Rain gutter bookshelves

Problem: So many books to read, and limited space in the living room. We end up with books (ours and the library's) stacked on the end of the couch. During our afternoon book time, the boys have to spread the books all over the living room floor to see the covers. We usually read for 45 minutes to an hour, so the boys need a lot of books to choose from.

Solution: I saw this practical and space-saving book display idea on one of my favorite blogs, raisingolives.com. Made from vinyl rain gutters, they are easily built in about an hour. If you're interested in making your own, you can find the tutorial here. Here's how ours turned out: