WILL have these cute bookslelves! Well done on letting your child decorate her own!!

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 19, 2012 at 9:39 pm

      That is exactly what happened to me (although we are only 1.5 hours away.) Made the drive and all the spice racks were gone. So bummed. But, second time was a charm for us. I will keep my fingers crossed for you! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Natalie Buehler (@Marigoldsloft) says

    October 21, 2012 at 12:52 am

    That is such an awesome idea, absolutely love it!
    Thanks for sharing on Tutorial Thursdays, much appreciated.
    x
    Natalie
    http://www.marigoldsloft.blogspot.com

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 21, 2012 at 12:07 pm

      Thanks, Natalie!

      Reply
  8. Jackie Small (@littlebookcase) says

    October 21, 2012 at 3:53 am

    So, so, so wonderful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen these spice racks used as bookshelves but never have I seen kids paint their own- I just love it…..and will be kindly ‘borrowing’ the idea.

    I’ll also feature this on my Children’s Bookshelf round-up tomorrow. Look out for it on mylittlebookcase.com.au

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 21, 2012 at 12:08 pm

      Thank you so much, Jackie! So grateful to be featured. I would love to see how yours turn out~ art by kids is always so fun!

      Reply
  9. Jamie J says

    October 21, 2012 at 5:48 am

    I love that you let your kids paint their own book shelves! And the shelves themselves look like they would be the perfect size for a bedroom – not too cluttered. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 21, 2012 at 12:10 pm

      Thanks, Jamie! They did turn out to fit just perfectly in her bedroom, and any time you can get storage going on a wall of a small room, that’s a plus!

      Reply
  10. Robyn says

    October 22, 2012 at 6:52 pm

    Your bookshelves are fantastic! Beautifully done- so so cool to hand the artistic ownership over to your daughter. I love it!

    Reply
    • buggy & buddy says

      October 22, 2012 at 10:21 pm

      Thank you so much, Robyn! It was so fun to watch how much she enjoyed it every step of the way!

      Reply
  11. Carrie says

    October 25, 2012 at 8:31 am

    Oh, how beautiful!! I love it! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!

    Reply
  12. Christy says

    October 28, 2012 at 5:10 pm

    This is so adorable. My kids have made their own artwork for their walls, but I never thought about painting other things. Thanks for the idea. I hope we see you this week at tip-toe thru tuesday!

    Reply
  13. enchantedhomeschoolingmom says

    October 28, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    The shelves turned out so beautifully! I love the colors and different looking patterns/textures. What child wouldn’t find those shelves inviting to grab a book to read! Thanks for linking up this week to my Enchanted Thursdays Blog hop!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Learning to Read Series: Part 5- Maintaining Interest in Books | Buggy and Buddy says:
    October 30, 2012 at 6:03 am

    […] 2. Change your books around. You don’t need to constantly be buying new books, even just moving your current books to new places can reignite your child’s interest in long, forgotten books. We have a few places in the house where we keep books~ a basket in the family room, shelves in Lucy’s room and […]

    Reply
  2. Our Favorite Christmas Books | Buggy and Buddy says:
    February 6, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    […] in these previous posts~   1. Our Favorite Books to Read Year Round 2. Learning to Read 3. Bookshelves from IKEA Spice Racks /* .gplus #___plusone_0, .gplus #___plusone_1,.gplus #___plusone_2, .gplus #___plusone_3, […]

    Reply
  3. Our Favorite Children’s Winter Books {book sets} | Buggy and Buddy says:
    February 6, 2013 at 3:13 pm

    […] in these previous posts~   1. Our Favorite Books to Read Year Round 2. Learning to Read 3. Bookshelves from IKEA Spice Racks 4. Homemade Felt Boards and Stories 5. Our Favorite Christmas Books /* .gplus […]

    Reply
  4. A Christmas Reading Corner | My Little Bookcase says:
    November 20, 2013 at 8:34 pm

    […] a year ago, I saw these kid-painted bookshelves on Buggy and Buddy and featured them on My Little Bookcase. I loved the idea so much, and immediately dashed to Ikea […]

    Reply

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Welcome to Buggy and Buddy! I'm Chelsey, a former teacher and parent living on the central coast of California. I love sharing crafts, science, STEM and STEAM activities, free printables and more! Read More…

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