Shabby Chic furnitue up-cycling for less than £60

Hi All,

I just wanted to update you all on my latest projects, i have had a couple of old pieces of furniture lying around my house now for a while and after a couple of searches finding inspirational images on Pinterest i was ready to update them, i was full of ideas! The first stop was a 100 year old chair i bought from a local car boot sale for £5.00 an absolute bargain! I had been looking for one of these for some time, and after seeing them retailing for £80 in interior shops and falling in love with one in Laura Ashley i thought i would give it a go and restore one for myself.

Above is a photo of the chair in it's raw state, although it looks lovely i wanted to give it a shabby chic edge so that it would fit in with the decor in my home.

Firstly, i began sanding it, this took about two hours to do it properly and to make sure the surface was ideal for painting, myself and Jake (my better half) sat outside in the sunshine so the time passed very quickly indeed!
Next the fun bit, time to get onto the painting, to make sure that the paint i had chosen in my final colour would stick to the surface i had to use a Primer paint first, you can pick these up from B&Q for under £10 for a tin and a little goes along way. I did three coats of the Primer paint, but two would have been sufficient.
You need to allow time for the paint to dry between coats, it usually recommends 2 hours, however i found that 1 hour was ok and it meant i could see the finished project quicker! Another tip is to invest in a good paintbrush, as you do not want to get paintbrush hairs stuck to your masterpiece!

Below shows an image of my chair after i have sanded it and started to apply the primer paint.

Below shows an image of my chair after i have sanded it and started to apply the Primer paint.

The next stage is the final stage and probably one of the most important. Choosing a colour and paint consistency that you are happy with, i wanted a matte chalky finish with little sheen so i opted for a paint again from B&Q, which was the 1829 Eggshell paint in regency white which was only £11.98 for a 750ml tin, what a bargain! Some other great paints you can use are Annie Sloan's chalk paint, and also Farrow & Ball who do a great eggshell paint but these tend to be a little more expensive, i do not have any experience using these paints but i think my B&Q alternative gave me just the look i was going for. Below shows you the finished chair, i just love it!

Next my trusty sewing table, which i acquired...for free as someone was throwing this out, to them it may have been a piece of junk but to me it was a beauty waiting to be revealed! I again started with the same process as the chair and sanded away all of the old varnish, to make this easier you could use a paint stripper but as i didn't have any to hand i decided sanding would do the job.

Above is the image of the table before it was transformed, if you scroll to the bottom of this blog you will see it when it is finished, you will hardly recognize it!
May i also add that i have now managed to paint both chair and table with the same tins of paint, keeping the costs very low! To finish off the tabletop i bought 1 Metre of my favorite Cath Kidston oilcloth fabric and covered it using a glue gun to secure, you can use a heavy duty stapler if you have one handy too. This only cost me £22.00 per metre so again i kept the cost down.

Next is the chest of drawers i acquired when moving house, these were starting to look a little out of place in my sewing room after i restored the chair and the table so i decided time for another transformation!

As you will see it looks very dated, so i began again by painting the main body of the drawers (still with the same tins of paint!). Using some free samples i collected from the Cath Kidston store, I cut out and covered the front of the drawers. You can use wallpaper paste of modge podge to stick the paper to the wood, but i didn't have any of these handy so i mixed a little PVA glue with a tiny bit of water and pasted it on, be careful not to apply too think and uneven though else you will end up with air bubbles. Then all i had to do was wait for it to dry and tada i had a brand new lovely looking piece of furniture which i was very happy with!

The finished piece!

Below you will see how my sewing room looks now i have restored all of my furniture and if i do say so myself i am very impressed, and it cost me less than 1 piece of brand new furniture, and has a very personal touch to it! I hope that you have as much fun as i did restoring your lovely old items, if you need any hints or tips then please feel free to contact me and i will be happy to help!

Vicky xxx

Top homeware interior trends for 2013

Guest blogger: Alice Lewis from Queen of Hearts and Design.

Hi everyone! I have kindly been asked by Vicky's Pretties to write a guest post on my interior trends forecast for 2013. Only one month in and there are already some stand out styles popping up here and there, so I have pieced together a few ideas to help make sure that you are on top of the trends this year!

