DIY Upcycled Chairs | Shabby Chic Inspired ♥

 This is a project I've been wanting to do for quite some time now, having been inspired by the lovely Emily on her wonderful blog The Nest and her gorgeous chair makeover. I was so eager to get going on this project, my only problem being that I had no furniture to upcycle... or so I thought. My parents house is full of old furniture and bits and bobs to makeover and give a fresh lease of life to, not least these two old chairs that once sat at the kitchen table. They were scratched to high Heaven, had drips of green paint on them and were long forgotten, hiding in the cellar amongst the cobwebs.

I firstly washed them down, I also used some disinfectant to given them a thorough clean. As I was using a chalk based paint for the blue chair and a spray paint for the pink I didn't have to sand the chairs down - yay for being able to get straight to painting, which was oddly very therapeutic for me! I have to admit before I go on that I have never painted anything before, except for the fence in the garden so it was quite a new experience for me and one which was my mother was so surprised to see me doing, she in fact said - "I thought I'd never see the day" in response to me painting my chairs and being so enthusiastic about it.

The paints I used were Valspar Spray Paint in Rose Sugar Satin (pink) and Rust-Oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in Duck Egg (blue). I hand-painted the blue chair which did take some time as the ribs on the legs and back took some going over to cover them completely, the pink chair was done in half an hour though as the spray painting was so quick and easier, I also love the finish the Valspar Spray Paint gave, it was so smooth and looked perfect.

For the pink chair I used some angel and flower designed stickers and paper that I had for years, having been sent them by a woman in The Netherlands. Anyone who knows me knows that I love pink, angels and flowers so this chair really is a tribute to all I love. On the blue I used an old floral print envelope, unfolded it and cut it into a diamond shape. I also used some strips of the same pattern to decorate the top of the chair. I stuck all these pieces onto the chairs using a mixture of water and PVA glue..

When the chairs were completely dry - I gave myself two days for this project, I painted them with clear varnish, making sure to give a couple of coats on top of the added designs to keep them in place. I absolutely love how the chairs turned out and as you can see from the above picture the change was huge!

 I love the new shabby chic look they have and think they really are rather pretty. I will be bringing them into my house at some stage but for now they're in the flat next to my parents house and are perfect for the cottage vibe it has. I have another project in mind now and am anxious to get going on it. I never thought I'd have the DIY and upcycling bug but I've been bitten for sure!

I really hope you liked this post and my chairs and that you may be inspired to upcycle something yourself. I know I just can't wait to get going on my new project and you can be sure that I'll feature it here on the blog once it's finished.