Bookshelf Update- Cheap and Easy

I have a bookshelf right at the top of the entryway stairs.  Our home is a split level home.  So when you walk in the front door you see the bookshelf.  It is a perfect fit for this short wall.  This is a very well made bookshelf that I had made in Sugar Creek Ohio several years ago, in the Amish Country.  But it is starting to show its age.  I don’t want to paint this very nice wood, but I wanted to do something to spice it up a bit.  I started pondering putting something on the backs of the shelves, but really hadn’t seriously looked around for what I wanted to use.  Until a couple of weeks ago, I came across the perfect thing at Target, in the $1 aisle of all places!  I always peruse that section when I walk in the door.  I found the cutest wrapping paper and just new it was perfect to back my shelves with!  So I bought two rolls and some double sided tape.  So for around $5 I gave my bookshelves a cheap and easy update!

Here are the supplies I used.

Here is a before version of the shelves.  This was right after I took down my Christmas decorations and before I had done much with them.  BORING!

Here are a couple  close up versions, after I had styled it a bit.  I keep most of my snowmen out until the end of February.  Notice my Print leaning against the wall on top of the shelves.  You can read more about how I made this piece by clicking here.

This was a very easy project.  I simply used a measuring tape to measure each opening, and cut the paper to match.  The paper was very easy to cut because of the repeating pattern.  Then I just stuck it directly to the wood with tiny pieces of tape.  Yes, I could have taped the paper to a piece of cardboard and just stuck it in there, but I just didn’t feel like doing that.  I want to get his project done quickly.  Hopefully I am not damaging the wood too much, but if so, I will deal with that when the time comes.  Here is one of the shelves finished.  I am in love with it!

I bought that frame on the left at a 70% off after Christmas sale at Kohl’s, the other one is ancient. 

That canvas leaning at the back of this shelf is a photo I took myself that I had put onto a canvas years ago.  Look how small the kids were!

I believe this square bowl was purchased at TJ Maxx, and the white faux coral was another 70% off item from Kohls.

I have had the black wire basket for years, and the filler is a combo of things that I probably bought at Walmart or Target. 

I decluttered the books a bit and moved most of them into Mr. 5 year olds room  The green apple was purchased many years ago in a shop in Hilton Head Island.  You can see some of the wear and tear on the bottom of the shelves in this picture.  I need to do something about that. 

And here is the finished product!  I am super happy with it!  And I can easily change it up when I get tired of it. 

This simple little change made my entryway seem so much more inviting.  I have a lot in store for my little entry way when the weather breaks.  Can’t wait to show you!

I am linking up here today:

Wish I Had That- A Kitchen Backsplash

I have been in the process of updating our kitchen since August.  Slow process here because I am doing everything myself, so I work on it as time and budget allows.  I finished painting my kitchen cabinets in November.  You can see them here.  After the cabinets were marked off the list, I started painting the walls. Just yesterday I finished painting the trim round the floors and door.  Over the weekend I painted the backsplash a glossy white in preparation to do a faux paint treatment on it.  I am doing this because it is within our budget.  However, I would much rather be able to afford to have someone come in and install a much pricier backsplash.  Oh, how I wish we could do that!  Here are some backsplashes I found online.  I sure wish I had one of them!

You can click under the picture to go to the source.

I love this backsplash with the stacked stones.  How many years would it take to collect enough of these to make a backsplash like this for free?

Pinterest- original source BHG.com


I like the color combination of this tile backsplash.  It would look cool in my kitchen.  

Pinterest-original source BHG.com


I like the look of glass subway tiles.  they are shiny and they have depth, super cool.  

Superiorchronicle.com

I love the basket weave pattern they used to lay these white subway tiles.  

Dans Le Townhouse


I love these white subway tiles that have the rounded edges.  It makes them so much  more interesting.  

A Thoughtful Place



I have shown you this kitchen before, but here it is again because, um, I love it!  I like this tumbled marble backsplash.  Classic.

Our Fifth House


I love the way they just tiled this entire wall.  I want this!

What is your favorite type of backsplash?  Have you ever thought about what kind of backsplash you would have if money were no object.  these are the things that go through my mind on a daily basis.  It annoys my husband to no end.  I don't care.  I am still waiting to win the lottery.  I promise, if I win, right after I build my dream house and send all three children to college, I will do something charitable with a portion of it.  Maybe if I actually did win the lottery and was able to build my dream house these things would stop possessing my thoughts.  Probably not though.  

I will have some updated pictures of our kitchen progress soon.  As soon as I can have time to clean it for pictures!

Happy hump day everyone.  What do you wish you had?

Trashtastic Tuesday- A Winter Pillow

I don’t have a finished project to show you today for Trashtastic Tuesday.  I have been pretty busy around here in the past week and have done a few things, but did not get a chance to finish a project for this week, however, I do have a couple of things in the works, so I thought I would show you those.  The past couple of times I have went to my local Goodwill I have not scored big like I always hope I will.  And we don’t have tons to choose from in the way of thrifting around here.  Sunday  JC and I were in Morgantown, so I talked him into stopping by the Goodwill store there.  Still not a huge score, but I did find a couple of things. 

Have any of you seen pillows and other objects of cuteness floating around the internet that people have covered using old sweaters?  If not, look around, there are some really cute ones out there.  I found a few that I would  like to show you!  You know, just to give you an idea of what I mean.  You can click the link under each picture to go to the source.

How cute is this dog bed made out of a patchwork or old sweaters?  John and Sherry from YHL totally need to make this!  I can see Berger on it right now.  

