Decorating Shelves #1 : Creating Balance, (by using weird stuff from around your house)!

OK, so since I had 25...yes, 25 photos for this post. I thought I'd better break it up into 2 segments. lol

Now, I'm no expert on the rhymes and rules of decorating. I've had no formal training, and I don't claim to know anything for certain....ok, not much for certain. I do however, LOVE decorating shelves! LOVE it!

So I guess you could call this "my analysis" as to why I think things work and why they don't (take it for what it's worth folks!...and that might not be much). 

I actually enjoy it (for the most part) when the budget is low and I have to re-purpose things from around my house to use as decor. I feel that I'm the most creative this way and come up with the most interesting ideas. 

I decided I wouldn't buy a thing for these shelves (now that I think about it, I did buy clear gloss enamel spray), but everything else was stuff I had around. 

#1) Trends with a "twist" provide interest. 

So you've probably seen everyone including little animal figurines in decor now days. 

Here are a few examples I found on Pinterest:

 Rue Magazine

Censational Girl

See the little gold owls on Censational Girl's built-ins. She actually has a fun post on Styling Bookshelves that you can see HERE.

Young House Love

Young House Love has a post HERE about her obsession with spray painting porcelain animals.

So I found this little guy...let's not be original, we'll call him Dumbo, at the GW. He was just sitting around in my back room waiting to be painted. 

Only problem was, when I went to buy spray paint, I still wasn't totally sure of my accent color. I wasn't sure if he was going to be red (original idea), or if I was going to need him to be white or what. 

So I bought a high-gloss, clear spray enamel, to see if I could just paint porcelain....brush marks and all, and then spray a high gloss on it and it worked nicely!

This pic is "before" the gloss spray job. 

 You can't see brush marks from a shelf, just glossiness and color.  (final pic is down below)

Next up. 

2.) Using things you already have to add pattern and layers. 

I layer A LOT. It makes big things work and small thing work. Depending on what you're needing them for. Glues are amazing and you can come up with all kinds of interesting things by doing this.  (One example of this is the frame in my entryway.)

I needed more yellow. So I took this old rusty box (you could even use a painted cracker box, or something?)

and added some pattern, color and eventually some words. I didn't end up loving it, but it added some height and color where I needed it. 

I added both projects with a fun little ukulele, and they all made a pretty decent looking shelf. 

3.) Use a variety of shapes and sizes. 

So here's my philosophy on shelves. You need variety of things for visual interest. Different shapes and sizes. I was always told to work with odd numbers. You'll notice that I try to have 1 of something, 3 of something or 5 of something. I'm not sure if this is exactly true, but it does seem to work for me. My eye likes it better.

When it comes to shapes, I love spheres. I maybe over-do them a little. I have too many wicker ones, do you? 

If I need to add a little more color and pattern. I usually wrap or paint my wicker spheres.

Below: Nasty old spheres from my old LR.

Start with some fun fabric. Remember to have solid fabric in coordinating colors also. 

I usually use some fabric I have around. And cut it into long strips to wind it around the ball. If you have extra material from something in the room, it usually ties everything together even better. 

Once it's covered. I take thread and wrap it to hold everything in place. 

You can use pins to hold the thread in place in the back, or you can use them all over to add interest. 

I put mine on a silver tray and they ended up looking like this. 

4.) Paint ANYTHING. 

Paint is a cheap way to reuse what you have in order to tie everything together. 

Here I am putting a GW birdhouse in my 5 gallon bucket of paint. This was quicker than brushing or spray painting it. 

A little paint and a little distressing, (I even painted a dollar store dove a yellow color), and it all worked on the shelf. If I would have left the birdhouse black, no one would have been able to see it against the black background.  

5.) Balance....NOT overkill!

With design, our eyes needs a place to rest. This is why you often hear the saying, less is more. 

One thing I've done lately is to show only the book pages, not the bindings. This way I have a shelf of solid, non-patterned, non-cluttered white. My husband thinks this is nuts, but I love the way it looks and he has many other bookshelves, so I'm goin' with it. You could also recover the bindings in white paper or fabric and re-label them. 

