The Handmade Fair ~ Upcycling with Chalk Paint workshop....

In my last post I mentioned I attended an Annie Sloan Upcycling workshop at the Handmade Fair. I'm giving it it's own post as I learnt some great tips that I wished I knew about when I first used Annie Sloane's Chalk Paint.

Annie Sloan

Chalk Paint adheres to almost any surface and doesn't require priming or sanding. Annie Sloane is an artist and developed it 20 years ago when she had young children and didn't want to have to wait for things to dry and was frustrated with the lack of paint options available at the time.  It is called Chalk Paint because of its velvety, matte finish.

We were given a large candle stick to paint with Napoleonic Blue Chalk Paint.

It is a different approach to normal paint. I like paint strokes in the same direction and when using chalk paint for the first time I didn't realise the technique is to move the paint brush in all directions. So when I was slap dash in the workshop it was much easier....

One coat painted

When I first used the paint I kept getting air bubbles, to stop this I need to have shorter, slow strokes and not be aggressive or slap the paint on.  So when applying chalk paint you need to relax, be liberal and lavish with the paint and not be a perfectionist!

Chalk Paint is thick so you shouldn't need more than one coat and you can also create texture.  If you prefer a smooth finish just add water and apply in the same direction as the grain.

We needed a little longer for the paint to dry but we were running out of time so when I applied the wax where the paint was wet it did rub away, so make sure the paint is dry before waxing. 

When waxing use a cotton rag, work small areas at a time and don't apply too thickly. The wax becomes touch dry very quickly but the 'curing' process takes 5-21 days depending on the ambient temperature. 

To give a distressed look, we removed a little of the paint using sandpaper after waxing.

The finished piece!

I was really happy with the finished candlestick, I just need to find a place for it at home.  I was even happier that I managed not to get blue paint on my white top, phew! 

There are more ways to use Chalk Paint, you can apply two coats in different colours for a two colour distressed look. You can also mix paint to create a new colour so there are endless shades available. This paint does give you a lot of creative freedom.

Annie Sloan only supplies and supports independent stores, which I think is great.  Most of these stores run workshops to learn all the different techniques you can do with this paint. This workshop at the Handmade Fair only touched the surface!

Have you used chalk paint? I'd love to hear about the projects you have used it for.

fizzi~jayne x

Psst.... Tomorrow is the last day to enter my giveaway! To enter click here

The Handmade Fair....

Last week I went to the Handmade Fair and if you follow me on Instagram you would have seen a lot of posts that day!  I had such a great day, it was in the grounds of the gorgeous Hampton Court.  I haven't visited the Palace for so long and I will have to make a trip back.

A soon as I entered the fair it had a crafty festival feel about it, with different tents for shopping, workshops, a Super Theatre and yummy food stalls.  

We were welcomed by pom poms for World Pomination, all in aid of a world record attempt for the longest pom pom chain.

As part of the ticket price you could book a seminar at the "Super Theatre", "a skill workshop" and "a grand make".  There were so many to choose from but you could pay for more on the day, if you could fit it in!

Kirstie Allsopp opened the fair every day and introduced the speakers of the talk I attended on Pinterest.  I also saw her driving around in a golf buggy wearing her Pom Pom crown!

The skills workshop I attended was Upcycling with Annie Sloan chalk paint....

Annie Sloan taking the workshop / the Candlestick before I painted with the new colour "Napoleonic Blue" launching soon

finished!

I'm going to do a separate post on this workshop as I learnt some helpful tips from Annie Sloan that I want to share.

Jane Means gave tips for making Christmas gifts look fabulous in "The Grand Make" tent. 

The bow I made....

I wish I had been there 2 days as there were workshops on paper cutting and lino cutting, jewellery making and so many more that I would have loved to try.

I loved the attention to detail at the event, as well as bunting, balloons and pom poms, even the picnic tables had flowers....

I went on my own but it was lovely bumping into crafty folk that I know and I met up with Laura at the HotchPotch Vintage tea tent for a catch up, chat about blogging stuff and eat yummy cake!

Look at these yummy cakes, it was a tough decision....

MMmm, carrot and orange cake! 

Etsy had their own tent where they were running talks all through the day for anyone who has a creative business or is thinking about starting one. I met up with Lauren from Little Wren Designs at a talk on how to optimise our Etsy shops.

There were two tents with shopping opportunities, which had a good mix of businesses selling craft supplies as well as stalls for designers and makers.  It was great to see small, creative businesses being supported and great to see Abigail and Victoria (I met them at the Crafty Catch Up) and see their products. 

Of course I made a few purchases, although I was very restrained for me and just about managed to stick to a budget....

Stamps from Craft Aslyum / Fimo / Flower Moulds / Gorgeous craft book, "Paper Only"

Overall it was a great day and I hope that there will be another one next year, fingers crossed! Did you attend? I'd love to hear about your day in the comments below.

fizzi~jayne x

Psst.... Have you entered my giveaway? I'm celebrating my Blog's 1st birthday and you could be in with a chance to win £15 of Vouchers to spend in any Etsy shop. To enter, click here before 30th September 2014.