watercolour Archives

Watercolour Christmas Wreath DIY

December 22, 2015August 4, 2016Margaux TaitDIYLeave a comment

I believe that Christmas isn’t complete without the wreath on the front door or in our case, above the fireplace. This Christmas wreath DIY is a super easy one that simply looks and smells lovely and uses my favourite foliage: penny gum. As a child, my best friend and I used to make floral wreaths with daisies. These fond memories have always stayed with me and get triggered as soon as I see a wreath.

You will need:

Penny gum (available at your local florist)

Prickly blooms or ‘fynbos’

Florist wire

Ribbon

Copper craft paint

Hat pin

Easy as pie

Follow the same steps that I showed you in our mini wreaths tutorial. Make a circle with your florist wire and thread the penny gum and whatever else you are using through the loops. Secure them by doing another layer of wire to catch all the loose ends. End off with ribbon and dip the ends in copper craft paint. I even dipped some of the prickly flowers in the paint to add to the bling.

Hanging around

We placed our wreath above the fireplace as this will be the first thing guests see when they enter through the front door. What a lovely way to say welcome!

Door to door

After our shoot I simply had to hang the wreath on my front door! Yes, this is where all the good props ends up.

I think I am going to make this my seasonal wreath. I’ll add different elements true to the specific season and have it proudly displayed all year round.

Why not make smaller wreaths for your table as well?

You will need:

Florist wire

Thin-stemmed penny gum branches (you can buy these at your local florist if you don’t have a friend with a tree)

Ribbon

Hat pin

Merry go round

Bend the florist wire into a circular shape and secure the end by threading it round. Start the wreath by putting the stem of the penny gum branch into one of the loops created. Now simply twirl it around until it ends. I didn’t let mine go all the way and left a ‘naked’ wire section at the top for the ribbon. It kind of reminds me of a roman wreath!

Needles and pins

I have a disturbingly large collection of hat pins at home. I simply cannot resist them and have found 101 uses for them. This time I’ve used a hat pin to secure the broad ribbon at the top of the wreath.

Let it shine

I wanted to echo my copper-dipped cutlery so I added a touch of copper craft paint to a few of the penny-gum leaves just for fun.

Hang on

These fragrant little wreaths are the perfect welcome at the back of each guest’s chair around the Christmas table. If you have a formal seating arrangement, you can go one step further and add the names of guests to them.

You can also make mini versions of these wreaths and use them for Christmas tree decorations – the possibilities are endless!

Happy styling,

Watercolour Christmas – nail polish mug DIY

December 15, 2015August 4, 2016Margaux TaitDIY2 Comments

I’ve seen a few examples of this nail polish mug DIY technique on the internet and was so intrigued that I’ve decided to try it for myself. The results were simply stunning! Who would have thought that nail polish can achieve this lovely watercolour look? And it’s pretty simple to do as well!

You will need:

Ceramic mugs and bowls

Selection of nail polish (not the quick drying type)

Water and container for dipping

Toothpicks

Paper towel

Preparation station

Add water to a flat container. Use a disposable container as you won’t be able to use it again after this exercise. Add a few drops of nail polish to the water and break up the colour dots by dragging a toothpick through it to form a pattern.

Dunk it

Now simply dip your ceramic bowl into the water and give it a twirl so that the nail polish sticks to the surface. It is amazing what happens to the nail polish when it hits the water. It creates a thin plastic-like film around the colour areas. I found it fascinating.

Mugged

Repeat this process with any old ceramics you have in the house. It’s lots of fun and makes pretty and inexpensive stocking fillers.

High and dry

Leave them to dry overnight on a piece of paper towel.

Wrapped up

Wrap them in tissue paper and boxes combined with nice ribbon. It will be very cute if you add a tag that tells the recipient that this item was hand-made by you. People seem to appreciate that more!

Please note: The crockery is not going to be food-safe, so don’t use this technique to decorate the inside of a plate or bowl that intend to eat out of. Make sure that you use CPG (ceramics / porcelain / glass) podge (the baking kind) over your designs to ensure their durability. And it’s best to wash by hand and avoid using them in the microwave.

Happy styling,

Watercolour Christmas – painted napkins DIY

December 3, 2015August 4, 2016Margaux TaitDIYLeave a comment

To fit the painted tablecloth done earlier this week, it was just fitting to show you a few a painted napkins DIY that will fit the theme beautifully and complete your table linen for Christmas.

You will need:

Fabric paint – blue, turquoise and yellow

Eight fabric squares cut to 40 x 40 cm and edges off with and over-locker

Applicator sponge

Container and water

Medium size paint brush

Step 1:

Wet a strip of the fabric with your applicator sponge. This will help the paint to spread so that it creates a watercolour effect.

Step 2

Now add paint to the wet strip. We started at the bottom of the napkin with blue, followed by turquoise above and ended it off with yellow.

Step 3

To break the monotony of the solid stripes I painted crisscross stripes with a dry brush to extend the yellow at the top of the napkin.

Step 4

I hung the napkins on our washing line and it was a huge mistake! Note to self: never do that again as the wet paint came off on the line and I had to wash it all down. Rather peg them to a piece of string suspended 2 chairs.

