Design ADD: The Story of a Little Bookcase

Here's a little secret:  I love puttering in my apartment so much that I move something almost everyday.  Even if it's just a vase or a pillow.  It's taken a while for this place to evolve. I've been really lucky, all my furniture was donated by friends and family.

My talented brother made me this sweet little bookcase.  I intended to paint it gloss white, but my bro told me to check out the mistake section of the paint department. A happy discovery indeed!  I bought a pint of satin enamel by Clark + Kensington for $1.00!  Yep, no shit. $1.00.  After sanding (which I hate) the paint went on smooth.

Bam.  I love it.  I placed the little bookcase on my focal wall.

The chair is a gift from my mom.  It's a little chunky for my taste, and I wasn't sure I liked the sage green.  It sure is comfy, though and did I mention it was free?

After studying this wall for a couple of weeks, I began to go through a familiar stage in my decorating. Panic. I love beautiful things, but I panic when I have too many.  Maybe it comes from growing up in a hoarder home (the subject of a subsequent post).  I decided the focal wall needed to be cleaner.

Yep. That feels good. It's hard to photograph my place, it doesn't get much light. But I kinda dig its cave like feel.  So where did the little bookcase end up?

In the bedroom, where it is the perfect nightstand.  Now that's what I call form AND function.  BTW, I hate making my bed.

Living Simply: Use What You Have

I live in a very small place. It's not my first. In fact, I learned how to live small and simply by living in a studio apartment. I came to love that apartment. I wouldn't hesitate to move to a studio again. Now don't get me wrong, I love beautiful things, just not too many. I'm very careful what I bring into my home. Nothing could have prepared me for how many times I had to move over the last several years. I learned the value of traveling light.

Now when I buy something, I always consider whether it is something I would move, if I had to move again.  Great mindset when you are on a small fixed budget.  Simplicity makes me happy.

As you know, I've been decorating my little beach cottage, on the super cheap. I am using what I have.  The few new things I've bought come from the dollar store and the Goodwill.

Also, as you know, I've been using a lot of blue in my decor.  But, my first love will always be pink. So I decided to paint this vase pink.

 BEFORE

I got this beautiful porcelain vase at the Goodwill for $1.50.

AFTER

I used paint from Pat Catan's in a chalk finish. I always prefer pottery in matte finishes, so it worked perfectly. I love it!

I love this paint so much, I want to get more cheap vases and paint them too!

So what to do think, dear readers?  Should I paint these vases pink?

These are my favorites. The only reason I'm hesitating is they are vintage Haeger in a lava finish, which I love.