Shelf Showdown

Yesterday, after poking around on my desktop folders (yes, long before Pinterest I saved inspirational images in obsessively detailed folders on my laptop) and discovering a cache of images from my "Shelves" folder, I was inspired to redecorate one of my bedroom shelves.

But first, the inspiration:

emily, cupcakes & cashmere

source? i cant remember!

amber interior designs

I had a free hour and was kind of restless so I figured why not? Here's what I started with - my apologizes for the dark pictures, this was before my brilliant self remembered to turn the light on:

Books falling off shelves, weird little stuffed animals, outdated photos... not good. The shelf itself is incredible (it's the Leaning Bookshelf from Crate & Barrel and I loooove it - after months of looking at it online, when I went to the store to finally buy it, the floor sample was on sale for 50% off in perfect condition! It's the first thing I bought for my apartment when I moved in four years ago) but everything I had on there was not doing it any favors. Time for an update.

I took everything off the shelves and reorganized. Here's how it looks now:

So much better, right? Neater and cleaner and more colorful (always a huge plus in my book)! I organized all the books by subject (history, chick lit, autobiography, and my favorite genre, food memoirs), swapped out the photos in the frames for newer ones, and added a couple accessories that I had laying around the kitchen, den, and bathroom. Here are the top three shelves:

On the top shelf: $5 orange picture frame from Home Goods, $3 polka dot bowl from TJ Maxx, and a rainbow striped vase from a bouquet my parents sent me on my 21st birthday. The middle shelf holds my bracelet rack, pink leopard mini vase that I painted at Color Me Mine in 2008, and a white picture frame from a Pampa going-out-of-business-sale, while the third shelf is stacked with books, my fabulous Diane Von Furstenberg African bracelet, Urban Outfitters necklace holder, and a $5 zebra striped pig from a flea market. 

I really like the way this shelf (second from bottom) looks now. I styled it with books, an adorable frame my mom gave me years ago, a tiny vase I bought on spring break in Mexico (filled with scent sticks from the Aria hotel!), my mirrored tissue holder, a turquoise picture frame, plus a hamsa from Israel and a little heart knickknack from Santa Fe. I love using items from my travels to decorate!

The bottom shelf was a pain in the butt to get to look decent. So many books, none of which need to be displayed (uhhhh, note to self, hide "Hitler's Death Camps"). I added a few cute things, including my amazing agate bookends (major Home Goods score, $12 for both!) and a purple picture frame, plus another hamsa from Israel. When I move into a new place some of those books can get tucked away but for now this works for me!

Here's another side shot. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda love it. Cleaning and reorganizing things is a huge de-stressor for me and now I get to enjoy the prettiness on top of it! 

Not too shabby for an hour on a Monday afternoon :) What do you think?!