Retro reinvention

Let’s start with my favourite; retro reinvention! Pop-up shops and hidden bars, prohibition nights, and niche diners are having a moment in the spotlight. Their popularity goes hand in hand with the current trend for retro decor; lit neon signs, exposed light bulbs, bar stools, and daybeds are all part of this look. What’s interesting about this is that it is renewal and recycling with a modern twist; updated fabrics and quirky furniture design with the addition of plenty of rustic woodwork keep this look current.

You can either go bright and beautiful with vibrant colours and patterned fabrics or atmospheric and understanded - like a hidden basement bar. The key to making this work at home is less is more; a few statement furniture pieces, quirky features, and subtle lighting can transform a room without going overboard – which means that it will remain stylish through the seasons!

Graphic prints

Prints have gone digital this year and graphic shapes and patterns are covering everything from tiles and artwork, to glasswear. Colours range from clashing, bold, and bright, to monochrome and minimalist.

This digital design extends to nature and animal prints, covering cushions and curtains. Elephants and dogs are the popular choice but find a print with your favourite animal and experiment with colour. The throw pillow above from Dwell Studio proves that animal graphics don’t have to be childish and are a nice way to inject a bit of fun into your home.

This year’s colours

Colour specialist Pantone’s has forecast Emerald green as the colour of the year and this has caught on pretty quickly! If you are a bit weary of ending up with a Wizard of Oz-like emerald city in your front room, use this year’s other hot colour, navy, to break up your space. Yellow will also be a popular choice, more so as we get into spring, and the range of shades of green between complete the line-up. Emerald is quite an intense tone, and it will be interesting to see how it is used in interiors as the year goes on.

Tribal

Tribal prints and bright colours inspired by South America were big in 2012 and it seems that we haven’t had enough of them yet! This trend continues but more prominent this year are Ikat, Navajo, and chevron prints; these will be seen in all colour combinations but are most natural in burnt and dusty orange, red and blues set against wooden panelled floors and walls - in line with their Native American background.

The writing’s on the wall

You don’t have to keep your feelings bottled up this year – slogans, quotes, and poetry are covering walls and ceilings.

Those who dare are illuminating their sayings and signs for extra emphasis but for a more understated look at home, framed calligraphy posters, wall stickers or word-covered throws will be enough to get the idea. You can get your favourite poem, family moto, or quote in a bespoke print to add your own personality to each piece and make something with meaning that will last.

I hope that my post has given you some design inspiration for the months ahead! I would love to know what you think and which trends have taken your fancy. The most important thing with any of these is to inject your own personality - so don’t be too strict – have fun with it!

Guest blogger - Alice at:

Queen of hearts and design

Spring Fair International Feb 2013

Hello Followers! So this Sunday I spent visiting the Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, for those of you that haven't heard it's 12 halls of pure home ware buying heaven! If you have your own store or an online website it is a great place to meet new suppliers, catchup on the latest trends. You can also attend many of the Seminars that are taking place throughout the day on how to start/run your own retail business or help with websites and all those tricky questions you have. There are a panel of industry professionals giving talks throughout the day to keep you busy and over 3000 stands to browse through product ranges. I have taken some snaps of my favourite products and stands from throughout the day and tried to capture the latest home ware trends for you to see, enjoy x

Foxy Cushions from 'RJB Stone' (available direct from www.sassandbelle.co.uk) Moustache trends are everywhere on anything you can think of from cushions to notebooks, the list is endless!

Supplier 'RJB Stone' (available direct from www.sassandbelle.co.uk)

Supplier 'RJB Stone' (available direct from www.sassandbelle.co.uk) Vintage trends include images of the classic penny farthing, used in artwork and prints.

Images from 'PD Global' stand

Images taken from 'RJB Stone' stand (stationary available to buy direct from www.sassandbelle.co.uk)

Animal prints tie in with the running vintage theme apparant across the fair.

Vintage sewing accessories, ribbons and lace. Nautical themes using text and slogans, checks and deckchair stripes are coming through for SS13.

Photos taken from 'Evans of Lichfield' stand.

Photos taken from 'Parlane' stand.

Summer checks and stripes, photo taken from 'Biggie Best' stand. Animal themes are still apparent from Retro designs to girly and quirky.

Supplier RJB Stone (you can buy these direct from www.sassandbelle.co.uk)

Floral arranging at it's best, great for decorating your house in the Summer, images taken from 'Coach House' stand.

So there you go a selection of the latest trends from Spring Fair 2013, don't forget to put the 1st-4th September in your diaries for the Autumn Fair 2013. Vicky xxx