Archive for 2016

I find my self pinning all these stunning shots on my pinterest account of other peoples up-cycled furniture. One thing that has caught my eye multiple times is a balayage effect on the individual drawers, balayage is a gradual lightning effect (it may be a hair definition but we will use it here haha). I had just got my latest order from Voodoo Molly Vintage and was eager to open the cans and start throwing some paint around - im not kidding im a messy painter!!

6 steps to achieving the balayage look on drawers

Getting started I lightly sanded down the furniture with a medium grit sand paper, if you don't know what grit is what - just ask the team at your local hardware store, they are so helpful. Once this is completed and the finish is slightly roughed up you can then wipe down with a micro fibre cloth to remove all dust (I also use an old paint brush to wipe the cracks and grooves).
I had 3 colours I needed to achieve so I separated the paint into 3 jars adding my VDMV Charcoal to each one making sure I had them at 3 different levels as I went.
I then added white to each to bring them to the same level - mixing the darkest colour first so I can lighten from there.
I then painted the drawers with 3 coats using 1 jar per 1 drawer allowing 1 hour drying time between coats.
While the drawers dry this is a good opportunity to paint the shell of the drawers as you can rotate between coats - again 3 coats will be fine.
Let them dry over night just to be 100% confident that the paint has worked its magic and hardened.

you are not a confident painter I recommend using the Voodoo Molly Vintage range, its coverage is like no other and is SO easy to paint. The end product is always a stunning finish that you will be proud of.

So what can we match with these drawers? I would use these in a larger bedroom so you can see the stunning finish and appreciate the balayage effect with the paint. A Senecio Rowleyanus (string of pearls) plant would be perfect to drape over the side in a marble or terracotta pot (Kmart is your go to here). And then a nice tray or container for your makeup/haircare to finish it off.

We have had such great feedback from this project, give it a go and tell us how you get on, the balayage repainted drawers are a surprisingly easy way of up-cycling a really cool old piece of furniture and making it look better than a new piece because it has character and is styled specific to your home.

Keep up to date on our latest projects on Facebook and Instagram!

My sister is just 3 weeks from having our nephew, while she has been off work she has been keeping her self busy researching all things for a baby boys nursery. Ash has great style and has always had her home well kept so having a new area in the home to throw her creative genius at.

Ash has recently upcycled an old wardrobe for her nursery and we think it has turned out great! So I asked her to send through some progress photos and write a blog post - she nailed it!

My Little Boys Nursery Wardrobe

This gem was left in our newly purchased home and just so happened to be perfect for the nursery and was the final finishing touch that really tied the room together. This was my first up cycle I have done and it was suprinsly easier than thought but still a process none the less. If I had stuck to basics and just went with the plain white without the feature of the chalk panel it could have been completed in a day easily, although I decided to get artsy and the final product was well worth it! I started off with a light sanding all over, once happy with that I used Zinsser interior & spot exterior primer-sealer stain blocker which I was told by a worker at mitre 10 can generally go straight on to any wood even if it had be varnished but to give it a light sand for best results.. WELL I wish I had sanded it more as there was one panel that had some varnish still peak through and crack the paint but luckily by the last coat of paint it was barely noticeable.

After a good coat with the primer which had already dried after 15minutes I did its first coat with Resene semi-gloss waterborne enamel 1 litre in white (I chose the semi gloss for personal preference, it can also come in a high gloss). Another coat was applied allowing at two hours between coats.

Now for the fun part 🙄!! I purchased 500ml of Hudson chalkboard paint in black this required two coats, each drying almost instantly. I left it two hours to be safe then proceed with my chosen quote design by using a chalk marker purchased from spotlight. This was the niggly part as the lines weren't sharp and needed a lot of touching up with a wet cloth as water is the only way to remove the marker, all in all this was the longest process of the whole upcycle!! The finished product was exactly how I envisioned with the whole thing costing under $100!

You can find Ashlees instagram here: www.instagram.com/mylittlewildoneandme

My friends and I have been toying with the idea of doing a fridge to fridge. This is where you get on your bike have a few at one place and then off to the next. I didn't have a bike so thought a vintage gem would be right on the money!

I was instantly on the hunt for a vintage bike, had added a few to my watch list on trade me and then fell in love with a Healing Loline. If you are over the age of 35 and are from New Zealand you will most likely know what this is.

It's a fixed gear 1960's, cruiser. Built in the 1960's and 1970's here in New Zealand by a company called Morison and Healing. The government of the day even played a part in the Healing bicycles' history; they stopped 90% of bike imports from entering the country to help boost the demand for New Zealand made bikes. They were onto something getting people out of the muscle cars and onto the shovey's.

These bad boys are very uncommon now days with the increase of vintage look bicycles on the road, I was brought up to appreciate the yesteryear and there is something about having people come up and admire the bike they once had and you instantly know that regardless of how amazing your handy paint work is they just love that you are still enjoying what they enjoyed way back when (parent's if you're reading this it so wasn't back when).

She was in pretty bad shape - rideable but what a rust bucket!! It just needed a bit of love and im totally the man to bring it back into the current year. We had just been given a heap of paint through a a comp we won via DULUX so I was sorted for undercoat, base coat, sparkle and gloss! The tyres were shagged so I went on down to my mates at Cycle trading co and got the white grips and tyres fitted after I de-rusted the rims. The chap that owns the show there actually sold these bikes brand new!!! HOW COOL!!! I really under estimated the amount of hard work that goes into restoring an old girl like this, lets just say my soft Account Manager hands are still sore haha (sigh).

All details about what I used are below the images, if you have one of these or had one please comment below, im just loving this bike and have just recently completed a Raleigh Twenty for my girlfriend.