I break glass and then attempt to put some pieces back together. It’s not about perfection. I’m currently living in the French alps, where I will be opening an atelier/gallery someday! You can buy some of my work on Etsy.com or by contacting me directly and/or arranging a visit to my studio.

(from her blog)
As she says her work is available via her Etsy Shop and you can also see much of it in her flickr stream. I think it is just stunning so dash over there and feast your eyes on some perfect mirrors and other goodies to go with your shabby chic furniture

this hall console set with mirror is given a finishing touch by adding a pair of hurricane lamps, also finished in my lacquer and distressed. The colors are the same, but the lamps are given a very subtle glaze that tints them slightly more amber. The mirror and table are the same finish, to match, with no glaze. In this way we can finish objects with identical matching finishes, giving the impression they are original as a set. Or we can add objects of the same color with tint variation, to give a harmonized impression of decorating with found objects of the same color theme

Dan says:

Friends have long told me to join Flickr, but I’m just not the type who does personal photos. It never dawned on me I could find ‘shabby friends’ here
My name is Dan, but I have been dubbed the Sheik of Shabby- this is as much due to my profession as it is a jab at my corny sense of humor.
My business is Kitsch-n-Kaboodle.com, and I have made a career out of furniture restoration, specializing in high-end shabby finishes and custom restorations. I have one of the top used furniture stores on ebay, and I paint furniture year-round. I take custom-orders and ship globally. I am out to change the world of cottage decorating. My finish is as sleek and smooth as a baby’s bottom. I use no latex paint, only oil-based paints, lacquers, and varnishes. I offer customers over a dozen color choices including varying shades of white and others. I started as a wood refinisher and apply that knowledge and standard to furniture in paint colors. I treat my shabby furniture like any other wood restoration, and I fix anything & everything. If you need some tips on creating accessories out of old parts, applique work, where to get supplies, carving & veneer repairs, rebuilding chairs & other things, I am your go-to man.

We’ll be checking in with Dan for more great painting tips I can see! But Dan doesn’t like everything Shabby Chic. Like many men he’s not too keen on the overblown rosy cottage look:

Don’t take offense, but I don’t like roses…. I prefer the fun flapper and exuberant Gatsby looks of the 1920s. The occasional blossom is ok, but I tend to keep them to a minimum, unless a customer asks otherwise. But hey, I have an excuse- I’m a guy! Lately I am interested in taking distressed furniture into new territory- I have plans for some outsider-art decorated pieces, hallway stands made from old headboards and doors, and I’m painting some Heywood Wakefield black!! I call it ‘Urban-Chic’. Looking forward to sharing….

Well, Dan, I like all sorts of Shabby Chic stuff and I’m quite fond of a bit of Outsider Art too so we’re going to get along fine
Dan has an ebay store which you can find at Kitschnkaboodle.com

Current favourites – shabby chic furniture, originally uploaded by LindaH.

1. kitchen island, 2. P5210074, 3. Tea for Two…, 4. Untitled, 5. P6280029, 6. Biarritz furniture, 7. White Sunporch, 8. Black winged decoration and forms, 9. Painted wooden mirror, 10. Untitled, 11. Greens Added, 12. Paris her way…, 13. Untitled
.
These are some of my favourite Shabby Chic furniture images from our Flickr group. Some of them I’ve blogged about here already, others I will get to soon, I promise
The main thing I’m on the look out for is a ‘new’ chair. I liked that rather Edwardian elegant one but it was in Biarritz, France, sigh. No way to get that back to London easily. The one in the picture with the angel
is sweet but not quite chunky enough for what I want. I love the 50s leather dining chair, it reminds me of my parents house But it’s not right for this spot either.
I’m a sucker for basket work chairs, specially white ones. They make me think of Gwen John’s painting The Empty CHair. I really love it but still, basket weave is not quite right for what I want…. sigh.

I’ll just have to keep looking.

Black winged decoration and forms, originally uploaded by Andyrob.

Isn’t she extraordinary? I love the idea of having what is more or less a theatrical prop in one corner of the room. The shop in Islington had lots of them in different outfits. They are delightful confections but with a bit of a post modern edge. Many of the forms are just bare painted polystyrene with the costume glued on.
I’m sure these forms are aimed at young women, possibly of the sort who might just want to snaffle those wings sometimes to go clubbing in When I was the age to fall for such things I’d much rather have made her myself and I think I’d have used her to model one of my more Gothic outfits, or at least something that could be worn. Either that or make the whole thing an exquisite fantasy confection. Covering the bare form with silk or even muslin would help.

The Shabby Chic Furniture

The quiet but delightful items in this photo are the sweet little couch, so French, so delicate and the understated chair. The shop was quiet reasonable for mostly faux pieces. Similar stuff can easily be found online and one or two pieces of Shabby Chic furniture like this can really add to the atmosphere of a room.

, originally uploaded by brocantegirl.

Isn’t this gorgeous? This painted wooden console table graces a simple entrance hall to a stylish Parisian apartment. The careful choice of a subtle grey paint and a few well chosen ornaments really shows that shabby chic furniture can be very elegant.
Personally I just want to stroll in there and settle down to some polite conversation, a few madeleines and perhaps a cup of lime blossom tea…
I would love to stroll over and look out that window. I wonder if I’d see the Seine below
Back to reality. Tables like this are available in the UK to buy new. Scumble Goosie did one a few years ago but don’t have anything quite like this at the moment. Trouble is elegance does not come cheap and they can be quiet expensive.
Might be a good moment to continue my painted shabby chic furniture instructions.

Shiny, shiny, Shabby Chic, Islington, originally uploaded by LindaH.

All this gorgeous, glamourous Shabby Chic furniture was outside a shop in Islington yesterday. It just goes to remind us that not all shabby chic is painted.
There’s just a whiff of decadence about this sort of furniture. It makes me think of glamourous starlets in those silky 30s or 40s dressing gowns you only ever see in black and white films. You can almost smell the perfume and I can just imagine the sort of bright red lipstick that ought to sit on that dresser!
The big mirrors are totally over the top with their ornate decorations, a bit less Deco than the furniture but still great fun.
You would think this stuff would be very expensive but I was amazed at how reasonable some of it was. You can find this sort of
glamourous shabby chic furniture quite easily or if you are brave you could try to re-create the look yourself. I’ll post more about the DIY techniques for this sort of shabby chic furniture sometime over the next few weeks.

High Gloss Black Vanity Table, originally uploaded by Nadia Bacons.

Once you’ve done all your hard work painting you could end up with something as yummy as this glamourous Shabby Chic dressing table.
I’d love to see this adding a bit of Holywood glam to a bedroom with lots of mirrors and satin bedcovers.
I’d need lots of lovely accessories to put on it of course……….