Chalk paint- some tips

I hadn't used chalk paint but had found it hard not to be a little intrigued about what all the fuss is about- you can't look on Pinterest without something being painted with the stuff! So I thought I would give it a whirl. I have written this blog to share some of the things I have found about chalk paint since that first project. I suggest you give it a try- it is a bit addictive and you tend to paint anything that isn't nailed down but it is a great way to give new life to something shabby or destined for the tip.
There are a few options on the market for chalk paint. The paint from Newton's Paints is really well priced and comes in little tins if you are a bit scared of investing too much to begin with. It is also available to buy online. There is the Annie Sloan products which are also good and available in loads of places, but I like to buy NZ made. Check out newton's online store HERE .
I thought that the 'no sanding' bit sounded like me and so on a sunny afternoon I cracked into it.
I rescued this little sidetable from the burn pile (the farmer tried three times to put it back on there!) and created this funky little striped table!

The ugly table that I started my chalk paint journey with.

Ok so here are some things I have learnt about chalk paint since this first table project:

• THE BRUSHES: you don't need the fancy brushes that cost the earth, but a good quality brush will make the job have a nicer finish- talk to your hardware store about what is a good option- make sure you tell them you are working with chalk paint. I used the brushes from Newton's paint which start at $12.50 NZD, I have used a sponge for a small picture frame which gave a different effect again. or you could use a roller if you want a really smooth finish on a tabletop or something.
• THE WAX: Get a brush for the wax, a piece of cloth will work but a brush is so much easier and gets into all the little corners. This also helps not using it all at once. The first time I did it, I used about half a bottle (of the liquid wax) on this little table and that was not necessary- in this case less is more. Also I found that the waxing step isn't as scary as I thought it was- it is actually quite easy and fast. I used two coats of wax on my table because I thought the top might last a bit better, I waited 24 hours between coats and it is really hard.
• DARK WAX TIP: Have a damp cloth near by when applying dark wax. Applying dark wax can be very scary and intimidating at first. Every time I begin to apply it to an already beautiful chalk painted piece of furniture I hesitate. Here is a bonus tip: you always want to apply dark wax right after you have applied your clear wax. It makes it go on more smooth and is easier to spread around.  Don’t worry, you are not going to ruin your masterpiece with this intimidating darkness that you think will never come off. If you want, (here is another bonus tip) take a paper plate and plastic spoon and mix a little clear wax with your dark wax. This will give your antiquing vintage look that you are trying to achieve a soft finish. I like to have a clean damp cotton rag (old white t shirt) near by when doing a dark wax application just so I can spread it around easier or I can completely wipe off areas I'm not totally stoked about,  I have done that a few times!
• BUFFING: Put your back into it! Also wait till tomorrow before you attack it, you get a better shine when the wax has had enough time to set. I used cheesecloth and it works really well. there are brushes available but I haven't tries so i cannot comment on their finish.
• MIX THE PAINT: Make sure it is mixed properly. I sat my tin upside down for a bit and then gave it a bloody good shake. That seemed to do the trick.
• THE FIRST COAT: I looked at my first coat and thought that I had been spun a yarn about how good this stuff is- it looked awful. However that coat dried in under and hour and I put the next coat on- then we were looking pretty sharp. The first coat was really rough and quite patchy with lots of brush marks. Once I put the second coat on, it smoothed out heaps and I wanted the brush texture so I applied it in all different directions to get a textured finish, you could be careful with your strokes following to grain to get a smoother look or apply it with a roller for a really even finish. But please do not panic at what it looks like in the beginning- more coats brings your project to life.



You can see the brush strokes in the paint, which is what I was after but you could follow the grain with a brush or apply with a roller to get a smooth finish. This is after the second coat.

• LAYERS: layers work really well, if you want that chipped through vintage look of many years of painted layers then just paint multiple layers and chip each one as you go. Or just take some rough sandpaper and take some areas of paint off to make it look worn through to the next layer. There are some really good tutorials online for that and then wax it at the end. Or if you want stripes or patterns then just wait for the layer to dry, mask it up and paint straight over it. Then wax it to finish it. I used house paint for the stripes on this because I wanted to use the same colour I had on something else. You can create this with multiple layers of chalk paint though and there are heaps of colours available.

