Before and After: Bookcase

Friday AT LAST!  I don't know about you, but for me this week has dragged.  Maybe it had something to do with my thinking that yesterday was Friday for half the day.  Don't you hate when that happens?? 

Anyway, I've been puttering around the house trying REALLY hard to get it put together.  Most of the boxes are now unpacked or put away somewhere, we all have bedrooms that, while not really decorated much, are functional.  The kitchen is working, as is the bathroom, living room and family room.  My problem areas that remain are the pantry/laundry/craft/mud room and the dining room.

I'll get there.  Eventually.  But my motivation to get things done has abandoned me.  Stinkin' motivation. 

There are plenty of things that I should do around here, but occasionally I feel the need to do something unnecessary instead.  When I can't handle the thought of tackling yet another pile of our crap and trying to figure out where it should go, I do something entirely different.  Like paint the walls of my daughter's room or make over her dresser or hang curtains in the living room.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment, provides visual proof that I did indeed DO SOMETHING that day, and gets me away from the tedious task of sorting and putting stuff away for just a little longer.

Here's one of those little unnecessary projects from a few weeks ago.

When we moved here to Michigan from California, I got rid of quite a bit of stuff, including a couple of bookcases.  So when we got here that left me with, you guessed it, no bookcases!  We already had a pretty big list of things we'd need to buy, so instead of looking for a new one I dragged this grubby but sturdy one out of the garage and attacked it with my paint brush.  (Not sure why this one came with us, but I'm glad it did!)

I rolled on two coats of white paint and primer and intentionally ignored the back.

Instead of paint I applied some pretty contact paper to the back sections.  Pretty, huh?

I'd purchased two rolls of this contact paper at Marshall's a while ago, and it seems like every time I go they have several cute patterns to choose from.  Next time you're in there check out the stationary aisle.  (I think that's where I found it.) 

Projects like this that can be completed in a day or less are so gratifying, wouldn't you agree?

Now I really have no excuse to continue avoiding another project that's been hanging over me-- putting away the kids' books.  Ugh.  But at least they'll have a cute place to go if the motivation ever strikes!  :)