Victorian birdcages are a shabby-chic staple for interior schemes, but why stop there? I love this 'Freedom' necklace by SilverLining and its whimsical charm.
SilverLining combines vintage pieces with new finds, using quirky items like tiny ceramic tea cups and saucers to great effect.
Better yet, SilverLining is currently offering free shipping on all her jewellery. Check out the shop here.
Do you wander around your local charity stores picking up the odd pretty, but mismatched, china plate? Beautiful ceramics and bone china are so enticing, but what do you do with them? It’s not sense to keep them stashed away in a cupboard, and an entire un-matching dinner service takes some chutzpah to carry off, but what about a pretty cake-stand?
It is, just as it seems, a pile of three plates of decreasing size and two sherry or liqueur glasses, preferably one of each so they are of decreasing size also.
The other thing you need is Araldite – that’s the glue that comes in two tubes, an adhesive and a hardener. Trust me – no other glue will do.
Unless you are VERY good at finding the centre of things by eye, you need to draw round each plate on a piece of paper and cut out each resulting circle. Fold the circle in quarters to find the centre, then using a pair of compasses (go on, raid your old school geometry set) draw a little circle in the middle of each paper “plate” about the circumference of the sherry/liqueur glass. Cut this inner circle out and put the paper template back onto the china plate. Mark the cut-out circle with pencil. This is where you will glue the glass. You need to mark this point on the under and top sides of the middle plate and on the top side of the bottom plate and the under side of the top plate. Are you with me so far?
Make sure your glasses and plates are absolutely clean and dry. Mix up some adhesive and hardener and glue the larger of your glasses rim-side down to the centre of the largest plate, and the smaller glass to the centre of the medium sized plate. Plonk some kind of weight (a book for example) carefully on top of the base of each glass to keep it in close contact with the plate and walk away.
Do not fiddle with it – leave it to dry overnight. Next morning, try picking the glass up and the plate should come too. If it doesn’t you need to start all over again with more glue.
All being well, then you mix up more adhesive and hardener and glue the base of each glass to the underside of the relevant plate. Place a weight on top of the whole structure and leave for twelve hours again.
After that – arrange the cup-cakes and call the girls round!
The very lovely Eat Drink Chic has free downloadable labels for oil, vinegar and bit-and-bobs-boxes. They are stylish, have muted, vintage-look colours, and would add the perfect finishing touch to a home-made gift or shabby chic larder.
For full instructions and the link to download go here.
US queen of shabby chic style, Rachel Ashwell, has a new book out this October.
The title is a bit of a mouthful - Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Interiors: My Rooms, Treasures and Trinkets - but I bet it's pretty!
The interiors in question include a Malibu beach house, Rachel's LA residence and a selection of celebrity homes.
Isn't oilcloth brilliant? It's cheap, cheerful, wipeable, and it adds a delicious retro flavour to any kitchen-diner. It comes in a dizzying array of colours and patterns - both 'off the roll' and finished with fabric edging.
This 'sweet' design from Berry Red costs £43 for a large tablecloth, £32 for a small one and it's neatly edged in red.
I recently inherited a box of vintage buttons and I have been wondering what to do with them. These handmade felt-and-button embellishments by Berrylicious have inspired me...
They are perfect for all kinds of crafting projects and come presented on a vintage-look card. Just lovely.
The Etienne chest from Rose & Grey reminds me of the Bramley from Laura Ashley. It has the same classic French styling - perfect for the more ornate shabby chic interior.
The chest has an elegant curved front, and the duck egg paint finish is slightly distressed for an antique look. £425 from Rose & Grey.
The Fairy Cakes tray, designed by Martin Wiscombe for ECP,looks pleasingly vintage whilst actually being brand new. Great if you like the look, but not the idea, of aged kitchenware.
There are cake tins, mugs and jugs to match the design and you can see the whole range here.
It's official! Embroidered art rocks and this simple, but oh so effective, piece proves it.
Made by the talented duo known as Fieldguided using bright blue thread and a quote from singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom. It's available here for approximately $30.
[Via MadeByGirl]