Had so much fun yesterday at The South East House and Home show. Demo went great and was amazed at the size of the crowd, thank you all for coming to see me. Thanks so much to Claire and Róisín for inviting me to demo at the show and looking after me too. And if you are wondering why the lovely Roz Purcell 😍 is making faces, its because during my demo she arrived and went to say hi to her mother in the audience. Her mother told her to mind out of the way she was busy watching me 😂😂😂
January’s Life+ article available now.
January Blues but not in the way you think 😉 Colourtrend Paints
The new issue of Life+ Magazine has just gone live and here is the link to my second article. So grab a coffee/tea and have a sit down to relax, read and enjoy. xx #lpliving
Woohoo the first edition of Life+ is now available. I have to say it’s pretty surreal seeing my name credited to an article lol. My very first article too so be kind 😂😂😂. I hope you enjoy my ramblings and there are so many more fantastic stories to get stuck into too. So cosy up with a cuppa and get reading xxx #lpliving
I’ve just had one of my pieces featured in the U.K.s #1 upcycling magazine Reloved. I’m actually giddy with excitement 😁. It’s a fantastic feeling to have your work recognized by your peers. Unfortunately there are no copies left in Waterford as I bought them all 😂
So I put down the paintbrush today to start honing my carpentry skills . Amazing what you can do with old pallets and a jigsaw. Also amazing are the amount of blisters I seem to have gained. So I made a little drinks caddy and of course the dreaded spice rack. Not too shabby (chic) . Terrible pun I know . I’m trialling with these projects to get myself ready for the big one. You will need to watch this space to find out what it is though.
You can now purchase The Revamp Tramp gift vouchers. Yes these lovely vouchers are now available and will make the perfect present for that someone special. They can be used for Workshops, Items for sale in my shop or just for that piece of furniture you know someone has wanted revamped for a while. So if you are looking for a present just that little bit different then these vouchers are just the thing.
One of the hardest parts of up-cycling furniture can be deciding what to actually do with your piece. So many colors, decoupage designs and techniques – the list is endless. In fact sometimes it’s easier to just forget about it altogether rather than choose a design.
How do we get around this and make it a little easier for ourselves?
I came up with an idea to allow you to at least narrow down the possibilities. It is simply called the 3 R’s. Reuse, Repurpose and Revamp. Once you are able to put your piece under one of these headings it will help reduce the design options for you.
So to explain I will start with Reuse:
Reuse is when you have a piece of furniture that you would like to paint and still use in the same place and in the same way. It is the most classic and simple style of upcycling.
Some examples of Reuse: You have a solid wood coffee table in your sitting room. It is old but in perfect condition. It just doesn’t go with anything in the room anymore but it is too old/sentimental to throw out. You have it painted cream and now it’s like brand new.
The kitchen table and chairs are solid oak and were very expensive when bought 15 years ago, but you have just got a new kitchen built in. You have them painted cream with the chair seats covered in new material and now the whole kitchen is new.
Next up is Repurpose which to me is an important one as sometimes it can’t be helped if furniture has to be thrown out but if it can be salvaged and used for something else then fantastic.
Some examples of Repurpose: The kitchen table and 4 chairs are on the last legs (pardon the pun). The table is broken and 2 of the chairs are no longer useable. The only place they can go is the dump. But you have 2 good wooden chairs that are still perfect so you paint them different colours/designs and now one sits in the corner of your bathroom as a feature with the towels folded on it. The other one now sits in the corner of your landing with a house plant on it.
The old pine bookcase is no longer needed in the sitting room but is still in perfect condition. You have it revamped and put it in your bedroom where now you display your high heels on it.
Lastly my personal favourite Revamp: The piece of furniture you revamp is going to be like the art on a wall. It will be a focal point in the room. It will be designed with your personality in mind and will be a complete one off and nothing is of limits. It is designed not to match the room but to stand out in the room. Revamp may seem like opening up an endless list of possibilities again but it is easier than you think because you are not restricting yourself to matching anything else.
So guys I hope this helps with your design decision making the next time you are having furniture revamped.
Marianne
