Birds of a Feather

I love my master bedroom (haven't seen the before and after? Read more here). But it was really lacking something on the walls. To be fair, up until recently my whole house had lacked something on the walls, but still.

During my lunch breaks I have taken to frequenting the local Goodwill to see what is going on in the world of low-priced donated goods. Occasionally I will find something interesting --- most notably a ceramic frog dancing with three hens.

Nothing really of use though until last week. I ran across this pair of peacocks.





They are more like dioramas than anything else. And ideal for the master -- very original, a great pop of color on the dark gray walls, and I love anything that has birds on it. Add to the potion that they were just $20 for the set, and I have some fancy new art on the wall next to my closet.

We're back in business

It has been almost two months since my last real blog post, but I am back to blogging. Time to get excited.

And what better what to get started than with a question from a loyal reader. This letter comes from Abby:

I just painted a bookshelf. It's a small wooden shelf that I painted with acrylic paints.

I feel like I need to put some sort of sealant or top coat on there for protection, but I don't know what kind. I don't want to sit a plant or anything on there for fear of scratching the paint.

Any advice?

Well, Abby, it just so happens that I have some advice for you! You need a few thin coats of polyurethane to round out this project.

Painting furniture is a great way to repurpose a tired bookshelf or add some life to that bland nightstand. In fact, I added a few coats of white paint to a sideboard that became my dresser (read about it here).

Sealing with polyurethane gives painted furniture a nice shine and improves durability. You can choose from either satin, semi-gloss or gloss depending on the look that you are going for. Just apply a few thin coats, lightly sanding between each. If you want a more in-depth tutorial about painting furniture, Bryn Alexandra has a great post you should check out.

Thanks for the great question, Abby. Would love to see a picture of your bookshelf when you are finished!

Any other readers have a burning question for me? Leave a comment below and you could be the next reader featured on Musings. Who could ask for more?