Notice on the shelf above, you can see a lot of the black fabric behind the decor. This also needs to be balanced. I tired to balance the number of shelves that showed more black background. On each shelf set. I used the top and middle shelf to show more black background. 

Here's an another example of adding a little color, without it being overwhelming. 

 6.) Ground the bottom.

 My personal preference is to "ground" the bookshelf with a solid, more massive object, or objects. (that is my nontechnical way of saying it). I'm meaning books, or large containers, or something a solid as possible. Not a bunch of little this and thats.

I used this old apple crate that I found off Craigslist and stenciled TOYS on it. It's nice looking and very practical, since the kids can easily pull it out and play. 

These shelves are by my Gallery Wall, and there is already a lot going on in this part of the room, so I tried to keep them pretty simple. I tried to only add bold color on every other shelf. 

So here is self set #1, how I made decor out of random things around my house, and how I attempted to use them to "balance" the shelves.  

I actually like the other set of shelf set better, but since this is so long, you'll have to just wait until Thursday to see. 

--Katie

This post has been featured on:

"/>

Posting to:

Mondays: The DIY Showoff Project Parade Made by You Mondays Embellishing Life Everyday Just Something I whipped up Monday The CSI project Menu Plan Monday C.R.A.F.T. The Southern Institute Making the World Cuter Thrify Décor Chick Metamorphosis Monday Sumo Sweet Stuff Gunny Sack Singing Three Little Birds DIY Homes Sweet Home Dittle Dattle 1929 Charmer Everything Under the Moon ModMix Monday Sew Stylish Sew Can Do  Everything Under the Moon  Manic Monday

 Tuesday: http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ Blue Cricket Design Somedays Crafts Sew Much Ado Sew Woodsy Handy Man, Crafty Woman {Primp} Midweek Fiesta Rae Gun Ramblings Polkadots On Parade  Petals to Picots  The Southern Product Queen Sew Crafty  It's Overflowing Northern Cottage Primitice and Proper  Stories from A to Z Destination Craft The Pinkatamus Gingerbread  Home Happy Home Today's Creative Blog The Melrose Family 

Wednesday Blue Cricket Design Somedays Crafts Sew Much Ado Sew Woodsy Handy Man, Crafty Woman Savvy Southern Style {Primp}Midweek Fiesta Rae Gun Ramblings Polkadots On Parade Lollipop Cards JAQS Studio Let Birdz Fly Let Birdz Fly My Girlish Whims  Restored it Wednesday  It's Overflowing  Uncommon  Eye Heart Ginger Snaps and Crafts  Tutus and Tea Parties

Thursdays: Transformation Thursdays Somewhat simple Show off your stuff House of Hepworths Delightful Order My Simple Home Life The Frugal Girls Thrifty Thursday DIY Diva Thursday Tablescape Thursday No Minimalists Here Crafty, Scrappy, Happy Thrifty Decorating Between U and Me  Thrifty and Fabulous  Shabby Creek Cottage The Vintage Farmhouse Craftionary The Vintage Farmhouse I've Gotta Create Embracing Change

Fridays: The Shabby nest Show and Tell Friday Finding Fabulous I’m Loving it Simply Sweet Home Whipper Berry Chic on a Shoestring decorating Spunky Junky Delicate Construction Homemaker in Heels Family Ever After French Country Cottage Common Ground Young And Crafty At the Picket Fence Fingerprints on the Fridge Miss Mustard Seed Addicted to Decorating Bacon Time with The Hungry Hypo Making Lemonade I Can't Stop Crafting Over the Big Moon Shabby Art Answer is Chocolate  5 Days 5 Ways  Petals to Picots Country Mama Cooks  Classy Clutter Hating Martha Mom 4 Real

Saturdays: I heart nap time- Sundae Scoop Tatertots and Jello Be different Act Normal Funky Junk 2805 Making Lemonade Blog I am Along for the Ride Lolly Jane  Raising Oranges  The Tattered Tag Meg and Mums  6 Sister

Sundays: Homemaker on a Dime Sunday's Best CRAFT

   Delightfully Noted  Blissful and Domestic