Do you ever get tired of your furniture? At one point, I was in love with this bookcase, but after ten years it needed an update! I wanted to tone down the dark colors in my house and bring in some white. I almost can't believe I'm even saying that! There was a point when white was this decorator's enemy!



It's amazing what a coat of paint can do! Check it out now!



I used a color called Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore and rubbed a bit of walnut stain by Watco on after I sanded to bring out the undercolor. All this was inspired by Deana at Alchemy Fine Living. Check out her blog. She is incredibly talented and inspiring!



The stain gives a touch of sheen which I really like and I love how the orignial color shows through after I sanded it.



I have to say that the thing I was most proud of it the way I rigged lighting in the top 3 shelves. I bought a shop light at Home Depot and concealed it inside the top shelf with a cup hook. I drilled a hole in the top of the bookshelf so I could thread the cord out the top and down the back so it wouldn't show. I put a lamp in the 2nd and 3rd shelves and plugged them all into the same extension. My brother had given me a remote switch and I plugged it in as well and hung it on a nail on the top shelf. So now, with the flip of one switch, the bookcase is all illuminated! Needless to say, Fall break was very productive for me!

Oh, I almost forgot. I gotta show you my new bling I put on my lampshade. When I go shopping, I take pics of things that inspire me so I dont' forget. This idea for the trim wasn't mine, but I wasn't going to pay $275 for the lamp I orginally saw it on. I had some extra trim at home. I cut out a circle of felt and basically hotglued about a yard of trim on it starting in the center and circling around. A vintage pin I have completes the look.



By the way, this lamp used to be my parents. You wouldn't believe how yellow the glass was from 50 years of my dad's cigar smoke!! I almost threw it out, but I loved the glass. I had never rewired a lamp before and didn't even consider myself capable, but I knew the lamp was otherwise useless. The cord and the glass had seen brighter days. It actually wasn't that hard. When I took it apart I put the glass in the dishwasher, and I love it now!



Before I did either of these projects I imagined them finished. Our imagination is such a gift from God! We can't create without it! But we need a healthy imagination in other areas of our life as well. If you'd like to learn more about that, check out my post, How Healthy is Your Imagination? 

Happy Decorating!