I made this miniature shelf for my son before he was born hoping he would one day share my love of gaming. I can now say that he definitely shares that love.

The shelf is approximately 12 inches wide x 4.5 inches high x 5 inches deep.

Step 1: Gathering Tools & Supplies

Supplies

1 can brick red spray paint

Balsa wood: (Total of 52" long x 5" wide)

Question mark block picture

Wood or craft glue (I used E6000)

Pair of small hinges

Tools

Sharpie

Ruler

Saw and/or craft knife

Step 2: Cutting and Painting

For this project you will need to cut the balsa wood into three equal pieces (12" wide x 5" deep each)

These will make the bottom, top and back of the shelf.

You'll also need four smaller, but still equal pieces (5" high x 4.5" deep each)

These make up the sides, middle, and hinged lid.

Then paint all the pieces with the brick red spray paint. Let dry. Repeat on other side. Let dry.

Note: Many craft stores have packs of balsa wood you can purchase although they vary in size. You can purchase longer pieces from hardware or home improvement stores.

Step 3: Turning Wood Into Brick

Using a ruler draw a horizontal line across the longest board.

Directly under this line draw another horizontal line.

Note: I found that using the width of the ruler worked really well for spacing out just how far underneath the first line the second line needed to be.

Now draw the vertical lines, off setting them from each other to give it that "real brick" look.

Step 4: Glue Makes the World Stick

We're going to start by gluing two of the longer pieces together. This will make the bottom of the shelf and the back.

Next, take one of the shorter sides and it's going to be glued about 4 1/2 inches from the end. Allow to dry according to your preferred glue's instructions.

Now, using the smaller piece as a guide glue the remaining long piece to the top. A small amount of the back should stick up over the top of the piece you just glued. The backing is to stop anything from rolling behind the shelf.

After this piece dries carefully slide in and then glue two of the square pieces on either side of the shelf.

Step 5: The Question Mark Block & the Hinges

I printed the question mark block on regular paper although a lighter weight cardstock might work better. You'll want the size of the block to be slightly larger than 5" x 4.5".

Trim the paper to fit the last square piece of wood. Then glue the paper to that piece of wood.

Attach the hinges at the top of the question mark on either side. Then attach the hinges over the smaller cubby on your shelf.

Step 6: Find the Best Spot for Your New Mini Shelf

That's it. You've just built a Super Mario Bros. Mini Shelf.