I love a story about people following their passions and dreams. Life is short and there is no time to sit around wishing you were somewhere else in your life. Having taken the leap a few time in my life, I can tell you it is a blend of wonderful and terrifying, and I would never go back. We are currently working on my hubby taking the leap to join me, and are grappling with the security vs dream battle at the moment.
Cheep N Chic is a home based hobby, come business run by Annemarie and Mat, a married couple with 3 gorgeous kids who did take the leap! They began their journey long ago, decorating, upcycling and creating items that were unique for their own home on a shoestring budget, in a way that suited their own style.
Picking up items from the side of the road, painting hand-me-down furniture and with Mat creating the art work for their walls, the couple say their style slowly began to take form. The children grew bigger and their house became an ever evolving home. “When our youngest was born, I had to start being creative with spaces and smart with money so began recycling and re-purposing old furniture, freebies and hand me downs. I wanted to create the look of an upmarket household on a tight budget, keeping things simple yet modern, with our own eclectic style” says Annemarie.
Annemarie says she loves pieces that have a story behind them, with loads of age and character. She began scouring op shops, the dump and hard rubbish piles. She created her first page on Facebook while having time off work. This was purely ideas, shared posts and things she had re-purposed for her own home. “It wasn’t until a friend asked if I could create some canvases for her daughters that a switch went on” she says.
It started small with name canvases created using scrapbook paper and mod podge. “I did so many of these and they sold very well. I was then asked for bigger and better pieces for people’s homes, from canvasses to ornamental pieces and signs for births, deaths, weddings and everything in between”.
Annemarie began using pallets and painting signs on them, and then started looking at ideas for furniture. They decorated their children’s beds, made toy boxes, Xmas decorations and little decor items. When their youngest was born, she stopped for about 6 months, taking the time to focus on work and family. BUT… craft kept calling..” I had a few friends who asked me to create signs for their businesses and weddings, so I did. I had others ask about painting furniture… I found I could, so again, I did.”
It was at this point that Annemarie found herself wanting more and so they re-launched the Facebook page under a new name -“Cheep N Chic” and the business was born! It began with small upcycle projects, shabby chic frames, blackboards, mirrors and custom signage (still their biggest and best sellers to date).
Moving into furniture, Annemarie says she began to take on clients and re-purpose their old furniture to make it new again. She works with the client, to develop the style and colour combination they want and bring their ideas to life without breaking the bank. It has slowly been building and doing well until recently taking a major step – they took the plunge and decided not to live in the rat race. The couple have poured their hearts and souls, any spare money and any spare time they could gather into building their dream of a life together as a family, building their home and their future.
“After a lot of hard work and long hours, building connections and never giving up,we finally realised Cheep N Chic was going places!” Annemarie says. “We upcycle, create art, source furniture, and will literally reuse and re-purpose everything we can!” Their children are their greatest inspiration. “Giving them a lifestyle that is not of the “norm”, keeps us driven. We have never had to use day care, do not rely on baby sitters. As a couple we love that we can spend every day at home together.”
While the couple may “work” 7 days a week, they say they never have to work and in future they plan to expand their range and creative reach to include such things as steel work and airbrushing, all the time riding the wave and enjoying the ride.
You can find them on Facebook.
Do you have a dream you are following and have you taken a leap of faith?
Helen
xx