About Me

My name is Jules and I am a wife, mum and nanna. I have recently taken early retirement from Special Education which was a job that i really loved. I am loving life and fully intend to make the most of it making some fantastic memories along the way. Family and friends are very important to me and I enjoy spending time with them. I love socialising and having a laugh.

Wednesday, 25 July 2018

Upcycling and make do and mend.

Hi everyone.
We took a trip today to Dagfields Antiques Centre.  Dagfields is a weird and wonderful place where you can find all sorts of things with prices ranging from really reasonable to the downright outrageous. I suppose some items are only worth what a customer is prepared to pay. I personally wouldn't waste £1800 on a table made of concrete slabs. I kid you not!!! It amazes me just what people will actually spend money on. I wasn't buying today, just looking for inspiration. I want to give our bedroom a make over, it is going to have to be on a tight budget and also something that is in keeping with the cottage theme. We currently have horrible built in wardrobes that were here when we moved in and have seen better days. I'm hoping to rip these out but then the problem is I will need to get 2 other wardrobes to replace them. I'm thinking that if I can buy two solid wood wardrobes fairly cheaply, I can paint them, put new handles on and generally give them a new lease of life. Hopefully the shabby-chic/vintage look should work well in our cottage without costing a fortune. The idea being that I can buy other pieces that don't have to match and then paint them the same. I'm undecided whether or not to try to buy a Victorian cast iron bedroom fireplace and put it on the chimney breast (just as a feature) then have a wardrobe either side. Other than that I will get my son who is a plumber to move the radiator from one wall to another and put the wardrobes there. After that I am going to attempt to make a Roman blind, paint an old ottoman and re-cover it. I have never made a blind or indeed ever really done any sewing before but I have a lovely spare duvet cover and curtains to match that I am going to use. That way if I do make a hash of it I've not wasted money on fabric. 
Is anyone else good at home improvements on a budget? Do you try to reuse items instead of buying new? What ideas have you got for doing up old furniture ( any tips would be most appreciated)? Here are a few photo's that I took today at Dagfields. Have you upcycled anything or have a project on the go? I'd love to see them.
This dressing table was at Dagfields and had already been upcycled and for sale at £95

This old pine table and chairs was upcycled and for sale at £140 which I thought was quite reasonable. It's a pale grey colour and the photo doesn't do it justice.

This old Lloyd Loom chair was a bit battered on the paintwork but no visible damage to the weaving so could be repainted and a lovely new cushion added. It was £15 and would make a nice addition to a bedroom.
Jules x


I will try to read all comments and reply. Please be polite and kind. Thanks :)
at

12 comments:

  1. Ivy25 July 2018 at 11:39

    Hello Jules,

    It's best for us not to come too often to the UK since the only thing we do is visiting antique shops and barns, haha. I like the big ones, the small shops in towns and villages are usually too expensive, though they sell very nice items.

    In your artisan brewery post you asked me if I came very often to the UK. Well, at least once a year, it's by far our favourite holiday destination. We are thinking of going again in about 4 weeks time, depending the weather forecast and the availability of a cheap ferry ticket. The first time with our caravan. Previously we rented cottages all over the country.
    If not shortly by caravan then we will come for about a week in a B&B in October or November.

    About the furniture: In the Netherlands we have thrift stores (it's an American translation, couldn't find an English one). These are big charity shops, where you can buy rather cheap furniture and other stuff for your house. Kind of a mix of an antique barn and a charity shop.
    I usually buy home accessories, pottery, table ware there.
    The greater part of our furniture was bought new and the things that weren't (or we didn't like them any more) have been given a lick of Annie Sloan paint by me, like a side table, a drawer in the spare room, a small table for my printer etc. Including a wooden Ikea cd-rack which was given the colour French Linen (by Annie Sloan), matching our kitchen and is now hanging there, with flour pots and cook books on it.

    Lovely items on your pictures, especially the shabby chique LL chair, would not mind having it myself. Unfortunately, my husband doesn't like too shabby :-(
    I noticed the tops of the dressing table (isn't is a desk rather than a dressing table?) and dining table have not been painted. I think this is wise, because I have experienced that these painted tops easily damage. Even with a special protection on top of the paint.

    You are welcome to read my blog: https://ruraltownliving.blogspot.com
    It's mostly in Dutch and English.

    Kind regards, we are going for a short cycle tour, now the temperatures are somewhat more pleasant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Retire-reduce-relax26 July 2018 at 05:50

      Hi Ivy, thanks for the tip about the dining table I’d never thought about that. Hopefully the weather will still be lovely when you come to the UK, we seem to be having an unusually long run of it. Where will you be staying in your caravan? X

      Delete
    2. Ivy26 July 2018 at 07:38

      If and when we come next month we'll stay in the south(-west). Perhaps also in the Cotswolds, but next year's plans are up north. We are great fans of Yorkshire, the Peak District and the Pennines.
      I made a note of Dagfields!
      Oh, that long hot Summer.... it's more than 37C here, pffff

      Delete
  2. Sarah25 July 2018 at 11:58

    All those prices seem reasonable to me compared to my area. Have painted kitchen stools and recovered them with a pleasing tea towel and a nest of tables that look so much better painted, with the correct paint I think you can upcycle nearly anything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivy25 July 2018 at 12:42

      Oh yes, especially with chalk paint. You don't even have to sand before painting.
      I thought the prices were reasonable too.

      Delete
    2. Retire-reduce-relax26 July 2018 at 05:52

      Hi Sarah, I bet the stools looked great! It’s nice to give things a fresh new look, it can really brighten up a room for hardly any cost x

      Delete
  3. only slightly confused25 July 2018 at 13:44

    3/4 of our furniture is hand me downs from the family and I like it that way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Retire-reduce-relax26 July 2018 at 05:53

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Retire-reduce-relax26 July 2018 at 05:54

      There’s nothing wrong with hand me downs. I’ve never been interested in keeping up with the Jones’s x

      Delete
  4. nannybeth27 July 2018 at 20:48

    I’m always painting something,especially pine bedroom furniture which we’ve had for 30+ years.Chalkpaint is great,but if you want a smoother finish try eggshell.Ive just started painting (yes painting) this unloved faux suede chair bought for £20,in chalkpaint.....not sure how the paint will dry,but if it’s a failure,no great loss.I also sew curtains and blinds,loads of helpful advice on you tube etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. nannybeth27 July 2018 at 20:55

      Ps when daughter gets back,I will get her to upload a photo of chair 😂😂

      Delete
    2. Retire-reduce-relax29 July 2018 at 13:35

      Hi Beth. Thanks for the advice. I’m going to watch some of the videos on YouTube. That’s what I think, if I have a go and it doesn’t work out it’s no great loss. Hope the chair works out, looking forward to the photos

      Delete

I look forward to receiving your messages will try to read and reply to them all. Please be patient and kind.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Evening everyone, Hope you are all safe and well. What terrible stormy weather we are having. We've had a few family birthdays over th...

  • (no title)
    Dipping my toes into the waters of blogland. Hello dear reader, Firstly, I would like to say a huge thank you for taking the time to rea...
  • (no title)
    Growing your own and the battle to pick it before the slugs get to it! Morning everyone, just a quick post this morning as I've a b...
  • (no title)
    Barking mad! Hello, Every morning I get up at the same time, it's an hour later than I used to rise when I worked. I could lie in b...