From Shabby to Chic #5 - The dresser gets it!

Let me introduce my dresser ...

She has been with us for a couple of years, brought from Ebay for a steal of course.

She's big, practical (you can only imagine the junk hid away inside!) but not very pretty.

I have been wanting to give her a makeover for sometime. I kept putting it off knowing it would be a big job.

But now I've finally done it...

Before

and

 After

.... aahhhhh .... that's better!

No more ginger varnish, no more faux metal handles!

Still as big and practical but pretty to boot!

What do you think?

It was a bit of a team effort, I had roped my reluctant Husband in to dismantle her and lay the sheets down for painting.

(I promised him a lie in, in return for his services.)

Using Annie Sloan Old White, I gave her two coats, then my Husband offered to take the top to the workshop and sand off all the gingery varnish! Who am I to refuse such an offer?!?

He returned home a few hours later with not only a beautifully buffed and waxed top but 6 little draw knobs too. (Do you think I owe him another lie in now?)

After spending what seemed like an age waxing the paint work (I wish he offered to do that too!).

She was finished and ready to be reassembled.

Pleased as punch with the results.

Thanks for reading ladies.

Love Katie

xxx

From Shabby to Chic #4

My fav so far...

For a while now I'm been itching to get rid of a yucky bit of furniture in our Bathroom.

We need something in there, to store towels and bits and bobs in, so I had been looking around for something new.

Then I remembered this chest of draws my Mum and Dad had given me a few months back. This had been in there bedroom for years (in fact it's been with them longer then any of us have and my elder sister is 34!)

Any way I had it tucked away in the spare room, until I realised it would be just right for the job...

Tah Dah!

(please excuse the toilet rolls! A bit of an essential in the bathroom though, I'm sure you will agree.)

I know before I had a little moan about the Annie Sloan paint I brought, well I take it all back. This time I did the painting indoors (not in the blazing heat of our only hot day) and it made life a lot easier.

I used Annie Sloan's Duck Egg Blue. A quick smudge of wax on top and some polished oak draw knobs (again a total freebies, Dad had them in his stash.)

perfect to sort all our bathroom-y stuff in.

Have a great week Ladies.

Lots of Love

Katie xxx

From Shabby to Chic #3

A month or two ago I posted about this blanket box I brought.

It just needed a fresh coat of paint to brighten it up.

The base of the box was abit grubby and marked...

... Before

... and After.

I used Rustoleum primer and Heirloom white to spray the base and left the lid as was.

I picked up this pin board for just £1 in a Charity shop. I thought it would be useful in the craft room, but it needed a bit of a face lift first.

... Before

.... and After.

For this I used paint left over from recent bedside cupboard makeover. I hot glued buttons to flat drawing pins and ta-dah! Finished!

It is now the home for all the cards and letters I have been lucky enough to receive from my lovely bloggy friends.

Lots of Love

Katie

xxxx

From Shabby to Chic #2

I've been at it again ...

This time my bathroom mirror

and this book unit were the victims of my paint brush.

I've had the mirror for years and never really liked it, my husband brought it when he broke my favourite one! The book unit I brought recently, £5.50 off eBay (surprise surprise!)

Here they are now...

The mirror has been painted with a satin finish cream paint.

I've heard a lot about Annie Sloan's Chalk paint recently, so whilst my husband was enjoying his fishing holiday last week in Suffolk, I discovered there was a stockist nearby so sent him on an errand. (No Stockists in Norfolk!)

I used Old White to paint the book unit, I'm not really sure if I like this paint, I found it a little difficult to apply neatly and I think it's going to chip off easily.

Any body else used this paint?

What do you think?

Have a wonderful weekend,

Love Katie

xxx

From Shabby to Chic #1

I think this may become a regular feature here ....

I've always loved the look of painted furniture and love the idea of customising pieces.

But I've never been brave enough to try it myself. My husband has painted one or two bits for me in the past (he's a carpenter so is good with that sort of thing.) But I really fancied giving it ago ...

so I have ...

I brought this sad looking bedside cabinet on Ebay (for the grand total of 99p!)

And I'm sure you'll agree it fits right in the category of "shabby"

....

Now for the Chic!

What do you think?

It's been sanded, primed and painted, it's had a shiny new knob and I've lined the shelf with some wallpaper from a Zoffany wallpaper book I acquired (I knew it would come in handy one day!)

I'm rather pleased with it myself. I had lots of fun painting it and I managed to keep the cost low. I did have to buy the paint and primer (but there's plenty left for other projects), the door knob was free from a stash my Dad had hidden way (thanks Dad!) and I brought the entire wallpaper book (it's huge and there is loads more scrummy designs) for £1.50 from my local Mini Scrapbox.

----------------------------

This little cutie has also come to live with us, Ebay purchase again, £3.50, it was already painted in this pretty blue shade. I think it's worth £3.50 of anyone money!

I love you little blue chair :) xxx

Any one else fancy joining me on my "From Shabby to Chic" adventure?

Love Katie xxx