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Beautiful Vintage Office in Your Back Garden!

I came across this image and just smiled! I love the idea of having my little office/crafting room in our back garden! If you have a garden shed already then you're in luck. Give it a coat of paint (white, duck egg blue, minty green) both inside and out and then fill it with your favourite vintage bits & bobs! Argghh heaven!

Could get a touch chilly in the winter so if you can persuade your other half to put some electricity in there for a heater and a bit of light - then you're onto a winner!

Very eco-chic-living - love it!

S x 

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Breakfast at Snowflakes! 

Sunday is easily my favourite day of the week. My husband Ed is a real traditionalist of fresh morning coffee and in his case some sort of man breakfast to accompany it. I love the smell of his coffee but prefer a lovely cup of tea and an almond croissant!

Mix it with a touch of vintage and I am in heaven! Why does tea taste so much better out of a lovely cup & saucer!

Happy Sunday! Enjoy God's day and treat yourself to a good old rest and some tea & croissants eco-chic-living style!

S x

(Image source: www.qeiicc.co.uk, Chloe's Inspiration Blog & Wonderland Wishes)

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Beautiful Up-Cycled Sewing Machine Drawer

I saw this on the wonder that is Pinterest. It is just simply beautiful if you can come across such a beautiful piece to up-cycle.

Just gorgeous and makes me want to sew, sew, sew!!!

S x

(Image Source: Katie Rose Cottage Design)

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Create Your Own Vintage Picnic and Sip Champers Eco-Chic Style!!

Just in time for Henley Royal Regatta and other British Summertime activities, here at Snowflakes, Eco-Chic-Living we've put together this Vintage Picnic Hamper and Collectable Capri Crown Essex Tea Set to show that picnicking can be eco and stylish and need not cost this earth!

To purchase this tea set visit our Vintage Shop: http://www.eco-chic-living.com/shop-gifts-home/

Whilst the initial outlay may seem steep, this is something to treasure forever and to potentially pass down generation after generation. 

Plus, its vintage - so feel good in the knowledge that you're being stylish whilst also being kind to the planet!

S x

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Up-cycle an old pine table...

I saw this image and fell in love with the whole look but more specifically the pine side table. It has been beautifully stripped, varnished and then the owners have added some lovely sparkly knobs! 

Believe it or not I found a table like this in the re-cycle centre for £25! Better still, I got given one for free! It can take some time to come across good pieces like this, but this image just shows that it is totally worth the wait and the time and effort to restore.

Super eco-chic-living when combined with some lovely vintage lamps!

S x

Image source: http://www.bhg.com

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Create Beautiful Vintage Furniture...

I saw this image and absolutely fell in love with the whole look. It is simple to put together and very eco-chic-living!

I bought a very similar mirror from the charity shop for £3! I simply rubbed it down with some sand paper to score the old paint work and then painted it my desired colour. The drawers in this picture look like they have been sanded, repainted and then distressed around the edges (with sand paper again).

Add old vases or bottles from the charity shop (they don't need to match and can be all shapes and sizes) and add some beautiful wild flowers. This image has combined the vases with old books, which again can be picked up from old book shops or charity shops for as little as a pound, and they look fab!

Beautiful look and really easy to create on a shoestring and being kind to the planet! Lovely.

S x

Source: http://pinterest.com/kellyrcbm/

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Distress your own vintage shelf storage...

For me, this is a little bit of heaven placed on a wall! I just love it!

This kind of shelf may be a touch harder to come by BUT I wholly believe that it is worth the wait until you do. Simply sand down (just enough to score the wood so that the paint has something to grip to, should be enough) don't overdo things if you don't have to! Then paint your desired colour and distress using a smaller piece of sandpaper once it has dried (if you wish to). For me I love, love, love the colour they have painted this piece!

Use left over wallpaper or material to cover the back wall of the shelf.

Then cover the shelves with your vintage finds! For me it would be little glass jars with flowers in and 'old skool' picture frames!

