Shabby Chic on a Budget

While trolling the web the other day I found this great blog that showed how to take items from Target’s Simply Shabby Chic line (by Rachel Ashwell) and with a little DIY ingenuity turn it upside down with style (like the room shown at left). Among the tips:

I would paint this armoire in a dove gray, wallpaper the interior using my favorite pattern from a leftover roll, and embellish the drawers with new knobs. I'd take this $149 desk, lacquer it in black, and have a local glass company fit a piece of glass on top so that I could place a new sheet of my favorite wrapping paper, wallpaper, or fabric between the glass and the desktop each month to refresh my workspace. This dresser for $249 would be transformed with goldenrod yellow paint and patterned yellow and white hardware from Anthropologie (I'd hit their clearance section for that). And this $35 stool? Easy! Paint it any color of choice and reupholster the top with a scrap fabric you love but don't have enough of to cover a pillow. You can even reupholster it with a cotton dress or scarf that you no longer wear or a vintage pillowcase or tea towel from a flea market.