Saturday, June 8, 2013

Another project complete!

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As promised, I'm sharing with you another project that we worked on for about two months or so - our reading area/ bookshelf. Here it is:

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We love books. And we have books everywhere. We wanted to have a nice bookshelf for a while but everything I liked was just not in our budget. Plus our house is pretty small, and we don't have an area we could use for a separate library or even a reading nook. So our living room is all-in-one: it's a media room (hence leather couches for all the football watching...note from husband, refer back to this during football season ;), a play room, occasionally, a dining room, and now it's a library too :).

A few months ago (or more like a year) I found this shelf on classifieds for just $10:

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It was nice, tall, sturdy and in pretty good condition. But it didn't match anything in our house. For a while it was sitting in the guest room but it was way too big for the tiny space we have there. I knew it was time to transform it and make it more useful.

So I sanded and primed it with water-based primer (I like Zinsser cover stain primer. This stuff is awesome). I then painted it with three coats of Valspar Ultra White. I used a small roller for most of it and an angled brush for the detailed areas. For the inside I decided to go with Valspar Green Mist. I only needed a sample size can. It gives just a little of the color that I wanted.

But after it was all done, it just didn't look finished. So we decided to add some simple molding on the top. We didn't want anything too heavy because we are still planning to add crown molding around this room...You know, one day...:

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To seal it, I used Minwax polycrylic protective finish. If you paint something ultra-white or just white, do NOT use polyurethane!! I learned that the hard way :( A very-very painful sand-everything-down-and-repaint kind of hard way...Polycrylic it is!! It's more expensive than polyurethane but you don't need much. I actually was pretty lucky. Usually an 8oz can costs about $9 in Walmart or hardware stores. But I stumbled upon a clearance sale in our local Michaels and bought it for only $4.43. Who would've thought?? I used, maybe, 1/3 of a can but I still bought a couple more cans for other projects we will be working on in the near future.

I wanted this shelf to be mostly for books (it's a BOOK shelf, after all :). And this room already has plenty of color in it, so we went with very simple accessories:

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I'll tell you more about all of the accessories (including my $2.50 DIY lampshade) next time but here is another glimpse at my reading "corner":

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I think it turned out pretty good for only about $20.

What do you think??

 I shared this project with these awesome parties:

I should be mopping the floor
That DIY Show Off party
Monday Funday  
Marvelous Mondays 
Sumo's Sweet Stuff 
Homemaker on a Dime
By Stephanie Lynn 
Natasha in Oz: Say G'Day Saturday party 
Not Just a Housewife  
Ginger Snap Crafts
Clean and Scentsible
The 36Th Avenue 
The Shabby Nest  
Chick on a Shoestring Budget 
Elizabeth and Co 
Thrifty Decor Chick
House of Hepworths 
Blissful and Domestic

47 comments:

  1. It looks beautiful! As a die-hard bookworm, I adore the way all those books just beg you to come read them, all curled up in the corner of that couch. So inviting. Wonderful work, per usual!

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    1. That was the idea! I already spent many happy minutes in this corner :)

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  2. That looks great Lena! I am always amazed by the crafty things you are able to do as I have very little crafty abilities!
    Rhonda

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  3. I love your bookshelf! It looks so high end painted in white and with the trim you added! We're in desperate need of a bookshelf too!
    Selene @ Restoration Beauty

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  4. I love love love what you did you the bookshelf. Looks so nice with the molding!

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  5. Your shelf is great and the lamp shade is adorable. You're so creative!

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  6. I think you're fabulous! :) Just looks awesome!!

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  7. We have many books in every room also even though we give away what seems like hundreds every year. And we go to the library a lot. I guess we like books as much as you do.

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    1. Oh, I know how that feels! I have books everywhere too :) This shelf is just a fracture of what we have :) And we go to the library every Saturday, rain or shine :)

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  8. Lena, that book shelf is fabulous.... The trim at the top turned out fantastic... You do fantastic work and the green in the back ground was a great idea... Again you do really nice work... Lisa

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  9. It looks great! The moulding was a perfect touch and I love the color. I always envy people that can put together that perfect mix of function and decor and make it look right - good choice on accessories.

    I can't wait to read about that lamp - two days of teasers is just too much! :)

    Kristin
    www.exploringdomesticity.blogspot.com

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    1. :) Isn't it amazing how such a small thing as a piece of molding makes such a difference??

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  10. That looks really nice. I didn't know about the polycrylic either. Good to know.

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    1. I wish somebody told me about it before! I guess, I should've done my research. But I didn't even think about it! That was an unpleasant mistake :(

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  11. your book shelves look lovely and so stylish, I would just stuff every shelve full as we have so many books. I like the green idea for the inside.
    Carolx

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    1. Thank you, Carol! We have tons of books too, a lot more than are on this shelf! But I wantedto be a pretty display too :)

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  12. Looks incredible. You did a great job for $20 - makes me almost want to do the same thing - we need bookshelves for the boys rooms, but I think I'm too lazy to do all the work. Your time made it worth WAY more than $20!

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    1. You can always get just white shelves (or really, any color) and just match the paint for the trim in Lowes. It wouldn't be too bad at all if I didn't have to do it twice!!!

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  13. You did a great job! The bookshelves look great!

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  14. Impressive, impressive, impressive!
    I found this one that I think is similar........
    http://www.ballarddesigns.com/tuscan-flush-bookcase/10383?SourceCode=BDSBT1

    You saved yourself a ton of money!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Not bad!! Now my frugal heart rejoiced even more :)

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  15. Great job! I love when I score cheap furniture and can transform it like you have done here. Stopping by from Monday Funday.
    Corey from www.tinysidekick.com

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  16. Wow, it looks amazing! That is some transformation-great job!

    If you have a minute to spare I’d be thrilled if you could share this post at my weekly Say G’day linky party. It’s on now and this would be a great addition!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha in Oz

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! And I will :)

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    2. I just popped by to say thank you for linking up to Say G'Day Saturday. This weekend's party has just started so I hope you can join in again!

      Best wishes for a great weekend,
      Natasha in Oz

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  17. what a great find! i love the moulding detail too

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    1. Thank you, Carissa! And thanks for stopping by my blog :)

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  18. I think it turned out fantastic, and the green on the inside is so bright and cheery!

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  19. wow you really made it looks so good. The molding makes it look so elegant and match well with the white color. im inspired

    Delightful Ideas
    Bag Giveaway

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  20. turned out great! yes, definitely a sturdy bookcase is a must. Nice job on the top moulding

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  21. Fantastic job. It looks very nice and fits that space perfectly.

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  22. Looks fabulous!!

    Happy Wednesday, girl!
    Danielle

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  23. This is so pretty! I love the colors you chose for it. Not bad for $20!

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  24. Hi Lena! I hopped over from 36th Avenue - your shelf turned out beautifully! I love the color you chose for the inside :)

    We would love for you to link this up with us at Living Well Spending Less! You can link up any of your thrifty projects each Thursday - we would love to have you join us! http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/category/thrifty-thursday/

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  25. I love Work an Glory Series. So awesome! What a fun bookcase. It makes me want to curl up on that couch with a good book:> Thanks for linking up!

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  26. I found you at the Blissful And Domestic link party. I just had to click over because this little corner just looks so cozy! It's so inviting! The bookcase makeover was a success I'd say :)
    Heidi @ handmadefrenzy.blogspot.com

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