I AM HELPING A FRIEND STYLE HER BOOKSHELVES

AND IT HAS INSPIRED ME TO DO A LITTLE BOOKSHELF SPIFFING UP ON MY OWN!!

10 STEPS TO STYLING YOUR BOOKSHELVES

1.REMOVE EVERYTHING – STRIP THEM DOWN.… clean them up…

GIVE YOURSELF A FRESH START!

2.IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE HOW THEY LOOK…PAINT THEM ..LACQUER OR SHABBY THEM UP OR DOWN. MAYBE ADD A TOUCH OF WALLPAPER…

3. DIVIDE UP YOUR BOOKS...ANY WAY YOU LIKE…BY COLOR, BY THEME, HARDBACK AND PAPER BACK…BUT BREAK UP THE MONOTONY BY SPREADING THE BOOKS AROUND. DON’T BE AFRAID TO VARY YOU BOOK PLACEMENT…SOME STANDING UP…SOME LYING DOWN…SHORT AND TALL…THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

YOU CAN ADD MAGAZINES TOO…YOUR FAVORITE ISSUES CAN BE GROUPED TOGETHER!  KEEP IT REAL if you have children…have THEIR books and toys at their level and keep the fragile fancy items out of arms reach. BOOK SHELFS should be a place that kids love to visit!!!

4. LOW ON BOOKS? GOODWILL SELLS BOOKS FOR NEXT TO NOTHING…and TRY YARD SALES  AND THERE IS EVEN A PLACE CALLED  BOOKS BY THE FOOT WHERE THEY SELL almost new and used  BOOKS GROUPED BY COLOR, STYLE, THEME, AGE, FAUX BOOKS AND CHILDRENS BOOKS BOOKS OF VARIED CONTENT AND MORE!!!

5. YOU GOT  BOOKS…. NOW SCAVENGER HUNT TIME!!!  GATHER SPECIAL ITEMS FROM ALL AROUND YOUR HOUSE. EVEN KIDS ITEMS CAN ADD TOUCH OF COLOR AND CHARACTER AND WHIMSY…I HAVE YET TO MEET A PERSON WHO DOES NOT HAVE STUFF, KITCHEN CABINETS ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF BOOKSHELF BLING…. CANDLESTICKS AND VASES…BABY SHOES…MEANINGFUL ITEMS FROM SPECIAL TIMES…PIECES OF YOUR LIFE ARE JUST LYING AROUND THAT WILL FILL THE SPACE.

 6. SOMETIMES THE BEST IDEA IS TO KEEP IT VERY VERY SIMPLE.

7. ODD NUMBERS RULE – ORGANIZING ITEMS IN GROUPS OF 3, 5 OR 7 ITEMS IS A “RULE OF THUMB” I HAVE SOMETIMES ADHERED TO.

8. SIZE MATTERS – FRAMED PHOTOS, LARGER ITEMS STAND OUT…WHEREAS LITTLE THINGS CAN GET LOST AMONGST ALL THE COLLECTED ITEMS. LAYER THE ITEMS NOT ONLY BY HEIGHT BUT ALSO BY DEPTH…

9.BOOKS CAN BE BOOKENDS

10. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF AT A LOSS FOR ITEMS TO HELP YOU DECORATE YOUR BOOK-SHELVES…I HAVE A FEW GO-TO PLACES TO ACQUIRE “STUFF”. TARGET END CAPS

OFTEN HAVE DECORATOR PIECES WHICH HAVE COME AND GONE BUT ARE GREAT FOR BOOKSHELVES…I HAVE ALSO HAVE GREAT LUCK AT YARD-SALES AND  THRIFT STORES….AND IN THE OLD DAYS…MY MOMS HOUSE!.

We are having A VERY RAINY – BLISSFUL – no school  MONDAY HERE!

IN OTHER WORDS – A GREAT DAY! I am binge watching BONES and so is Phoebe but because she is seasons ahead of me..she is in the room next-door!!!! So if you looked at us from above… you would see her in one room…me in the other…laying parallel on our respective sofas…and watching BONES. Bliss.  This peace won’t last …soon I will feel lazy or guilty for not attending to something “more important” but right now…this is GOOD!!!

Did I ever show you the photos I took on the set of Bones when we visited FOX studios???

I PROMISE TO DO A WHOLE BONES POST THIS WEEK!!!