All posts tagged: home inspiration

How to DIY Découpage – a vintage occasional table

Decoupage is the art of decorating with paper. You can decoupage just about anything, but in this tutorial we are going to start simple with a nice flat surface. An occasional table (the fancy version of a side table). It really is so simple, and can transform the most plain piece of furniture into a real statement piece with both style and function for your home. I have a number of these small plywood tables that I spotted in my local charity shop. No longer wanted and to be honest….a little sad looking. So I bought them all and will decorated each one differently. What you will need A small table – new or old will work fine. House paint or Chalk paint (you choose the colour). Paint brushes (small to medium). Paint roller (small). Vintage wallpaper for your decoupage print (you can also use photos, magazines, scrapbook paper). Ice-cream container (for paint and glue). Measuring tape, ruler and pencil. Scissors. Clear Varnish. Lets Get Started First you need to prep your table for painting. A …

Farmhouse Chair

My house is a Villa built in 1911 and has a lot of its original features. Most of our furniture suits the era and style and I’m always on the lookout for vintage pieces to restore and upcycle. So I found our dining chairs on a second hand website and had to have them. I loved the shape of the back and they were in solid condition. Once I got them home I felt they just needed a little something to give them some character and farmhouse style. So with a simple sand of the legs and 2 coats of low sheen white enamel they were complete. It was a small and easy job but really makes a worthwhile difference to the look.    

Step-by-Step Upcycled Wall Hanging

It’s spring here in New Zealand and I’ve been inspired by my surroundings lately. Painting trees, making terrariums and all that jazz. So I have been thinking of a crafty idea using nature and came up with this elegant upcycled wall hanging. I always collect things for crafting, so had a pile of toilet paper rolls which I painted red and metallic copper then set to dry. Whilst that was drying I grabbed some tree branches from the hot water cupboard (they were drying overnight in preparation for painting). Then painted them with white acrylic paint. Then it was time to flatten and cut the toilet rolls into 1.5cm strips with the purpose to turn them into lovely little heart shapes. I did this with a small application of PVA craft glue in the seam and a peg to hold it firm whilst they dried. Once dry, I threaded a mixture of wooden natural coloured beads and the hearts (using a drawing pin to make the holes) with copper wire. If you didn’t have any copper wire …