upcycle clothes
Upcycling Clothes with Olesya Lane

Upcycling Clothes with Olesya Lane

Upcycling really isn’t just about furniture! That’s why on episode one of Upcycle TV, I spoke about upcycling clothes with Olesya Lane. Olesya is an expert at recycling clothes and actually teaches those who want to learn how do it. Her work is outstanding and like all upcycled work, it has personality, history and a unique style.

During the podcast, I was absolutely shocked to learn that a pair of jeans takes 7000 gallons of water make, we actually have enough clothing on the planet right now to clothe the next six generations of the human race! These two facts should really hit home and make us think differently about our spending habits.

You can listen to the podcast where we discuss upcycling clothes on Spotify and Anchor.

Podcast on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1LwLiBlVwd6wg8WDQNvFkY

Podcast on Anchor

https://anchor.fm/upcycle-tv

A glimpse of some of the work by Olesya
upcycle clothes

I also recorded the podcast and put it on Upcycle TV YouTube channel

If you would like to find out more about the courses run by Olesya Lane, here is a link to her Website: https://slowfashionbus.co.uk/
Also the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/7craftsboutique

In these courses you will learn:

– How to avoid making expensive mistakes, buying something that won’t suit you
– Learn your colour palette
– Save a small fortune by upcycling your clothes and being able to re-sparkle your existing garments in different ways
– Learn useful creativity and imagination; this is beneficial for your mental wellness. This will be your self-expression, not someone else’s
– Curb your consumerism habits: this is so liberating
– Become much more sustainable and eco-friendly, whilst making your everyday clothing choices

The hot topic right now is Black Lives Matter ( BLM ) which is, of course a very important topic and I take nothing away from it by raising the point that we have slavery issues right now, today as I write this and the clothing industry is deeply connected. Another reason for us all to look at our spending habits, here is a very eye-opening piece written in the Guardian that highlights this issue.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jun/11/racism-is-at-the-heart-of-fast-fashion-its-time-for-change?

We can all do with a bit of education on the matter, there is a great book called “essentialism” which I highly recommend, it has business message behind it but also about how we live our lives and I feel a really useful connection to this the above points raised.

Take a look at all our recommended books here

How to Get a Smooth Finish with Chalk Paint

How to get a smooth finish using chalk paint

It took a little to time and practice to discover how to get a smooth finish using chalk paint.
Once you know how to do this, it is fairly easy to do, you can follow my instructions in the video.

Video: How to get a perfect finish using chalk paint

1. Prepare your piece that you are painting – a good wash down with sugar soap first, I like to use the powder version and mix it a little stronger.
2. In most cases, when using a premium brand paint, you’ll only need a light key. If you are using primer and emulsion or a lower cost chalk paint then you might want to be more trigger happy with the sanding. This is why I prefer to use a premium brand paint – see link
3. Run a damp cloth over to remove any remaining dust.
4. Use a mini roller with a Hamilton Prestige felt sleeve.
These beauties are a proper game-changer. – BUY ROLLER SLEEVES
5. Between all coats, use a sanding sponge to polish until happy with the finish of the surface.

Repeat the process.

how to get a smooth finish with chalk paint
Using sanding sponge to get a smooth sprayed-like finish

Not everyone wants a smooth finish
Absolutely, it really depends on the piece in question but yes, sometimes you want to brush marks and imperfection – this video isn’t for you!

If you are wanting to get your paintwork looking like its been sprayed then, without doubt, it is the way to go. I haven’t yet found a better, more efficient way to achieve such a superior paint finish.

If you are a professional or aspiring pro furniture painter then this could be a game-changer for you and your budding business as not only is does it allow a fantastic finish to your work but it is quick and easy.

Hope that the techniques I show here will help you discover how to get a smooth finish with chalk paint.
If youve enjoyed this blog, check our our YouTube channel – UpcycleTV

pretty painted pink house black door
How to Paint a Upvc Door

How to Paint a UPVC Door

You can paint Upvc doors and windows and its actually really easy and extremely effective. In this written article, I am going to show you how to paint a Upvc door and what materials and tools you’ll need to do it.

In this video, I painted our back door from white to a lovely blue.

As always, preparation is vital. Here is a list of prep.

1. Wash the door down with hot soapy water, use a decreasing product like sugar soap and an algae remover if required.
2. A very light key with a sanding sponge or fine sandpaper
3. Clean the door with methylated spirit and wait until dry or dry with lint-free cloth.

Now you can paint – How to paint a Upvc door

I highly recommend using a paint such as Frenchic Alfresco or Dulux Weathershield Multisurface

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PAINT YOUR PVCU FRONT DOOR

You can use a mini roller and a paintbrush, I like the finish when using a felt roller ( see how to get a perfect finish using chalk paint ) and I’m a paintbrush snob so something like Purdy – It actually doesnt matter too much, depending on how fussy you are about getting a smooth finish but, this can be achieved by polishing anyway!

Once you’ve applied a coat of paint, polish out any imperfections with sanding sponge/paper before and wipe with a damp cloth before atarting the next coat.

How to paint a Upvc door – Repeat until you are happy with the finish.

I am reliably informed that adding Polyvine to a standard chalk paint will also work but, as of yet, I haven’t tried and tested this so I am not suggesting you do that. If you have any experience of this then please do let me know in the comments.

What Colour Should You Paint Your Front Door?
It really depends on your personal preference, the colour and finish of the building and the general surroundings.

Here is the colour chart for Dulux Weathershield Multisurface paint

dulux multisurface paint almond whitedulux multisurface paint blackdulux multisurface paint chic shadowdulux multisurface paint cotton creamdulux multisurface paint fresh sagedulux multisurface paint vallant greydulux multisurface paint green gladedulux multisurface paint hazelnut truffledulux multisurface paint pure brilliant whitedulux multisurface paint smooth flintdulux multisurface paint vast lakedulux multisurface paint warm graphite

pretty painted pink house black door

If you’ve enjoyed this article, you’ll probably also enjoy the blog about painting your patio slabs which you can read here

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