Bookcase Project & Giveways

Recently, I met a new blog friend named Joy, The Joy Of, and if you haven't already met her, you must check out her beautiful blog. She's all the way up in Canada, so really far away, but I just love her creativity & love of thrifting like mine. We are kindred spirits with the yardsale finds & bargains & I love to see all the beautiful paper crafts she comes up with. Well, she just celebrated her 2nd year anniversery of blogging with a giveaway & I was the lucky winner! Above is the stash that Joy sent me, a pretty handmade clipboard adorned with vintage wallpaper & postcard, buttons, ribbons & stickers, glass glitter which I know I'll have fun with (I haven't used glitter since grade school, maybe?!), a Paris eraser (at least that is what I have deduced from taking it out, touching & smelling it), a cute Halloween sign, & a set of oh, so pretty fall leaf napkins, which I will have the opportunity to use very soon. Thank you so much Joy...you made my weekend with all of this! Go & visit Joy, you won't be sorry!

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I did get in a small bit of yardsaling on Saturday, nothing too wonderful, so don't get too excited....I'm easily amused.
My 2 old tired beach chairs that were over 10 years old, finally gave out & we really needed some new ones. We sometimes go out & listen to outdoor concerts & needed some chairs to take, so I figured that eventually I'd find a pair that would work for us. They need to be sturdy, as my hubby is not a little guy. So, I found a pair of these on Saturday for $5 each. They are sturdy, have a cup holder & they're in great shape too! I'll take 'em.
Fitz & Floyd brand new, still in the box, Christmas plate for $2. I think I'll keep this one for Christmas this year, it's really pretty.
I'm always on the lookout for cheap (but good quality...let me clarify that) jewelry. The black necklace was $2 (made by Premier) & the other set was $2 (brand new too). You know I love leopard stuff, so this necklace & earrings will be great with my outfits...and I love black.

The weekend was the beginning of the paint projects...the bookcase got some moldings added & the painting has begun. Remember, this is the before pic. I decided to paint both the bookcase and the TV cabinet with a chocolate brown paint that I already have on hand, called Turret Stairs by Ralph Lauren. I used this color awhile ago in one of my guestbaths on the bathroom cabinets. It's a rich chocolatey brown shade, very yummy.
Picked up the rope molding and the little feet at Lowes. I figured out how much I would need on each side of the bookcase for the rope & being cheap, would have had to buy two 8' lengths of rope molding, so I looked around in the staircase & railing wood section & saw these 2 little pieces that are perfect for a base on my bookcase & added the extra 5-6" I needed on each side. The rope piece was $12 and the little feet were $6 for both, so for an additional $18, my bookcase will be tricked out just right & be a whole lot more interesting.
And you'll remember the nightstand I bought?

It got a good coat of primer and will be ready for it's coat of black satin paint. I still have to buy that yet.
My trusty miter box that I bought 2 years ago has really come in handy for these little projects. It's an easy way to get things done if you don't want to mess with power tools. I would love to have some power tools, so maybe one day I'll get a few.
Rope molding & feet in place on my bookcase. Used wood glue to hold it all in place til dry. Remember when you're doing a project like this, the caulk gun is your friend. I used lots of it in the corners of the bookcase shelves to fill in the gaps & also around the molding I added. Really makes a finished look & the paint just looks better when everything is caulked. Just a little tip for ya!
There she is waiting for the wood to dry. As of right now, I already have one coat of chocolate brown on both the bookcase & the TV cabinet & they are both looking good! I use a small 2" foam roller on my furniture painting. They work great & get in small places, really puts the paint on smooth. If I was really on the ball, I would pull off the cardboard backing on this bookshelf & replace it with beadboard. For now, I'm leaving it as is, but somewhere down the line, I just might do that! Esp. if I find a small piece of beadboard laying around somewhere that will fit.
TV cabinet primed & ready for the brown paint. One coat down already & I can't wait to show you the finished product. I'm lovin' it already! My hubby has already mentioned to me how much he is enjoying his office. Since we are getting a new TV in there, we needed to get another DISH receiver, so we are upgrading to a duel DVR. Can you say wooo-hoooo with me!? I've heard all about Tivo & DVR's, but we just hadn't done it yet. I think we are both excited to have this new little gadget in the house & it will be loads of fun skipping through those commercials.

Stay tuned....I hope to get this office together in the next couple of weeks! Still have to get that valance hung and all the furniture in place. I won't have artwork yet, but I'll share it as soon as I can. Have a great week! Oh, I have some Open House pics to share with you this week too. Bye for now......