This one had me a bit stumped, it appeared to be a sort of laminate wood, but did not behave like one. With the first coat of undercoat there was a lot of bleed through - something that would never happen with a laminate. This would be an issue normally found with mahogany, teak and knotty pine - any dark stained or raw wood with a naturally dark finish. It is the oils in the wood that seeps through the finish causing a yellowing effect. Never fear, with furniture painting you can often run into surprises - experience makes you better equipped to spot a bleeder from a line-up, not this time! I had difficulty getting the undercoat to stick properly and so needed to spend a lot of time prepping this one. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Once the bleed through had been sorted, it was time to do a base coat in white. I had been looking at the B&Q range of paints and wanted to give them a try so chose Antique White & a gorgeous soft teal in an eggshell finish for the geometric colour pops. I found this paint surprisingly easy to use, gave a lovely smooth finish and with its low price point of €13 per tin, it is an ideal paint for someone starting out with furniture painting and not looking to spend a fortune.
Another coat of white, a couple of days to cure, and the piece was ready for its bold new look. If planning to do this effect, it is important to let the piece fully cure from its base colour. Curing can take from a couple of days to a week, so it is important to check the manufacturers guidelines. If the paint is not fully cured beforehand, you risk pulling off your new paint job with the tape when creating geometric finishes such as these.
Using masking tape to create this effect, I lined marked out the areas to be painted blue. It is important to use a good quality one designed for this purpose. Sure, any old masking tape will do - wrong! To get precision lines and avoid ruining the piece you've worked so hard on, it is important to use a low tack tape such as Frogtape (available in all good hardwares such as Woodies) or Fleetwood do a brilliant Low Tack Washi Tape - available to buy on Shabby.ie . There is nothing more disheartening than finishing a piece, pulling off the tape and taking more paint with it! Always remove the tape immediately after painting and before the paint has dried - again this keeps the lines sharp and avoids pulling and damaging the paint underneath. The blue needed two coats, and so the tape was removed after each coat - just look at those lines :)
The client was delighted with the result, and I must say that I am too. A much brighter on trend addition to a little boys room. Another custom painted piece off to its rightful home. Inspiration for this piece was taken from a Pinterest board the client had been collating. She wanted it to go in her 3 year old sons room, not be to childish and for it to grow with him. We worked together to create a unique piece to be used for many years to come.
Geometric Cabinet Before
Geometric Cabinet After
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I love commissions, and do love a good challenge, and this was certainly a challenge!
I was asked by a lovely groom if I could make some pebble art to depict special times in the couple's lives together - when they met (a lab in college - see mini Bunsen burner ), when they bought their house (and dog!) and their wedding day. What a beautiful personal gift for a bride to receive on her wedding day
Commissions are very welcome, please get in touch for more info.
#IrishDesign #PebbleArt #love #handmade
Someone you know got a big birthday coming that they aren't so thrilled about? These Scrabble frames make great cheeky little gifts and are sure to raise a smile! Can be made for any big birthdays please get in touch for more details.
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Before
The client wanted a nice modern clean look with a bit of texture to the finish - Chalk Paint is the obvious choice for this type of finish. Handpainted using Antique White chalk paint by Annie Sloan for the chairs, table legs and surround, finished off with a high gloss varnish for the table top. This dining set has been completely transformed and re-loved to be enjoyed for many more years to come. Take a look at the after shots below.
After
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We plan on removing the tiles, raising the existing flowerbed slightly and building a small deck down the back - this is where the sun hits in the evening and will be the perfect spot for a lovely glass of vino on a sunny evening - bliss.
We've got lots more to do, but it's a start :)
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We used some fairly potent smelling paint stripper - caution and lots of ventilation and a mask is advised! Our house is an old Victorian redbrick oozing with old world charm and loveliness, however being 120 odd years old, in places the paint is 120 layers thick! This floor was no exception, and again because of it's age we needed to be careful with sanding as there was a risk of old paint containing lead, and being our kitchen floor, with an open shelving style galley kitchen - it would not be a good environment to have tiny lead particles floating around in. I am also fairly sure that the final coating of paint was an industrial style garage floor paint, quite the mess to remove. It was black, layered on until all definition between board was lots and scuffed to bits, never looking clean and very dark in an otherwise bright kitchen. It had to go.
