DIY Hexagon Popsicle Shelf | Fox Den Feature

Hi friends,

Eeeek! I am so, so, SO excited for today’s post! I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I’d be taking the majority of the summer off from blogging but that I’d be starting a new series where I would showcase some lovely and awesome bloggers through an interview and a guest post. Well, today is the first installment in this (hopefully long running) series!

I am thrilled to introduce to you today Ivy from Perfectly Ambitious! Ivy and I met through a blogging webinar and then spoke on a Facebook group for bloggers. When I mentioned my new series to her, she loved the idea and we decided to collaborate! :)

Alright, that’s enough chit chat from me. Let’s meet Ivy!

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Inside the Fox Den: Describe your blog in 2 sentences.

Perfectly Ambitious: Perfectly Ambitious is a lifestyle blog dedicated to living, creating, and encouraging others to be perfectly ambitious. I write about the things that I love and how being a spoonie affects those parts of my life.

ITFD: When did you start blogging and what made you want to get into it?

PA: It’s a funny story. I actually had a blog a few years ago, but it failed miserably! I just didn’t have the time or motivation to keep it going. This year I was diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses and I had to quit school and my job. That left me with a lot of free time and I decided that I wanted to start another blog. I decided that I didn’t just want to use it for fun, but I actually wanted to use my blog to educate others about the spoonie community in an effort to end the stigma towards mental and physical illnesses.

ITFD: What’s your favorite blog post / project that you’ve created?

PA: That’s a really hard question. There are so many posts that I’ve written that I’m incredibly passionate about. I think my favorite “series” though would have to be my Spoonie Saturday posts, which you can find here.

ITFD: What’s your favorite social media channel and why?

PA: Instagram, no question about it! I was once a photographer, so I absolutely love taking pictures. I also just appreciate the community of people that I’ve met over instagram. I really like the fact that I’m able to easily engage in conversations with other bloggers and followers. Not only that, but I can also get a peek into their life through their profile too.

ITFD: What is your must have blogging resource?

PA: Facebook, definitely! It has been such a great resource being able to meet so many other bloggers through various groups. I have met so many wonderful people and I’ve learned so much in the process. I actually enjoy the groups so much that I started my own named Perfectly Ambitious Bloggers!

ITFD: What is your biggest blogging pet peeve?

PA: It might sound crazy, but it really bothers me when blogs don’t use the “read more” feature. I like being able to pick and choose which blog posts that I want to read instead of scrolling through them all. Part of this is also because the scrolling tends to give me migraines.

ITFD: What’s a fun thing you do when you’re not blogging?

PA: To be honest, I don’t really do much. If I’m not working from home, then I’m probably just lounging around with my fur babies :) My husband and I have two kittens and we brought home a six week old puppy last night!

ITFD: How would you describe your personal aesthetic or style?

PA: Even though I’m a perfectionist, I do have a very simple style. I love neutrals and I usually don’t stray from them. You won’t find a lot of color in my wardrobe, on my blog, or in my house; I tend to stick to black, white, and blue.

ITFD: What’s one thing on your bucket list?

PA: To finish and publish my novel! I’ve written 4/31 chapters and I can’t wait to finish it! I’ve completed Camp NaNoWriMo in April 2016 and I’ll be doing it again in July. I’m hoping to hit 25,000 words this time and if I do, I’ll be about a quarter way done with my first draft!

ITFD: If you were a box of cereal, what kind would you be and why?

PA: Froot Loops with Marshmallows – I eat them every morning for breakfast. Honestly, I’m still a kid at heart. My husband have a closet full of board games and puzzles. Plus, we play wii and gamecube together and we still color in kids coloring books. Not to mention, I have a major sweet tooth and this has got to be one of the most sugary cereals :)

ITFD: What is the funniest thing that’s happened to you recently?

PA: This is actually a really hard question. I don’t have a lot of funny or embarrassing moments really, or at least not lately. Now that I think of it though, after I had my right heart catheterization at the hospital, I was still pretty drugged up. One of the nurses helped me up and into the bathroom, then asked me if I was ready, and my response was “ready for what?” It hadn’t even occurred to me that she took me to the restroom to go to the bathroom.

ITFD: What are you currently jamming out to?

PA: Country, all day every day! I am a huge country fan. Three of the programmed stations in my car are country and if I’m working in my office, I always have a country station playing on Pandora. I’ve also seen over 50 country artists in concert!

ITFD: What is your favorite store to shop for home goods?

PA: Anytime I need new clothes or home decor, I go to the large shopping center in town and always in this order: Ross, Marshall, and then Target. If I don’t come up with anything, then I’ll start looking online. Otherwise, I’ll attempt the DIY approach!

