Nest of Tables.

As mentioned in my proposal I wanted a table of some sort... I found this cute nest of tables for £10... I think they already have a Shabby Chic element because of their French style legs and table top shape.

Close up.

Close up.

I sanded both tables and then repaired some areas with wood filler.

Close up.

1 coat of Duck Egg Blue Acrylic Wood & Metal Paint

3 coats of Duck Egg Blue Acrylic Wood & Metal Paint.

2 coats of White Emulsion Paint.

Final Result! I also waxed the tables! I'm not sure you can see how shiny they are in this photo. :(

Close up... shine is visible... Yay!

Table Leg Detail.

Finishing the Chair

Now to the Distressing and Comfort.

Comfort First:

I quickly sanded the chair seat so the glue would penetrate and grip the wood better. I applied masking tape to stop the glue getting on the edges of the seat. The glue I used is Contact Glue.

The glue was also applied to the foam.

I removed the masking tape and once glue was tacky I pressed the 2 sides together.

I added wadding with a staple gun.

I also added a layer of plain cotton to tidy the wadding and add extra comfort.

Close up of corners... this took ages to get a tidy look!!

Finally I added my fabric.

Done... well nearly...

I added plain pink cotton to tidy the underside.

Distressing:
To create the distress look, I first scraped the corners and edges using a stripper tool then sanded those areas using coarser sand paper. This allowed the base coat and some of the wood to come through. I sanded away areas I thought would get naturally worn.

Ta Dahhh...

Final Result! I also waxed the chair to make it smooth and shiny!

Upcycling A Chair

As part of my project is Upcycling I have bought a chair to upcycle. It will be done in Shabby Chic Style of course!

Bargain... Only £5!

Some Close Ups! Yep... it was a bit unloved. :(

Back.

Front.

I am going to use my pink gingham fabric with my design printed in darker pink. 

Step by Step:

Firstly I had to remove all that varnish and black paint. I used Paint & Varnish Remover and a Stripper Tool! It was a messy job!

I washed down the chair with a very damp cloth and once dry I sanded away, making a nice and smooth surface for the paint. 

2 coats of Duck Egg Blue Acrylic Wood & Metal Paint.

2 coats of White Emulsion Paint.

Pretty Little Flowers!

One thing Shabby Chic designs have in common is flowers! So to help me get inspired and designing my fabric for my final show, I went to visit a local Florist... The Florist Ltd in Bristol! They were very kind to let me take photos of well.. nearly all of their lovely flowers! :) I also visited a Garden Centre and did the same. 

I tired to take mostly photos of roses are they are the most common flower seen in shabby chic designs. 

Here are some of my photos. :) 

Research, Research, Research...

So this week I have started my research into the Shabby Chic Style and Shabby Chic Designers...
I plan to look at Rachel Ashwell, Cath Kidston, Laura Ashley and Kirstie Allsopp... Yes I love Kirstie, her most recent TV Show, Kirstie's Vintage Home explored upcycling and vintage things, a perfect link for my project as Shabby Chic is a Vintage Style. 

OOooo... Did you know Kirstie Allsopp is Cath Kidston's cousin?!! 

I also created a Shabby Chic Board on my Pinterest Account, below are some beautiful images I found but there are more on my board... click here!

Also check out... 
Rachel Ashwell's Website
Cath Kidston's Website
Laura Ashley Website 
and... Kirstie's Website

Some examples of Upcycling... So very Clever!!

...and my personal favourite...

... just WOW! ♥