Trash to Treasure Bookshelves

When we remodeled our laundry room and mud room, I knew I wanted some storage for the odds and ends that can be overwhelming to keep track of ~ hats, mittens, scarves, sunglasses, etc, but I wanted to spend as little as possible.  I remembered the set of bookshelves pictured above that just been sitting in the garage since we had picked them up at a yard sale a few years ago for only $1and thought they would be just perfect!

The bookshelves were solid wood and in pretty good shape, but just needed a little updating.  We went to Home Depot to buy a little paint, and noticed they have an “OOPS” section for paint that was mixed incorrectly or returned by the customer.  We bought a small can of black paint for $1!

We painted the bookshelves and since I’m loving the vintage look lately, I used the palm sander around the edges to give it a more aged look (which you’ll be able to see later).

So the bookshelves were completed for a total of $2, and remained empty for several months while I searched for the right baskets.  And search I did ~ at every retailer I could think of!  Unfortunately, baskets aren’t cheap!  (I did look at various thrift stores, but the difficult part was finding 4 baskets that matched).  I found baskets I loved at Target, but couldn’t believe it when I looked at the price tag and they were $16 each!!  Back to the ole’ drawing board!

Finally, we took a trip to IKEA where I found the lovely Agen baskets ~ they would fit perfectly; the only problem ~ they were white, not brown.  I bought 4 and unfortunately I don’t have the receipt and they are no longer on the IKEA website, but I believe they were around $6 apiece.  I didn’t love the white ~ but no problem.  Enter Krylon’s Brown Boots.

For $2.99/can (I used about a can and a half) I was able to spraypaint the baskets to the brown color I wanted ~ and I don’t think anyone would notice!!  Here’s a comparison of the baskets, and you can also a closer view of the bookshelves…

What about the rest of the decor?

The white apothecary jar I found at a thrift store for $1.97 and spraypainted to give it a fresh new look.  The “M” monogram was a Hobby Lobby deal normally priced $5.99 but I had a 40% off coupon, so around $3.60.  As far as the stack of books, two were passed down from grandparents and one was a library buy for 50 cents, all tied up with a piece of twine.  The rest of the decorations were found “shopping the house,” which is a great trick when you are looking for something new and don’t want to spend any money ~ just move things from other areas of your home!

The grand total?  Less than $40 ~ less than what it would have cost to buy just 3 of those baskets at Target!!