THE END RESULT
This is the "during" and "after" photo of the shelf I refinished for my guest bathroom. It still needs another "needful thing" added, perhaps a prim candle.
I made a jar of handmade soap balls yesterday to add the display, thanks to Lisa from Primitives From Above. Her recipe is so easy and inexpensive. I already had the oatmeal and soap on hand, then I used a recycled spaghetti sauce jar and attached my own handmade coffee-stained label and topped it with homespun and a jute string. Although it still needs a little more tweaking, I'm happy with the way it turned out.
How thrifty is that? I only paid $5.99 for the shelf.