Bring your dream home to you, one step at a time...

A while ago I decided that I wanted to move to a shabby chic cottage by the sea, with a pretty garden, and full of cosy, comforting cushions and blankets, soft table lamps and scented candles. A peaceful retreat all of my own. After a while of dreaming of this fantasy home, I realized that actually I don't want to move right now, I like living where I am, but I do still have this burning desire for all things shabby chic...

Whilst I can't exactly bring the sea to me (living 50 miles in land) I can do the rest, without having to move house in the process.  The garden simply needed a prune, the grass needed a hair cut and the things that I had intended taking to the local tip needed throwing away.

The inside of the house was another story. I have recently discovered the concept of upcycling, or turning the furniture you're sick of into something more appealing by adding new paint effects or fabrics depending what it needs, giving it a whole new lease of life and if you're lucky, increasing it's value.

I had a dining table which I didn't particularly like, and it had been sitting in the garden for a while, waiting patiently to go to the tip. I had a bit of spare Annie Sloan paint, so brought the poor neglected table indoors, dusted it down and put some gorgeous Old Violet paint on it, and voila, it's looking fabulous and now fits in with the rest of the decor.

I upcycled an old semi-circular hall  table which I'd bought very cheaply from the charity shop a few years ago, this is now covered in Annie Sloan's Old White paint and makes the kitchen look fabulous. I just goes to prove that with a little imagination and a few hours of your time, you can make anything look far better and also save yourself a trip to the tip!

I've always favoured the individual look, I really can't bear it when you see matching furniture all from the same range, at great expense, whilst managing to be devoid of any character or individuality.