Not Too Shabby by Charlotte

Not Too Shabby by Charlotte Professional furniture painter, educator and Fusion Mineral Paint stockist Fusion Mineral Paint stockist, furniture commissions and painting tutorials

Hey there, I hope you've had a great weekend!As a new Redesign stockist I've been taking a deep dive into the Re·design ...
07/06/2026

Hey there, I hope you've had a great weekend!

As a new Redesign stockist I've been taking a deep dive into the Re·design with Prima transfer selection and I have to be honest I'm blown away by the variety, there really is a design for everyone! Plus, I've seen each individual design used in so many different ways that you wouldn't even realise that it was the same design!

If you're not familiar with these transfers, let me enlighten you, because I wish I'd discovered these sooner!

They come in a range of sizes, there are beautiful florals, elegant foils, French and vintage scrolls and scripts, Christmas, Easter and Autumn themes, Children's Storybooks designs and fun whimsical wonderland illustrations. Honestly, you need to have a browse because there's so much inspiration!

I've selected just a small range of images from the Redesign range to share with you, to give you a taster… but if you're intrigued and want to see more have a browse through my website. I'm adding more of their designs everyday, there's literally hundreds! ###

Exciting news! If you saw my live this week you'll have seen that I'm now officially a Redesign with Prima stockist. Woo...
06/06/2026

Exciting news!

If you saw my live this week you'll have seen that I'm now officially a Redesign with Prima stockist. Woo hoo! You guys have been raving about their decoupage papers, transfers and moulds so I thought I'd make your lives easier by making them available in store and online so that you can get them at the same time as the other incredible brands stock.

Now the range is huge, and I have access to it all which is mega exciting, however it is going to take me time to upload them all to the website. So, keep checking as I'll be adding new products every day.

In the meantime, if there's a product you want that you can't see on the website just let me know, I have it and can get it straight out to you ###

05/06/2026

Introducing... Redesign With Prima! Yes I'm now a stockist!

Wanna see my live unboxing? ###

Exciting news! I am mega excited to announce that the full range of products are now available on my website! There are...
17/05/2026

Exciting news! I am mega excited to announce that the full range of products are now available on my website!

There are so many products to help you with your projects, but let me share my favourites with you so far...

Varnishes
They've got a really extensive range of varnishes, including interior, exterior, craft and floor varnishes. My favourite though is the Wax Finish Varnish, its so much easier to apply than wax but gives that authentic vintage finish!

Decorative Effects
I can't wait to experiment with the scumble, crackle and craquelure!

Colourants
These are going to be a gamechanger! Polyvine offer both waterbased and oil based colourants so you can custom tint any product. I know from now on I'm going to be tinting my Zinsser primer!

I do have a soft spot for a beautiful brush too…check out the Polyvine range, they have some real stunners! ###

Fancy learning how to paint furniture? Then I think you'd love a day in the studio with me.People ask me a lot about if ...
27/04/2026

Fancy learning how to paint furniture? Then I think you'd love a day in the studio with me.

People ask me a lot about if I offer painting workshops, and tbh I just don’t find the time! However, I do have a lot of people attending One to One Studio Days and we love them!

I offer a selection of packages so you can come alone, bring a friend or even spend more than one day with me. These days are totally customisable, we tailor the day around what you want to paint and what you want to learn, so you leave confident and having acheived exactly what you came for.

All tools and materials are provided, including a lovely lunch! Just bring yourself and a piece of furniture to paint 😍

Pop over to my website to book ###

https://nottooshabbybycharlotte.co.uk/products/one-to-one-studio-days?_pos=1&_sid=e2fa6c734&_ss=r

I have a secret... this wood grain is fake!This console table had a lot of thick dark varnish that would have been very ...
19/04/2026

I have a secret... this wood grain is fake!

This console table had a lot of thick dark varnish that would have been very difficult to remove from every crevice and detail, however David and Jordan wanted it to match other wooden items of furniture that I was refinishing for them, so we decided to do a faux grain... it was so much fun!

