Last week's post, Four Lovely Books by Kate of Centsational Girl is a great segway for my post on creating a reading nook. I have been wanting to create a dedicated space to doing only one thing, reading books. I've even envisioned myself, as Kate described, curling up with a hot cup of tea and a good book in hand on a rainy day in my very own reading nook. 
A few months ago, my friend was getting rid of a couple of bookshelves and of course, I hear the word FREE and I'm all over it. Not because I'm a hoarder (ok, maybe just a little...wink wink) but because I love the challenge of taking something old and turning it into something beautiful (even if my fiancé gripes and tells me I don't have room for all of this stuff).
The bookshelves were definitely dated and didn't have the clean lines I love, but maybe I'll fix that next.
In the meantime, I wanted a quick makeover and not something I would have to work on for days (I'm an instant gratification type of gal). I've been reading about Annie Sloan paint for a while on the blogosphere and thought I'd see what the hype was all about. Well, let me tell you, there is definitely HYPE to be had. Annie Sloan paint is probably the easiest, most forgiving paint you will ever work with. It didn't take me long to become an Annie Sloan believer!
I started by cleaning the bookshelf with mineral spirits and an old rag. After mixing a small amount water in with my Annie Sloan paint, I was ready to get started.
This is the bookshelf before:
The paint was super easy to work with.
I wanted a grey washed look so I wasn't too worried about the grain showing through. As you can see, a little Annie Sloan paint goes a long way! I used this small jar to paint the entire piece. After the paint was dry, I then used Annie Sloan wax, worked it in to the entire piece, and buffed it out.
Then it was on to the shelf liner. A while back, I picked up a few rolls at Marshall's on clearance and knew I would put them to good use someday.
Typically I've seen other DIYers adhere the paper to the back of the shelf but I wasn't sure I wanted that much pattern showing through, so I chose to place the paper on the shelves instead of the back.
One shelf down. I used a flat plastic pastry scraper to smooth out the paper.....
and learned a hard lesson when I was pressing down too hard! Ugh!
I was able to mask this using a small piece of leftover liner.
Finally the bookshelf is done. Now I need to do is get started on my reading nook!
Check back soon for the reading nook reveal!
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