All New Shabby Chic Thread!

lynnemcf

Can anyone help me with applying a crackle glaze to a small sewing box I bought today? Has anyone done this and does it need skill?

EssexGirl

Hiya everyone. I've been reading this thread for ages now, and I'm astonished by what you talented people have achieved. I was feeling inspired but when I was driving past a CS yesterday something caught my eye....

Oh dear what have I done?
I bought a couple of chairs that were just begging to be "shabbied" but being a novice I've no idea where to start. I know it's easy ish, but it's taking the plunge for the first time that I'm finding hard.

I'll post a pic later.

I love retro kitchenalia and have no problems finding a home for that stuff. I bought a gorgeous aquamarine 1930's water jug at a boot fair at the weekend for the princely sum of £1 :j and a brand new enamel coffee pot at a CS yesterday for £1.50 :j.

lostinrates

lynnemcf wrote: »

Can anyone help me with applying a crackle glaze to a small sewing box I bought today? Has anyone done this and does it need skill?

I used a crackle kit ..this s going back almost ten years. It was easy peasy, had a spray can. Funnily enough I'm now planning to paint that cabinet ''clean'' again, and maybe do the varnished wall paper on the top. Also wiorth noting the cabinet looks great after all this time, having had some rough treatment in use and being knocked about in the storage container (its little, so gets chucked up to the top!)

betony

Hello, all you wonderful, creative peoples! :hello: You are all SO talented! I've spent the past 2 weeks reading the whole of this thread - it's taken me so long as I keep getting distracted and side-tracked by all the gorgeous sites you lot keep mentioning! I was particularly taken with the images on a site mentioned by Pollyskettle: Activityvillage (not allowed to post link as I'm fairly new here, can't even quote Pollyskettle as it includes the link - I ask you...!)

I think I saved all of the floral ones to my PC (you download them as pdf files). Oh, and I also sent away for free wallpaper samples from Farrow and Ball and Wallpaperdirect. Now I need a project to use them (I have actually stripped and painted a nest of 70's coffee tables in the past, with a very pleasing result mind, so I'm not totally untalented!)

Any way, carry on with this delightful thread - it reminds me a bit of those lovely old British films - easy on the eye and the nerves, and sooo comforting!

Love and hugs to you all :grouphug:

Betony

betony

Ooh, and before I forget, Lidl's currently have a detail electric sander for the princely sum of £11.99! (it's a rounded triangle-ie sort of shape, ideal for smaller surfaces) and has a dust extractor...um, think I'll stretch my legs and have a walk into town...:whistle:

alys_fowler

ive just read through the whole thread it is very inspiring

hart44

Hi to everyone and welcome to you all that have (at last lol) found this thread
My mum said I can have my nan's sewing box :j I just have to get back to Norfolk to pick it up
It is like this but pine and on legs, its about 40 years old and I hope I can do something with it
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wooden-Sewing-Box-rosewood-finish-100-spools-/120579116684?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Crafts_Sewing_Supplies_MJ&hash=item1c13134e8c

I have been charity shopping again and I brought a double Ralph Lauren sheet with vallance for £2.49, it is in perfect new look condition and when I saw it I knew it will be my next quilt it is lovely thick cotton, I have pic's on my homepage.

Gigervamp

lynnemcf wrote: »

Can anyone help me with applying a crackle glaze to a small sewing box I bought today? Has anyone done this and does it need skill?

You can buy crackle glaze kits, but basically you use a slow drying oil based varnish and a quick drying water based one. One on top of the other (don't remember now which goes on top) which because of the different drying times, causes it to crackle.

I'm sure there must be instructions online somewhere.

MrsMoo2U

hart44 wrote: »

Hi to everyone and welcome to you all that have (at last lol) found this thread
My mum said I can have my nan's sewing box :j I just have to get back to Norfolk to pick it up
It is like this but pine and on legs, its about 40 years old and I hope I can do something with it
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wooden-Sewing-Box-rosewood-finish-100-spools-/120579116684?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Crafts_Sewing_Supplies_MJ&hash=item1c13134e8c

I have been charity shopping again and I brought a double Ralph Lauren sheet with vallance for £2.49, it is in perfect new look condition and when I saw it I knew it will be my next quilt it is lovely thick cotton, I have pic's on my homepage.

Can you start to come CS shopping with me? Never mind a personal shopper for clothes I could do with one of you :rotfl: The box sounds just like the one that I missed because of umming and ahhing in the shop the other week. ::(
On a high note, whilst not strictly shabby chic (but very environmentally friendly) I just managed to win a fridge freezer on ebay for £52 and when I went to pick it up I was thrilled -it is like new, the lady I bought it from was so sweet too. I am even more thrilled because somebody on this thread somewhere mentioned buying off ebay via quidco so I am now tracking £2.24 cashback which is great because my budget was £50 for a fridge as that was all I could afford. Wow, things are looking up.

pollyskettle

hart44 wrote: »

Hi to everyone and welcome to you all that have (at last lol) found this thread
My mum said I can have my nan's sewing box :j I just have to get back to Norfolk to pick it up
It is like this but pine and on legs, its about 40 years old and I hope I can do something with it
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wooden-Sewing-Box-rosewood-finish-100-spools-/120579116684?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Crafts_Sewing_Supplies_MJ&hash=item1c13134e8c

I have been charity shopping again and I brought a double Ralph Lauren sheet with vallance for £2.49, it is in perfect new look condition and when I saw it I knew it will be my next quilt it is lovely thick cotton, I have pic's on my homepage.

Oooooo I've got a pine one of those on legs. I saw a lovely picture the other day, someone had painted it and done something else to it, can't think what, and it looked really good.

I shall have a think and see if I can remember where it was

:hello: betony! The images on activity village are lovely. I must find a project for them!

I thought I might laminate some of the wallpaper samples and make windmills out of them! I shall have to find something to colour the back of it first though. I'm sure there are plenty of uses for them, but I need something in the garden to deter the birds from my strawberries and it may as well be somehing pretty

There are some clever things to make with paper on there, full link here:

http://www.things-to-make-and-do.co.uk/paper-and-card-projects/paper-and-card-projects.html