A Word or Two

09/08/2026

Happy Women’s Day to all the incredible women here. 🖤

Just in case nobody has told you today…

I see you.

I see how hard you work.
I see how much you carry.
I see how much you give to everyone around you.
I see the things you quietly do that nobody applauds.

And I see how, even on the days when you’re tired, overwhelmed and would quite happily hide under a blanket and tell the world to bu**er off for a while… you somehow get up and keep going. 😂

So today I just want to remind you:

You are freaking awesome. 🖤

I’ve left a little Women’s Day gift for you over on Shabby Shack Decor.

There’s nothing to buy.
No competition to enter.
Nobody to tag.
Nothing you have to do in return.

It’s simply something beautiful I made for you.

Go over to the Women’s Day post on Shabby Shack Decor and it’s yours.

Print it. Make something with it. Frame it. Save it. Share it with your friends. Print another one for somebody you love.

Or keep it entirely for yourself.

No strings attached.

Because sometimes it’s rather lovely to receive something without owing anybody anything in return.

Today, this one is simply for you. 🖤

Happy Women’s Day, you incredible bunch of women.

Shabby Shack Decor

30/07/2026

Shabby Shack Decor

Today's Memory... 🖤

Facebook has this funny habit of reminding us where we've been.

Sometimes it brings back memories we'd rather leave behind.

Sometimes it reminds us of people we've loved...
roads we've travelled...
and dreams that quietly took root long before we realised they would become part of our story.

Today it reminded me why I do what I do.

While we're covered in paint...
sanding old furniture...
planting gardens...
building shelves...
and slowly creating the home that Shabby Shack Decor has always deserved...

these little memories quietly tap us on the shoulder.

They remind us that beautiful things don't happen overnight.

Every scratch has a story.
Every faded piece has lived a life.
Every layer we carefully remove reveals something that was worth saving all along.

Maybe that's why I've always loved restoring old things.

Because people aren't all that different.

Life leaves its marks on all of us.

Some memories make us laugh.
Some still make us cry.
Some we'd gladly forget.

But then there are the memories that shape us.
The ones that teach us resilience.
The ones that remind us who we are...
and gently lead us back to where we were always meant to be.

Shabby Shack Decor has never been just about furniture.

It's about seeing beauty where others see something worn out.

It's about believing that another chapter is always possible.

It's about creating a home filled with stories...
while writing a few new ones of our own.

So today, I'm grateful for the memories.

Even the difficult ones.

Because without them...
I wouldn't be the person standing here today with paint on my hands, hope in my heart, and more dreams than ever before.

And I think that's the most beautiful restoration of all.

🖤

"Sometimes we restore old furniture... and sometimes, without even noticing, the journey restores us."

28/07/2026

Shabby Shack Decor

Last night reminded me what a home really is.

Last night did not go as advertised.

Riekus had just got home. We were sitting in my "natural habitat" (my bed), chatting about our day. I was showing him my latest renovation injuries, hoping for a little sympathy. He was telling me about the tiny train lenses he had been struggling to cut.

Just another ordinary Monday evening.

Then we heard an explosion.

Within seconds my phone started going crazy.

One of our neighbours' houses was on fire.

I pulled on a tracksuit and ran after Riekus. By the time we reached the house, so had most of our neighbours.

Something remarkable happens when disaster strikes.

Nobody asks whose job it is.

Nobody waits to be told what to do.

People simply help.

We made sure everyone was safely out.

Cars were pushed out of the garage because the keys were trapped inside the burning house.

Riekus ran in to remove the last gas cylinder that could still be reached.

The emergency services arrived quickly, but despite everyone's efforts, the house and almost everything inside it could not be saved.

Thankfully...

Every single person walked away.

This morning I walked through what remained.

Blackened walls.

Collapsed roof.

Broken pottery.

Melted glass.

Rooms that only hours before had been filled with ordinary life.

And I realised something.

At Shabby Shack Decor, we spend our days restoring old furniture, painting cupboards, choosing colours and creating beautiful spaces.

But last night reminded me that a home is so much more than the things inside it.

It's the family photographs tucked into a drawer.

The recipe written in your grandmother's handwriting.

