Shabby Shack Decor

Shabby Shack Decor Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Shabby Shack Decor, Vintage Store, 41 Fifth Street, Bronkhorstspruit.

Simplifying, creating, evolving ... • Vintage-inspired décor • decoupage art • creative workshops • Rustic decor •Boho textures • Handmade living • Chalk paint • Everything you need to create beauty from old things, in quiet corners & creative chaos.

This one is for the women. 🖤I've been thinking about what I wanted to say for Women's Day.Not something about strong wom...
09/08/2026

This one is for the women. 🖤

I've been thinking about what I wanted to say for Women's Day.

Not something about strong women always keeping their crowns straight.

Because, good grief, some days we don't even know where the bloody crown is.

We are mothers. Grandmothers. Daughters. Sisters. Friends. Wives. Partners. Colleagues. Business owners. Dreamers. Planners. Problem solvers.

We make dinner while worrying about tomorrow.

We answer messages while sometimes wishing someone would simply ask if we are okay.

We hold families, homes, businesses, friendships — and occasionally the entire damn world — together with string, love and a little bit of hope.

And then we get up the next morning and try again.

But here's something I think we forget far too easily:

You don't have to be strong every day.

You don't have to have everything figured out.

You don't have to be productive all the time.

You don't have to be everything to everyone.

And you certainly don't need permission to dream a new dream just because the last one didn't work out the way you hoped.

You are allowed to be tired.

You are allowed to change your mind.

You are allowed to start again.

You are allowed to do something simply because it makes you happy.

And whether you're 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 — you are absolutely allowed to pick up the crayons and colour your life in all over again.

You should be incredibly proud of the woman you've become.

Not because she did everything perfectly.

But because she's still here.

Still loving.
Still laughing.
Still making plans.
Still hoping.
Still dreaming.

And somehow, amongst all the chaos, she is still trying to make something beautiful.

So today, this is simply for you.

I've made something you can print at home on ordinary paper.

Cut it up and glue it onto something old.
Use the whole picture.
Put it in a frame.
Make that forgotten little box beautiful.
Or simply save it for a day when you need to read the words again.

There is nothing you need to do in return.

I just wanted you to know:

I see you.

I see how hard you try.

I see how much you carry.

I see the things you quietly do that nobody applauds.

I see the times you've fallen and got back up.

I see every time you've had to start again.

And I see the woman you are still becoming.

You matter.

And just in case nobody has told you lately:

You are one hell of an amazing human being. 🖤

Happy Women's Day.

Hierdie een is vir die vroue. 🖤

Ek het lank ged**k oor wat ek vir Vrouedag wil sê.

Nie iets oor sterk vroue wat altyd hulle kroon moet regop hou nie.

Want liewe hemel, party dae weet ons nie eers waar die kroon is nie.

Ons is ma's. Oumas. Dogters. Susters. Vriendinne. Vrouens. Kollegas. Besigheidseienaars. Dromers. Planmakers. Probleemoplossers.

Ons maak kos terwyl ons oor môre bekommer.

Ons antwoord boodskappe terwyl ons eintlik self iemand nodig het om te vra of óns okay is.

Ons hou families, huise, besighede, vriendskappe en soms die hele verdomde wêreld met tou, liefde en 'n bietjie hoop aanmekaar.

En dan staan ons die volgende oggend op en probeer weer.

Maar hier is iets wat ek d**k ons te maklik vergeet:

Jy hoef nie elke dag sterk te wees nie.

Jy hoef nie alles uitgesorteer te hê nie.

Jy hoef nie altyd produktief te wees nie.

Jy hoef nie vir almal alles te wees nie.

En jy hoef beslis nie toestemming te vra om 'n nuwe droom te droom omdat die vorige een nie uitgewerk het soos jy gehoop het nie.

Jy mag moeg wees.

Jy mag van plan verander.

Jy mag weer begin.

Jy mag iets doen bloot omdat dit jou gelukkig maak.

En of jy nou 30, 40, 50, 60 of 70 is — jy mag die kryte weer optel en jou lewe van voor af inkleur.

Jy mag ongelooflik trots wees op die vrou wat jy geword het.

Nie omdat sy alles perfek gedoen het nie.

Maar omdat sy nog hier is.

Nog liefhet.
Nog lag.
Nog planne maak.
Nog hoop.
Nog droom.

En op een of ander manier, tussen al die chaos deur, probeer sy steeds iets mooi maak.

So vandag is hierdie net vir jou.

Ek het iets gemaak wat jy sommer by die huis op gewone papier kan druk.

Knip dit uit en plak dit op iets ouds.
Gebruik die hele prent.
Sit dit in 'n raam.
Maak daardie ou kassie mooi.
Of bêre dit eenvoudig vir 'n dag wanneer jy weer die woorde moet lees.

Daar is niks wat jy in ruil daarvoor hoef te doen nie.

Ek wou net hê jy moet weet:

Ek sien jou.

Ek sien hoe hard jy probeer.

Ek sien hoeveel jy dra.

Ek sien die dinge wat jy stilweg doen waarvoor niemand hande klap nie.

Ek sien die kere wat jy geval het en weer opgestaan het.

