Whimsical Shelf

This is a quick and easy project.

1. Make a shallow box shelf. I used 1x4 poplar (of course that's really 3/4" x 3 1/2"). 
2. Nail a 1/4" plywood back on it. 
3. Trace the outline of the shelf onto a large scrap of particle board. 
4. Sketch some crazy design, making sure all edges of the shelf are hidden.
5. Use a jigsaw to cut the design out.
6. Rout the edges so they're rounded
7. Apply sanding sealer.
8. Paint. I used lavender for the shelves and purple for the splash.
9. Fasten the shelves to the splash.
10. Hang. 

Here's what it looks like before painting.  As you can see I screwed up and glued it together before deciding to paint contrasting colors. Whoops!