Backup Plan

Maybe it was the herringbone pattern.  Maybe it was the $2.98 price tag (gotta love Target clearance tags).  Or maybe I was just thrilled that two babies were sleeping at the same time.  Either way, this happened. 

In case you missed it, what I meant to say in my muddlings above is that I was wandering through Target the other day and spotted this super cool herringbone (love) wrapping paper marked down to $2.98 (love).  Naturally, I scooped it up—the very last roll (whew!).  Drawing from YHL’s inspirational DIY book, I decided to use the wrapping paper to back our built-in bookshelves.  (And yes, I’ve been known to tack odd items to our walls.  Check out this post about placemat art.)  Oh, and somehow in the middle of my day, Liam and his buddy Adin (a kiddo who I babysit once a week) were both snoozing soundly, so I hitched up my britches and got some project on.  Funny how backing bookshelves was probably the absolute last thing I should have spent time on, but yeah, it felt awesome.  Hmmm…kind of like how I should totally not be blogging about this right now, being that it is 11:06 pm and I am totally wiped out from trying to get back into some semblance of routine after being gone for two weeks of Christmas break.  I digress…

Anyhoo, the basic process I used was covering foam board with wrapping paper (just like you would wrap a super skinny present) and then wrangling the covered board into the bookshelf.  I did use some double-sided tape to keep the board in place.  And while I did measure, my cuts weren’t perfect, so don’t look too close.  Even with some imperfections, I LOVE the look.  It makes the white dishes pop; plus, it provides some nice coverage for some not-so-pretty shelves. 

Take a gander at the original built-ins, doors and all…

Midway through the journey…

Pish posh polished…

Now the bookshelves sport some new décor that snuck into our abode after Christmas. 

Some books swiped from my parent’s bookshelves, greenery, branch pencils, porcelain tree trunk servers (another Target clearance item), gold mercury candle holders resembling bee hives (also on clearance at Target), and my favorite—a coral cake plate that plays off some of the other orangey accents in our house (a complete Target splurge using a birthday gift card—I opted to forgo practical in the name of whimsical, which is actually pretty unusual for me—not to mention that I spent it within a month of my birthday, rather than hoarding it all year).  Oh, and a little egg crate I snagged at Ross for $2.49.  I’ve been hankering after an egg crate for several years now, and I fell hard for the square shape—and the price tag—of this sweet little guy.  Of course all these random items were totally justified, because they could potentially be used for staging down the road (at least that’s what I tell myself : ).  And if you’re wondering about the gold, I never thought I’d say this, but this year gold is the new black (or gray, if you look back at the color schemes of 2012).  I have to say I’m pretty smitten with the added sparkle and you know I won’t hesitate to bring out the spray paint if the urge strikes. 

And there you have it.  A simple update requiring very little sweat and $—yet it packs a nice punch and simultaneously satisfied my desire for a creative DIY project.  As always, I’m happy that it can be easily removed if I tire of the look or need to neutralize the space down the road. 

Alrighty then…off to link my knockoff project to YHL’s book project page!