Pretty pretty bookshelves

I think I've mentioned before the great deal I scored recently on Craigslist. Two bookshelf units for $25 total! Well, last month I was finally able to prime and paint these babies before the weather got too cold to even paint.













Of course, step numero uno was to prime. These shelves are made of cheap fiberboard (as opposed to real wood). I've learned the hard way that paint does not stick to them very well. I needed a coat of primer to provide a good base for the paint.



After priming, I painted the outsides a plain, glossy white. Since I wanted a bit of a "pop", I painted the inside of the shelves a light aqua color to blend well with my office color palatte. I must say, I had my doubts along the way, but I'm super happy how they turned out!


The left bookshelves will eventually hold my business materials, which is why it's a little bit more empty at the moment. The right side are all the books we used to have on the downstairs bookshelves, which have since become primarily liquor shelves.


Here's a shot from a different angle so you can get an idea of how the shelves blend with the rest of the office space...including my new memo board.

Blank Slate

When we moved into the house, this ginormous dry erase board was left hanging in the office by the previous owners. I contemplated throwing it away because I don't really use dry erase boards. And, did I mention it's GINORMOUS? Seriously, it's like 3x4. I felt that throwing it away would be very wasteful...but I didn't know what to do with so much white space.

Then I remembered a project my father and I worked on when I was litle. We created a cork board for posting memos. Ultimately I decided to have the best of both worlds - I would cover one half with cork and keep the other half clear for dry-erase stuff.

I went to Michaels and got some cork rolls and cork glue. Cut my fabric to the appropriate size. And put some heavy books on top while the glue dried the fabric to the cork and the cork to the dry erase board.

Voila! A dry erase/corkboard for my office!!

When I was done, I must say I felt a little bit like the dog in this photo : )

Pretty Pattern

I'm finishing the shelves project tonight and will post pics very soon. In the meantime check out what came in the mail today: fabric for my office project. Isn't she gorgeous!? I'm using it to make a memo board in my blue-and-green office.

Here is where I got my inspiration for the blue and green color scheme. I love the upbeat, energetic feeling it brings to the space. (Very useful in an area dedicate to work.)

*Photo courtesy of House Beautiful

Lessons learned, forgotten, and re-learned

I got a great deal on two tall bookshelves via craigslist last week. Originally they were $25 each, but the seller ended up giving me two for the price of one...yay! As they're just particleboard, I probably could have gotten them for pretty cheap at Target, but I prefer to buy for even cheaper and then cusotmize a la Centsationalgirl. (Tangent - I heart Kate's site and home. Check her out.)

Right now I am in the middle of priming and painting them. It's been so long since I've painted anything that I forgot some of the little tips and tricks that I've learned in the past. Aside from the basics, here's a refresher course on the little details that will make your painting project go much smoother:

1) Always have paint-mixing sticks on hand. They're cheap and so precious during a project like this.

2) For anything with corners, also have an angled brush available. For everything else, use a roller. So much faster.

3) Speaking of corners, do corners and edging first.

4) Paint in a well-ventilated and well-lit area. (Seems obvious, but easy for us northerners to forget when we want to paint and it's 40 degrees outside.)

5) Paint is meant to be applied at 70 degrees Farenheit and in moderate humidity. If you're painting in different conditions, use an additive such as Penetrol or Floetrol to allow for even coverage.

6) Don't bother with a manicure until the project is COMPLETE.

Let's Start At The Very Beginning...

The main floor of the house we purchased had been recently updated and tastefully decorated by the previous owners. We did very little to the main floor - those pictures to come soon. To my delight, however, the three upstairs rooms needed some help. Ok, a lot of help. Each room required a paint job and dramatic change in decor. I will revisit these pictures later as I reveal my "Afters", but these photos should give you an idea of what I started with. The top floor of our home has three bedrooms and a full bathroom.

First, the Master Bedroom "Before". I fell in love with the SPACE (after years of living in small, Chicago apartments) and the wall of windows. To my delight, the room has two closets; the lady of the house got the larger of the two, of course. The green color was not horrible, per say, but paired with the maroon...it was killing me.

Across the hall we have the Office. I believe the color was described as "motivational" by the seller. That's not the word I would have picked. Again, the color was not horrible, just entirely too much of it. I struggled for weeks on ideas for this room. I was interested in keeping the green, but I wanted to tone it down dramatically. The sofa had a pull out bed, but in my heart I knew it just was too fat and ugly to keep. (Yes, I admit I am very superficial with my furniture.) I did love the glass desks, though, and I wrote them into the contract for the house.

Last we have the Guest Room. The grey and blue color scheme was not doing ANYTHING for me. And, since we're painting all the other rooms, why not paint this one too, right? Ironically, I had the most "decorating dreams" about this room, but I haven't even started it yet. Reason: almost everything in this room is going to be a do-it-yourself project. An old desk will be refurbished. A new headboard will be made (yes, made). And curatins will be hand picked and sewn. My deadline is Thanksgiving weekend.