All New Shabby Chic Thread!

bibbly

Oh my gosh ... be prepared to drool!!

http://www.decorpad.com/search.htm?spaceId=23&searchType=photos&searchQuery=living%20rooms

There are LOADS of pictures of every room in the house ....... gorgeous.

jennieshrew

Help everyone, I need ideas and moral support for a very trivial matter!!

Second baby is due in 4 weeks time and I need to find a chest of drawers to go in the nursery. I want a second hand bargain which I can paint but its for a small nursery so I was looking for a tall quite narrow one. I've searched loads of second hand furniture shops, ebay, car boot sales, internet, tried freecycle and ended up with a foul laminated plasticy thing despite asking for wood. OH is getting very fed up of going to shops and collecting things on freecycle.

Where else can I look?!! Im exhausted! I thought ebay would solve my problem but I cant find anything local which isnt wildly expensive.

I'm still obsessively painting shelves Im collecting from the car boot sale for a few pounds. Found one tin of F&B oil based dimity which is as lovely to paint with as everyone says. All my car boot sale finds make me not want to spend £100 on a chest of drawers now. Spoiled! :rotfl:

mollymunchkin

Jennieshrew I'm looking for a tall narrow chest of drawers for my bedroom as well but I haven't found anything second hand yet. We have made do with 2 bedside tables stacked on top of each other. It was meant to be temporary but they have been there 5 years already, lol. I have found some new ones but they are so expensive.

I bought a few small bits at an auction today. They are great places to pick up reasonably priced furniture if you are prepared to hang about all day whilst the auction is going on. I have been to a few now and I'm getting the hang of what is going on and I love it, lol. There was a tv programme being filmed there today which made it more interesting. Hope they didn't get me in shot, I'm not sure if my lippy was on :rotfl: I bought a small stool, painted jardinaire stand, small round table and a small gilt mirror. There was also an oak bookcase I was after but was losing the will to live after being there all day and it was right near the end of the lots. I got outbid on a few things like a leather suitcase and a small wall shelf unit but I was paranoid about getting carried away and bidding too much. Auctions are a better hunting ground for me rather than car boots or charity shops because the CS's don't have furniture and I'm too lazy to get up early for the CB's.

jennieshrew

Thanks Mollymunchkin, I havent tried the auctions, its so hard as we already have a toddler so it makes it hard to go anywhere. I get to go the the CB sales on a sunday morning but I havent seen many chest of drawers, just lots of shelves!! Im getting fed up of painting shelves now and really just want one nice set of drawers but dont want to pay £100 for something modern and boring or get anything else from ikea..... Have looked online at one of the big auction houses in Bristol but they dont have pictures of them all so I cant really tell what they are like.

I realise its my hormones making me obsess about the chest of drawers but I really didnt think it would be this difficult to find some!

Found a wonderful perfect one in a furniture reclamation place today in Bristol. Then I saw the price tag £420 dor painted pine!!! I thought I could do that myself if I could just find the a suitable piece of furniture.

tiff

Have you looked in Emmaus, in St Phillips? They have a big furniture store there, I was there today. I did see some chests of drawers, there was a nice one just inside the door but I didnt look at the others closely. Their prices are good, its where I got my dresser if you saw pics of that way back.

jennieshrew

Hi Tiff, yes we went there on Tuesday looking for a chest of drawers, I love that shop. We came home with a pine corner unit for £25 lol!

I saw a lovely old dark wood tall dressing table just inside the door, is that the one you mean? It was £89. Def a good buy but it seemed a bit wide for our nursery and I wasnt sure I wanted to spend quite that much. Still thinking about it though as it was lovely. I didnt see any other suitable chest of drawers and I did have a good look around.

Funnily enough I emailed them tonight to ask them to look out for something for me or to see whether they have anything in store.

xxvickixx

Oooh, my parents live in Bristol and I'm visiting this month. Will have to check that place out, just need to work out how I'd get me and a toddler and furniture back home!

tiff

Yes thats the one, I would love that but nowhere to put it. I love that shop too lol, I go there quite often even though I have no room for more furniture. I've seen some fab stuff over the last few years, pine monks bench, wall units, ikea white iron day bed etc. I just wish they would sell more bric a brac stuff as other Emmaus's do.

Bibbitybob

jennieshrew - could the laminated one be painted? If it is a good shape/size, I would prime it with a melamine primer then paint as normal.

danemi1

golly you guys have been busy chatting whilst I aaagh have been sat all evening trying to get my sewing machine going - aagh - I am absolutely carp at sewing - can cross stitch no probs but sew aagh - really struggle to sew a button but years and years ago I bought an old jones sewing machine and have tried several times over the years to teach myself = and failed - although last time I did at least manage to sew a couple of cushion covers not tooo bad. Anyway got some lovely gingham from laura ashley and some bias binding from dunhelm - well I pressed my bias binding in half so it was neat and then started to sew once I had cut a triangle of gingham out but every time I get going it doesnt work right - it feels like the thread is getting too tight and coming out and holes are going in the bias but only bits of thread before it just starts doing just holes again and the thread keeps coming out of the needle - I have been sat there since 8 pm - I am now stopping and having a sulk so thought I would come on here to see what you lovely lot have been up?