Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Book Shelf Revamp

We recently switched the children's bedrooms because Georgia Anne was ready to sleep in a bedroom by herself.  The bunk beds we originally bought for her were better suited for the boys now and they would only fit in one of the two children's bedrooms.  Long story short, I have been working on getting their rooms repainted and decorated.  I still have a LONG way to go, but thought I'd show you my most recent project. 

Enter the Target book shelf that has been in the boys' room for several years. While it is very practical it wasn't the prettiest piece. 


A little paint and a new wood top and it looks all better!

I painted the base Annie Sloan's French Linen.  I slightly distressed it and sealed it with clear wax.  I purchased a 15" x 36" pine board from Lowe's and added a little trim to the front and sides.  I stained it with Minwax Mission Oak in satin finish and also sealed the top with clear wax.  To attach the new top I simply screwed it into place from the underside of the old top.
I also painted this "PJ the Pug" silhouette.  I had a nice chunky canvas that I had already painted for their room before the move.  I never really like it and was tired of it and had it sitting in the "donate pile" when a light bulb went off.  I could cover it with burlap and then paint directly on top of the burlap.  It was easy, easy, easy!  I used good ol' Elmer's school glue to secure the burlap to the canvas.  It actually took an entire bottle to get good coverage.  I did water it down a little so it was easier to spread.  I let it dry overnight then used my staple gun to wrap and secure the edges.  Next I used the left over ceiling paint from their room to painted almost the entire surface with a thick coat. I left about an inch border around the edges where you could still see the burlap.  Let that dry overnight.  I decided to paint a simple silhouette of our fat little pug, PJ.  I think it is so funny how he sits so I chose that pose for the painting.

I felt like it need a little something else so I hot glued brown grosgrain ribbon to the edges and then used these big nail heads (from JoAnn's) to finish it off.

7 comments:

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

It looks so great painted! I have been painting everything I can get my hands on French Linen lately. It is a great color!

Lorna said...

Looks great! I love how paint can bring new life to an old piece. Great job!

Unknown said...

That looks great! I have one of those cheap-o bookshelves, too and have been thinking about doing something like this.

Julia Kendrick said...

I LOVE how it turned out and I also love your faux ruler on the wall! So inspiring! I would love it if you could link this up at my linky party Thursday at http://www.juliakendrick.com! I hope you have a great day! Julia

Anonymous said...

Fabulous upgrade! I love it all. The Pug painting is brilliant.

May I ask where you purchased the lamp in the after shot? I have a space it would be perfect in.

Thank you for all the great ideas.

jaime

Katie said...

Hello there! I'm here from Better After.

Your re-do is really pretty. I've yet to try that french linen color but it's definitely on my to-do list. I love all the details, especially the edging you put on the Pug painting.

I'd also like to know where you found that lamp. I've been searching for a pharmacy lamp for a side table and I just love this version.

Leigh Anne said...

Thanks for the nice comments! The lamp was a T.J. Maxx find a few months back.