Sunday 24 June 2018

Hot Sunday, Hot Wheels :)

Sorry I don't have any more furniture to show you at the moment. I have had a lot of work to do round the house, and we have just had a new en suite fitted so I have been doing a spot of decorating.

 I did revamp this old mini drawer unit with Orla Kiely paper for the en suite. Added new handles and it is perfect for jewellery etc


Today was a scorcher, and a bit too hot to paint in the workshop ! We had a nice day out at a local Retro Car Show. It was a cool trip down memory lane, seeing all the cars we used to own.
No, I didn't own a De Lorean, but they are awesome!




Some gorgeous Mustang's too (my favourite ).

Hopefully get back to painting next weekend once I have decided what colour to paint this fab welsh dresser. I love how this style has easily removable glass in the doors.

I might add some coordinating paper on the back of the top cupboard, not sure yet, but I have painted one almost identical before and it was lovely painted in Duck Egg.




I am also looking forward to doing some more napkin decoupage, and I have ordered lots of new designs from ebay. I will try to post next weekend, and thanks for reading!



 Have a lovely sunny week !




Friday 1 June 2018

Metamorphosis in May

So, if you read my last post you will know that I was cutting butterflies out of napkins for a new project. I bought these two gorgeous solid wood cabinets on FB Marketplace. When I went to collect them I was surprised at how large they were. They are beauties. Here is the before pic.....

I removed all the hardware and painted them in Annie Sloan Chateau Grey, which I would say is more green than grey. I then decoupaged the drawer sides with lovely butterfly design napkins...

and when the mod podge was fully dried I used my power sander to smooth them down and distress.
Next I randomly applied the butterflies I had cut out, adding a couple on each cupboard front, and one on the side.

I decided not to paint the tops and so sanded them back and refinished with clear and dark wax...

Once waxed, they were buffed to a soft sheen. They are currently up for sale. I must admit that I am really enjoying the napkin decoupage, so I might do a blog soon to show you how it is done, and give you a few tips I have learned, mostly from my mistakes !
After this chunky farmhouse style pair, I went all retro, and fell in love with this wallpaper I took a sample of when I was shopping last weekend...


 I knew I had a couple of genuine retro cabinets in the shed, so I fished them out and painted them in Paris Grey, which was a perfect match for the paper...



The first one is this cute little Schreiber bedside cabinet. When I pulled the drawer out I discovered that the wood had been bent round at a 90 degree angle to form the back (I am not explaining this very well so here's a pic)...

This is a really special furniture and it is a shame that this perfect craftsmanship is hidden away inside.  I left as much as I could of the original cabinet, and didn't paint the drawer or legs.



If I had somewhere for it I would keep it as I really love this unique and quirky piece.
The second cabinet is a Lebus design (I think). Little wooden legs, and I have kept the original metal knobs and painted the inside of the drawer yellow to match the paper.

I must remember to go and get some more of this wallpaper as I love it and would definitely use it again.
This weekend I have loads of other work to do round the house and garden so will have a break from furniture painting. I will however go to a car boot sale on Sunday if the weather is nice, and I will post pics of any bargains I find.
Have a good week, and please leave a comment, or ask any questions you may have.




Friday 25 May 2018

Long Overdue....Projects Update 2018


Sorry I have not been around for such a long time, but when I went back to full time hours at work I struggled to find time at the weekends to write my blog and work on my projects.
Over the winter months it was too cold in the workshop so I have only started painting again recently so thought I would update you on some of the pieces I have been working on since my last post.
















Hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the projects I have been working on over the last year or so.
Please pop back soon as I will be adding more before and after pics every few weeks, including the reveal of what I am going to do with these pretty butterflies.

If you have any questions about any of the pieces shown, or need any tips for getting started on your own project, please send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Thanks for looking, and click on the link below to check out my Unique Chic Facebook page for more regular posts - Unique Chic on Facebook
Julie 💗