How To Decoupage A London Themed Chair

A recent Vine post of mine showing how I decorated a chair has been getting a lot of love (and 150,000 views) so here's a more detailed description of how I did it. Decoupage is essentially one of the easiest craft techniques there is. A wee bit time consuming, but the results are always epic, especially when you go for large-scale projects like furniture.

You will need:

A piece or furniture (I used a red chair that I bought in a charity shop for £4)

Wrapping paper of your choice with motifs of (this one is City Pop-Outs London, designed by Matt Ponting from Doodling Around (around 4 sheets)
Can of spray mount and newspaper
Pot of Modge Podge (available from craft shops) or clear varnish
Brush, scissors, plastic gloves

Get going!

Cut out the motifs, in this case London buildings and landmarks. For the best result don't leave space around them, cut out each piece, up to the edges of each line. This is this time consuming part, I did the cutting out while watching several movies. 

Once done, marvel at the pretty pieces.

Lay out the newspaper and place the cut out pieces facing downwards. Spray the back with spray mount (glue in a can) then smooth each on to the piece of furniture.

The trick to decoupage is not being too perfectionist, don't make too many plans, just stick each piece down at different angles, as haphazardly as you like. 

Be prepared for lots of overlapping, your fave motifs may get covered up but fear not, you can always stick another one on top. It's important to ensure every end is glued down. 

Once you're happy with the design (you can go for full coverage but I left some gaps of red, as I liked the colour of the chair) either paint over the whole chair with clear varnish or a couple of layers of Modge Podge, depending on what you can get hold of. 

And Viola! 

The finished chair was displayed on Doodling Around's stand at PULSE a gift trade fair last month. It also got lots of attention, but alas it wasn't for sale. 

It's the ultimate London chair!

I did however help out on the stand, giving away some free sheets and encouraged people to have a go at DIYing it themselves.

I love decoupaged furniture. It's a way to quickly transform things, either with just a few pieces, for some detail, or try going to town with full coverage. You can buy special 'decoupage paper' but from experience any paper goes - wrapping paper, comic books, magazines all work perfectly, just avoid anything too thick.

Happy cutting & sticking!

Tutorial: Snow Scene candle holders

I’m not the kind of person that goes on about the weather, but it’s so strange to think that this time last year the UK was covered under a thick blanket of snow to the point that schools were shut, flights were cancelled and people were pretty much staying in doors; while this year it’s still fairly sunny and at times a little warm.

My local supermarket carpark...or is it?

I love the light created by snow; how all of a sudden your ordinary drab grey street is suddenly a huge reflective mass. It creates the most incredible scenery.

Heidi should be around here somewhere...

One of my sisters lives in Switzerland where in winter the landscape lives up to the stereotypes typical on winter themed Christmas cards; snowcapped mountains, people skating on frozen lakes and wooden chalets covered in twinkling fairy lights.

Thinking about this made me remember the bottle of Glamour Dust I bought a few months back to help with my glitter book. It’s an ultrafine grade of glitter with an extreme iridescent quality (I bought it in Hobbycraft). It’s mainly used for cardmaking but can also be ironed on to fabric, making it one of the most versatile glitters I’ve come across.

Pondering this idea of snow and light I decided to make some snowy nightlight holders – though any glass containers will do. I had two plain votive holders at home but washed and cleaned jam jars work just as well, and rather than nightlights, can hold larger candles inside.

Have a go yourself!

You’ll need:

Glass jar

PVA glue

Glamour Dust (in 'crystal')

Fine Tip Applicator (or other container with a fine nozzle that helps you apply glue in very fine lines)

Fill the applicator with PVA glue and freehand draw designs on your glass container. If you’re not happy doing this then draw your designs on paper first, place them inside the glass and then apply the glue on top, the paper will act as a template, guiding you.

As the lines are so fine, they will dry quickly so hold the jar above some paper and sprinkle Glamour Dust all over, ensuring all the glue is covered.  Leave it to dry and pour the Dust back inside the bottle by folding your paper in half to create a channel in the centre, allowing the Dust to fall in. 

 When dry, rub a soft cloth or tissue over your glass jar to remove excess Dust and then place your candles or nightlights inside, and watch the warming glow, while daydreaming about far away snowy lands…until it finally lands on these shores!

 (Apologies the images aren't very good, it's hard to shoot white glitter on glass in poor light after midnight...but I can assure you they look impressive in real life AND create patterned shadows!)