Crafting a Green World

These look really complicated to make, but they are made from old sweaters!  Why oh why did I never learn how to sew??

Apartment Therapy

These look a little more do-able for me, simple and pretty.

Martha Stewart

These cozy up the black leather couch so much.  I need at least one for my black leather chair.  

The Brassy Apple

Love the yellow one, so bright and sunny, but yet warm and cozy!

Curbly.com

Look at these, made of old button down men's shirts and a man's sweater.  so clever!

HGTV.com

These add the perfect touch of winter to this room.  

Thrifty and Chic.com

I love this one with the stripe.  I might try using this tutorial.   

Centsational Girl

Anyway, I could go on showing you the adorable things I have found online to do with old sweaters, but I think you get the idea.  Aren’t they so cute!?!  Now, I can’t sew a lick, and I don’t own a sewing machine.  But I want to make a pillow cover out of an old sweater, bad!  I am not sure what I am goig to do yet about the part where I don't own a sewing machine.  I have to think on that one.  I do work in a school and there are sewing machines here.   And I found the perfect pillow and the perfect sweater at the Goodwill on Sunday.  I paid $1 for the pillow and $3.99 for the sweater.  Here they are. 

The sweater is so warm and cozy feeling, and I love the colors. 

If you look at the window in the background, yes Mr. 5 year old has scribbled on it with window markers.  Fun, and windexes right off.  

So, now I have to figure how I am going to get this done.  But I vow that it will get done, before spring!  I promise to show it to you, good, bad, or ugly!  I also have a couple of old cans from soup that I ate last week that I want to do something with.  I want to reorganize and de clutter Mr. 12 year old’s desk.  I am going to repurpose these and use them to hold some things.  I just haven’t decided what exactly I am going to do with them, yet….

Some things I have been busy with this week were getting some more painting done in my kitchen.  I painted above the cabinets, and I painted the backsplash a glossy white.  The white was just the first step to the backsplash I have planned.  I am hoping to paint faux subway tiles.  Stay tuned later this week to see the progress I made in the kitchen.  And to see pictures of my kitchen already in progress click here.   I also gave a bookshelf a simple and super cheap update that I will show you before the week is over.  Click here to see the bookshelf I am speaking of.   Have a great week!

A Thomas The Train Bedroom

 I hope you all had a restful and fun filled weekend.  I am returning to work today after having a little 4 day break.  Partly due to a snow day and partly due to a scheduled day off that I took.  I thought I would show you my 5 year old son's bedroom today.  Literally, I used mostly everything in his room that I had in his old bedroom, and I have really done very little to this room.  Right now he is still in a toddler bed, but I know that is going to change sometime in the next year or so, so I really have no plans to change much in his room. I will wait and do that when he transitions to a big bed.  He will be getting new furniture at that time.  So at this point I am working with what I have.  This is his bedroom!

My son is obsessed with Thomas the Train.  Can you tell?  He collects them all, the wooden ones, the little metal ones, the battery operated ones.  I can't keep up with them all.  His room usually has tracks spread out all over the floor and when you enter you are entering at your own risk.  This room has not been painted since we moved in.  The underneath of the chair rail is a pale blue, and above is white.  I was fine with the color because it matched what he already had, and the paint was in very good shape.

You can see across the hallway is the master bedroom.  This mirror has been changed recently to a mirror that I transformed from Goodwill.  You can see that change here.  I do have other plans for this round mirror though.

You can see his Thomas The Train toddler bed here.  I hate to ever take him out of it, he loves it soooooo much!  The little nightstand next to the bed was purchased years ago at a craft show.  It is handmade.  I painted the bottom blue when I was decorating his nursery.  The dresser was purchased from Lowes years ago, before my first son was born.  It was unfinished, and I stained it myself.   I have plans for this, a change is going to come!  The shelf on the wall is something else I have had for years.

This desk was given to me by a friend.  It used to be in my older son's room.  It will probably go when we refurnish his room.  The shelves above his desk came from his old bedroom.  So did the red shade.  

This is his train table.  I purchased it from a  friend a few years ago.  He plays with it every single day.  It is well used.  I have seen other blogs wehre the people glue the track down.  That would never work with my son.  Part of the fun for him is to change out the tracks.

This bin holder is from Ikea.  I also purchased it before my oldest son came along.  It holds a lot of toys.

This toy box is ancient.  It was in Miss 16 year old's bedroom!  The lid is pink.  I have plans to spray paint this entire thing.  Maybe I will get to it this summer.  I like it because it is very large and has a bookshelf.  I keep the lid open because it is pink.

I ordered this personalized canvas online when he transitioned to a toddler bed.  I don't remember where it is from, but it turned out great.

These vintage books on his desk were mine as a child.  

He plays with his little kitchen all of the time too.

This area rug is from Target.  He gets a lot of use playing on this.  

So there you have my 5 year old boy's room.  It is a pretty typical child's room, is it not?  I wish we had a play room that was seperate from his bedroom, but we don't.  Some of his toys are in the living room, but I think pretty soon I will confine them to his room as much as possible.  there are big changes in store for this room when he gets a big boy bed.  Here is a list of what we need to do in this room, and what I dream of doing if budget permits eventually.  

• Paint
• Purchase a loft or bunk bed
• Paint toy box
• Change out the ceiling light
• Purchase a new dresser
• De clutter
• Organize
• Get rid of things
• Make it more grown up
• New Bedding
• New window treatment