Made It My Own with Annie Sloan

Annie Sloan developed her unique Chalk Paint™ over 20 years ago, and she is now perhaps the world's most respected expert in decorative paint, colours and techniques. With Chalk Paint™ you get a velvety matt finish without the need for tiresome printing and sanding. The paint sticks to just about any surface... wood, concrete, metal, matt plastic, earthenware and more. Add Annie Sloan Soft Wax to achieve a subtle sheen as well as protection and durability.

The colours available and finishes you can achieve are just amazing, and you'll find a fabulous range of tips and techniques on the website. Try two-colour distressing, a smooth, modern finish, or how about the rustic, chippy look.

Everything you'll need for your painting projects can be found on the Annie Sloan website - paint, wax, brushes, stencils, even books and fragrances, and I'm pretty taken with their range of fabrics.

Get inspired by creations and transformations others have achieved with the help of the Annie Sloan range...

And when you're ready to start on your own project, you can share and show off your creative flair and up-cycling skills, as well the chance to win $100's of Annie Sloan prizes. Made It My Own with Annie Sloan is running until the end of September, so there's still time to be a part of it. To find out what's involved and how to enter click here.

Tea Pea School

Dael and I have had the pleasure of working with Meg, Scott and the wonderful Tea Pea team over the years, and we were really excited to hear that they were expanding their thriving business to include a Tea Pea School.

As well as being extremely creative herself, Meg has had the opportunity to meet and work with a plethora of other talented people. Wanting to share the joy and the knowledge, "The School" was established to teach, and inspire others to express their creativity in a diverse range of ways.

make a wreath with adaptation to a floral chandelier

ceramic bunting making

Launching this month, there are over twenty workshops, talks and demonstrations for you to choose from. Try your hand at Shibori dying, or learn to make ceramic tea lights; have you always wanted to learn the art of writing, or how about cake decorating? There are so many options and more are being added all the time.

the art of writing

ruffles and roses cake decorating

You can book and go alone to your favourite workshop - use it as an opportunity to network and meet other like-minded people. Another fun idea is to gather a group of your girlfriends or work mates together. Contact the Tea Pea team to see if you can organise your own special workshop - what a great team-building idea!

make a kokedamas

tricks and tips for decorating a child's space

As well as the knowledge, the experience, and the yummy refreshments, you will also take away with you a lovely goodie bag. Classes start from just $45, so go and check them all out now. To keep up to date with any new classes, join the Tea Pea mailing list and follow them on Facebook too.

Mocka Hudson Stool

I had been trying to decide on some seating for my 10 year old twins to use at the desk in their bedroom. Because their room is quite small - long and narrow - I wanted stools that could tuck under the desk when they're not in use, and light enough for the girls to move around easily. In the end I decided on the Hudson Stool from Mocka.

The stools were delivered in no time at all, and were very simple to put together. My little helpers did most of it, I just had to make sure the screws were tight enough.

After becoming avid "Block" fans, my girls like to have lots of input into their room, and they put in a request to have socks painted on their stools. It was a simple enough task that just required some masking tape and a couple of test pots.

Everyone is thrilled with the end result. The simple shape is so endearing and I love the touch of light wood with all the vibrant colour that is already in their room.

Pop over and have a look at the rest of Mocka's range on their website, including another favourite of ours, the Mocka Post Box.

DIY Projects

It's the start of another awesome week, and for all you clever crafty types itching for another project, I've got a few fabulous ideas...

I love these house numbers nestled into a bed of grass and contained in a smart box frame. It's creator, Laura Gummerman from 'A Beautiful Mess' blog, gives you step by step instructions on how to make your own.

Check your local hardware store for fake grass, but I also found this aqua grass mat (below), usually used in fishponds, which is long and lush looking.

My daughter's tiny, wardrobe-less bedroom means that I'm always impressed by hanging storage solutions. This DIY Copper Clothing Rack is right on trend, and really beautiful.

Created from copper piping (again, check your local hardware store), Madelynn Furlong of 'Wide Eyed Legless' photographed her project step by step to feature over on the 'SF Girl by Bay' blog. It's such a great use of space in a small room, so I'm definitely going to try making this for Jessie's room.

Over the weekend I filled a bag with clothes I don't wear much anymore. It's always a good feeling to clear and un-clutter your home, and I'll drop my bag down to the Salvation Army. But if you're doing the same thing, consider holding onto one of your old t-shirts and turning it into this adorable little teddy bear by Evie Barrow.

So many clever ideas! I hope you're inspired to get creating yourself now.

A Little Bit Crafty | Frankie Magazine

I know many of you are big fans of the fabulous frankie magazine. Any why wouldn't you be?! Their magazines are gorgeous, beautiful quality, and with their covers like little pieces of art, they look fab on your desk or coffee table. 

Well, I've got some exciting news for you... just in time for Christmas, frankie have released their first ever craft book, a little bit crafty. It's a delightful book bursting with ideas - 39 diy projects collected from crafty creatives around New Zealand and Australia.

My copy arrived a few days ago and I've had so much fun looking at all the clever and quirky ideas. The projects are all cheap and easy, with an emphasis on using recycled materials. For anyone with older kids that are creative, this would be a fantastic Christmas gift, as it would help to keep them busy over the school holidays. Or purchase a copy today and give all your family and friends amazing hand crafted gifts this year.

There are so many wonderful projects in this book. I've selected a few of my favourite to inspire you, but I highly recommend you picking up your own copy.

blooby acquaintances mobile | laura blythman & peter cromer

wordy wrapping paper | carla hackett

the virtually new old vase | alice oehr

the top secret bag | penelope ferguson

going postal | ebony bizys

All photography (apart from the very first pic) is by the uber talented Hilary Walker.

Complete Paints | DIY Copper Top Side Table

I wanted to tell you about a little DIY project I did recently. I had bought a Cage Side Table from Big Save Furniture but decided I wanted to do something with the top, which was a dark stained and varnished wood. So I popped in to see the guys at Complete Paints in Onekawa, Napier and discussed my options with them. I thought about painting it a bright glossy colour, but when Graeme mentioned metallics I was sold. He told me he could put my chosen metallic into a spray can for easy application, so we looked at all the different colours and I chose a rich copper tone.

If you live in Napier you may not realise that Complete Paints (23 Ford Road, Onekawa) is open to the general public. They deal with a lot of trade customers, but also welcome retail customers, they're super knowledgable, and happy to help those of us who aren't as familiar with which products we need. Graeme explained the process and the products I'd need to complete this project, and Brad was on hand to help me with each step.

I'm so happy with the result, the copper top looks fantastic on the white cage base, and it looks right at home in our living room. If you'd like to do a similar project you can find all the instructions on the Complete Paints project page. And, no matter where you live in New Zealand, you can buy all the products on their website, including the gorgeous copper spray paint. For a limited time you'll get 10% OFF if you purchase the complete project package, so head on over and get busy with your own copper painted project.