All New Shabby Chic Thread!

Rummer

I have been using a gloss roller and the results are fantastic! Thank you for that great advice! I am now well on my way to an amazingly shabby chic kitchen!

maman

Probably too late for Rummer but when I painted my last kitchen (and also fitted wardrobes) I got OH to take doors off and painted them flat. It was so much easier.

Gigervamp

The higher the number on sandpaper, the finer it is. 180's not too bad, but 240 would be better.

Rummer

Thank you for all your advice I have now almost finished the doors and then I will be moving onto the tiles and walls. It is looking so much better already!

princesspoppypop

rosekitten wrote: »

dont know how shabby chic this is
but you can make really nice
cushion covers from tea towels
and it can often work out cheaper
than buying a ready made one
this one below was a Cath Kidston
one it was £6 made up it measures
10 inches by 14 inches.Hardy any
sewing just sew up each side and
use a couple of small pieces of
velcro to fasten on the back.
I bet cushions in CK are a lot
more expensive than the one I
made here,so its also good money
saving too

I had to make a cushion pad to fit inside
but an old pillow will provide plenty of
filling or buy one cheap £1 in Asda or
any pound shop.Also there are lots of
different tea towels in the shops a lot
cheaper than the one I used,its just I
thought this was too nice to just dry
dishes with.

Rosekitten this is fab... I`m off to Harrogate on Saturday so will be popping into CK for some tea towels... I got some gorgeous teatowels from Dunelm which really were too nice to use.. but ooops I did and now I wish that I hadn`t!

I might even have a go at making a tea towel bag to put my knitting in.... ooo wish it was Saturday!
Px

princesspoppypop

jen2007 wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to say loving the thread and everyone's pics. I can't believe I only spotted it today. I read through the old shabby chic thread a few months ago and found it really inspiring. I was lusting after a dresser and tv cabinet from the Cotswold Company that cost £800+. I realised that I was never going to be able to afford this furniture and the old thread made me realise that I could create the same look for a fraction of the cost. I started to scour ebay for similar looking furniture and then painted it in F&B oil eggshell in pointing. I have actually only managed to paint the dresser so far :rolleyes: and still have the tv cabinet to finish, but I am really pleased with the results so far. It really looks like the one I wanted but much cheaper :T. I keep a look out for the 15% vouchers for homebase to buy my paint, they pop up all over the place and I usually manage two weekends a month where I have a voucher, and this makes the F&B more affordable . I will try to post some pics if I can work out the flickr thing.

I think there is something special about making over older furniture, you feel proud that you have painted it and the item has more character! F&B is fab paint too and not that bad with the 15% off!

Px

princesspoppypop

Just to add and following on from Rosekitten`s post... Cath Kidston have tea towels 2 for £10 and some 2 for £8... I love the red/white polka dot and stawberries on white combo.

£5 each for a cute cushion isn`t bad at all!

Px

Rummer

I am due to get a sewing machine for my birthday and when it arrives I fully intend to start making my soft furnishings with a vengence!

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

jamtart6 wrote: »

rummer - spray paint? dunno I need an answer to that question as well - i get awful brush strokes someone on my blog suggested sanding lightly between coats, not tried it yet.

Sand between coats (make sure the paint's very dry) then use wire wool.
A medium grade followed by the finest grade.
You can eliminate all the brush strokes this way.
It takes time and a lot of elbow grease but you can get a perfect finish if you take your time.
I do this on my doors and skirting boards and get an almost mirror like finish when I'm using gloss paint.
You just have to be patient though but it's worth it.

claudiac_2

Hi Everyone,
Having spent ages reading this thread (still working my way through the old one) my creativeness is rising! So far this week I have:
Dug out, cleaned and cooked my first meal in years in my slow cooker.
Made a batch of 5 minute bread dough (came out well, but def could be better)
Dug out my granny's sewing machine (bit dusty, but once i figure out how to thread it up it will be fine). But where did i put the bag of fabrics i kept cos i knew i would need them one day?? Need to dig some more
Got out my first painting project - an old oval wooden frame, no glass, yucky thick yellow paint. Sat in the garden and sanded it, and it now has its first coat of Classic Cream (tester pot emulsion). I used a stencilling brush to get into all the mouldings. What a difference! Lookin good, and i cant wait to get home from work to do the next coat. Do i wax it to protect the paint, or do i need to spend money and buy some posh paint. Am thinking wax would be okay cos (hopefully) it will be on a wall, so won't get knocked about. Any thoughts?
And can anyone please tell me how i 'mark as read' on the old thread, cos i can never remember which page i stopped at. Thankyou all for inspiring me