Another score from Freecycle

Who loves Freecylce?  I do, I do!  I love Freecycle, love it!

You may remember the fantastic dresser I got earlier this year and it's subsequent transformation.  Well I got myself a new project to dip my chalk paint into.  

It was described as a half moon display unit.  I always find descriptions on Freecyle posts to be rather obscure so it's always a bit hit and miss when you turn up to collect things.  This unit is most definitely a hit.

It has glass shelves and a light but a bit of the veneer has come off the corner of one of the doors and the keys to the locks have been lost.  But a lick of paint and maybe some wallpaper on the back will transform it.

I love it and the Big Man and Wee Man are rather taken with it too.  The Wee Man has decided his model trains will look lovely displayed in it!  He is still reeling from my refusal to display his trains on my dresser.  A stern "No way!" hasn't sufficed so far.  Looks like I'll have a mini battle on my hands.  

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I've been playing with my toys!

What do I do when the Wee Man's at nursery school?  I would love to say housework but in reality I play with my toys.  My beautiful, delicate, gorgeous lovelies that makes my heart go bumpity-bump.

I've spent this morning playing with my dresser.  Putting new things on display and sighing at their loveliness.  Everything but two of the things, on the dresser came from either a charity shop or car boot sale.  The dresser itself was free from Freegle.

  

Pretty, pretty china.  The mosaic box in the bottom of the picture was one of my first bargain finds at a charity shop.  It was brand new and made by Sia.  It had an original shop sticker on the bottom for £16.  I got it for a mere £3.  It now stores some of the Big Man's many card readers, USB stick things and leads!

The cake slice was a birthday present from a dear friend.  I came home one day to find a surprise package on my doorstep.  She has a tendency to turn up unannounced at my doorstep with presents.

The single cake stand in the middle was one of my first crafty makes.  A charity shop vintage plate and glass vase, with a bit of Pinflair glue and I had me my first cake stand.  My cake stand collection has kind of grown since then.  They are kind of haphazardly piled on top of each other on another cupboard.  I have vowed never to buy another cake stand.  Promise!

The tea cups are some of my many tea cups.  I think I'll have another play in a couple of weeks and get my other tea cups out of storage.  

So what do you do when the kids are at school?

This post is shared on "Show and Tell Friday",  "Vintage Inspiration Friday" , "Feathered Nest Friday" , "Inspiration Friday", "Home Sweet Home" Strut Your Stuff Nifty Thrifty Sunday Tuesdays Treasures

...a shabby dresser (Part 2)

A whole two months ago I got a pine dresser from Freegle.  Two whole months it's been sat in our hall.  Two whole months we've been squeezing ourselves round it to get into the living room.  Two whole months I've been beavering away to get it ready.  Well not quite beavering, more like lazily doing a bit here and there.  I do like to take my time on these things(!)

Well finally it's done...kind of.  It needs to be moved into place which is a major de-clutter and chuck out operation.  It's going to replace an Ikea Cube unit thingie in the dining room which is currently chock full of toys and junk.  So guess what I'm doing this weekend (if I can get my bum into gear)?

Here it is all painted and waxed.  I painted it in Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Old White and gave it a coat of clear wax.

I am debating whether or not to get new knobs for it.  Something a bit more pretty and shabby maybe?  New knobs or not new knobs?

This was what it looked like before the paint job.  A lot less orange now.  

This post has been shared on Showcase Sunday.

...a shabby dresser (Part 1)

Woo Hoo!  That's me jumping for joy.  Lookey what I got from Freegle.



I've been looking for a dresser for ages.  Ebay, car boot sales, Freegle, Freecycle and even real shops (which tells you how desperate I've been).  And finally, finally this week a lovely lady offered a pine dresser on Freegle. I jumped at the chance and sent her a very polite if somewhat desperate email, detailing my plans to shabby it up for my china collection.  And I got it!  Woo Hoo!

The Big Man was despatched to collect the dresser and on Tuesday evening I became the proud owner of a pine dresser.  It's currently sitting in two halves in the living room and in the hall.

After many evenings of debate with the Big Man, I've decided to paint the dresser with Annie Sloan's Chalk paint in Old White.  Once painted I think I'll decoupage some wall paper on to it somewhere, to give it some more life.

I finally started painting it yesterday morning, but didn't get very far.  Shabby dresser transformation to follow...

...a Freegle find

I love Freegle.  In my town it use to be Freecycle and now it's Freegle, though Freecycle is still in operation.  It's all very confusing.  I've had so many great things from there and this weekend I snagged myself another great find.

It's a solid mahogany occasional table.  It has a drawer and a shelf and lots of mug marks on the top.  Why do people not use coasters?!

I'm going to paint it with Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Old White.  I saw the paint on Kirstie's Homemade Home and thought it was the perfect paint for someone as cack handed as me.  I'm going to have to build up the courage to use it though.  I don't want to ruin it without first having a trial run with the paint.  So whilst I build up the courage, the table is sitting in my hall taking up space.  Another reason for the Big Man to be grumpy.  Oh well.  Happy Valentine's Day.