Up-cycling & refurbishing part 2

So the cupboard for the en-suite is complete and now I was on the look out for a shelving unit to go above the sink to match it, so it's back to the British Heart Foundation shop where I spy this eyesore for the bargain price of £10! It's really quite dirty & very dusty (I got the dust free of charge!)

I take it home and it's straight outside into the garden with the screwdriver to remove the fittings & doors and get to work creating a matching 'swan' from this ugly duckling for my now beautiful cupboard. Hubby now has the bug too and has helped me transform this beast by sanding it down for me while I cook the Sunday roast.

A quick masking off after dinner while hubby washes up for me and I have the wax & wire wool are out to enhance the wood. (I love this technique as it polishes as it waxes and leaves a perfectly smooth finish).

Once this is complete its time to mask of the waxed areas ready for the undercoat (hubby kindly takes over this task from me). 2 coats later and it's ready to be left to dry overnight.

Monday night and the Farrow & Ball paint is out again ready to bring this shelving unit to life and to match it up with the transformed cupboard.

Tuesday evening and the hinges are back on, as are the new brass knobs on the little doors and we're done!

I also bought a large, rectangular, pine mirror. That'll be getting the treatment too to make it co-ordinate. I can't wait to decorate my bedroom next as I'll be refurbishing the furniture that I have in there to match the en-suite units and therefore make the rooms flow beautifully together.

Up-cycling & refurbishing

We're decorating our en-suite at the moment and I've been on the hunt for a cupboard to go in there to replace the storage bench we bought about 10 years ago.

Looking around, there's either nothing I like or if I did see something it's either built in or stupidly expensive, so I decided to see if I could transform an ugly duckling from my local charity shop. Luckily we have a large British Heart Foundation furniture & electrical shop in town. Normally it's where we donate our stuff to as it's a charity close to home (dad had a triple heart by-pass). I'd called them to see if they had anything to fit, but sadly the unit the guy on the phone measured was too big, so I decided go in on the off chance of finding a corner unit to fit instead.

No sooner did I walk in the door than I spotted this ugly duckling, but I knew it had potential. I measured it up and had 7cm to spare for where I'd planned to put it, making it a perfect fit. At £40 it was an absolute bargain and just what I wanted, despite what it currently looked like. Nothing like a bit of elbow grease & hard work to make it gorgeous again and I've got plenty of that!

After a quick nip home to swap cars so that I could collect it, and a shocked face from my hubby when he saw it and in was in the house, the tool kit was out and the doors & fittings were off and safely stashed away to be re-fitted when the project was complete.

The decorative up-stand feature at the back was removed and sanded right back down to its raw pine state removing the (offensive & dirty) orange varnish. Already that started to look better. The doors were then sanded down to create a 'key' for which the paint would adhere to. I was desperate for the weekend to arrive so I could take the unit out into the garden to sand down. Thankfully Saturday was warm, dry & perfect for me to get to work on it.

The top was sanded back to pine and then waxed in a dark oak, whilst the unit sides and back were 'keyed'. The doors & unit were then undercoated and painted in Farrow and Ball 'Pointing' Estate Eggshell. With new brass knobs and the fittings replaced it's finished and is now no longer an ugly duckling, but a beautiful new swan!

I can't wait to show you my next project for in there!

World Baking Day 19th May 2013

Are you ready to join me and 'Bake Brave'?

I've been chosen to be one of 100 Ambassadors for this year's World Baking Day on Sunday 19th May.

Stork are generously sponsoring the event and are giving 100 people all over the UK the chance to host a World Baking Day House Party. Lucky winners will be invited to host an official World Baking Day party and will be sent everything they need for the perfect baking get-together. This will include bunting, balloons, cake decorations and egg timers, not to mention a voucher to redeem for a 500g tub of Stork Margarine; the perfect ingredient to bake your cakes. You'll also be provided with the official recipes to enable you and your guests to 'Bake Brave'.

Hosts and their guests will be invited to bring their baked cakes & delights to the party which you'll then decorate together. What a fantastic way to spend a Sunday; a day filled full of cake, friends and fun!!!

All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning one of these 100 world Baking Day House Party packs is to visit Come Round by FRIDAY 12th APRIL 2013 and complete the online application form. Remember that there will only be 100 lucky winners, so pop straight over there and apply for your pack. As they say - you've got to be in it to win it! Please remember to read the conditions of application.

Don't forget from 1st May, you can join us at the World Baking Day website where you can take inspiration from some truly amazing bakers & see the 100 recipes we've shared.