Left overs

For a bit of variation, I decided to have two of them a bit more subtle than the painted napkins. I pressed the fabric down on the newspaper that I used underneath while painting the other napkins, and it made a beautiful print onto the fabric. It’s a bit of a frottage effect and I love it!

All done

These napkins add the perfect colour splash to our watercolour Christmas table. They are fun and versatile and placed on top of the plates, they create a gorgeous display of colour.

I hope you try your hand at these! They are lots of fun to make and you can experiment with different designs and colours to your heart’s content!

Now, you may have noticed my amazing copper-dipped cutlery. It’s a short and sweet 1 minute wonder!

I bought this plastic cutlery set on sale and wanted to use it on our watercolour Christmas table. The only problem: because they are transparent, they would get totally lost when placed on my very colourful napkins! So I decided to dip the beautifully detailed handles in copper craft paint.

And the effect was very interesting!

Here’s what you’ll need for this super easy painted cutlery DIY:

Plastic cutlery

Copper craft paint (or any metallic craft paint of your choice)

Paper towel

One step wonder

I love doing one step DIY’s. Life is too short! Simply dip your handle in the copper paint and wipe the excess with the paper towel. It gives it a lovely distressed feel and the right amount of colour without taking away the transparency.

Expect the unexpected

So the most interesting thing is that the craft paint made these stunning watery patterns on the sections that I wiped almost clean of the paint. It sticks beautifully to the plastic but I won’t bargain on it surviving the first wash. You can always dip it in another colour for your next soiree.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these fun and easy-to-do projects – now, go and try it yourself over the festive season!

Happy styling,

Watercolour Christmas – painted tablecloth DIY

December 1, 2015August 4, 2016Margaux TaitDIYLeave a comment

This year we have made our Christmas shoot a big production: we created a watercolour table setting that we think fits the South African weather and way we celebrate the season best.

We will be sharing seven DIY projects all showcased in this lovely setting and of course some clever styling ideas and quick tricks over the next few weeks building up to Christmas Day.

First off, we start with our watercolour painted tablecloth DIY done with a lot of trail and error – but in the end, it’s a true show stopper!

You will need:

Fabric cut to size and the edges finished off

Fabric paint in blue and turquoise

Applicator sponge

Empty container and water

Brush

Sponge

Step 1:

I started by creating dry brush strokes in a crisscross fashion in the middle of the tablecloth. I used blue and turquoise fabric paint to keep within the color palette for our watercolour Christmas this year. I used these two colours as my primary tones throughout all of the projects that you’ll see over the next few weeks.

Step 2:

I wanted the strokes to blend more so I used a normal sponge and vigorously rubbed out the paint stripes with water so it would flow better.

Step 3:

Just for fun, I diluted a little of the blue fabric paint with water and splattered it in and round the painted area on the tablecloth for visual interest. Very expressive!

Step 4

Now carry the fabric out and hang to dry – but be careful! My tablecloth was still very wet and I dripped paint all over the floor on the way out which I had to mop up. The drip lines on the fabric look awesome though, so all is well that ends well!

Step 5:

I ironed the tablecloth just to make double sure that the colours won’t fade over time. Alternatively, you could use fabric podge to cover the colour which will make it easy to clean with a simple wipe. Most good craft shops stock a range of them.

And there she is! I love the subtle brush strokes down the middle and the watery outline that fits our theme beautifully . It’s a fun and less formal look that is perfect for a beach or pool side Christmas.

Happy styling,

Watercolour murals

November 24, 2015August 4, 2016Margaux TaitINTERIOR DESIGNLeave a comment

There has been a big boom in wall finishes the past few years: we have seen very creative focal walls done in different mediums from specialized paint and cement finishes to beautiful wallpapers. I think it’s safe to say that if you don’t have one in your home you are probably immune to inspiration! But we are going to prevail and try to inspire you anyway! In line with our watercolour theme we have found some very creative and fun watercolour murals to share with you.

Art Class

Bright and bold watercolour stains create a lovely energy to a room. The colours remind me of art class and I simply love them! It’s very refreshing to see unexpected colour combinations like these.

picslovin.com architectureartdesigns.com

Wallpaper

This is probably the easiest way to get a perfect watercolour stain on your wall – with wallpaper. I love the monotone stains and their watery feel will have a calming effect in any space.

anewall.com

Splash out

We have seen a lot of solid watercolour stains and so I simply love the dots on the wall on the left. It’s also done in the super fresh colour scheme of cobalt blue and white, reminding me of Delft crockery.

queenslandhomes.com.au thelifecreativeblog.com

Watermark

This subtle watermark wall is super sophisticated and will live a little longer than most on the wall without dating.

thelifecreativeblog.com

Monochrome

If you’re not ready to commit to a watercolour wall but love the look, then it’s probably best you invest in some art. The wall hanging on the left and the squares right are both stunning and subtle while creating an impressive focal.

nynnerosenvinge.com brit.co

Pastels

This is probably my favourite watercolour mural: soft and feminine, it might just be the perfect wall in a baby girl’s nursery.

thehousethatlarsbuilt.com bloglovin.com

Framed

Watercolour prints are very trendy at the moment and they’re available all over online shops like Etsy. Especially the world map seems to be particularly popular. I would love to do a pink Africa like the framed portrait on the right! Watch this space, it might be in the pipeline!

etsy.com anewall.com

I hope you have been inspired by all these watery walls!

Happy styling,