Shabby Chic Decorating

BH&G and Country Living magazines have many beautiful pictures of Shabby Chic decor.

Shabby Chic is a comfortable and casual decorating style that uses vintage accessories, pastels, comfortable furniture, lace, soft floral fabrics, sheer curtains and white painted furniture.

Paint is an easy and expensive way to update outdated, dark and mismatched items into an unified fresh look.

But you don't have to stop there, old picture frames, mirror frames, lamps, vases and baskets can also be transformed into beautiful accessories with a little white paint. Just choose your favorite hues, which can range from a snow white to a darker creamy white color, and you will have a totally shabby chic look in no time!

There is no limit to what you can do with this decorating style, some paint and a little creative imagination. Go for it! Let's see what we can do!

Winter Photo

It has been so cold and windy with temperatures way below normal and snow every week, definitely not normal for spring in western N.C.  To pass the time indoors, I found myself playing around with my digital camera and I found I can add sepia tones to my pictures right on the camera! I also figured out how to add frames around them too! The best part is that I did all by my lonesome which is a major accomplishment as I am very technologically challenged. I guess there is hope for me after all...Ha Ha!
So this is what I came up with. Well it's a start anyway.

Fabulous Goodwill Finds

One of my NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS was to complete several decorating "projects" that for various reasons had gotten placed on the backburner. However, because of my addiction to treasure-hunting and thrifting, instead over the past couple of weeks I have succeeded in finding new projects to add to that to do list.

I have been searching to no avail for a vintage chandelier for my bedroom. Well, I still haven't located that perfect one, however, I did find this wonderful candelabra at the local Good Will store for $2.00. It holds ten pillar candles and will be a wonderful source of ambient lighting on the desk I am PLANNING to paint and use as a nightstand. Now I just need to decide what color to paint it, hopefully before I go back to Goodwill.

Another fabulous find was these Dollar Tree photo frames. I absolutely LOVE the detailing of the appliques. I plan on painting them white and possibly antiquing them for a wonderfully distressed look. So Shabby Chic!!

My last little treasure of the week was this cute 2-drawer chest that I picked up for a mere .50. It will add a little extra storage for small items and will look great after a centsibly chic makeover.

So now that I have added three new small projects to my plate, I really have to get some of these finished so I have something to blog about next week. Stay tuned for the transformation. It begins now.......

Southern Snow

We don't often see this much snow in western N.C., much less two major storms with major accumulation within 6 weeks of each other. The first snow caught people by surprise and created a lot of havoc, putting Interstate-26 at a complete stand still and stranidng motorist for hours.


After experiencing the 14" blanketing of Dec. 19, everyone was much better prepared for the Jan. 29 snow. Even though they were predicting a foot or more we actually only got around 8 inches the second time. However this is still much more accumulation than normal.

So the area has truly been a winter wonderland lately. Look at this wonderful view view from my front porch. I have found that it has been a wonderful time to stay home, build a fire and get to work on some of my decorating projects.

Floral Pillows

Bright, colorful, patterned fabrics can make dramatic changes to any space, indoors and out. Small splashes of color from throw pillows is an excellent way to lighten, brighten, and add vitality to your decor.

There are several options to cover your existing pillows and some don't even require any sewing knowledge at all; howver, I did sew these.

Look for fabric remnants at various fabric and thrift stores, and even yard sales. If you really want to be creative, you can use pillowcases, sheets, shower curtains, or old clothing items to create unique, one-of-a-kind handmade designer pillows for your space.

I really love the additional pop of gentle color that the fabric adds to my front porch, and how it softens the hard lines of the wrought iron railings and metal bench.

Inspiration

"Faraway in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."
Louisa Mae Alcott

The above quote expresses perfectly how I feel about my Centsible Chic decorating projects...seeing the possibilities of something worn, dated, or discarded, to believe in my vision of what it can become, and taking the necessary steps to transform it into a thing of true beauty that enhances and brightens up my space.

These photos from Country Living magazine are perfect examples of this kind of creative revitalization and serve as a great source of inspiration.

Stenciled TV Cabinet Makeover

One of my favorite pastimes is searching for treasure. No, not buried treasure, but the troves of household treasures that long to be discovered at thrift stores, estate sales, and yard sales. They lie in wait buried underneath awful out-dated paint jobs, or nicked and scratched surfaces. All they need to return to their former glory is a little imagination and alot of TLC.

For example, this beautifully antiqued and stenciled television cabinet was a $35 thrift store find.

When I brought it home, it was battered and bruised. It was plain brown wood, had a few dings and scratches, and the doors were off-track and uneven. I nursed it back to health with some sandpaper and a little elbow grease, then transformed it  using paint, antiquing medium, and stencils.

Unfortunately, I was so anxious to get started on it that I failed to take a before picture, but I love how it turned out...just beautiful!