Inspired by Ballard Designs again!

So you remember this cutie little table I picked up made my sister get from the neighbor's trash? Yeah, she still takes a lot of credit for this beaut:
I mentioned then I had a Ballard project in mind for above this table to replace the art I had on the wall. I saw these in the catalog the day before I finished up that table and knew they MUST BE MINE:I knew as soon as I saw them they would be perfect for that wall, and I also knew they would be easy and cheap to do on my own. I like easy and cheap.

I've had the materials for this project for ohhh...ummm...a MONTH, maybe more? And then I saw Traci had done them as well and that was the inspiration I needed to get my booty movin'.

I started with my main materials -- I used eight inch wide boards and chair rail for the trim around the shelf:
My table is only two feet wide, so I wanted them to be a bit smaller and got them cut at 19" long. The piece of wood was less than $4.

I started measuring and cutting the trim to figure out the cuts: At first I was using my miter box, and then remembered I AM WOMAN and went right for the compound miter saw instead. Either way works!

The next step was to yell a bit, (maybe) cuss a little, and stomp my feet because I measured wrong and ended up running out of my trim. Instead of another trip to Lowe's (it was nap time so I was stuck anyway), I used some trim I had already purchased for another project.

You have to cut the trim at a 45 degree angle so they meet up at the corners. I used my nail gun to attach them but you can easily use finishing nails:

Isn't that trim GORG?

When done, this is what you'll get:

I got my corbels from Home Depot -- they have a much better selection than Lowe's. I got my corbels for the kitchen island from there too.

To install them, I measured where I wanted them each to go underneath:

Then used heavy duty glue to put them on:

I popped in a few nails to secure them while the glue set, but again, this is not necessary.

I chose big, fat corbels cause I like 'em big. I like 'em chunky. (Just like Rebecca does. Oh yeah.)

Then I used my one dollar glossy black spray paint and sprayed them within an inch of their lives:

It took me a whole day to accessorize them to my liking but I think I'm finally happy:

WAIT.

Now I'm happy:
The lamp cord is (mostly) covered. I can breathe.

We don't have a ton of surfaces for accessories -- I mean, I have plenty, but I always wanted something else to spruce up, especially during the holidays. These will be so fun to experiment with!

Because I got the big and chunky corbels ($9 each) the whole project was about $48. If you use smaller corbels, you could get this done for less than $40 easy. Oh yeah, did I mention Ballard's version is $80 for ONE of the smallest shelves? Ummmmkay.

Accessorizing is something I struggle with -- it takes me awhile to get the tchotchkes how I want them. Later this weekend I'll show you the process I went through with these shelves and a few tricks I've learned along the way.

Oh yeah, and next week, to celebrate my one meeeeeeeeeeeeellionth "hit" I'm going to share everything I have learned about blogging. I get so many questions asking for advice and I think this will be a helpful post. To celebrate, I have a small giveaway for one of you as well. :)

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Update! Traci gave a great tutorial here! And Jen did one here too!! FAB! I love seeing all these miter boxes out there!!