So, I picked up this bookcase about a month ago from my local St. Vincent de Paul- I think I paid $15 for it. It was the usual orangey brown stain.  I knew I wanted to get a little bold with it as far as the aging and distressing, but that’s so hard for me! For courage, I read through all of Miss Mustard Seed’s Befores and Afters. I’ve always loved how distressed she goes with her furniture.

 I know it’s a little hard to tell from these photos- I took these in my dining room in artificial light, but in real life, the colors are so rich and varied! I painted it with a wonderful chalk paint that I made myself using a Valspar paint/primer combination in a color called “Storm”. It’s a gorgeous color- I’ll be using it again on a desk this week.

 Then I dry brushed Annie Sloan’s Old White over the gray. Then I used 80 grit sandpaper to really rough it up. I recently picked up a vintage clarinet instructional book. I used pages from the book and modpodged them onto the bookshelf backing.

Also on advice from Miss Mustard Seed, I went to Home Depot and bought a glazing medium which I then mixed with a Behr color called “French Roast”. I glazed all the surfaces, including the music sheets. (You can see where I still have to do the undersides of the shelves.)

I’m really loving this piece! I will also be sealing the whole thing with clear wax. It will be at the Magnolia Marketplace with me next Sunday. Oh boy, this process of becoming a seller has been so much work! But when I finish something like this, it gives me such a high!