Boy's Room Book Nook

Do you ever have those weeks or months where you feel like you are working on a thousand projects but can't seem to get any of them finished? Frustrating to the max. Things have been a little nuts around here; Jesse started a new job with longer hours and at the same time, things have been getting crazy at my work. I suppose it's no surprise I've only managed to finish one post this month. Boo hoo. First World Problems.
Anyhoo...One of the many projects I'm working on is re-vamping B's room. The color wasn't right from the start. Note - if you feel iffy about a color when you start cutting in the edges, stop! Stop right there and re-evaluate. I wish I had. I finally painted over the weird blue color literally one wall at a time during Saturday naps. I was leaning towards all gray, but the kiddo is completely attached to blue right now, so I went with three light gray walls and one navy blue wall.
Part of the re-vamp includes a little book nook area with knock off Land of Nod Book Ledges. I feel so lucky that Jesse can help me make this type of stuff. Ledges from Land of Nod would have cost about a hundred dollars; Jesse had scrap wood in the shop and I painted them with the same stuff I've been using on the house trim, so ours were free!

Isn't this bamboo rocker neat? I picked it up an estate sale (for ten bucks!) and painted it navy blue. I love it in an ugly-cool kinda way. The darling teddy bear was Jesse's when he was a little boy.

I can't wait to get the rest of B's room finished. We need to work out paint colors and linens for a Jenny Lind style bed (another Land of Nod Knock off) as well as an overhead light fixture. I found this cool mid-century (?) light at the Re-Store, but I'm not sure what color to paint it.
Oh, and I definitely want to work these bad boys into the room somewhere! They belonged to B's Great-Great Uncle and I think they are silly and fun and would be great in a boy's room.

Here are the resources and cost break down for the book nook:

Bamboo rocker (estate sale) - $10
Paint for rocker (primer and navy blue from Valspar) - $9
Faux sheep skin (Home Goods) - $16
Book Ledges - Free!
Rag rug (Garden Ridge) - $3
Gray paper for re-matting print - $4
Everything else was already owned or re-purposed from around the house.
Total project cost = $42

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Easy DIY: Spray Painted Light Fixture

I'll be honest, sometimes I make mistakes in my DIY adventures. I have no design training or special skills, I just know what I like and I'm trying to learn as I go. This light fixture is my most recent misstep. It worked out in the end, but here's what happened and how you can avoid my mistake. 

The rug for the dining room arrived a couple of weeks ago and I've been anxious to add some finishing touches, including a light over the table. My idea was to find a dated brass chandelier a la 1995, spray paint it black and add vanity bulbs. I found a light at Re-Store (for only $25, holla!) that I thought was perfect. But, when I got it home, I discovered it was too small for the space. "Shoot." I thought, "is there a ratio or something that designers use?" A quick Pinterest search answered my question. Yep! There sure is! Drat! I should have looked that up before I went shopping for a light! Lesson learned! 

So, the fixture I bought wasn't going to work for over the dining table, but I thought it might look nice in our bedroom so I went ahead with my plans. Luckily, it turned out great! Plus, Jesse taught me how to wire the light (yay, new skill!) so I can do the next one myself. 

Here's a before picture of the light. Please forgive the terrible photo, I was in a rush and didn't realize my camera was on the wrong setting.

Here's is how I painted and updated the light fixture:

First, I wiped off all the dust and oils. Then, I removed the old glass shades and hung up the light outside, our laundry line pole works very well for this!

I used several coats of paint and primer in one. For this, I used Valspar Paint + Primer in satin black. Tip! Stuff the light bulb sockets with paper towels to keep spray paint out of them.

Once the paint had dried and cured, I added 40 watt vanity bulbs that I found at Ace. I tried 60 watt first, but the effect was way too bright. Lastly, I begged my husband to install the light for me. I also had him show me how to do it and honestly it seems fairly simple, it's just kinda intimidating because..electricity.

Adding a mini-chandelier to the bedroom wasn't a project I was planning on, but I would call it a "happy accident." Do you have any DIY lemons that you turned into lemonade?

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This post is linked up with:
Inspire Me Please 4.11.14
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