Shelf Re-VAMP: Take 2!

I guess I'm in a SHELFY mood this week, since this is the second one I've done!! Well, this one is an even better deal than the first one.  Let me tell you why ... First off it's not a built-in so I can move it wherever I want and second it was FREE!! My cousin's neighbor was having a yard sale and she had TWO of these little ladies that didn't sell, she also had 5 or 6 grapevine wreaths and she GAVE them all to me!!! WOO-HOO!! I'm on the lookout for ideas to do with the wreath's but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with one of the shelves. I promise if you stay with me through all these ugly before pics, you will see the pretty afters!!

Before #1

The shelf had a weird stone texture on it, it was unevenly applied so I could tell that it was just a spray and I could sand it down.  Well, it took A LOT of sanding and it was nearly impossible to get in between the little squares so I left some of the texture on it and I really like the way it turned out.  So I guess my laziness was really just me being BRILLIANT!! HAHA

Before #2

The lighting is weird, but you can really see the weird texture on it (no wonder nobody bought them at the yard sale) And I like this shelf because it has the little cut-out thingy, I know that sounds intelligent, for pictures or plates or whateva. Oh I should also tell you that these puppies had the original price tags from the store on the back.  Wanna guess how much?? $29.99 ... UHHH kinda pricey, but it makes my FREE price tag that much cooler!!!

So, after 27 hours of sanding, okay not really that long, I went to work on painting.  Of course I chose black, I mean that's one of my favorite colors, and if you saw my house you would know.

Anyway,  I spray painted it but the only black paint I had was flat and I wanted it to be somewhat shiny.  So, after that dried I used my trusty Apple Barrel Indoor/Outdoor Acrylic/Enamel glossy black paint, and gave shelfy a few coats and let her dry.  I'm uber impatient, so waiting for paint to dry is torture!! I know it's necessary, and I think that makes it even more unbearable.  ARGH!!! So I played with Bucket for a while and then when she was ready for me I sanded her down on all the straight edges.  I sprayed her with a good coat of sealant and had to wait a bit more for drying time. I was checking on it every 15 minutes, seriously, I'm a 4-year-old!! I really liked being able to see some of the natural wood through the paint, but it would look JUST as lovely and classy if you chose not to sand.  Don't ask me why I didn't take pictures during the painting and sanding process, my brain sometimes is one tracked and I don't realize until it's too late.  Sooo ... you get to see after shots with her all decorated up and looking FINE!!

[caption id="attachment_84" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After"][/caption]

Here she is all dolled up and ready!! The "amour" plaque I made with some scrap wood I had in the garage.  I was originally just going to paint "LOVE" but then I thought it would be more whimsical to use a different language.  I chose French, since I sort of know like 4 words from 2 years of French in High School.  I also thought about Love in Portuguese, since the hubs is of Brazilian descent, but that's just "AMO" NOT PRETTY AT ALL!! So, French won ... I Painted it black, sanded the edges DUH!!.

I printed the letters off using Word.  At first I did the whole pencil rubbing on the back and then traced over the letters with a pencil to leave the mark on the wood. But, when I started to paint it I realized my hands weren't that steady to keep the lines straight.  So, I decided to cut the letters out with an exacto knife.  It actually didn't take too long.  I gave the back of the stencil a LIGHT spray of adhesive so it wouldn't move around but not too much to permamently attach to the wood.  I used my stippling brush and just sort of dabbed the paint on to help prevent bleeding.  I let it dry in between coats and I think i did about 3 total.  Once the last coat was dry I pulled off the stencil and then touched up any smudges or bleed marks with a fine brush ... SUPA DUPA EASY!

Ok, now for the finished lady:

[caption id="attachment_84" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After"][/caption]

I figured since this shelf is centered around "love" that I would throw a little heart in.  It was in my wood stash so I painted it up and put him up there next to the plaque.  I also tied a bit of feather boa around a black candle to make her feel a bit more special :) I already had the candle, the vase and the frames so this project cost me nothing.  DANG I love decorating for nothing!!

AND OF COURSE I'M LINKING UP WITH THESE LOVELIES ...

Thrifty Thursday @ Bloggeritaville

Transformation Thursdays @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Goodwill Goodies @ The Dalomba Days