Coltsfoot in spring
Merry meet all,
Hello my dear readers! I have been so busy the last two days. I decided that since it’s spring, I needed to spruce up my kitchen. The bookcase was so much work to put together but it was so worth it! I am here to tell you how I created my beautiful spring bookcase. So sit back, have a cup of tea and read on…
I found the bookcase I liked on IKEA. The one catch was that the shelves aren’t wooden. I found a way around that. I might buy green placemats at the Black Market if they have them. The shelves are white steel, Epoxy/polyester powder coating. The bookcase is also made of wood. I got my Mom’s help to assemble the bookcase. We then realized I couldn’t paint the bookcase after it was assembled. Ok. So I had to paint the wood before we put it all together. I already had the perfect shade of moss green paint ready to go. So after she left, I set about preparing to paint. I gathered paint brushes, patience, the paint, a drop cloth and black garbage bags. The bookcase is an open shelf unit.
It is still freezing outside. But I had to entertain a cat and paint a bookcase. Anyone who has a pet cat or dog knows how hard that can be. I barricaded myself in my bedroom with the bookcase and the paint supplies and got to work. First I cut up an old bedsheet, and 5 or 6 black garbage bags. I taped the garbage bags to the bedroom furniture and to the office chair to avoid paint stains. I put down the drop cloth. The drop cloth was so aggravating. The shelving sections kept sliding on the cloth. There was some paint on the floor by the time I was done. I did my best to avoid a big mess. The back door was open all day to let Penny see out the screen window. Eventually I finished and let the shelving units dry. I had taped a small section on the shelving units so I could turn them around and avoid paint on my hands which happened anyway. The next morning, I had to clean up my apartment which resembled a war zone because Mom was coming over to finish assembling it.
Ugh. I made myself some coffee and tidied up the apartment. I touched up the shelving units and checked them over. They looked great. I washed the floor, threw away the garbage, and cleared an area to work in. We assembled the bookcase. We enjoyed tea and lemon bread as we worked. Penny stayed out of my way as we assembled and I painted the bookcase, which I really appreciated. She returned home. Now I was ready for the final and most fun step: decorating it!
I gathered the artificial moss, butterfly and insect stickers, hot glue gun and glue sticks, the pinecones I found outside, bird feathers, the birdhouse I painted and decorated, acorns, white glue, paint brushes, etc. I used the hot glue gun to adhere the moss to the bookcase. The colour of the shelving unit is perfect for the moss, which is why I selected it. Here is a sneak preview of how it looks:
I have finished gluing the moss to the bookcase shelving units. It was the most time consuming part of the project. I am currently preparing the pinecones for the bookcase. I soak them in a solution of vinegar and water for half an hour then bake them to kill the mites and pests for a few hours. This is done to avoid having an infestation in your home. I also clean my paintbrushes when I am done using them. These extra steps go a long way in taking care of your crafting tools.
I hung a hook from the bookcase. I hung the birdhouse up on the hook. The birdhouse is now accepting winged/ feathered occupants. I will glue the pinecones to the moss once they are dry. I use the timer on my phone to keep track of how long something is in the oven. Cellphones are so useful!
I still have to add the leaves and the fairy lights. I am so happy with it all so far.
I love it and I think it looks great! I installed a paper towel holder under the kitchen sink, have stocked the new beautiful bookcase with the books and what I had stored there before. I love how it looks. I still have a lot of moss to glue on and more pinecones, acorns, feathers, butterflies and the birds. I love how it looks. I would love to hear how you are all celebrating Spring!
Enjoy Beltaine!
Blessings, Spiderwitch