The children's artwork on the fridge.

The letter from someone who is no longer here.

The little treasures collected over a lifetime.

Those are the things that money cannot replace.

Last night also reminded me that being prepared isn't about living in fear.

It's about loving the people in your home enough to be ready if the unexpected ever happens.

The infographic below isn't meant to scare anyone.

It's simply a gentle reminder to spend five minutes today thinking about tomorrow.

Know where your important documents are.

Know where your spare keys are.

Have a small plan.

Have an emergency envelope.

Have a fire extinguisher.

I sincerely hope you never need any of it.

But if you do, I hope those five minutes make all the difference.

If this post reminds just one person to prepare... if it helps just one family... if it saves even one life...

Then I've done my bit.

🖤 Neolien
Shabby Shack Decor

25/07/2026

Shabby Shack Decor

Some people meal prep.

I craft prep.

I buy supplies for projects I haven’t thought of yet…

…then forget where I put them and buy them again.

Happy Saturday from the Shabby Shack. 🖤

23/07/2026

Shabby Shack Decor

Technique Thursday 🖤

Today isn't glamorous.

There are no dramatic before-and-after photos.

No perfectly styled workshop.

No grand reveal.

Just the jobs that quietly make everything else possible.

While I wait for my workshop paint to arrive (I changed my mind... because sometimes your gut knows before your head does), Trusty Abel is busy painting the fascia boards, columns and open trusses.

After that comes replacing old window putty.

Then sanding.

Then painting the wooden window frames.

The sort of jobs nobody gets excited about.

But here's the funny thing...

Beautiful homes aren't built by beautiful moments alone.

They're built by hundreds of ordinary ones.

One brushstroke.

One repaired window.

One painted column.

One patient decision at a time.

I've realised that's true for life as well.

Sometimes progress doesn't look exciting.

Sometimes it looks like standing on a ladder, painting another fascia board while dreaming about the colour that's still on its way.

And that's okay.

Because every little job is bringing this old house one step closer to becoming exactly what I imagined.

One patient brushstroke at a time.

🖤

P.S. The outside colour is called Elephant Hide (who comes up with these names? 😂), and the workshop colour arriving next week is Olive. Sometimes choosing the right colour takes longer than painting the room.



p.s. Tell me... what's the most boring job you've ever done that made the biggest difference in the end?

22/07/2026

Shabby Shack Decor

Workshop Wednesday | The Beautiful Middle

People usually show you the “before.”

Or they show you the “after.”

But the magic lives in the middle.

The shelves are still in the wrong place.

There are boxes everywhere.

Projects are balancing on projects.

And my trusty Abel is patiently rolling the walls one more time before the final colour goes on.

It’s noisy.

It’s dusty.

It’s chaotic.

But every brushstroke is making room for what Shabby Shack is becoming.

Sometimes growth doesn’t look beautiful while it’s happening.

Sometimes it looks exactly like this.

And that’s okay.

🖤

P.S. Abel deserves a medal for putting up with my “just one more coat” moments.

22/07/2026

Shabby Shack Decor

🌿 Friday Inspiration

Some people collect things.

I collect stories.

A weathered windpump.
A piece of moss clinging to an old tree.
A bee that paused just long enough.
A wall of crosses gathered over a lifetime.
An old cupboard waiting for another chance.

Because beauty isn’t always new.

Sometimes it’s chipped.

Sometimes it’s rusty.

Sometimes it’s quietly waiting for someone to notice it again.

That’s what Shabby Shack has always been about.

Not creating a perfect home…

Creating one that tells your story.

🖤

21/07/2026

Shabby Shack Decor

Purpose

Some days the washing machine won't drain.

Some days the bills will feel louder than the birds outside.

Some days the to-do list will be longer than the daylight.

Some days life will ask more of you than you think you have to give.

Create anyway.

Paint anyway.

Plant the seed.

Write the note.

Light the candle.

Teach the lesson.

Share the recipe.

Because purpose doesn't wait for perfect circumstances.

It quietly begins with the next brushstroke.

Blessings,

Neolien 🖤

20/07/2026

Monday Mood

A home isn't remembered because everything stayed clean.

It's remembered because someone was allowed to explore.

