how to get the shabby chic distressed look easily

step one: Acquire furniture (e.g., craigslist, hand-me-downs, goodwill). Make sure you like the shape of the furniture.

step two: Have five children. Make sure you like the children. Wait a day or two.

step three: Admire your furniture with it's chic "distressed" look.

And for your learning pleasure: (since I had to look up how to use e.g. vs. i.e. - another marvelous by-product of step two. But as they say, always keep learning, and re-learning.)

The Difference Between e.g. and i.e.?

by Daniel Scocco

The Latin abbreviations e.g. and i.e. are used extensively in English. Not everyone, however, is aware of the difference in their usage. Some people use them interchangeably. Others even invert their meaning. If you are not completely sure when to use each of those abbreviations, keep reading!

e.g.

e.g. stands for the Latin phrase “exempli gratia,” which means “for the sake of example.” You should use it when presenting examples or more possibilities for the term in question. An easy way to remember this is to associate e.g. with “example given.”

I like citrus fruits (e.g., oranges and lemons)

i.e.

i.e. Stands for the Latin phrase “id est,” which means “that is.” You should use it when explaining or rephrasing a sentence. Usually it has the same meaning as “in other words.”

I like all fruits (i.e., I eat pretty much anything)

Some considerations

• You can use the e.g. and i.e. abbreviations both inside and outside the parenthesis. If you are writing in a formal style, however, they must go inside the parenthesis
• They appear in lower case letters even if at the beginning of the sentence
• Always separate the letters with a period, and follow the abbreviation with a comma