I started by custom mixing a soft caramel shade and creating a neutral base. Over the top of this I applied a dark glaze and dragged a wood graining tool through it to create a beautiful grain. This effect can look quite harsh and really artificial, so I have 2 tips…

Firstly I take a big soft dry brush, and when the glaze is very nearly dry I sweep over each panel to soften the effect.

Then, I always apply a few layers of washes and tinted topcoats over the top of the grain effect, this blurs the grain and also creates the depth and multiple tones that are present in real wood.

I wish I had a close up picture to share with you. Annoyingly this couple don't live very close to me and I haven't had time to go back, I've asked them for a close up though so I'll share it as soon as I have it ###

Here's the next few pics from that large commission I did (scroll back through my posts to see the console table and des...
13/04/2026

Here's the next few pics from that large commission I did (scroll back through my posts to see the console table and description of how I acheived it).

It was really lovely working on such a big project with Cheryl and Stuart, the dining set, nest of tables, sideboard, console table and display cabinet have all been stripped of their sad orange varnish and refinished in this smokey driftwood effect using tinted Ultra Guard.

As you can imagine this was a lot of work, but soooo worth it to create this bright and airy space and let that wood grain shine! ###

This is the first piece I'm sharing with you out of a project of 18 pieces! That includes - 🩷 6 seater dining set💚 nest ...
11/04/2026

This is the first piece I'm sharing with you out of a project of 18 pieces! That includes -
🩷 6 seater dining set
💚 nest of tables
💜 sideboard
💛 console table
❤️ display cabinet
🩵 12 interior doors
🧡 oak staircase

Let's start with the console table…

Its a familiar story, beautiful solid wood furniture with varnish that has yellowed over time. The furniture is loved, that orangey wood tone isn’t!

So my job was to remove all the old varnish and refinish in a softer smokey tone. I chose to use Ultra Guard which I had tinted with Woodwick for the first coat. This is a great way to create a custom coloured varnish! This knocked back the unwanted orangey colour but was still a little dark for our taste, so I applied a second coat of Ultra Guard which I had tinted with Parchment. That was the colour we were after, so much softer!

Now for the handles, they were originally brass toned, but we were looking for antique steel to match other metalwork in the room. This is where my hero combination of Gilding Enamel in silver and Fusion's SFO in ebony work their magic! A few coats of silver covered the bronze easily, but it looks too new. So, I love to then stipple the SFO on top to age the handles and give an authentic rustic metal effect. This process is so satisfying!

That beautiful wood grain now gleams, the handles are renewed, and this furniture is the star of the show again. Keep your eyes peeled to see the other pieces in this collection over the next few days ###

This is the sweetest little commission, stories like this really do make what I do so special.This little toy box is an ...
10/04/2026

This is the sweetest little commission, stories like this really do make what I do so special.

This little toy box is an inherited piece and it holds huge sentimental value. It was in a bad state with old chipped paintwork, faded stickers, wobbly joints... you name it! It needed a sympathetic makeover which freshened it up but didn't erase any of the memories. How lovely is that?

My client didn't want it to be reupholstered, the fabric had been touched by her loved one and that nostalgia was a precious thing to preserve. So, the fabric was staying, and became our inspiration for the new design.

After some glueing, filling and repairing, the box was a nice solid base for some new artwork. A fresh coat of in Plaster was our starting point as it was a great match to the base of the fabric. I then picked out some shades from the fabric design and hand painted a loose leaf design. I tried really hard to modernise the pattern whilst still keeping the softness and vintage vibe of the florals in the fabric.

I hope you love this story as much as I do. Our furniture is rarely about trends, its about heart and warmth, about lifestyle. Its about walking into our homes and smiling ###

Address

Beeston
Nottinghamshire

Telephone

07841714695

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Not Too Shabby by Charlotte posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Not Too Shabby by Charlotte:

Shortcuts

Share