News / Handmade

The Makery will be at this years Dublin Christmas Flea market from 9th-11th Dec in Point Village. Pop by and say hello and pick up some unique and handmade gifts for Christmas. There is a fantastic selection of Ireland's finest Makers, Artists, Designers and Entrepreneurs all under one roof - support local and support Irish creatives this year.  Check out The Makery's listing here. 

Full steam ahead with making in preparation for the weekend. Being a one woman show means lots of making to ensure enough stock for thee weekend. I love the buzz that comes with the build up to a big market, however long and sleepless the nights are beforehand! Being a Maker, this is what it is all about and what keeps spirits up at 4am while waiting for glue or paint to dry! Markets are a great chance to meet all my lovely customers, and get some feedback on new designs and crafts. Anyway, back to it, they aren't going to make themselves! See you there. 

I love making these mirrors. They are so colourful & playful and make a great accent in any kids room or playroom. Kid's love them too. I love seeing the look on kids faces when they realise that all my products have been upcycled, reloved and reused to make something else - the smile as they figure out what the product used to be in a former life makes me beam with pride. I have had some great suggestions from kids about other product ideas too - all sparked from looking at what I have produced. I love that ability in children to have the imagination to look past what it is and have really creative, imaginative and fun ideas that most adults could never dream of. 

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 :) 

Tis the season....for craft fairs! 72 frames, one boot! Lots of making going on in preparation. Delighted to announce The Makery will be at this years Dublin Christmas Flea from 9th-11th Dec in Point Village North Wall! Pop on down and say hello, and support local traders and crafter's.

I'll have some great upcycled and unique Christmas gifts available. I can also take orders before then for collection at the market. Pm for more details. It's going shaping up to be a great market, all indoors too in case the weather isn't great. 

Busy few weeks ahead! Game on  

COMPETITION TIME

The Makery is 2 today!! It is true what they say, time flies when you're having fun!! To celebrate The Makery's 2nd birthday, I'm running a competition for a pebble art picture over on my facebook page here - www.facebook.com/TheMakeryDublin/
The prize is a pebble art picture from the range on this site - here, or I can make a custom scene for you too. Just like the page & like and share the post, it's that easy!! Winner announced 8pm Friday. Good luck!

A huge thanks to all who entered and who have supported The Makery over the 2 years - you are all wonderful people x

There's nothing more personal than a photo collage gift. This frame was handmade for a good friends birthday using pine which has been stained grey, with some chicken wire added for that real rustic look. Tiny pegs keep the photos in place, with wooden L initial (for Laura), mini heart blackboard and purple painted star for added personalisation. These make great personal gifts and can be made to order with custom sizes, can even be used as a noticeboard. Please pm for more details.

Happy Halloween to all Makery followers! 

Finally finished! Before & after....

This has been a true labour of love, I've been redecorating and upcycling my bathroom over the last few weeks. It's taken waaayyyy longer than I would have liked, but a day job, evening job (The Makery!) and life has slowed me down. When we moved in it was an awful shade of green everywhere, and I mean everywhere! It has been transformed into a much calmer space now in comparison and for grand total of about €100 (including buying a new upcycled mirror made from the base of a barrel ) it just shows you can completely change a room on a shoestring.

Mr Makery did and epic job of sanding back the black painted flooring. This was then given a driftwood effect finish using the below technique:

DIY Driftwood Effect Floor:

1. Mix 2 parts cream chalk paint to 1 part water & 1 part grey chalk paint (I used Annie Sloan Paloma which gave a mauve tone to the grey) and painted it on like a wash. 
2. Leave it 24 hours.
3. Sand down lightly to bring out the grain in the pine, not too heavily.
4. Using a mix of 1 cup white spirits & 2 teaspoons of Rustoleum Multi Purpose in Slate Grey - but you can use any oil based paint. Paint on with a foam brush or even a sponge - dip it into the mixture and rub lightly across the floors with the grain.

The oil paint sticks to the grain and brings out the pattern. I was so amazed at how well it turned out!!! Be warned the white spirits smell is overpowering and gloves are needed but smell goes after 24hrs. I then sealed it all a couple of coats matt varnish for durability. A lot of work but cost very little.

The shelving unit is a ladder I had already which I painted in a soft cream chalk paint, I then used the same driftwood effect as the floor on some plain pine shelves I picked up for next to nothing with colour pops inside to help lift and add a bit of life to the space. All the bit and pieces have been collected along the way from family and flea markets and help to give it that homely feel. Delighted with how it turned out. Now to tackle the rest of the house! :)

Bathroom Before

Sanded Floor:

Floor Before &  After:

Bathroom After:

Magical handmade fairy houses now at The Makery.

Each little house is unique and upcycled from an old jar into something really special. Handcrafted using polymar clay and a lot of imagination, just waiting for your fairy to move in  
You can even pop a candle in too, looks fab lit up, for kids of all ages!

By far, the strangest thing I've ever been asked to make, but absolutely LOVE the finished result! You may recognise these cufflinks from a particular Simpsons episode...

The (Simpsons obsessed!) bride wanted to give these to her (equally obsessed!) groom as a surprise on the morning of their wedding!! The couple even had Simpson's themed invitations and seating plans, so I was more than happy to be a part of their unique day. What a fab & fun gift that was sure to put a smile on his face. The bride asked her father to give them to the groom on the morning of the wedding, just like the episode! 

I had so much fun making these, and in such a tiny size it was tricky enough but god there in the end! I tried my best to even match the box from the episode too. Made using polymar clay and some cuuflink blanks, then cured in the oven and sealed.

Congratulations to Linda & John, wishing you many happy years together! 

 #LookAtThingsDifferently