Eloise Faith: Up-cycling obsession

I am a little obsessed with junk shops.

Recently my husband and I had 3 days, 2 nights away in Greytown to celebrate our 15-year anniversary. Now, I just love Greytown. It's so quaint and full of the cutest shops overflowing with antiques and collectibles. There are some gorgeous kids' decor shops as well as lovely little cafes. My husband has promised me a day to 'do' the antique shops for years, and finally my time had come. Three days!

What I arrived home with was a grey jug. I had visited every shop there, religiously using every second that was in the day to trawl through these beautiful antique shops. The problem I had was that everything I saw, I wanted to change. And how silly is it to spend $500 on a carver for the office that you then mean to paint and re-upholster?

Even the jug I could have bought from a wholesaler though our store, but I just had to come home with something!

Here are a few photos of one or two little projects that I have enjoyed. Hobby has gotten to obsession stage now, as new and partly finished projects mount up around the house. I've decided I better get moving and finish some so that the family can actually use them before they all start a revolt and send me to work!

That's the key to all the up cycled items I do: they have to look loved. Many get the distressed treatment as it saves the kids from the risk of distressing me (and thereby themselves!) when they hit it with a hockey stick or a random stick.

Still sitting partly finished are 2 bar stools and an office chair. And a couch, some curtains, my new bed, the sideboard, a little stool, that fire-surround I mentioned...and that's not even starting on the items I haven't even started on yet - the other sofa, the lounge curtains, a foot stool, and the kitchen chair and arm chair I just bought...