What is Shabby Chic decorating exactly? According to Wikipedia, Shabby chic is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique. Accessible, affordable, comfortable and eclectic, this popular style features white painted furniture, painted motifs, colors, slipcovers and vintage fabrics.

And, yes I do love the look of Shabby Chic.

I've also noticed that other people love it as well. Let's face it, the vintage, eclectic look is back.  Granny's furniture is now looking very, very good. We no longer look to match everything exactly.  It's a free for all with decorating these days, and that bodes well for all of us!  Thrifty finds, garage sale treasures and furniture that can be converted into WHAT WE WANT, not what some furniture company wants us to buy. Lucky for us, right?
Here are some great examples.  These pieces of furniture probably looked a lot different at one time.

courtesy of: midwestcottage.blogspot.com

courtesy of:a1egyp.egptgiftshops.com

courtesy of: chippycharm.com




I've decided to make myself some Shabby Chic style, framed chalkboards. There was some trial and error involved....as usual, but I finally got a finished product that I liked.


Supplies Needed:
*1 (any size you like) wood frame.  I got mine at the Goodwill for $2.00.
*Spray paint.  Color is your choice. White, cream and robin's egg blue work nice with this style.
*wood cut-outs or embellishments.  Found mine at Michael's Craft store. 2 for $2.00
*black glaze.  Got mine at Lowes.  Valspar black glaze-$18.00.  Not cheap, but lasts a long time.
*large piece of chalkboard found at Home Depot. Measures 2' X 4' for $9.95.  Much more cost effective than buying the chalkboard paint!  I got four chalkboards out of mine.



Directions:

 1. Remove pictures and or glass from your frame.  lightly sand your wood frame.  Don't worry about dings and scratches-it's suppose to look old.

2. Glue on your wood cut outs.  Use a clamp to hold them.  Let dry.

3.  Spray paint your frame with the color you wanted. Let it dry over night. Here is one of the frames (the picture is sideways....ugh), but it has the wood cut outs added to the corners and it's spray painted blue.




Below is a closer view of the wood cut out.



4. Brush on the black glaze liberally.  Immediately wipe off with a rag.



Above is the frame with the addition of the glaze before it's wiped off.

5. Cut your chalkboard to the dimensions you need. I used a jigsaw to cut mine.  The chalkboard cuts very easily.  Sand the sides and then place into your frame. You can use staples or small nails to hold the chalkboard in place.  I my case, the stable were already in the frame.

Hopefully you already have a hook on the back, if not, just add one.

Your done!
Finished product shown below.
This one has the blue undercoat.

This one below has the white undercoat.

 And below......some little stained glass angels I made for our Christmas tree.

Cute, right?

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Thrift Store Find


I simple little project.  I found this "key" box in a local thrift store.  It was painted white and cost about $4.00.

I started by giving it a light sanding.  I do this so the new coat of paint will adhere.  It only needed one coat of ivory to get the look I wanted.

My next step was to use white and brown acrylic paint that I randomly applied to the front.

After the paint dried, I sanded just where I placed the white and brown paint for a distressed look.

The grand finale included a simple hand painted design on the front.  When you close the door, the design meets.

Now we have a place to store the keys!

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Sink Jewelry

Bathrooms need updating, correct?  But who has the money to replace all of the fixtures, cabinets and floors? So the question becomes: how do you update, improve and bring up the value of your bathrooms?  There are at least a few things you can do that won't cost you tons of money.

1. Painting is cheap and easy.  It can give you a new look, a fresh feel and make it look new again.
2. The cabinets can be painted, stained or faux finished.  New handles can help update those old, tired cabinets.  Since you won't need many handles, it doesn't cost lots of money.
3. New curtains, rugs and towel fixtures can help as well.

I have posted plenty of tips on all these ideas in the past so you can always scan through the archives and check things out.  A while ago I took a good look at my bathroom on the main floor.  It had recently been painted and I had refinished all the cabinets and the floor was still in good shape, but it needed something.  Perhaps a new faucet?  Yes, indeed, that is what it needed.  The old one was a cheap, contractor grade faucet.  I enlisted some help from my brother in law and picked out a new one at Home Depot.  I've had him help me before replacing faucets, and I must admit that I'm getting better at it by watching and helping.  Actually I have found that taking out the original is hardest part!

This is what I replaced it with.     It kind of reminds me of an old time water pump.  I love the look and especially the dark bronze finish.


But, it needed something else.  Maybe some artwork? Sink jewelry?

yup....

So I decided to add some art.  Specifically mosaic art.  I looked around the Internet and found these leaf shaped tile.  I placed them around the sink in a design that looks good to me.

 Next, I glued them on using Weldbond glue. In the past, I have mentioned this glue.  It is the very best for mosaics and other tough jobs.  Goes on white but dries clear.  Below is a closer look of the mosaic leafs.

Here is a shot of the completed sink.  I know what you may be thinking.....is it hard to clean?  No, it really isn't.  I use a large soft brush and wipe.  No problem.

I feel like the bathroom is truly updated now.  Painted walls, cabinets, a wood frame around the plain mirror, new faucet and some sink jewelry. People who visit always comment on the design, like they've never seen anything like......maybe they haven't.

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