Shabby Chic Stool Restoration

I know I missed last Friday's Freebie but things have just been manic! To make up for it there will be 2 freebies this Friday so remember to check back and see what they are.

To be honest I almost missed todays blog post too but this shabby chic stool was such fun to do I really wanted to tell you about it!

 

In fact I was so excited to get started on the project that I almost forgot to take a 'before' shot, but this one will do as you can barely see where I've started to remove the paint . I found it at an auction covered in a sticky residue and about 20 layers of white gloss paint. It was in a sorry state but fundamentally still a sound piece of furniture.

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After I had washes the worst of the dirt off I set about removing the paint from the seat using a heat gun and scraper. If you are restoring an older piece of furniture make sure that you do this, or any sanding, in a well ventilated area and wear a mask as it is likely that some of the old pain layers contain lead.

 

 

Once you have scraped off the majority of the paint it's time to break out the sander. You've probably realised that my weapon of choice is usually the angle grinder with a sanding disc but please do practise this on scrap wood before you take on a lovely old piece like this stool.

 

 

It was only after some serious sanding that I realised that this stool was actually made from oak and not pine, as I'd first thought! I didn't want it to look too new so I stopped sanding while there were still some marks and dents to show its age.

 

 

Scuff up the legs a little to break up that old gloss look. Then give the seat a few coats of a soft wax. I like Annie Sloan's Soft Wax as it smells slightly nicer then Briwax but it is a bit more expensive. (I will be reviewing both in a future post so watch out for it)



 

 

I love the finished stool and think I might use it in my new 'corner office' when I eventually set it up.

 

We'd love to see your restoration projects and tutorials so why not drop us a line?

Wooden Rustic Signs Tutorial

I'm one of those people who picks up beautiful things when I'm out and says "I bet I could make that".

Earlier on this year I wanted to make some vintage signs for around the place and I happened to take photos as I went, which means I can bring you todays tutorial without having to actually make something from scratch (which is great as I've got 50 wedding invitations to make... read about that in my other blog!)

As so many of my projects do, it started with dismantling a pallet.

Working with pallet wood is not only frugal (usually free), but it gives me the opportunity to break out my favourite tool, DUM DUM DUM (< dramatic intro) my angle grinder!!!


Start by cutting your desired shape from the pallet plank. I went for the traditional 'arrow' shape as it meant I could get 2 signs from one piece of wood.

Once they are cut out you can sand them down - traditional sandpaper, a sander or an angle grinder with a sanding disc! This is not for the feint hearted and you should be confident in handling power tools to attempt it!

Once sanded your sign will look less like firewood and more like something you'd want to own!

 

 

I like to leave some marks and damage showing as it all adds to the rustic look of the signs. 

 

 

Now it's time to break out the paint. As I do a lot of this sort of thing I have Annie Sloan Chalk Paint about the place. For things like this the paint isn't very important but, in general, Annie Sloan is great for covering in one coat.

 

 

 



Once your paint has dried give it a bit of a sand back to show the wood around the edges. I'm also lucky enough to own some plastic stencils that I bought from eBay but you could print letters off and cut them out. Or you might be one of those lucky people with really lovely handwriting.

Space your letters and start stencilling (or writing) your message.

If you don't have a stencil brush, don't worry, just wrap an elastic band around the bristles of a 1" brush to make it stiff enough to use.

Once you're finished with your lettering, drill a couple of holes, string it and put it on display for the world to admire! Oh, if it's to hang outside then you might want to give it a coat or two of varnish.

These are for two separate locations lol!

Soap Sock Tutorial

A Soap Sock!

This soap sock is a neat way to make your soap stretch a little further while gently exfoliating your skin. You can knit them up in half an hour and use whatever yarn you have to hand. I'm told that felting wool is great because it actually shrinks with the soap as you use it, but my particular favourite is using string! Not the horrid nylon stuff but the old fashioned 100% cotton twine. It's a little strange, at first, knitting with something that has no 'give' whatsoever but it's a simple project so doesn't cause too many headaches!

First of you will need...

Use what you have to finish up your yarn

A ball of your chosen yarn (or string)
A pair of knitting needles - I use 8mm but play around to find what works best with your yarn.
A bar of soap - whatever you like best!
A pair of scissors and a cup of tea (all the best projects involve tea or wine and since I'm detoxing it's tea for me!)

