Bookcases Can Give you a Big Bang for Your $$$ to Change a Room

I have always loved the look of libraries in a house.  Bookcases are especially beautiful if they contain old leather bound books; some art work and/or family collections mixed in the shelves.  Libraries don't have to be large or fill a whole room, they can be placed in spaces that normally are over-looked.

   In our house, we created a "family room" out of a space that had once been a front bedroom of our 1920s era house.  It was a fairly plain room with the added problem of having 3 door openings in it.  Frank built paneling around 2 walls that went up to 2 feet of the ceiling and then he put a shelf.  On the other wall, he built bookcases that went to the same height and also had the top shelf.  He added molding details to mirror the age of the house.  At the time, there seemed so much space to fill but in a very short time, there was no room left.

A client of mine had collected Victorian Era furniture for years but had wanted a change.  She was willing to make some drastic changes, but the biggest problem we had to solve was that she was a collector of cook books; landscaping and garden books; decorating and architecture books and enjoyed seeing them.  With a limited budget to work with and the house being a rented house, we decided to use Ikea pre-made bookcases.  We put a desk in front of the bookcases to create an office within a living space.  She went from a dark and heavy looking front room to a light, bright and more interesting room with the bookcases adding interest and architecture.

  Bookcases can create a room divider- can become a focal point if painted.

I find them really fun if they have wallpaper in the back.  The wallpaper can be a very easy and economical way to change the whole style of a room.

I recently saw this photo of bookcases that were behind twin beds. 

So the next time you are considering a change, think about using bookcases, they not only hold books, but family pictures, dishes, silver, candlesticks, art work, any collection that you may have.

When I first heard on the news of the preparation for a storm called Sandy, I must admit I thought they were probably over-reacting.  Then I saw the storm unfold across the East Coast of New Jersey, New York and saw they were 100% right, it is unbelievable and tragic.  Our hearts and blessings go out to all those that have lost so much.  We know what is is like to loose your life's home and possessions as ours was lost in a forest fire in 2005.   It took me over a year to be able to think about anything positive or to plan any activity. My home and life long collections of loved items WAS me, was part of my life.  At the time I thought my life could not have been more depressing and bleak. but God had other plans for us and we started new in Gridley, farming. Our life has been blessed with wonderful friends; new adventures; new hobbies; new interests; involvement in helping the community with new projects; growing food for others; finding new collections of antiques; restoring an old house, the list is endless.

A close friend had a birthday this week.  I had a table I had found at a yard sale she liked.  She didn't need a table but she did need a coffee table.  Frank cut down the base and I sanded and painted it with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, color Duck Egg.  We buffed up the cute metal plates that attached to the feet and I even put some felt pads on the bottom so it would slide easily on her floor.  We delivered it over to her house with a big Happy Birthday hug.  She loved it and within an hour, had it completely covered with all the necessities of comfy relaxing-apples in an antique tote; designer books; TV remote; treasured items and presto-a new use for an old table.Here are some work in progress photos and the transition of my friend's decorating the top.

I put Brewax on after the paint to give it a nice smooth finish. 

I think the table looks great in her house.  All my friends are having so much fun using paint on old furniture. 

 Our 200 pomegranate trees became ready to pick, but we lost a few days before getting out there to pick resulting in most of them becoming split.  A big loss to our farm's revenues for the year.  I keep beating myself up about it as I picked these beautiful and huge poms blemished with splits.  It just makes me sick.  I am selling them for juice or jelly to anyone needing them, they are perfect for that. But I had a customer who would purchase up to 200 cases of them, IF PERFECT, which I missed.  It sure won't happen to me next year. It was a combination of a little rain, then hot weather and waiting just a day or two, too long to pick.

   In farming and in life, each day I try to be thankful for the blessings I receive each day; to look to the brighter future; be positive and be thankful for the wonders of life such as family, friends, community and the power of something larger than ourselves.  While picking pomegranates, I found a birds nest in the trees that I am saving for my grand kids; I picked some blooming gardenias; cut a few rose buds; and cut the last of my Endless Summer hydrangeas, combined them all together and you can't get more inspirational than that-