DIY Pebble Shelf (Craft Post!)

Have you ever dug through a jar of beads, or marbles, or polished stones? To me, it feels sort of soothing. Something about the texture and weight and repetition of so many small objects falling through my fingers is interesting.

I decided to take that fascination and make it into something nice to look at. Having stockpiled bags of garden pebbles, I finally put them to good use. I made this pebble shelf for my apartment bathroom to complement the earthy feel. I've seen it done with river stones, so why not pebbles?

Supplies:

• Placemat (or shelf liner)
• Pebbles (or river stones)
• E6000 glue
• TIME

This craft is inexpensive but somewhat time consuming. First, I measured the shelf I needed to cover and cut my placemat to match. Then, using all of my patience, I began gluing small patches of stones in a mosaic pattern. Working outward from the center is easiest if you are constrained to a very specific final size, as I was. 

Just FYI, there is a 5 lb and a 1 lb bag of stones pictured here, and that is WAY more than I needed. What else can I coat in pebbles? Hmm...



I definitely used too much glue at the outset, but rationed it more appropriately as I got more comfortable working with the stones. When I reached the edges, I ran my palm over the mat and pushed down gently where any stones were skewed. This allowed them to shift into place and fill the gaps. After 24 hours, I did the same thing to see which stones were loose and finished gluing them down. 

If there is anything to be said for my crafting style, it is that I am not the most patient DIYer. I rarely let things dry, then curse to myself when they have fingerprints on them. In this instance, I should have painted those white spots on the placemat black before I started. Instead, I had an idea in my head and I needed to get it out and get it down on paper (or placemat, rather). But you know what? I'm alright with that. I'm my own toughest critic, and ten to one a normal person won't be looking for those little imperfections. And maybe some day I'll sharpie the remaining spots black, but for now, it's fine by me. Hope you like it!

Sharing with: Inspire Me Monday - Around the Table - Raising Imperfection