Tag Archive | Decopatch

Purple Patch

Apr30

Heeding some good advice, today I have spent the morning making something just for fun. I happened to have a set of my favourite IKEA Moppe mini-drawers waiting to be upcycled, and I raided my Decopatch stash, found some handles and Hey Presto! I have a new set of purple Drawers!

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Warning – When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple

By Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple

with a red hat that doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

and satin candles, and say we’ve no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired

and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

and run my stick along the public railings

and make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

and pick the flowers in other people’s gardens

and learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

and eat three pounds of sausages at a go

or only bread and pickles for a week

and hoard pens and pencils and beer nuts and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

and pay our rent and not swear in the street

and set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

 

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Patchwork drawers

Dec30

Yesterday I ran out of drawers 😦

I thought that I would have to wait until the Spring when I can start scouring the local boot sales for unwanted and unloved drawers to decorate but fate decreed otherwise and Ebay again came up trumps just in time  🙂

This morning, I bought these for a grand total of £10.

IKEA drawers

I have wanted to try  patchwork Decopatch and a bit of frivolity is required to finish off this Festive Season!

So here is my effort so far………………..busy, colourful and I love them! 

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Hat boxes

Sep2

I woke up early this morning and immediately made the decision to trot along to the local car boot sale in search of IKEA mini drawers and other bargain items to decorate and upcycle. I was on site by 7.30am and already there were hundreds of people already set up and selling their bits and pieces.

My main objective was to find some IKEA drawers so I walked quickly up and down the rows and luckily I found two sets at real rock-bottom bargain prices. I couldn’t believe my luck but more about those as and when they get the upcycling treatment.

As well as the mini-drawers, I found a set of 3 hat boxes which I bought for £2. They were sitting on the trestle table, looking very pale and sad just crying out for me to take them home and brighten them up.

So I did.

 

    

A new set of drawers…

Sep1

A £2.75 bargain buy from Ebay is my latest upcycling project completed yesterday.

From this…

to this.

I am now out of drawers and need to bag myself some more bargains but hubby says I’m not allowed any more drawers until I sell some!

But what he doesn’t know is that I’m off to a boot sale in the morning 🙂

Just playing

Jun23

After a tough week, I wanted nothing more than to sit and play. Last week, playing was a swimming session and a “run” on my treadmill. In contrast, this week my idea of playing involves lots of lovely paper, card, flowers, ribbons and bows. Stamps and buttons, studs, brads and lace all come out of the stash boxes to (hopefully) make something half decent. It is important for me to play and enjoy some me time as it gives me an opportunity to switch off and regroup with the added bonus of an end product as a reward for my labours.

As you can see, I am not the tidiest of  crafters, but a little disorganisation creates an environment in which there is always an element of surprise when creating something. If I can’t find what I need quickly, I improvise and use something else. My creations are therefore constantly evolving and what I end up with often looks nothing like I planned in the beginning. This approach appears to work and if nothing else, keeps me on my toes and always thinking how to adapt. (Much more fun than the dreaded Sudoku puzzles for keeping my mind agile)

There is a saying, “The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression”  and I know that if there are days or weeks when I won’t get to play because I am working long days, travelling or staying away from home my mood will deflate very quickly. I now try to pack something in my case so I have something to look forward to after work when stuck in a hotel or faced with a long journey home. I have had very funny looks from my fellow passengers when Decopatching on the train, designing scrapbook pages or knitting scarecrows but I’m used to it and it keeps me sane.

Playing today has resulted in three pictures so far. I found three matching square picture frames in the charity shop during the week and these pictures are just the right size. I’m quite pleased with them.

Decopatch comes to Iran

Apr19

Decopatch and decoupage come to Iran!

Paper, brushes, glue and brads. Flowers, butterflies, crystals and buttons all woven together make the universal language of play.

Who needs to speak Farsi when you can commune in creativity?

5 year old Parneon loves to play and to make things so Decopatch and decoupage are proving to be a big hit with her. I think it’s the naughty business of being able to make a mess without being told off and you can’t Decopatch or decoupage without getting sticky fingers and bits of paper everywhere. Unlike at home however, I need to be careful that we don’t spill anything on the carpets…….the family heirlooms are priceless and can’t be scrubbed down like my laminate flooring.

Parneon is a lively child and, as both her mum and grandma say, loves to mind other people’s business! She is into everything and is hard to keep track of although if lost she can usually be found in the kitchen munching away at something (lemons are a particular favourite). I am concerned therefore that she won’t want to sit still and Decopatch, or make cards and pictures from the stash I have brought for her. I needn’t have worried as she can’t wait to get started and it looks like the papermache piggy bank, teddy bear, heart box and letter “P” I brought with me will be done by the end of week 1!

I try to temper her enthusiasm for “glueing” by hiding the bear and the box and get her to make some cards instead. She loves this too and within 30 minutes I have 2 cards sitting on my table ready to give to her mum and dad! She loves the stickers, the brads, the paper flowers and butterflies and the stick-on crystals. She also loves the candy, patterned paper and the decoupage Princess with her castle. All I have to remember is to make the cards back-to-front as they read from right to left rather than left to right.

I hope that the stash will last until the end of our holiday but at least I know what to bring next time. More of the same.

 

 

One man’s rubbish……….

Apr5

is another man’s treasure.

My Facebook friends will already be familiar with the second-hand IKEA chest of drawers that I have “up-cycled” this week but for everyone else, this is what can be done with a £3 bargain from a car boot sale, some funky paper and glue. All mixed with a little imagination and desire to make something nice out of a rejected piece of furniture.

Not only is my new chest of drawers decorative it is also extremely useful. I have transferred my inks, glitter glue, stamping equipment and ink pads to the 6 drawer chest so they are now kept in sumptuous luxury!

You too can upcycle items around the house that you are fed up with, or which are languishing in garages, shed or spare rooms just waiting to be re-born.

I am currently revamping a wooden fruit bowl which has seen better days and which is gradually taking on a new lease of life being covered with Decopatch papers.

Decopatch is simple, relatively cheap but most importantly good fun. So grab all those things that need a make-over, engage imagination and creative tendencies and give Decopatch a go. You won’t be disappointed.