ITFD: What words of wisdom would you give to newbie bloggers?

PA: Don’t compare yourself or your blog to anyone! I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s such an important thing to remember. Everyone is on a different path and there is no way for us to know what each entails. I might have more pageviews than a blog that’s been running longer, but I also don’t have a full-time job or school to deal with. However, no one would know that just from looking at my blog stats. It’s also possible that you could be comparing yourself to someone with ten years experience and that isn’t fair to you either. The only person that you should be comparing yourself to is yourself. Track your stats and accomplishments and watch yourself improve. That is the best type of comparison that you can make.

ITFD: What do you hope to accomplish (blog or personal wise) in the next year?

PA: When it comes to my blog, I hope to see some income by the end of the year. I would love to be able to make a living doing something that I’m passionate about. I would also love to host a blogger meetup with some of the members of Perfectly Ambitious Bloggers. When it comes to my personal life, I hope that my doctors and I are closer to finding my final diagnosis. That way I’ll finally be able to begin the treatments that I need, which will hopefully lead to a happier and healthier me!

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As some of you might already know, my husband and I bought our first house in April! It was a major step for us since we move around so much with the military. It’s three bedroom/two bathroom and it is so different living in a house! We have only ever lived in small apartments before, so we have never really needed home decor. Now that we have an extra room and a bunch of new wall space, I’ve been DIY-ing like crazy!

I’ve been thinking of how we can best organize and decorate each wall in the house, but I have had no clue what to do with the one between our front door and our living room window.   It’s an awkward space because our couch covers most of the bottom part, but it’s also really tall because of the way our ceiling was built. Right now the only thing on it is the box that connects to the doorbell. So I, like all DIY-ers, began searching Pinterest for ideas. That’s when I found the tutorial for the Make & Do Crew’s hexagon shelf.

I was going to follow along with their tutorial, but it looked like they used regular popsicle sticks. The location I want to use the shelf in is pretty big, so I decided I was going to make the shelf a little bigger using jumbo popsicle sticks. The instructions are essentially the same, but the template and end result are different.

Supplies Needed

• jumbo popsicle sticks (Approximately 100)
• wood glue or tacky glue
• wood stain
• paint brush
• Hexagon template (Free download here)

Instructions

1. Print out the hexagon template and tape it together. You will want to make sure that it lines up correctly and each side has the same measurements.

2. Lay three jumbo popsicle sticks on the shelf template: one on top and two on either sides of the bottom edge. Then add glue to the tops of those popsicle sticks.

3. Complete the hexagon by adding three more Jumbo popsicle sticks. You will want to hold pressure to allow the popsicles sticks to stick together. You will also want to double check that your project lines up with the template.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3. I suggest only adding glue for one popsicle stick at a time, that way you can hold pressure and allow it to dry without the other glue drying too fast. Once your shelf has reached your desired depth, let it sit in order to make sure that the glue dries completely. I made my shelf 16 popsicle sticks high and let it dry overnight.

5. Once your glue has dried, you will want to stain your popsicle shelf. Before getting started, I tested my stain on a leftover popsicle to make sure that it was the color that I wanted. After it dried, I began applying the stain to the actual popsicle shelf. You will want to make sure that you try to get stain in between each and every popsicle stick.

Note: When staining your shelf I suggest following this order: inside edges, outside edges, and then the front. Staining the back of your shelf is optional as it will be against the wall. 

6. After you have finished coating your shelf in wood stain, let it dry. Each stain is different so make sure that you refer back to the instructions on the label for your wood stain. My container said that one coat dries in an hour, but I let it sit longer just to be safe.

7. Display your new shelf on the wall, resting on two nails, and decorate it to your heart’s content!

There are so many wonderful ways that you could personalize this hexagon shelf. You get to choose your stain or paint and all of the pretty decorations. I opted to feature a faux succulent, but I will most likely trade items in and out with each season and holiday!

The best part about these shelves is their adjustability. You can easily move them from wall to wall if you’d like. They aren’t drilled into the wall, so you can take them down or just shift them over to display a collection of popsicle shelves!

How are you decorating your home this summer? Let me know in the comments!

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Yinz know how I feel about anything hexagon shaped so needless to say I am OBSESSED with this DIY and am going to be making a hexagon popsicle shelf for a gallery wall ASAP.

A HUGE thanks to Ivy for sharing this awesome DIY Hexagon Popsicle Shelf tutorial with us all today! She’s been a fantastic guest blogger. If you have any interest in becoming a guest blogger for the Fox Den readers, you can find out more information here.

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