If you have book shelves in your home, and lots of books, you've probably discovered that bookends don't always keep everything in order. Sometimes your collection of books on the shelf are just too much for the bookend to hold.

Here's a great tip that also doubles as a wonderful decorating idea: Use curtain rod finials as your bookends! A finial is a carved or shaped decorative detail used as ornaments to spruce up all sorts of items in a room. Curtain rod finials are used to make curtain rods more decorative, and also to keep curtains from sliding off the ends of the rods. Regular architectural finials are often used as enhancements to a room's decoration and style. Sometimes you'll see them for instance, at the top of a staircase post or on the tops of bedposts.

Curtain rod finials usually come with a screw set inside. All you have to do is drill a starter hole in your bookshelf, then screw the finial into place. You can also use standard wood glue on the bottom of the finial, to be sure it stays in place at all times... by doing so of course though, you won't be able to change the finials to a different style later.

If your curtain finial doesn't match the shelf, or you bought it unfinished, simply paint, stain or varnish it to fit your room and shelf decor.

Take this decorating tip even further by buying finials of different sizes, shapes and colors. Then change them with the seasons, each time you want a fresher, different look to the room, or each time you re-decorate completely.

Alternatively of course, you can simply buy a plain architectural finial without the screw already in place - then just glue that into place on your book shelf.

Start shopping around for decorative and unusual finials today, and get your bookshelves all spruced up for spring!

? 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard, The Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network - A large and growing portal of home decorating and decor articles, tips, advice and excellent home decor shopping sections. This article may be republished on any website, as long as it remains unchanged, carries this copyright and reprint notice, and has a live link to our site.

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