Super Mario Brothers Cabinet

the original idea i saw

one idea i found

I have been depressed since Christmas.  It's been a real downer.  I spent days in bed when the kids weren't home.  But I saw some ideas online for a Super Mario Bros themed cat tunnel and thought, 'hey!  i can do that!' Keep in mind I have zero construction experience that doesn't rely heavily on the husband for all the planning, measuring, cutting, counting, and putting together.  Together, we have built a bathroom from scratch, built a bunk bed with trundle bed underneath, and a few other things here and there, too small to remember.  I have always been Little Miss Goofy And Cute, making jokes and keeping the Man on point, because he is lazy and slow a lot.

So I looked at a couple of ideas online.  And decided I would mash them together to get what I wanted.  Not a lot of people have made these shelves, surprisingly.

My Cart Of Goodies

So I went to the Lowe's, in a grungy shirt and jeans, looking ever so much like a hard-core Weekend Warrior.  I hadn't drawn up a plan, but I had the idea in my head, so I went through the aisles and dragged sheets of MDF onto my cart, then  1"x2"x6' pine boards.  I perused the aisle with all the cabinet hardware and chose some neat hinges.  Then I got stuck in the screw and nail aisle for, like, a half hour because I had NO IDEA what sort of screws to use with MDF.  It's not wood, it's not metal, and it's not plastic or drywall.  But, since I was using Pine, I decided to use wood screws and coat them with wood glue to make them stick in the MDF portions better (according to one of many websites I scoured while in said aisle, so as not too appear to be a damsel in distress).

I walked out of the Lowe's feeling pleased with myself.  I had paint, wood, fiberboard, hinges....I was going to Master This Thing and be Done By Tomorrow!  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  I did mention I had no idea what I was doing, right?  And to make matters worse, when putting the MDF into the back of Tom Baker, the Ford Focus I was driving, I broke a nail.  YES.  I broke.  A.  Nail!  The horror.  But because I am a pretty easy going person, I knew I would break more and so I have yet to get it fixed.

SO!  I get home, unload everything, and get to drawing a plan.  Because *after* you buy the materials, you should draw up a schematic.  Like Austin Powers, I, too, like to live dangerously.  If you actually look at the picture, and understand it, you will see I have no idea what the fuck I am doing, and I would be better off throwing a bunch of things together and using Duct Tape.  But somehow, I could read it and figure it out.

what the ever loving fuck was i thinking?!?

I decided to build the frame first.  it was pretty easy.  I cut a bunch of the pine and screwed it all together.  I channeled my memories of the Man to be smart enough to drill pilot holes first, but initially I used too small of a bit and broke it off inside the wood.  There it shall stay.  I informed the Man, and he said it's ok.  He has a lot of bits.  It's true.  He hoards tools and bits and things.  Then, because I am a proactive, forward thinker, I realized the frame would be visible and needed a coat of paint.  Go Me!  So now it looks like this:

Feeling proud of myself, I borrowed a circular saw from the neighbor.  It's old, rusty, and held together with duct tape and electrical tape, but I saw no sparks and so I pressed on, cutting sheet after sheet of MDF down to my dimensions. Every piece was a different size, but it was all Close Enough.  

Trading one piece for another, I laid them all out and decided where they were to go.  Then labeled them as bricks or the Mystery Box. And I taped the brick areas so I could paint easier.