Worn out furniture Wednesday: overhauling your cabinet

Emma's been getting all creative and turning some plain old cabinets into some really special pieces! It's really cost effective to consider DIY rather than seeking out a sometimes pricey vintage or vintage inspired option. Plus it means you will get exactly the furniture you want without having to compromise on style, colour or finish - it's a win win all round plus it gives you an exciting project to plan which won't take up all your time but will give you a finished product which can stand in pride of place in your room of choice!

This was the original cabinet which was purchased for £5 at a second hand shop.

You will need:
- Small sample paint pots (these were £2.99 from Homebase)
- Clear varnish (this pot was £7.99)
- Sandpaper

Step one: clean the unit with soapy water then gently sand it down.

Step two: paint it twice, leaving to dry between each coat.

Step three: add a coat of clear varnish which will protect it from chipping.

Step four: sand down the edges and the feet to give it that shabby chic vintage feel!

H & E x

Thirsty Thursday: decorate your own mug

There's nothing better than sipping your favourite drink out of a pretty mug or cup! Although we're obviously big fans of a beautiful vintage cup we decided we wanted to get a little creative and decorate our own. It's ridiculously simple and takes about five minutes (plus the time they're in the oven for!) - why not have a go at your own? You can make the design as simple or as complicated as you like.

You will need:
- A mug or cup of your choice (we got our from Wilkinson)
- Permanent markers
- Paper (optional)
- An oven

Step one - if you want to practice your design before committing to it, cut out a section of paper the same size as the mug so you have an idea how big/small you can make your design.

Step two - use your permanent markers to draw out the design on the mug.

Step three - put the finished mug in your oven on a low heat for half an hour

Step four - take it out, wait for it to cool and then make your friends envious every time you have a cuppa!

Harriet's mugs - I love Hello Kitty so I decided to draw my initial with a Hello Kitty red bow on it! And then I had a look at Alice in Wonderland 'Drink Me' pictures on the internet and adapted one of the designs for my second mug!

Emma's mugs - I love heart designs and wanted mine to be cute and a fairly simple design so I used dots to create a heart effect and some extra dots on the handle too! Then I used dots again on the mug to create an E! I just used the very end of the permanent marker to create a lighter red effect.

These are so simple to do it's hard to believe everyone doesn't have their own personalised mug! We've made ours for our own enjoyment but if a loved one's got a special occasion coming up why not make them their very own mug! (Or if you know a couple what about Mr and Mrs mugs?) If you've got children it would be lovely to let them draw on a mug and then as they grow you'll always have that keepsake! Instead of keeping their drawings on the fridge why not look at them every time you have a drink!

H & E x