• TO DISTRESS OR NOT TO DISTRESS: With this little table I didn't because I quite liked it the way it was but I have on projects since. This is quite easy and you can do it before or after the wax step- just on the google machine and find some projects that others have done to get some ideas about how distressed you want something to look. I found the thread on screws, steel wool and coarse sandpaper are the best (it sort of depends if you care about damaging the wood underneath as to how rough you want to be- sand paper is going to just damage the paint). I suggest buying something cheap or rescuing something that is being thrown out to have a practice on.

Have fun!

xx Abby

How to make a fabric memo board

This is the easiest (and thriftiest) idea for a gift or for your own home. Handy for thank you cards and invites (wedding season!) and a funky way to organise notes and photos. This one took less than an hour to make and was really simple. A cool project to do with kids for their photos and mementoes too!
 
You will need:

• 1 stretched canvas the size you require your board to be-  the one in the picture is 45cm x 45cm
• a piece of fabric that is 10cm wider and 10cm long than your canvas- so mine was 55cm x 55cm (this also depends on how deep your canvas is- basically it needs to be big enough to cover and wrap around the back so you don't see the canvas at all)
• 4 lengths of fabric tape (available form most good craft shops or online- I bought this from Aroha Vintage in Christchurch) two that are the width + 10cm and two the length + 10cm
• 4 lengths of string or ribbon, two that are the width + 10cm and two the length + 10cm
• 4 buttons
• needle and thread
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• craft board or good cutting surface
• fabric scissors or fabric craft knife

To make your memo board:

• Cut your fabric to size and iron flat. Lay the fabric face-down on a flat surface and sit your canvas face-down on top of it. 
• Start on the edge closest to you and hot glue along the inside edge of the canvas' wooden frame and attach the fabric to it.
• Now turn the canvas around so that the glued side is furtherest away from you. Glue the edge now closest to you, pulling the fabric tight as you go. At this point check that the fabric is tight and flat over the canvas. If it is then continue- if not quickly pull it off before the glue sets like concrete and start again!
• Now turn the canvas so that one of the remaining unglued sides is closest to you. Fold the corner of the fabric in a 'tucked' corner so that the fabric is all neat and folded away at the corners. Now glue that side down.
• Rotate the canvas and repeat with the last side- remember to pull the fabric firm so that there are no creases in the fabric on the face of it.
• Now use your fabric tape to divide the board into nine. Stick the tape right around and onto the back
• Now take your string or ribbon and follow the line of the fabric tape. For this one I used twine that is thinner than the fabric tape and twisted two lengths together but you could use whatever ribbon or string you like, although if it isn't thinner than the tape it will make the tape pointless! Secure one end of it to the back of the canvas and then stretch it across the canvas and secure it at the other side. Repeat this for all four lengths.
• The final step is to sew a button on each point where the ribbons intersect. This will keep all your memos from slipping to the bottom of the board. 

Tips/ideas:

• You can use a canvas of any size
• This would also be cool to do using an old picture frame
• You can put as many strings across the board as you like, for this size I thought four was enough but it also depends on what you want it to hold
• you could use brads instead of buttons if you like, I just love the vintage look of buttons but there are heaps of brads available at a good scrap booking shop
• If you are stuck for ideas Pinterest has hundreds of these up there for inspiration!

Fabric beach balls

I made these fabric beach balls for my friend Ange's baby shower last weekend. I thought that a nice handmade gift would be a bit special and you also know that your gift will be unique if you make it yourself. I am by no means a great sewer and these were really easy to make and the result was great. These remind me of the kind of thing that my gran would have made for her friends and for us when we were little, really traditional.
Affordable gifts that are made with your hands, from your heart- can't go wrong. 

Instead of re-writing a tutorial, visit Purlbee and use theirs, because it is great and really easy to follow.

I am sure that any little person will get loads of hours of fun with these little gems- I filled mine with washable cotton filling and pre-washed all the fabric so the balls can be put in the washing machine after messy play (which is the best kind)!

