Luca's Updated Book Shelf

November and December always seem to fly by.  If you have been following my blog, you may have noticed it has been a little light on the DIY.  I neglected to post my latest revamp.  It was a small project, but a MUCH needed upgrade.

I have been in the process of slowly cleaning out the unnecessary clutter in preparation for the new year.  Each time I think of throwing something away or passing it off to Goodwill, I ask myself the following questions:


Why am I getting rid of this item?
Will I need this in the future?
Can I update the item, and put it to use now?


If the answers to questions 2 and 3 are NO, it's off to the donation pile.  But one should never underestimate the transforming power of paint.

Meet my subject.

Blaahhhh

I purchased this bookshelf from Target for Mateo's room when he was a baby.  It's not exceptional quality, and the slightest nick reveals cheap particle board lurking under the espresso finish.  What can I expect for $100? Once it started showing it's age, I moved it to the playroom to succumb to even more abuse.

Now, I need a shelf for Baby Luca.  I have an obsession right now with lightening up every dark piece of furniture in my home. I knew I wanted to do a contrasting color for the back of the shelves and high-gloss white for the exterior.  I found this perfect shade of chartreuse for the back of the bookcase - Glidden's Olive Oil.  It looks a little more yellow in this picture, but in person it has a tinge of green.

The chartreuse color makes me smile.  It's so bright and sunny, and coordinates perfect with the new artwork.  I purchased this original mixed media print at the Goodwill auction for $15!

....Well hello Mr. Sock Monkey

Look at the amazing reflective qualities of this paint.  I used Glidden's Trim & Door paint in antique white.  It's a little tricky to get used to, as it is a gel-based product.  I highly recommend watching the tutorials, but I will definitely be using it again.  Another downfall is that it took for-evahhh to dry - it wasn't hardened to the touch for at least 24 hrs. Well worth the wait in my opinion.

I have a few more things in the works right now.  Luca's room is constantly changing as I am still figuring out what I really need, but I will post more pictures of his space in the near future.

Look at that face..... 

He will be 9 months in 2 days! (tear) I can't believe how fast time flies. 

Have a great Friday!

Linking to:

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/sys-blog-link-party-with-plum-paper/