Paint dipped wooden spoons

A super simple project today! I was in London last week and came across a selection of wooden spoons, which had a gorgeous range of colourful handles. I got a little carried away and bundled up about 10 of them before even looking at the price - £10 each! You have to be kidding me, there is no way I was going to spend £100 on wooden spoons, no matter how colourful they were. I realised how easily this could be achieved at home, so when I arrived back in Paris on the weekend, I decided to make a few of my own. It was probably the easiest (and cheapest) project I have ever done. I bought a range of wooden cooking utensils for a total of €5, mixed up a nice ruby red, cream and soft pink and a few moments later, I was finished! Here's how it's done ... 

Buy yourself any mixture of wooden kitchen utensils

I think it looks best when you have a range of different coloured woods

Mix your favourite colours in a small pot, deep enough to submerge half of each handle

Dip the handles in one by one & try to give each a slightly different length

Allow to dry on a raised surface for a couple of hours

Voila! Some bright and fun new cooking accessories

Vintage lampshade repairs

After weeks of letter box checking, waiting, some more letter box checking, more waiting, I finally received my Canon close up 250D lens in the post last week and have been madly putting it to the test. It has taken a little getting used to, but from what I have seen so far it makes macro shooting much cleaner and more enjoyable. I thought I'd try it out on my latest project - reworking a vintage lampshade. I found this shade at the local markets - I loved the shape and brass bulb fitting, but it was looking a little tired and worn out, with a few holes in the netting and splintered weaving. It didn't need too much work, so I bought it anyway (for a whopping 10 euro) and used left over lace from my wedding dress to set about fixing it up. I kept it simple with minimal lace and wove plenty of twine around the frame. Here are a few pictures of the frame during the weave and the finished, hanging product. It looks magnificent when lit up and the light bounces off the netting & through the lace. Bisous x

left over wedding dress lace & broderie anglaise

close up of weaving twine around the splintered frame - courtesy of my new macro lens

a small piece of crochet to hide a gaping hole

macro shot of the fantastic brass bulb fitting

hanging in the berdroom

the finished product

Restoring our chandelier ancien

We've been thinking of replacing our trés ancien chandelier that hangs so low in the middle of our lounge room (and occasionally whacks us over the head). But today I thought that rather than replacing the old beauty, perhaps it could just do with a small revamp. After all, it would be a shame to discard something which seems to be as old as the building itself. The brass and crystal needed some heavy duty polishing, the light sticks needed straightening and fixing and I couldn't stand the yellowing colour of the sticks. So out came the gloves, the spray and the paintbrush and I set to work. I polished each and every jewel and painted the sticks white, so that they blend more smoothly with the walls. I'm sure it's some sort of faux pas to paint an antique chandelier ... Nevertheless, I think it was necessary. Here are some photos of the improvement, however small. Bisous x

the old duck in need of repairs

tools for the project

half way through painting the sticks

sparkling crystals and white candlesticks

left over and broken crystals

the finished product

My latest DIY's

My parents and grandparents bought me a flash dang new sewing machine as a wedding present and it just arrived a couple of weeks ago. I am loving the new baby and have been busy stitching up a retro / vintage / floral storm over the last few days. Here's a peek at some creations. PS: Yes, I do love cushions. x .......... All items available at my Etsy store www.etsy.com/siobhanplace.couture