Monday Made It-All Spruced Up!

I spent the last week working on my three great finds to add to my reading area, trying to get them done in time for Monday Made It.  I was up late last night, but I made it!  I knew they all had potential, but I wasn't exactly sure how I would fix them up. I started with what I thought was the easiest piece, this organizer from a pharmacy.  

It didn't need much work actually.  It was already perfect for holding books.  It just had a bunch of old sticky tape on the front, and a lot of dirt and cobwebs.  So, I cleaned it up and added some 1 and 1/2 inch ribbon around the bottom and a couple of bows.  I fastened the ribbon with hot glue and my husband's staple gun.  This was the result.  

Pretty cute, I think!  And it actually holds quite a few books!

Next, I worked on the biggest bargain, the $5 garage sale find.  It really is more like an end table, but I thought it would be adorable next to my rocking chair in my reading area. I think I will put a book stand on the top and put the current read aloud on it.  I thought I could keep my extra book cards and pockets in the drawer.  This is what it looked like before.  

This is what it looks like after it's extreme makeover!

I love how it turned out!  The first thing I did to fix it up was find some wallpaper at the local wallpaper store.  They actually gave me a scrap for free, which was awesome!  I took the wallpaper to Lowe's and found a can of spray paint that miraculously matched it exactly.  I love it when that happens!  I sprayed the whole table and then put the wallpaper in the back of the shelf.  I decided to dress it up a little more by adding a touch of white to some of the trim.  I knew I had done pretty well with it when my daughter and her college roommate both commented that they wanted one just like it for their dorm.  It holds about 15 books too!  

The last project I worked on was the most challenging, because I had to find something to put along the back of the shelves to keep the books in place.  This is what it looked like before.

It was a nice display shelf in good condition, but not meant to house books.  I found some plastic cross-stitching canvas that came in big sheets at the local craft store.  I cut it with scissors and stapled it (with my son's help) on the back and sides of the bottom two shelves with the handy staple gun.  I have to admit my son was a little hesitant to put his fingers anywhere near me and a staple gun!  I spruced it up with a bit of paint and voila!

I think it turned out great, and I love that it will be a different look in my reading area as opposed to the boring book shelves I had been trying to find all summer.  

It holds a ton of books, too!  :)

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