bookcases....how the heck to decorate them

i hear people stress about decorating bookcases alot.  it can be daunting.....6 shelves, 10 feet tall....how the heck do i fill the space?  bookcases are a great place to showcase family treasures, travel souveniers, and all the many books that you collect over the years.  i have scoured the internet to find some great examples of things you can do.  i wish i had bookcases in my house b/c of all the unique ways you can decorate them.  so, kick back and take a look at how a huge, plain jane bookcase can become one of your favorite areas of your house!

{house beautiful}

books - they don't HAVE to stand straight up and they don't all have to go the same way.  lay some on their sides and stack them tall

i love how the picture frame is attached to the front of the bookcase.  who says a frame has to hang on a wall?

notice how the back of the bookcase is painted yellow?  this is a great place to add pops of color without it being overwhelming.  and so easy to change.

{hgtv}

{hooked on houses}

this is one of my favorites...organizing your books and magazines according to their spine colors.  i love this.  unfortunately i don't have quite enough to do this, but i'm well on my way, thanks to book club!  if you check out the "hooked on houses" link, be sure and read about the book store that arranged ALL of their books by color.  super cool!  not sure how easy it would be to find the book you need, but at least you would have something beautiful to look at while searching! 

{better homes & gardens}

turn a bookcase or cabinet into a bar area/wine cabinet.  i hope to have some pics of one of my client's projects soon.  we did something similar with a large china cabinet in her dining room {no pressure sarah!}.  you can purchase racks that you screw into the bottom of a shelf for glasses to hang.  pick up wine racks for bottles and use beautiful decanters to turn a simple bookcase or cabinet into a useable bar area.

{apartment therapy}

{country living}

another favorite of mine...use wall paper on the back of a bookcase to add fabulous pattern and color.  think about some of the wallcoverings from this past ruby jewel post.  what a statement!  and let's talk about that second photo....the "bookcase" is made out of cabinet drawers.  so very creative.

in almost all of these photos you will see that they have combined books with knick knacks and photos to create a space that is interesting to look at.  hopefully this gives you some inspiration for some of those blank bookcases and cabinets in your home.

if you have done something unique to a bookcase, email me a pic!  i would love to see it.  rubyjewelstudio@gmail.com

happy weekend!!!

flaky & rusty

this past weekend a couple of my friends from dallas came to visit.  saturday we headed to jenks to see if we could find any "treasures" or future diy {do it yourself} projects.  our first stop was rivercity trading and my oh my!  we spend a good 2 hours going through the store.  for those that aren't familiar, the building is an old grocery store that has been divided up into booths that individuals can rent to sell antiques/crafts/old stuff/you name it.  it is a very interesting combination of items...one booth will have an old milking stool and the next will have embroidered baby items...definitely keeps you guessing!  during our 2 hour trip we acquired a multitude of things.  here are a couple "before" pictures of items i found.

i have full intentions of fixing these items up...they will not sit in my garage untouched!  both of my friends went home with windows as well as some other items.  i'm curious to see how theirs turn out {hint, hint tiff.....blog!}

so, check back to see what i turn the old flaky window and rusted bird cage into!

a quick bed makeover

here recently i have been wanting to do something different with my bed.  back when mymichael and i first got married i found some fabric that i loved and made curtains and pillows with it.  i have kept the pillows and simply changed the comforter to give it a different look. 

this was our bed at our apartment in dallas...you can see the green and white pillows on the back.  i loved the fabric b/c it reminded me of something that West Elm would have and i love West Elm.  design tip:  look for creative ways to use everyday items....the white throw pillows with the leaf pattern...the fabric is actually a napkin from Crate & Barrel!  they are the perfect size to fit IKEA's feather throw pillows.  I used 4 napkins total for the two pillows, the front are the leaf pattern and the back is a stripe pattern. 

when we moved back to tulsa and bought a house i changed the comforter to a chocolate brown, kept the green pillows.  you will also notice that the bedroom color is blue instead of green {i secretly miss the green walls.....i love green!}

you will find that i grow tired of things pretty quickly and want a change...we have only been in our house 2 years and i have been itching to find something different...but not so different that i would have to repaint.  this weekend we were in stillwater and i   h i t   t h e   j a c k p o t!  i will go into more detail about the "jackpot" in another post, but here is what i ended up with...multiple patterns...light and airy....

all i will say is   a n t h r o p o l o g i e .  Stay tuned to hear about the "jackpot"!

i like all three beds...they are similar b/c of their color palette, but it's nice to be able to change it up when you get tired of the same old thing.  if you have a piece or two that you absolutely love that's awesome and you shouldn't have to give them up to get a different look. 

think about different colors/patterns/textures that you could use to give it a fresh new look!

great website find!

i stumbled upon a new website today, serena & lily {http://www.serenaandlily.com/}, and it is great!  they have everything from bedding to furnishings and paint.  really great style, some modern, some vintage, and some in between.  i love the colors they use, very fresh.  here are some of my favorites from the site....

i LOVE the grey wall and how the light colors pop off.  it is very natural and calming.  also the pendant fixtures are amazing, my eyes go to those first, the natural material...mmm...so good!  i could totally curl up in one of those beds and have a good read...or nap!

A D O R A B L E  boy nursery!  i cannot stand the typical red/blue combo that is always associated with boys!  i mean, who decided those were the main colors for boys?  blue and orange are complimentary colors {a post some day about complimentary colors} and therefore look fabulous together.  i also love that it's not the primary blue and orange...they are lighter and brighter making the room feel very airy.  also...the combo on the crib, white AND wood.  adds interest and isn't so traditional.  finally, the graphics/shapes are so simple and yet make a huge statement.  you have the organic tree like shape on the wall, the simple {not cheesy} animal shapes on the crib bumper and then the rigid lines on the crib that are very prevalent.  it all goes together so nicely! 

my F A V O R I T E S about this girl nursery are:  #1 the chair....i love the button tufts, it is very vintage looking but the upholstery color gives it a hip feel.  #2 the screen....the geometric pattern wouldn't typically be found in a nursery, but the color they chose gives it a completely different feel.  #3 the floor.....the wood floor warms up the room immediately.  if it was standard carpet it certainly wouldn't feel the same.  the orangy hue plays off the light blue chair and crib fabric {again with the complimentary colors!}.  #4 the green art pieces w/ the whispy trees.  they are simple and make a statement that ties in nicely with the crib bedding.

Hmmm....looks like i named pretty much everything in that nursery....

to top it off, i would put a cute chandelier w/ crystal somewhere!

this photo is G R E A T.  the chair is awesome {sarah...this reminds me of the chairs we found for your living room!  you need them!} with its button tufted back and turned front legs.  i love the color ful blankets and how they play off the neutral chair. 

if only i was organized!  i like this simply for the colors and patterns...cute pic.

G R E E N  is my favorite color...i love the white design and it's just cute.  i don't have a kid to carry around in it....i wonder if oscar would mind???

so, just a few favorites from serena & lily....they are pretty pricey, but it's a great source of inspiration.  you could easily get the same looks for a much less expensive price tag.  keep your eyes and mind open!  whose to say those pendant fixtures in the first photo aren't actually waste baskets turned upside down and made into a light fixture?????????? 

you never know!