I have always wanted a painted wooden floor, and although my head says to varnish or stain to a darker wooden finish (after all it will help to hide some of that dirt amiright?), alas the heart wants what the heart wants. Painted floorboards are notoriously not as hard-wearing as a good old fashioned varnished one, and although this will be quite a high traffic area I'm still going to give it a whirl. This will only be a temporary solution until we save to get something else, and is our first house after renting for many years so its great to be finally about to do what we want with our own home. Those trusty converse have seen quite a few upcycles in their time! Check back in to see the progress. Wish me luck!
]]>This is one of my favourite buildings in Dublin, and not just because of its contents! To get a pic in the sunshine, and with a Guinness truck right outside, on Paddy's week - how much more patriotic can you get! I love my city 💖
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I know I am biased, but I do love these cute little sheep! :)
I collected the table from a lovely guy who helped load it into the van too. When I got it home and lay the table top against the wall with the underneath facing up I couldn't believe it, the underneath of the table was even nicer than the actual table top! The before pic below is the table top as it's meant to be - a varnished pine finish, and then assembled with the underneath now as the top.
I love the rustic look and this has it by the bucket load, and was completely unintentional! What a happy little accident. It took a LOT of sanding to get it to a level and useable finish but I have completely fallen in love with it.
After an intense sanding (that I'm still not the better for) and sealing with a matt varnish to protect it, it now has pride of place in my dining room. Now that is some looking at things differently!
I actually decided against painting the legs entirely - once the top was finished, the wood just looked so lovely all rustic and worn so I left it as is, for now at least! :)
Table top before (the lighting was terrible!!)
Table top after
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Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and all of the very best for the New Year ahead. Have a great day wherever you are, eat, drink and be merry. ✨🎄
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By simply using some glue, tape and glitter, empty bottles have been upcycled to make them sparkle for the festive season. So simple to do, the kids will love it.
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Please get in touch for more info about commissions. I love working with clients on their ideas and watching them come to life. I offer a tailored approach to to all pebble art commissions, ensuring your piece ends up just as you want it. A truly unique gift from the heart.
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I really enjoyed making this one, was great to work with the client on a rough idea, then let my imagination take over with this as the end result. Really happy with how it turned out, and the client and recipient were too. Yay! :)
I love making special pieces to be gifted for that special occasion, please get in touch if you have an idea for a custom frame.
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I had a real treat when Lights, Camera, Laura stopped by (thanks Laura White!) to have a little chat with me about my products and ideas. I am however not used to being in front of a camera as you can see by the result! :)
Delighted to be able to showcase my little business. Meet the Maker behind The Makery - enjoy!
Beginning to look a lot like Christmas ❄⛄
All go down at the Dublin Christmas Flea in Point Village but not complaining!. Great response to my creations and some lovely feedback from customers. Makes all the mental long hours of prep worthwhile
Come on down and say hello and pick up some unique Christmas gifts!
But be quick, I only have one!
*This is now sold! This was incredibly popular and sold way quicker than I thought, so watch this space as I hope to acquire more as soon as possible!
]]>Getting ready for the Dublin Christmas Flea in Point village this weekend. These little cuties will be there with some other handmade decorations. Pop by and say hello
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These gorgeous little robin Christmas pebble pics are just €15 and made to order. I do expect them to fly out (sorry!) so please get your orders in early.
I will also have a stock of these at the Dublin Christmas Flea market in Point Village from 9th-11th Dec, so pop down and pick up some unique locally crafted gifts for your loved ones this Christmas.
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I will have a small number of these available at The Dublin Christmas Flea - but don't worry if you miss out, as always I can make to order :)
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Busy few weeks ahead! Game on
]]>A huge thanks to all who entered and who have supported The Makery over the 2 years - you are all wonderful people x
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