All New Shabby Chic Thread!

moneysavinglaura

Well, I feel that I should start some kind of track of sorts on here as I hadn't been able to find the like a few months ago when I was looking for advice myself. (Any advice would be so welcome in my redecorations etc...)




....As I've found myself, rather by surprise, living on a narrowboat. “Narrow” being quite the operative word considering I’m used to a two bedroom house with a nice grassy garden – not luxurious by anyone’s standards but certainly much more spacious than the wooden giant’s coffin I now find myself in.

Not that I’m pessimistic about it, oh no – I LOVE it! After 4 weeks, I feel like I’ve been on a perpetual holiday, never ending. Perhaps it’s the sun that’s allowing me to feel this enthusiasm, who knows. I’m definitely feeling positive.

The whole saga started when our landlord decided to kick us out of our previous abode in order to put our house on the market. This had sent tremors of panic through our quite contended and lethargic minds – we had nowhere to go and not enough money to put down a deposit on a house. A few months earlier we had ventured off on a canal cruise holiday (early-March so rather chilly) and felt that the life may well suit us. (Between you and me, I hated that holiday: the cold had made me ill, I didn’t want to venture outside and God, did I HATE those locks. So why I chose a narrow boat to live on, I really have no idea.)

After viewing about 8 boats, we found our little home in the shape of the “Mary Kathleen” in central Birmingham. Determined to go forth with our intrepid plan, we organised a loan, put down all our worldly funds and hey presto, we have a boat. 54 locks later, which sadly I had to wind, we have returned to our home town of Warwick, nicely moored up.

While some people are attracted to the idea of being like a snail, taking your home around with you; I however, am officially banned from moving said boat anywhere. I’m certainly not allowed to encourage the engine to go forwards and backwards. As I found out I’m rather horizontally challenged and to my distorted mind, the concept of forwards indicates backwards and backwards really means forwards. Sadly, this resulted in quite a large dent in the front left hand side of the hull following the resounding crash on hitting a lock wall at full pelt when I thought I was in reverse.

Anyway, the real issue with our lovely boatie is that it needs SO much work doing on it and we have so little funds. I felt the need to start to write a blog of sorts in order to track our journey through the great unknown of narrow boat renovation, particularly as any knowledge of DIY is severely lacking in my practically-impaired brain. I simply can’t do anything.

So – we’ll see how we go!




Advice so welcome!!

danemi1

love love love this thread - so much inspiration and all these fab tips - ggggreat!

funny you should say about windows - I have been cleaning windows most of the day - seeing as its such a nice day thought I would give them a rare treat!!! Then off to school I'd said I would help on their WOW day - it was akin to Wimbledon - tennis on the courts then inside to watch some in their classrooms screens - I thought there would be someone else to help as I could hear a voice on the way to the staff room - no I wasnt imagining things - cept it turned out to be the head who had a quick chat with me and then thanked me and said see you later - I then had to sort strawberries and cream for 60 children - yep I did say 60 - wow - actually it was a good laugh - folk popped in to say hi - thinkt hey could smell the strawberries and then the children mosied on down to collect them - then I had a bit of time in the class with them - my son was really chuffed I was there which was nice - did wonder if he would be at the oh no its mum lets hide stage but not at all - kids eh

Now then wheres that essential oil and newspaper = I like the sound of that - the smell being released as the sun hits the window - fab!

Pink.

Hi moneysavinglaura,

Congratulations on your new home. Your narrow boat sounds lovely. The best place to get advice on DIY is the In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving board.

So once you've had some input from the Old Stylers, I'll move your thread over there.

Good luck with your project.

Pink

pennib

Jennyjelly, I used to live in Stacksteads, and some of my children were born in Rawtenstall hospital. that was a loonnngg time ago as well!

Cherisong, thanks for that tip. Good idea to add bicarb with oils, will give it a go.

moneysavinglaura

Hi Pink,

the reason I put it here is becuase I thought it was a bit more of a chabby chic thing than DIY - given that my dear OH is going to be in charge of putting things together whereas I'm looking more at the cosmetic side of things - Sadly my DIY efforts went sadly awry yesterday when I chizelled (sp?) a cupboard off the a partition only to find it was hanging on my a electricity wire. Now I am not only banned from moving the boat, but also weilding any kind of electrical saw/hand saw/ drill etc. Even my painting has been called into question

Pink.

moneysavinglaura wrote: »

Hi Pink,

the reason I put it here is becuase I thought it was a bit more of a chabby chic thing than DIY - given that my dear OH is going to be in charge of putting things together whereas I'm looking more at the cosmetic side of things - Sadly my DIY efforts went sadly awry yesterday when I chizelled (sp?) a cupboard off the a partition only to find it was hanging on my a electricity wire. Now I am not only banned from moving the boat, but also weilding any kind of electrical saw/hand saw/ drill etc. Even my painting has been called into question

Oh dear! Poor you...you sound almost as good at DIY as I am.

No problem, I'll add it into the Old Style shabby chic thread later where you will get lots of help and fantastic advice from the regular experts who post there.

Pink

ginnyknit

Well we all learn in a curve :rotfl:Just take your time and check stuff before you chisell stuff! Im sure things will be wonderful after a lot of hard work - I was only saying today I would love to get rid of my junk and live in a caravan in a field. Similair idea but I would be banned from driving(!) a boat too tho my DIY skills are pretty good after 30 years of being married to a builder - famous for doing s*d all in their own homes.

pennib

Cherisong; Thanks for the idea of adding oils to bicarb. What a good idea to use it on the windows as well.

Jennyjelly; I used to live in the Valley, Stacksteads to be precise. Some of my children were also born in Rawtenstall hospital! That was also a loooonngg time ago!

pennib

Jennyjelly, I used to live in Stacksteads, and some of my children were born in Rawtenstall hospital. that was a loonnngg time ago as well!

Cherisong, thanks for that tip. Good idea to add bicarb with oils, will give it a go.

moneysavinglaura

Thanks - you never know I may turn myself into a DIY Extraordinaire! I've got through life this far with my skills extending to assembling kits from IKEA - and i did think I was rather good at it. Sadly the boat is rather wonky and nothing fits together. Also, discovered it's best not to go near electric saws as they tend to have a mind of their own and want to saw things quite disparate from the things in my mind.

Ginny- I know exactly what you mean, my OH works in computers and guess who has to set up our internet: me!