Love it and it is super eco-chic-living!

Recycle, up-cycle, make it individual and yours!

S x

(Source: Heart Home Magazine: http://hearthomemag.co.uk/)

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How to organise your mail & keys vintage style!

If like me, your partner is always asking you 'where did you put today's post' when they walk through the door - I saw this simple solution for such a question and absolutely love it! Simply take a vintage plate and add a vintage silver or glass food dome and you're there! Your mail is safely stored in one place until you or whoever it is for wants to look at it! Genius!

If that isn't clever enough, I love the idea of using vintage drawer handles on the wall as key hooks! 

Super eco-chic-living and a great way to create a 'chi chi' style through recycling!

S xx

Source: Jessica Brinkert Holtam for Better Homes & Gardens

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Make your own mantelpiece rosette!

I absolutely love this homemade eco-chic idea and it is super simple to create!

Buy a foam wreath and simply wrap yarn of your colour choice around it! Make your own paper flowers from old recycled newspaper or from pages from an old book (I will be writing a piece on how to create these flowers soon so check back for details) and then simply stitch them in place. Looks amazing, contemporary and is very eco-chic-living!

You could also try attaching vintage costume jewellery instead of the flowers i.e. brooches or similiar for a bit of 'bling' and depending on which room you plan to display it in! 

Ohhh I am suddenly feeling very creative! I will post any versions of this that I make for inspiration!

S xx

Design by Lisa Schumacher - source: scrapbooks etc.

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How to make under the bed storage that looks great and is eco-friendly!

I love the look of this under the bed storage and it is really easy to do! Simply take some old drawers (perhaps from an old dresser that you were thinking about getting rid of) or visit the local recycle centre to see what goodies you can find. Then paint the drawers your desired colour and if you want to add castors to the bottom so that they are easy to pull in and out. 

You could even take this design a step further and replace the drawer handles with      pretty coloured knobs and line the drawer with some recycled wallpaper! I might even go as far as spraying the lining paper with some perfume so that your clothes smell wonderful all day long!

Happy eco-chic-living!

S xx

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How to make a desk tidy (or drawer tidy) from an old bottle box!

I love this idea so much and think it looks fab in this colour! It is really simple to achieve too. Simply take an old bottles box/crate (ask at your local pub or supermarket) and cut down to size or in this picture they have used an old American soda box, which you maybe able to pick up cheaply at an antique store or online, and then simply paint the whole thing your desired colour! Genius and very eco-chic-living! 

xx

(Source: Better homes & gardens)

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Up-cycle an old dresser drawer into a bathroom cabinet! Simply take an old drawer of your desired size, add a piece of wood as a shelf (or ask your partner to!) and paint the same colour as your drawer. Then add screw eye hooks to the bottom and thread through a towel rail. Lastly, simply add your favourite choice of wallpaper to the backboard and there you have it a beautiful up-cycled piece! I think this is a brilliant use of old materials to make something new and very eco-chic-living fabulous!

Love from Snowflakes x

(Source: Better homes & gardens)

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Love this and so easy to achieve by buying random glasses from the charity shop! Don't dismiss recycle centers for glass and old pottery too - I've picked up some corkers for 50p! Then simply fill with the drink of your choice! Love it and very eco-chic! xx

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Get this lovely vintage look by searching for pre-loved pieces (ebay, recycle centers, local furniture auctions etc). Buy a lovely second hand couch - not only does it already have the lovely worn look but it is recycling too! Mix with a reclaimed wooden table and random chairs and you're there. Love it, very eco-chic-living! xx

(image source: 2.bp.blogspot.com)

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An all round amazing use of old wood and pallets - combined with the mixture of different bowls and plates which could easily be collected from charity shops, local potter etc, it just looks eco-chic fab! xx

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Beautiful shabby eco-chic style using old pallets. I am so in love with this look and its easy to do, cheap and good on the recycling front! Happy days! xx

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I am really loving what you can do with pallets! Super eco-chic and looks fab! xx