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Gilding projects And How Tos

 

Known affectionately by friends and rather humorously I might add as ‘The Queen Of Gold Leaf’ gilding in its many forms is one of my absolute passions. I have been gilding now for well over 30 years and am completely self taught. It all started with a mirror. Which actually looked in the end as though a blind man had been given free rein in sweet wrapper factory. But hey ho, we learn from our mistakes. But from that moment on I was hooked. So in this section of my blog you will find all my gilding projects.

 

From how to apply loose or transfer leaf to walls. ceiling or even a staircase I have it all. From small projects to large. And don’t worry, I won’t inflict my love of gold on you. You are of course free to use silver, copper or any other colour leaf for that matter. From beginners to the more experienced I hope you will find something to inspire you.

Brands, Gilding projects And How Tos, How To's

Stencilling a Floor With Cricut

Cricut Explore Air 2 - Raspberry Flavoured Windows

This post is sponsored by Cricut. As part of my ‘Outhouse’ (henceforth known as the She Shed) makeover I knew that the final piece of the jigsaw that is the design was the floor. But what to do with it?? It’s made up of two different slabs of concrete. One newer and smooth. The other old and pitted. And where the two meet there’s a crack that runs the length of the room. The ideal answer would be tiling. But A. The floor isn’t level and so would require small tiles or digging down and levelling. And B. This is a budget makeover. There’s no money for tiles. So when Cricut got in touch with me I jumped at the chance to try the Explore Air 2 to make a floor stencil. And as it turns out stencilling a floor with Cricut is incredibly easy to do. Continue Reading…

Gilding projects And How Tos, How To's

raised wooden letter DIY wall sign art

Cafe Wall Sign Art

The outhouse is coming along nicely now. The walls are done. The windows are all looking pretty, even the one I had to reglaze. And the furniture has all been upcycled. And now with only the floor left to do (I’m planning something quite special for that) it just leaves me with the styling up and faffing to do. Which let’s face it is always the best bit. The bit where the actual design you had in your head becomes a reality. And as my design is inspired by the Gran Caffe culture of Italy I though it would be a bit of fun to create my very own signage as a homage to these wonderful places. So here’s how I made my DIY raised wooden letter wall sign art. Continue Reading…

Gilding projects And How Tos, How To's

How To Upcycle A Mid Century Dining Chair

How To Upcycle A Mid Century Dining Chair

As part of operation renovate the outhouse into a liveable space you’ll know that so far I have in no particular order…….. Rendered the walls. Re pointed the stone wall. Fixed the leaking roof. Fallen through the leaking roof! And reglazed the sash window. This leaves two things as yet to do. Finish off the floor, more on that another time. And finding a couple of chairs and a table for morning coffee or for late night drinks. I have been stalking Facebook Marketplace for weeks now. But everything I like goes in seconds, is too expensive or too far away. And then an ad popped up from a local restaurant about to refurb and I was on it! One hour later I am the owner of two chairs and a table. Want to see how to upcycle a mid century dining chair the RFW way? Then read on. Continue Reading…

Gilding projects And How Tos, How To's, Outside Spaces

DIY Gold Leaf Planters

After Spending what felt like months improving the kerb appeal of the front of the house it’s time to start on the back. The dreaded area that is my back garden. Now I have always said that I would never share my back garden. To say it needs tending is rather an under statement. I mean I have dandelions and bare patches of earth where there should be a lawn. I have more dandelions a plenty coming up through the patio. Three outhouses and a lean to that are falling down. And a back door hanging off! So rather than feeling overwhelmed I have broken the garden down into areas and with a make do and mend attitude I am making a start. And to add a bit of RFW magic I’m adding some DIY Gold Leaf Planters. Continue Reading…