Make this simple bear shelf and bear chair and create a sweet reading nook for the toddler in your life.
I don’t have a toddler (sniff, sniff) but I do have a friend with a new baby which was excuse enough to create a couple of little decor pieces for his bedroom.
Yeah, I’m pushy – decorating someone else’s child’s bedroom. lol
I’ve actually had both the bear shelf and the bear stool completed for months now, so I’ll share the project, but if you want exact measurements and build instructions, you’ll have to shoot me a comment on this post so I can measure and rebuild.
What I can tell you is that both the bear shelf and the bear stool were made from scrap wood.
Seriously – I determined their sizing based on (1) the size of a tiny bum and (2) the size of the wood scraps I had in my She-shop (aka garage).
I used a jig saw to cut the rounded head and ears on the shelf then used L-brackets and wood glue to attach the shelf section to the backing.
When you are cutting the backing for your bear shelf, make sure that your face section is above the tallest book you plan to put on the shelf or else you won’t be able to see it once the books are on it.
The bear backing was painted with Rust-Oleum’s Universal enamel paint in cobalt blue. It’s not supposed to be a metallic finish, but it does have a hint of metallic in it – kind of like car paint. REALLY beautiful!
The bear stool / bear chair was made with 3 scrap pieces of 2″x 2″ cut at a slight angle on either end so that the legs splay slightly and give the seat more stability. The seat itself is a 2″ x 12″ board cut with a jig saw into a semi-circle shape.
The ears were added on last and they are small scrap pieces of 2″ thick wood that I cut into circles (with one flat edge) – again, with the jig saw.
My artistic talent leaves a bit to be desired, but I think the bear shelf and the bear chair turned out pretty cute?
Set these up in a corner of a toddler’s room for a little reading nook.
It also gave me the chance to pull out some of my girls little keepsakes. I sewed the owls for them when they were toddlers and the books I kept because they were ones we read together over and over (and over again).
I’m crazy for that stuffed bear. He was a gift to my oldest (now 14) when she was a baby, but I loved it so much I never let her play with it.
I know, I’m a terrible Mom!
But look at that face!
The bear stool / bear chair is meant for bare butts. lol Although I did have a 9 year old over recently that used it as a stool to reach something, so it’s quite sturdy.
My uterus is seriously aching – I miss the baby days SOOO much!
Clearly I’ve blocked out sleeplessness, crying, diapers, mess etc.
But there were cuddles and dancing and bare bums running around the house which seemed to outweigh the work.
So Mister Wyatt – let your Mummy and Daddy cuddle you all they can right now – you’ll be grown up far too soon.
Like my post-toddlers. (sniff, sniff).
Have a great one!