Monday 8 October 2012

More bits for the fair....


1 x Letter rack
1 x Old Italian tray
1 x Dressing table mirror

All decoupaged.. 
I love this craft as it is so quick and relatively easy so really anybody can do it.



The tray has yet to be aged and varnished. 




Sunday 30 September 2012

...and another one....

This is yet another makeover, this time I have decoupaged a table/stool/planter....not sure what the hell it is actually but I like it...I'm not a very flowery person but am having to admit to quite liking this...here's the before.


Nice as it was really but hey that defeats the object of buying these items lol.

I painted it with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old white...I applied the paper napkin design to the surface and sealed.....then I gave it 2 coats of matt varnish before I painted a few highlights and shadows...hopefully quite subtly and again another 2 coast of varnish

Here are a few photos before I added the shadows etc...




....and here are the results of them being added...



I really enjoyed doing this so there will be more to come lol...

Monday 24 September 2012

Latest makeovers on Ebay

My latest makeovers include a plain rectangle side table and a set of what was 3 but is now 2 drawers. Both are wood.

Here is the before photo of the side table


and here are the after ones ...
It has been painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint, then I applied a French graphic onto it with acrylic paint and finished it off with a couple of layers wax.




Gently sanded back to achieve a worn aged look.


This is the chest of 2 that should have been 3 drawers but the bottom drawer was missing, so hubby added a shelf and I used 3 baskets I had.


and the afters......

Painted, waxed, shelf and baskets added...new knobs which I decoupaged with vintage clock faces. The drawers were lined with French script papr.











Thursday 20 September 2012

Maybe for the fair or Ebay?

This is a small round, dropleaf wooden table, bought from a charity warehouse, I painted it in the fabulous Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris grey....decoupaged with a clockface image I found on the internet....enlarged it...printed it....glued it....waxed it.....loved it!!!!

This is pre makeover....


and this is the result...tadaa!


I really like it and will be selling it,  though I know not where, lol.. do you like it too :)

I am off from work next week so will be busy making making making for my first craft fair...will put any new items up for you to have a gander at of course your respected opinions.
Bye for now xx

Sunday 26 August 2012

Ist craft fair

I will be experiencing selling at my first craft fair in November, to say I am nervous is an understatement.
I am busy trying to build up stock as I hold very little, as most of my work is personalised, so therefore commissioned.
I have a couple of items to show which are to my liking but know will not be to everyones taste...I really can't make items I don't love myself ..not a good business ruling lol

The first tray was painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint which I bought in a couple of shades as many people were raving about it, but infact I found using fairly standard emulsions achieved the same results, I think its the waxing that makes or breaks the project.
Having AS in the selling shpeel can't hinder either.
After painting I cut out 5 pairs of very detailed Vintage scissor grahics and tweeked a bit with some acrylic paints....all finished with a coating of wax et Voila!





The next tray was handpainted with a French sign to do with breakfast and chocolate, that was good enough for me lol. 
Again AS chalk paint...sign with acrylic paints then waxed 




 These will be going with me to the craft fair in November along with, I hope, many more items I have finished.
.

Friday 22 June 2012

A Cover up job.....aka DECOUPAGE


I had a go at decoupage a while ago with some old Bisto containers and they were quite successful and I'm still using them now.......






Soooooo I decided to have another go with some tissues and serviettes I had left over of the same design.
My OH is always buying me little bits and pieces he thinks I may like to paint which is how I came to have the wooden words LOVE and HOME.  
I decided to use the serviettes and tissues left over from my previous decoupage project and boy wasn't it messy, just the serviettes sticking to my fingers was bad enough let alone the layer I had applied earlier coming off as I tried to apply another piece next to it ....arrggghhhhh I really don't think I have mastered this craft yet lol.


With the tissues/serviettes used, it does leave the surface alittle creased/crumpled but I must admit to liking this effect lol



I still have quite a few blank MDF coasters I have yet to paint/cover...the last set I did was covered in a script paper which I thought turned out really well...I still love and use them.....


Now this next set have been covered in a FREE SAMPLE of oilcloth I sent for which has been used on 6 of them which again I love how they have turned out .


I love them and think they are ideally used for the kitchen table...
Its amazing what you can use free samples of fabric and wallpaper for....
I have covered small footstools with free fabric samples and framed free wallpaper samples.

This next project used a free wallpaper sample to line the back of the tiny keycupboard.





This was painted..lined with mint green paper...topped with a rose motif and stained and sanded back... 
...et voila!! 


Thursday 12 April 2012

Polymer Clay & MDF Letters

Hi, its been far too long but I have been happily busy with block commisions, which I never tire of as each set is so different.
At the moment I am in the middle of a Christening set for a girl named SIENNA ...how pretty

I think I said before how I love words, letters, Initials, script etc and decided to try to decorate some MDF letters with polymer clay....I had never used this medium before but really wanted to ''give it a go''
I bought some plain white clay and also 3 MDF letters ....H...J....L. which were 14coms high.

I played around with the clay making roses and other flowers and also a clown ...it was all trial and error as I really didn't think the process through, as the clay has to be baked at a low temperature and I thought, mistakenly that I could bake the MDF with it..... as my plan was to have a clown holding the letter..but OHHHH NOOOO not a good idea as MDF will emit nasty unsafe fumes.
Had to put my thinking hat on and realised I would have to bake the clown in 3 pieces
ARRRGGGHHHHH
Didn't turn out too bad but the clowns fingers broke off so I think I will attach some fabric as a kerchief .
The Clown is the only piece that has been stuck on, gluing threw up a whole load of new problems lol...
the flowers have just been placed on to see what they look like...hmmm maybe abit too floral.
Oh btw the J hasn't been painted yet and I have decided if I make the letter with a figure attached I will have to used real wood letters which could be baked




This was a definite roller coaster of a make.



Saturday 21 January 2012

White on white words

I so love words and script on anything, whether it be fabric, paintings or wallpaper I just love it.

I have been experimenting with some bought letters and canvases, which I have had for a while now, and not known what to do with, the canvases not the letters.

Well my daughter saw online some white on white letters on canvas which she loved but wasn't going to pay the reduced price of £125.00!!!!!but thought she would ask me everso sweetly if I could make her some so I did but was so happy with them I kept them lol...was that so wrong?



Then hubby bought me a couple of standing words which I have yet to paint, decoupage or leave as they are....think I may paint LOVE and leave home haha!





Now a friend of mines husband does scripted canvases but his are of a far superior quality and designs...he did his first 15 years ago you can see and buy his stunning work here at his Folksy shop *SCRIPTED-CRAFT* and soon from his new website which is under development....I think you'll agree his work is just beautiful.
He can make up your own designs too...amazing prices for the time he spends creating these works of art.