Before & After

Bookshelf Makeover

Before

I purchased this bookshelf at a yard sale for a whopping $2.  It was covered in crusty black paint but had potential.

I started standing and the black paint came off like coal dust.

More standing uncovered some yellow paint and the original white top coat.  I sanded the entire bookcase until all surfaces were smooth (this took awhile).  I them applied 3 coats of my free Clark-Kensington paint in Anchors Away gray.

After

I put the bookcase right along the wall right by the garage where we enter and exit the house most days.  It has become a great landing spot for keys, wallets, and sunglasses.

For only $2 and some elbow grease I think it turned out pretty cute!

It Takes Time

I finally have everything but the kitchen dishes unpacked.  All the kitchen items will stay boxed up until the kitchen is complete.  Mom and I are going to IKEA on Saturday to look at the cabinets.  This will be her first time seeing them in person.  I hope she likes them...even if she doesn't like them she will say, " well "if you like them.".  It is really hard for me to get things without her approval...(since I am almost 25 I should probably be over that, but I hold her opinions in high esteem.)

But back to the point of my post, when we left our Frawley Road house I had everything with the exception of the dining room just the way I wanted it.  Looking back I lived there for 5 years so it was a gradual evolution. Getting the house to look the way I wanted certainly did not happen over night.  My style went from shabby chic where everything was pink, green, and covered in flowers to a more neutral color palette and a mix of old and new furniture.

When we moved I figured that I would arrange things similar to the way I had them at Frawley.  I did that and it is just not the same.  This house is quite a bit larger so it makes what seemed like a lot of furniture in one house look like not so much.   All this to say that if you don't want your house to look like you just went to the furniture store and bought the whole room from table lamps to the area rug, it will take some time to collect things that have character, meaning, and make your house feel like a home.  You just have to be patient, something I am working on ;)