Spray paint makeover

Happy (fake) Monday!  I was off work yesterday for President's Day, so today feels like a Monday to me.   I love a short work week, but find me someone who doesn't.

This weekend I finally tackled a project I've been putting off for over a year.   I had a small white shelving unit I used as a night stand in college.  When I moved to my current apartment over a year ago, I needed an entryway table, so I decided to use it as such instead of spending money on something new.  There was one slight problem.  The unit was white, and the color scheme in my living room/dining room area is deep brown and red. 

I always knew I was going to spray paint it (it's not real wood) a deep brown, but I wasn't sure exactly what color to use, what kind of spray paint to use and I needed the temperature outside to be right.

I did some Google research and determined the spray paint I should use is Krylon Fusion (a little less than $5 a can). I made a stop at Wal-Mart on Saturday and during my nephew's afternoon nap, I got to work.  I cleaned the shelving unit, put it on a tarp on my balcony and started spraying.  After about 30 minutes of dry time, I moved my madeover entryway table back inside and I think the brown looks lovely.  Now I need to do some antique shopping to find some fun treasures to decorate the shelves with.  What do you think of the finished spray paint project?   

Bedroom Closet Organization: Before/After

I said I would post the before/after pictures of my bedroom closet by February 1, and look what we have here ... the promised pictures before my deadline:

Before:

Before. Eeep! My closet was not usually this messy (swear), but I kind of let it go right before I decided to do an overhaul.

Before.  Top left side of closet.

Before. Out of control T-shirt stack on right side.

IKEA belt organizer - $7.99. I hang this in my closet where it is easily accessible. 

After:

All cleaned up!  The white jewelry holder on the wall was a Christmas gift 2 years ago from Container Store.  Below it is a shower caddy from Ikea that holds my bangles.

Old plastic laundry basket holds t-shirts and hats.  Purses and bags in bins on top. 

After.  Hanging organizer was $7.97 from Wal-Mart (the only thing I bought for this closet organization project).  Holds my hoodies, scarves, hats, swimsuits, cover-ups, flip flops and umbrellas.  The white cubes on the floor are from Target and were $9.99 for 6.  I have had them for over a year.  Right now I have wedges in one bin, but the other 2 are practically empty because I haven't decided what to put in them.   You can stack them several different ways, and as you can see, I had them stacked vertically in the before pics.  I didn't like where they were before because it made my closet feel smaller.

After (left side).   Boots are stored with rolled magazines in them to keep them upright.  Don't waste money on boot holders, just recycle magazines and do it for free.

Over-the-door shoe holder.  Have had this forever, and I highly recommend one.

So, what do y'all think?  I know it's nothing fancy, but it's much better than it was before.  To see more before pictures, check out this past post.

I am donating all of these clothes, accessories, shoes, etc. to Goodwill. I have clothes with tags still on them, and it makes me so mad.  Such a waste of money and reminds me to tell myself, "Just because it's on sale doesn't mean you have to buy it."  It has been much easier to get dressed in the morning after purging my closet and drawers. I highly recommend it!

 

Bookshelf Re-do

I didn't actually buy anything to re-do the built-in bookshelves that are in my guest room/office, and instead I decided to make-do with what I had since I am the "Bargain Blonde" after all.

I am pleased with the finished product although it's not the bookshelf of my dreams. For spending zero dollars, I don't think it's too shabby.

What do you think?

{I had already started clearing the shelves when I realized I needed to take a before picture, so it actually didn't look this bad before.}

{Old mismatched photo albums from high school a.k.a. the "pre-Facebook era" and a filing system make up the top shelf. I tried to color block books/knick-knacks on the second shelf, the 3rd shelf is my pink stuff and cook books and the bottom shelf are toys and books easily accessible to my nephew who calls this "his room" anyway."}

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