Enjoy xx
A

Make your empties go another round

Wooden swappa crates are pretty easy to find, ask your local pub if they have any spare

A crate way (I crack myself up!) of storing your books is to build these cool beer crate shelves. I haven't attached them to anything, all I did was water blast the rough bits off them (coarse sandpaper would do the same job) and painted them the same colour as our walls. Success!! Apart from a bit of paint, these are free bookshelves. If you can't find the beer crates that have no bottles in them, you will just have to buy them full of beer..... not a bad outcome really. These are a funky addition to a student flat or to a house like ours that can't really decide on just one style. You can stack them in any way and move them easily.
They also make me feel like I am still young enough to have beer paraphernalia, but mature enough to disguise it as furniture!!

I think that I might add another row to this one to make it a bit higher

How to take up pants

As I am not tall, it’s very rare that I find pants that aren’t too long, and yet the petite ranges were not designed for these thighs! So, as I have to shorten my pants every time I buy a pair, I thought you might like to see how I do it.

The ‘regular’ way of taking up pants involves ‘invisible’ stitching (i.e. only catching a couple of threads of the outside fabric). This is tricky, time-consuming, and if you’re not very careful, you can still see the stitches on the outside.

My method leaves a visible hem on the outside, but I don’t see anything wrong with one neat line of stitching, and for everyday or casual pants/jeans, it can even leave a nicer finish than the hidden method. Maybe you won’t want to use this method for your best interview suit, but I use it for everything else!

YOU WILL NEED:

• sewing machine
• thread that matches the colour of your pants
• seam gauge (if you don’t have one, a measuring tape or ruler will do)
• scissors
• straight pins
• sewing needle
• iron

METHOD:
Try on your pants so you can see how long they need to be. Note: remember to wear shoes while you do this, or your pants will look too short when you wear them with shoes!

Fold up the pants to the length you want them to be (it helps if you have a mirror so you can see where they will fall when you are standing up straight) or get someone to pin them for you. Adjust until you’re happy that they don’t scrape the floor but aren’t going to be too short either. Remember different heel heights will affect the apparent length, so keep that in mind.

pin the pants to the length you want them

Pin the back of your pants only (at the heel)- you do this because the front is too hard to tell length with. Use just one pin to stop the turn-up from falling down when you take off the pants. This is just to give you the required length, so don’t worry about being neat. I sometimes put pins right around just to hold the place. Have a final length check after pinning. Okay, now you can get changed, or sew in underpants- whatever you are comfortable in (and don’t prick yourself on the pins!).

measure the amount you are taking off

Pin the fold to the right length all the way around

Measure the length of the turn-up on each leg. They should be the same, but if they aren’t, pick a measurement midway between the two.


If they are very different, you should probably try the pants on again and check which one is right! Make a note of your measurement.

Make sure both legs are the same length!

Fold up the bottom of each leg, to the length you measured above, and pin in place. Check the two to make sure they are the same

Make the cut so you have about 3-4cm of turn up left

Iron the fold so it is pressed into a crease. You can make a mark about an 4cm all the way around but i usually just take the plunge for the next bit, because you are hiding it anyway. Be brave – this is the scary part! Cut the turn-up about 3 to 4 cm from the edge, but be careful not to cut through both layers of fabric – just the turned up part – otherwise you’ll end up with long shorts!

Pin under so that you end up with a 2cm turn up with no raw edges visible

With your remaining 4cm turn-up, begin to fold the raw edge inside, so you end up with a 2cm turn-up with no raw edges visible. Pin in place as you go.

Continue folding and pinning all around the bottoms of both legs. You can iron this fold in place before sewing (I like to, it makes the sewing part easier) or just sew it at this point.

Use the guidelines on your machine to get a nice straight line

Set up your sewing machine with a thread colour that matches the main colour in your fabric, for both the top and bobbin threads. Set it to a medium length straight stitch.

Using the 1cm guide on your sewing machine (or whichever guide is just less than the fold size) & sew around the bottom of each leg. When you get back to the start, sew over your first couple of stitches and then finish off.

Pull the loose threads to the wrong side of the fabric. You can knot them together for added security, if desired, then thread them through a sewing needle. Push the needle into the turned up fabric, and out a couple of inches further along.

Pull thread ends to the inside side of the leg and cut off

Pull the thread ends to make fabric scrunch up slightly, then snip off the threads flush with the fabric, so they disappear inside the fabric when you pull it flat.

Turn the pants right side out and admire your handiwork!