Ek sien elke keer wat jy van voor af moes begin.

En ek sien die vrou wat jy steeds besig is om te word.

Jy maak saak.

En net ingeval niemand dit onlangs vir jou gesê het nie:

Jy is 'n ongelooflike mens. 🖤

Gelukkige Vrouedag.

Today's Memory... 🖤Facebook has this funny habit of reminding us where we've been.Sometimes it brings back memories we'd...
30/07/2026

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."



Last night reminded me what a home really is.Last night did not go as advertised.Riekus had just got home. We were sitti...
28/07/2026

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

Some people meal prep.I craft prep.I buy supplies for projects I haven’t thought of yet……then forget where I put them an...
25/07/2026

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. 🖤

Technique Thursday 🖤Today isn't glamorous.There are no dramatic before-and-after photos.No perfectly styled workshop.No ...
23/07/2026

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?

Workshop Wednesday | The Beautiful MiddlePeople usually show you the “before.”Or they show you the “after.”But the magic...
22/07/2026

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.

Monday MoodA home isn't remembered because everything stayed clean.It's remembered because someone was allowed to explor...
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

HAPPYIs it something you can see?Taste?Smell?Feel?Buy?Create?Or is it simply… a feeling?A couple of weeks ago my then th...
16/07/2026

HAPPY

Is it something you can see?

Taste?

Smell?

Feel?

Buy?

Create?

Or is it simply… a feeling?

A couple of weeks ago my then three-year-old granddaughter, Alice Grace (Gracie), asked me,

“Ouma, can we play touch and feel?”

I asked her to explain.

Without missing a beat, she ran straight into the garden sprinkler and squealed with delight as the icy winter water splashed across her face.

“It’s cold… and wet!” she laughed.

Apparently three-year-olds don’t feel winter.

For the next hour we wandered around the garden touching everything we could find.

Grass.

Stones.

Tree bark.

Leaves.

Flowers.

Even a couple of questionable things that probably shouldn’t have been touched.

Then I suggested we add another sense to our game.

We went inside and opened the spice cupboard.

Soon our adventure had smells too.

By lunchtime—or as Gracie calls it, snack time, the most important meal of the day—we had experienced almost every sense we could think of.

After lunch she decided we needed to paint.

And when Gracie decides something…

Well… everyone paints.

She carefully chose the brightest yellow, pink and purple paints she could find and began painting her rocks with great purpose.

Then, without warning, she put down her paintbrush.

She looked at the bright yellow paint…

And plunged both hands straight into the tin.

I froze.

Not because of the mess.

Because I suddenly realised she wasn’t trying to paint.

She was trying to discover.

This was simply another part of our game.

She wanted to know…

What does paint feel like?

So instead of telling her to stop, I asked,

“Gracie… what does it feel like?”

She looked at her hands.

Smiled the biggest smile.

And answered…

“Happy.”

For the next ten minutes we left little yellow handprints all over the garden until the paint dried too quickly to leave any more.

The handprints disappeared.

But the lesson never did.

It was such a magical day.

Not because anything extraordinary happened.

We didn’t go anywhere.

We didn’t buy anything.

There were no plans.

No expensive toys.

Just a little girl.

An Ouma.

A garden.

A few tins of paint.

And a lesson I didn’t know I needed.

Maybe we’ve complicated happiness.

Maybe happiness isn’t something you buy.

Or achieve.

Or wait for.

Maybe happiness is a child teaching you to stop long enough to feel the world again.

Maybe happiness is laughing in a winter sprinkler.

Smelling cinnamon from the spice cupboard.

Holding rough tree bark.

Painting rocks with great purpose.

And maybe…

Happy is paint left on your hands at the end of the day.

🖤

There are recipes……and then there are recipe cards.The ones with butter stains.Coffee rings.Folded corners.Handwriting t...
13/07/2026

There are recipes…

…and then there are recipe cards.

The ones with butter stains.

Coffee rings.

Folded corners.

Handwriting that’s faded just enough to remind you how many times it has been made.

Today, while waiting for paint to dry, my kitchen filled with lemons, Tennis biscuits, laughter… and a recipe that’s older than some of the furniture I paint.

Four lemon meringues later…

…four families get a little piece of home tonight.

Maybe that’s what Shabby Shack has always been about.

Not just painted cupboards.

Not just pretty things.

Creating spaces where memories are made.

One brushstroke.

One recipe.

One shared slice at a time.

Happy Monday, everyone. 🖤🍋

MONDAY MOMENTSThere may be some questionable traces on the floor…No one talks about this part.The fingerprints.The footp...
13/07/2026

MONDAY MOMENTS

There may be some questionable traces on the floor…

No one talks about this part.

The fingerprints.
The footprints.
The paint on your elbows.
The brush you forgot to wash.
The cup of coffee that’s now wearing more paint than you are.

Behind every “beautiful finished piece” is a trail of glorious chaos.

This floor will be cleaned.
The paint will come off my hands (eventually).

But the cupboard?
That will still be beautiful years from now.

Mess is just proof that something wonderful is being created.

🖤 Welcome to life at Shabby Shack.

Address

41 Fifth Street
Bronkhorstspruit
1510

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