To splash through the sprinkler.

To smell the cinnamon.

To paint the rocks.

To leave tiny yellow handprints that only lasted ten minutes...
..and memories that will last forever.

This week, may your home be filled with curiosity, laughter, and just enough paint on your hands to remind you that you created something.

Happy Monday.

🖤

Shabby Shack Decor

17/07/2026

The following paint is available whilst stock lasts. Contact me via WhatsApp 082 551 5884 to secure your order.

Vintage Paint Petite Pots (125ml)
3 PP015 Antoinette's Kiss (dark red) R60,00
4 PP017 Bastille (stone beige) R60,00
2 PP011 Bonaparte (electric blue) R60,00
1 PPBOT Botanique (sage green) R60,00
5 PP003 Chantilly Lace (off white) R60,00
6 PPCN Chocolat Noir (vintage black) R60,00
4 PP025 Cobblestone (greige) R60,00
3 PP007 Duel at Dawn (light grey) R60,00
7 PP008 Guillotine (dark grey) R60,00
2 PPLP La Perle (blush pink) R60,00
4 PP019 Le Grande Maison (green grey) R60,00
2 PP004 Let them eat Cake (mustard yellow) R60,00
3 PP010 Madame Pompadour (duck egg blue) R60,00
5 PP012 Midnight in Paris (dark blue) R60,00
3 PPMM Minty Macaron R60,00
1 PP021 Nautical but Nice (turquoise blue) R60,00
4 PP009 Not Tonight Josephine (french blue) R60,00
5 PPPAR Parchment (aged white) R60,00
1 PP013 Parisienne Walkway (olive stone) R60,00
1 PP016 Rococo (dark brown) R60,00
3 PPSC Saint-Cloud (Mid Grey) R60,00
1 PP041 Satin Slipper (pastel blue/green) R60,00
1 PP005 Toulouse or not Toulouse (pink) R60,00
1 PP042 Vintage Fleur (rose pink) R60,00
3 PPVE Verdigris (Teal) R60,00
Vintage Paint - 1L Pails
1 PL017 Bastille (stone beige) R215,20
PL011 Bonaparte (electric blue) R215,20
2 PLBOT Botanique R215,20
1 PLCN Chocolat Noir R215,20
1 PL025 Cobblestone (cream grey) R215,20
2 PL007 Duel at Dawn (light grey) R215,20
2 PL020 French Truffle (taupe grey) R215,20
1 PL008 Guillotine (dark grey) R215,20
1 PLLP La Perle (pink) R215,20
2 PL019 Le Grande Maison (green grey) R215,20
1 PL010 Madame Pompadour (duck egg blue) R215,20
1 PL012 Midnight in Paris (dark blue) R215,20
2 PLMM Minty Macaron (mint) R215,20
2 PL024 Mood of Neptune (beach house blue) R215,20
1 PL021 Nautical but nice (tropical blue) R215,20
1 PL009 Not Tonight Josephine (pale blue) R215,20
1 PL040 Pistachio (Bright Green) R215,20
1 PL0035 Princesse Rose R215,20
1 PL0034 Rustique (rusty red) R215,20
3 PLSC Saint-Cloud (Mid Grey) R215,20
1 PL041 Satin Slipper (pastel blue/green) R215,20
1 PL005 Toulouse or not Toulouse (pink) R215,20
3 PL042 Vintage Fleur (rose pink) R215,20
SEALERS - Interior/Exterior/Glitter
1 SSMC Sparkly Sealer (dark blue glitter) - Merlin's Cloak 250ml R88,00
Le Glaze
1 LGA500 Le Glaze Antique 500ml R228,00
1 LGAC500 Le Glaze Aged Chateau 500ml R228,00
2 LGA250 Le Glaze Antique 250ml R156,00
1 LGAC250 Le Glaze Aged Chateau 250ml R156,00
2 SCUM1L Scumble Glaze 1L R176,00
3 CRAC250 Cracquer - Crackle Glaze 250ml R156,00
Cabinet Paints - 1 litres
1 CP1L006 Kim Caramelle (rich greige) R292,00
Primer - 1 litre
1 MPP001 Primer White (pure white) R220,00