Brix a-Bargeldin'

Here's a little refresher on how to build your own shelf-on-a-shelf, for little to no cost!

1. You will need 4 bricks and something you can use as a shelf surface.  I used a wire shelf that I found on the sidewalk.  You can also use a narrow plywood board or a spare laminated shelf from an old bookcase.  My bricks came from Home Depot and were only .29 each!

2. Place the bricks so that they are standing tall and parallel to each other.  I put two against the closet wall for some added support, but you don't need a wall there.

3. Put your shelf on top, and position the last bricks so that they hold up the corners.  Put your stuff above and underneath!

This is a fairly sturdy way to get a little more storage and keep your piles of things in check.  Keep the length of your shelf under 36" to prevent it from bowing under the weight of whatever is on top.

I'm re-reading Patti Smith's autobiographical book Just Kids.  Every artist needs to read this book.  It's kind of a reprieve from the slew of fraught parent-child relationship nonfiction I've been working on these past few months.  Like Running With Scissors.  I wish I had the chance to see Augusten Burroughs read live at Powells, but I was busy that night, alas.