Painted Thrift Store Shelf & Mantel Display

Oh my gosh, this weekend went by fast! Can you all believe it's Monday already? 

 

Saturday my Mom and I took the boys to Mystic, Connecticut, for the day and froze!  I wonder when exactly spring will arrive up here in the northeast? 

 

On the way home I took some back roads and stumbled upon a seriously cute consignment store in Colchester. I could have spent forever in there, but for some reason, 9 and 11 years old boys don't want to go antiquing with there mother and grandmother, so there was some pretty substantial complaining going on. And this is despite the fact that my oldest got an owl for his collection and my youngest found a vintage Mickey Mouse bank for his room.

 

Anyway, last week I found this shelf with lots of cubbies at the local thrift store for $4.99.  Actually, I had seen it the day before, didn't get it, thought about until around lunch time the next day, and then went back for it. Believe it or not it was still there. Now that is a good sign!

 

This honestly took me forever to paint!  The original color was this odd yellow/green. It was painted horribly, leaving big splotches unpainted and revealing the even worse original stain job. 

 

 

 I started out with a quick sanding and then painted it first, white (Martha Stewart Picket Fence) and then black (Martha Stewart Silhouette).  It was absolute torture and every time I thought I had finished a coat I would find another bare spot that needed paint.  When I finally had finished, I gave it a good sanding to distress it and a light coat of wax to protect the piece.

 

 

Right now, I have it up on my mantel showing off some pieces of silver that I have collected.  Couldn't you just picture this filled with pumpkins in the fall or vintage ornaments at Christmas? The possibilities are limitless! (Which is why it's staying in my house and not being consigned. HA!)

 

To the mantel, I added in some forsythia twigs from my yard and some moss from Michael's into a little silver creamer.
 

 

 

I also added a maple syrup bucket and some pussy willows. Perfect for spring, when it decides to show up. And, lastly a darling little mercury glass bird ornament from Target I had gotten a couple of years ago.  (Of course, I left my lamp up there as I typically do).

 

All in all, very simple and neutral and I'm pretty thrilled with it right now.  I love how the shelves add some much needed height to the mantel and I was able to display another collection in a neat and orderly manner.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

 

Linking to: 

http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2013/02/nifty-thrifty-tuesday-no151.htmlhttp://www.cozylittlehouse.com/ http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/   http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

 

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