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Sunday 26 February 2012

My $4 Shelf

I've been meaning to add a shelf over a little electric fireplace in my office and came across one in a thrift store that I thought was about the right size.  The price was perfect at $1.99. ~


I will be so glad when I repaint this room and get rid of the huge, black gouge I put in the wall when I whacked it with a piece of furniture!  You'll have to ignore the mark as this is the best light I could get on a rainy day.  Anyway, this is a the kind of floating shelf you see everywhere and the finish was sort of a shiny maple.

I also picked up this package of Carved Magic composition ornaments for
99 cents. ~


The shelf gets a light sanding ~


My primary colour is going to be home made chalk paint, which seems to adhere to anything without priming, but I'm also using a sample bottle of Martha Sterwart paint in a grey called Crevecour and I need to sand so it will stick.  I paid $1 each for a bunch of these sample pots when Home Depot was selling them off and there's enough inside to do a small table.

I swipe some of the Crevecour on the areas that I want to look chipped. ~


When that dries, I mix up some cream coloured latex paint and plaster of Paris to make my chalk paint.  To find out how to make your own click here.  I paint the the maple sections and lightly drag the cream paint over the sections that are painted grey.  ~


I'm being very explicit with these instructions because a dear friend told me they are not always clear to persons who don't paint anything that stands still for a couple of minutes.  Here's a close-up of the finished paint.  ~



I'm not sure what the ornaments  are made of but you are supposed to steam them and then they will bend around curves.  You can also cut them apart  to alter the design.  The grapes are pretty 80's so I cut them off. ~



The steaming process activates the glue and makes everything pliable. ~


It appears my thrift store finds had actually fossilized and I couldn't get them to do more than barely bend and had to use No More Nails to glue them on the shelf. ~


Oh well.  This is supposed to look old and a few cracks only add to the character.  I paint some of the grey into the grooves and across the leaves and leave to dry.  I have to say Martha's paint dries quite fast.  Then I dry brushed the cream chalk paint over the appliques. To dry brush, wipe almost all the paint off your brush onto newspaper.  The bit of residue left will catch on all the raised areas.  Chalk paint dries super fast and then you need to spray with a matte finish sealer or put a clear wax on top to stabilize the paint.  ~


By only painting the cream lightly on the grey areas, I don't need to sand back for a chippy look.

Here she is all done and hung. ~


I like how the grey picks up on the shadows in the watercolour of trees in winter.  Oops, I should have turned the fireplace on so you could see the little fake flames. ~


I haven't really styled this yet and will play around with some St. Patrick's Day things.  For now, its holds the little, white vase my dad made and two vintage mercury glass vases.

I'd have to say the hardest part of this whole project was hanging the *@#& shelf.  I thought I would go mad trying to get the stupid thing on the screws!!!

I'm sharing this project with:

Creative Bloggers And Hop

25 comments:

  1. Love the idea and easy to follow instructions.

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    1. Thanks! Now I can tell my friend that I do explain the whole process. lol

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  2. It turned out great, Maureen. I've been using ASCP and it's pricey, so thanks for sharing how to make your own chalk paint. I love the Frenchy toile wallpaper!

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    1. That wallpaper is commonly known as "Maureen's Folly". Someday, I'll post about my not so frugal side!

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  3. Lol, yes... the hanging of the finished product is oftentimes as much of a process as the actual creation! Great post. Love the chalk paint idea... you've inspired me to give it a go! jules

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    1. Definitely give home made chalk paint a try. I don't bother stirring it much any more as I'm liking a bit of a chunky look to the paint.

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  4. Love it! Thanks for coming to the Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop :)

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  5. Love your easy to do chippy/shabby look - your shelf looks great. Love your amazing toile wallpaper too !

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  6. Maureen...you did a great job on the shelf...it's beautifullly chippy and I love that you did a tutorial for it. :) xo wendy

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  7. Wow! The shelf matches your room so perfectly!

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  8. Hi Maureen! First, I loooove what you did with the shelf and the appliques. (and I'm madly in love with your toile wallpaper, btw)

    Second, I've tagged you over at my blog http://www.spilledonthekitchentable.blogspot.com

    I hope you can join in on the meme!

    Mary from Go Ahead Take A Bite and Spilled On The Kitchen Table

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  9. Beautiful and such a deal. Love it!

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  10. Well, well, this is a lovely addition! The paint job completely transformed the shelf!

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  11. What pretty wallpaper you have. I'm off to see what else you've got on your blog!

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  12. What a transformation for an already very pretty room.

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  13. Wow, how different and better that looks. I love it. Thanks for linking up over at SweetTalkin' Sunday.

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  14. You really are so clever Maureen! I wouldn't even know where to start with something like this. Well done, it looks amazing!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha In Oz

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  15. First I love your wallpaper. This is really a very clever idea, never heard of it before. Great job and so pretty. Thanks for sharing your creative inspiration at Sunday's Best Par.tay!

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  16. You did such a great job painting that shelf Love how its distressed so other colors show through. The decorative pieces dress it up nicely.
    Thanks for stopping by.
    Mary Alice

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  17. I love the homemade chalk paint recipe, you did a great job on the shelf. Thanks for telling me about the Carved Magic, I have never heard of it. I too love the wall paper.

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    1. I'd never heard of carved magic before either. I think it really works if you don't buy one that is as old as mine was.

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  18. love your black and white wallpaper and your $4 shelf. So very talented of you!

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  19. Your shelf turned out beautifully. I like your entire vignette.

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  20. Very clever! thanks for sharing at Uncommon!

    Bonnie

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  21. What a terrific find! I love these shelves and do appreciate your step-by-step tutorial! Your end results look fantastic!
    Thank you for sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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