How to add excitement to a bookcase

I love bookcases-

decorating them is an added bonus

but not all bookcases are gorgeous to start out-

Many of us have the standard dorm room or 1st apartment

bookcases, the one you add to your children's rooms

to collect their childhood books and

as they grow, the bookcase changes-

many things are added and many removed-

but

unless they are filled to the brim-

they are plain and a bit boring-

As I was perusing Pinterest-

a daily task-lol

I have seen many of those plain, dull bookcases come to life-

Wallpaper, wrapping paper, paint, scrapbook paper,
vinyl, stencils, and tin ceiling tiles

are some ways to bring them to life-

Here are a few I loved...

(click on the picture to go to the source)



















Great ideas for ordinary bookcases-
now it's time to give your shelves new life!

Take care, gotta fly-

Boo boo!

Have you ever made something
and immediately you know it's wrong-

all wrong!

That happened to me awhile back-

Loved the idea- alot-

Not the creation, at all!

Don't get me wrong-

love the birds-

love the saying-

but the background paper was not right-

 frame too big-
seams show-
paper too small-
yuck-

But. I still loved the idea

so ....I changed it up and now I love it-

don't you?

Now, the birds, the saying, the scale, the mat

and the frame are in sync-

makes me feel so much better!!

Well, take care, gotta fly- Claire

Old World Wine-oooooo

Another great GW find-

for $1.75-

But, what can it be......

A 3 sectioned carrier-

maybe for desk supplies-

maybe for tools-

or

a silverware holder-

NO

I think for wine

I wanted to cover up the boats

but still keep it looking aged

So, one sheet of scrapbook paper

cut down the middle

covers both sides

with a little mod podge

and

Voila'

 An old world wine carrier-

 It works for me!!

Well, gotta fly, Claire

Hanging out on a limb

I was in one of my favorite discount chains the other day and spotted some pictures I loved-

At $30 a pop, there was no way they were coming home with me-

so I took a few pics with my trusty phone

and started re-creating in my mind!

I am always picking up framed art at GW-not for the art but for the frames-

and with my trusty Krylon spray-

the frames are new to go!

After flipping the art over, I spray mounted some scrapbook paper from my stash-

My chalkboard vinyl was perfect for the birds and

the words would be created with "the machine"!!

I hadn't used this in awhile so I was excited to bring it back to life-

With a few cranks-it was set-

the letters popped out-

and I was good to go!!

I didn't want to use the same black vinyl for the limb

 so I decided to use the real thing and spray it

and I attached it with hot glue-

the clothespins also got a quick spray

and

voila, a simple and very cheap project-

floating pictures for my screened porch!
The smaller pic- mommy and daddy bird
and
the larger is the whole flock!

The whole thing cost me a whopping $3.98-( the cost of the 2 framed "art" pieces!)

I had everything else-

Just what I love, a cute and simple project for pennies!

Well, gotta fly-Claire

Musical Wreath

I love making wreaths

 but

 I have never used scrapbook paper

 or

 music sheets

 in any of my endeavors-

so,

you know I had to try!

It wasn't really hard-

my problem was deciding on the overall size-

when I began-

it was much larger-

after a few failed attempts-

I cut it down and this was much more manageable!

I just rolled paper into skinny cones-
glued a wreath frame to a cardboard circle
 that has also been covered in paper-

I did a quick mini medallion stencil on a scrap of burlap to give it a regal flair with its fleur de lis!

Tied a slip of roping to the back as a hanger and voila'-

a simple and quick wreath-

with a bit o' copycat styling of Miss Mustard Seed

(and I said copying-not perfectly, only sayin')

It's a cute and very simple piece of wall art that adds a bit of elegance to your decor!
Well, gotta fly-Claire

My "New" Chest

Last week, I showed you my chest-LOL!!! (I crack myself up sometimes!!) Anyways, back to business-The chest-I showed you many inspiration pieces I was drooling over-so I hemmed and hawed (is that a word?) and finally decided I would just paint the drawer fronts-that was the opinion of the majority of you lovelies too!  I started with a base coat of licorice acrylic paint.  I thought I would go with a funky plaid look- I measured the drawers in sections, picked out 4 colors to pattern my plaid and I went to town!

OMG-what a disaster-I truly forgot how bad I am at freehand painting!! It was sooo ugly and goopy too! Yuck-so I wiped it down (can't even go there because in the process I scrubbed so hard, some of the licorice paint was gone too! ) So, I started again, after scraping off the mess and sanding down the drawer fronts.  My vision changed dramatically- I went with scrapbook paper and modge podge-a totally different direction but I'm so happy with the results! Kept the same hardware but sprayed it black- so each drawer used 2 full sheets of paper and a quarter sheet.  The paper was on sale- 12 sheets for $2. I had the paint and the modge podge so basically the transformation cost me about $2.  Not bad for updating a great chest of drawers!!  Well, take care-gotta fly-Claire