Our Little Library

I used to have a bookshelf in the dining room. It worked but I was tired of it. It was tall and dark and I needed light and airy, so it had to go. You know how once you make a decorating decision it has the power to change many different rooms in the house? Well, that's what happened. The bookshelf got moved to the back room to hold office junk supplies and the books I had on the shelf were left homeless.

I have this great landing on our second floor that is cozy and needs to be painted but for now, I knew it would make a perfect little library. We already have a built-in bookshelf up there that we use for DVD's, yearbooks, some of the kids' books, games and puzzles.

This is a good shot of our yellow built-in. That door goes to the guest room.

So, built-ins were going to be a lot of work (even though my husband was more than willing to do it) and I was getting impatient. I happened upon this pair of bookshelves via Craigslist for $15 each. They are pretty solid. The backing isn't solid wood but the rest of it is. I was sold and promptly picked them up that afternoon.

The other one was identical to this.

I sanded them down real good, nailed the backing on so it was more secure and then wiped everything down. After priming, I painted two coats of Ben Moore's Advance paint (the same I used on my kitchen cabinets) because I knew that stuff would dry hard and it would hold up to the wear and tear the books would give it. I tried to wait the full three days of curing time before actually putting any books on it, but I couldn't. Don't tell. The paint held up just fine. Hard as nails. I love it.

This is the view from the top of the stairs.

Here they are in all their glory. You can see how it would have been perfect to have one more so it could go all the way down the wall, but this works just fine for now. My ugly glider is so comfy that it is hard to think of parting with, but it's a tight squeeze into the girl's bedroom and it is ... ugly. But it is awesome to glide in!

 
I had to show this painting that my oldest daughter did (there she is in the pic as a baby!) a few days ago. Isn't it great? She is such a little artist.

By the way, if you need some book recommendations for your kids, check out my Reading List!