Papering over the cracks - the Ikea wardrobe makeover

As a lover of all things shabby (and often not chic), I have a slight aversion to the Ikea birch-look veneer that creeps up in budget flats all over the land. But living in a budget flat as I do, it's impossible to avoid on occasion. As you may remember from my Billy bookcase makeover, I have found that with a bit of cupboard paint and TLC, it's possible to turn these things into something slightly unique.

So having given my bedroom a much need lick of paint over the weekend I decided it was time to do something with the shiny perspex-fronted Ikea wardrobe that I inherited from the previous owners of my flat. Some gorgeous paper from the top floor of Paperchase on Tottenham Court Road (I defy you to spend less than an hour up there trying to choose the perfect one!) provided the perfect material for the job.

Before:

After:

 

The wardrobe wasn't the only inanimate object to be subjected to my makeover whimsy this weekend. The £10 fireplace surround that I'd lugged home from a charity shop on Streatham High Road was on the receiving end of a much needed restyle.

Before:

After:

For the final touch, I'm on the quest for some vintage mirrors as beautifully styled at Seeds and Stitches...

Back on the shelf

This last week has been a good one and a bad one. On the good side, I had my first non-familial dinner party, kicking off a week of house warmings. Due to various unscheduled events such as lockings out and breakings in, the cooking stage was a bit more rushed that I'd have liked and so no time for pics, other than the aftermath:

Dinner was a wheat free, meat free, nut and legume challenge due to various dietary requirements (and there were only three of us!) but consisted of homemade babaganoush (if only I could ever remember the recipe), sweet potato and spinach curry and lemon marscepone cheesecake. Needless to say, Wednesday was a struggle but I felt like a very lucky lady to have such lovely friends.

And on to the bad...sadly myself and the muscle have parted ways, which has left me sad and deflated. But leads me nicely onto two projects I HAVE completed this week - my 'back on the shelf' makeover. And on this rare occasion, I don't mean a new hair colour or flowery dress.

Number 1: My Billy bookcase makeover

Inspired by this blog here, and uninspired by the Ikea Billy bookcase that I've been lugging around various homes in London for the last eight years, here's my Billy bookcase as a work in progress:

 
And unveiling Billy's new look:

 

And onto the worst flatpack job I've ever had the pleasure to experience (in case you're wondering why the cheapest Argos shelves are so cheap). After a link of paint, and some added sparkle, now interim home to all my crafty bits and pieces:

And so off to bed for tomorrow the housewarming continues with a mini warming of a mini flat. Pics and sore heads to follow on Sunday I'm sure.

Good night x