Start by casting on in your preferred style. I've always gone for the 'Thumb' method myself! You'll need to cast on enough stitches to cover 3 sides of your soap - I have cast on 12 with this chunky string and 8mm needles. Just remember to cast on an even number of stitches.

Now this next stage could sound daunting if you've never tried double knitting but it's unbelievably simple and so quick to do you will be a pro in no time.

Knit your first stitch. Then slip your next stitch as if to purl - this means put your needle as if you are going to purl the stitch and then just slip it over. Carry on with knit one, slip one  until you reach the end of the row. You will always finish on a slipped stitch.

Once you have worked a few rows like this you will be able to feel 2 sides to your knitting and actually be able to separate them a little!

There is a great video explaining the method:

 Turn your work around and repeat until your 'sock' is long enough to hold your bar of soap. Always start on a knit stitch and finish on a slip!

Once your sock is long enough you've reached the scary part! Leave a long tail - about 1.5 meters - and slip your work off your  needle. Yes, I said slip it right off without casting off.

Just be brave and pull the needle out!

Now gently prize your work open (like opening a bag of crisps!) and carefully thread your long tail through each of your stitches, starting with the last knitted stitch.

Gently prize work apart

 Be careful not to drop any stitches as you thread your tail through them!



This is the hardest part!

Once you have caught every stitch on your tail you can turn it inside out, pop your bar of soap inside and pull the tail to tighten around the top of the bar.


Now the reason for the extra long tail...  We're going to make a handle to hang your soap from so it can dry out and not go all squishy between uses!

Make a slip knot in the yarn, as close to the sock as you can get it. Form a loop and tuck it into the noose. Make another loop and tuck it into the previous loop. Keep repeating. When the chain is long enough, lock it by passing the end through the final loop. See here for animated instructions.
 
Tie the loop to form a handle and you're done!

Please let us know what you think, and feel free to ask questions or show us your finished soap socks!

Can't find the time to make it but really want to own one? Visit my Etsy shop to buy one today!



Nikki x

Scrunched Heart Tutorial

Now that Christmas is well and truly over it's time to think forward to the next even on the crafters calendar... Valentines day!

Now we at Craft UK generally prefer style over sentimentality but the odd heart here and there isn't going to spoil our week, so long as it's a stylish heart! Last year we made a tonne of these in various sizes and used them to decorate our stand at a local craft fair. There are so many applications for them from scrapbooking and card-making to decorating tables or even giving your place settings and gift tags a 3rd dimension.

So knock yourself out, experiment with sizes and colours, and find what works for you.

Cute 3D Scrunched Heart

What you need:

An old book - we love the slightly yellowed look of old paper but whatever you find in a charity shop for 10p will work just fine!

A 1" circle punch, scalloped or plain.

A piece of stiff card cut into a heart shape

Scissors

A blunt pencil

Decent glue - you can use a glue gun but we are loving Touch of Gloss right now

Optional extras:

A brooch pin

Ribbon

Stamping inks

Paints

Gather your 'ingredients'

 Step 1: Cut out a heart using the stiff card and scissors (obviously) and punch a whole load of 1" circles from your old book.

Step 2: 'Scrunch' the paper circles over the top of the blunt pencil. It's probably best to do a load of these and then glue them all in one go, otherwise it gets messy and your glue can dry while you're busy scrunching!

Scrunch them over your pencil

Step 3: Starting with the outside edge glue your scrunched up paper to your card heart. Once the outside is done, continue working towards the middle until the entire heart is covered. When working on the inside we found it easier to hold the paper over the tip of your pencil and ad a little dab of glue directly to it. Then use the pencil to position and press your paper in place.

Work from the outside first

Now leave it to dry for an hour - have a cup of tea, write us a guest piece, or even start working on the next heart!

Giant Heart, but little ones work fine too!

Step 4: This is where you can get really creative. Brushing our heart over a stamping ink pad can add a touch of colour, or perhaps you want to make it bold with a spray paint or even dabbing on some pva glue and going wild with the glitter?

Personally, we like 'em plain but whatever floats your boat!

Let us know if you make any of these scrunched hearts or, better still, send us a photo for the gallery (and a link to your web site).


Happy crafting!

Nikki x