Why is this a Do {Stuff} Better post instead of a Make {Stuff} Better post? Because it fits in with my broader quest to incorporate storage as dually functioning as possible. Benches for tools, poufs for extra bedding, that sort of thing. Doing so maximizes your space, but I also find that it makes the accumulation of all your junk seem less...vulgar somehow. I think I'm not the only one to get that sense, which is why there's such a huge market for pretty and dual functioning storage, and why giant plastic tubs are often relegated to the garage and out of sight. Of course, sometimes a bookshelf is just a bookshelf. But sometimes -- well, sometimes it's Sweet Lou's.

We've been planning this bookshelf transformation for a while, but when my parents-in-law sent us a photo of a diner they saw on vacation in Wyoming called Sweet Lou's, the name stuck. So I finally built 'er.

Okay, "built" is a really, really strong word. This project required no tools except an optional hammer, zero skill, and moderate elbow grease. But the results are good. My little shopper/shop keeper is all over this joint. Want to try your hand at it? I promise, if you have kids or nieces or nephews or students, you won't be sorry bang-for-your-buck-wise. But fair warning: this is an image-heavy post.

Gather these supplies:

Really, even some of these are optional. You do need some form of bookshelf, cardboard for the top (foam core would work too), sticks (my dad cut this piece into four equal strips for me, but paint stirrers may work as well, if be a bit short), glue, and Command strips. Permanent mounting tape may work instead of the Command strips. I was going for completely removable - this is the homeowner's bookshelf in our furnished apartment - and easy.

Take these steps:

Step 1: Attach your command strips. I used medium regular Command strips, meant for hooks. I tried the Command hook-and-loop picture hanging strips as well, but they were completely useless - just kept coming unstuck - so I went with these adhesive strips. For strength, I used two per stick, for eight total.

Then I peeled off the other layer of backing and stuck the sticks on. Before I stuck the sticks on, I marked all four in the same place so I'd know I was attaching them at the same height.

Step 2. Now figure out your cardboard. I almost got really lucky and had a piece the exact width I needed, but almost only counts in certain situations. In this situation, I cut a piece just a bit wider than the width of the sticks, which I guess we can now start calling "awning supports." Then I bent it where I wanted it bent, roughly, to fall along the back of the shelf. You could also just cut a piece the width and depth of the area your sticks create and leave the area underneath the awning backless. I went back and forth, but in the end decided I wanted the top to have a back.

Now it's time to paper. Again, this is optional. You could rock the cardboard plain, and I assure you, your kid wouldn't care. But I figured I'd go whole hog. I lined the bookshelf part of the cardboard that was going to be the back of the awning with navy striped removable wallpaper. It's from Target, for I think $30 a roll. I got it at Goodwill for $15.

For the inside "ceiling," I didn't want to waste the striped paper, and I was running low anyway, so I used white contact paper I had on hand (again from Goodwill, for I think $4). I ended up being pleased with the white ceiling under the awning, so that all worked out.

Then I flipped it over and covered the outside top - the awning, if you will - with more striped paper. I left the back bare.

Now it was time to attach it to the bookshelf. You can see in the picture above that there's a lip of excess contact paper around the edge. That's actually deliberate. I find it's really hard to cut a straight line in cardboard (especially since I couldn't find my xacto knife and had to use scissors). By leaving this lip, I can trim the paper so it looks a bit neater. I backed the sticky stuff with scraps of the backing it came on.

Anyway, for connecting the awning to the self, I decided on two tiny brad nails through the cardboard and into the shelf. They won't hurt the shelf, and it's more secure, I thought, than my other non-damaging options, which were pretty much just duct tape.

For the top, I just hot glued the awning to the tops of the sticks, thusly:

The awning looks pretty bubbly here, but it all worked itself out once it was glued down. I held it down myself til I thought it was pretty stable. I though balancing heavy books on it would be an unnecessary test of my mad carpentry skills.

Last of all, I took scrap wall paper and traced a bowl to cut rounded edges. I taped these up on the backside of the lip in front, to create that authentic scalloped awning feel we're all searching for.

I was really hoping Lou would love this. She loves to play store and kitchen and ice cream parlor and coffee shop, so I figured we'd roll it all into one. And no tears this time! She really, really does love it. She requested the open/closed sign (it hangs on a magnetic hook and flips, of course) and we're working on menus. When we're playing, the cash register comes down and rests on her migrant side table; it has a nice spot on the shelf when we're all done.

I could not be happier with this project. Because Lou's so into it, we had all this stuff to store anyway. Why not make them into a little market she can peruse to her heart's content? I may still label a few things, trim the top edge of the awning, and possibly replace the dollar store shelf extenders (those green things) with more rustic wooden boxes like the few you see here, which I've hoarded over the years. In fact, one of them was a table topper at our wedding!

Or maybe not. We'll see.

I'll do a post on Lou's kitchen, which my dad built for her last Christmas, muy pronto, swear. In the meantime, what clever kids' storage solutions are you working on? Thanks for stopping by!