Lampshade making and fabric painting with Melanie – Annie Sloan paint’s stockist

I have to tell you about my last weekend. I had so much fun! OK, maybe it did end with a £40 parking fine (I did not get it yet but I can almost hear the ticket scratching the letter box) but it was so much worth it anyway! So I attended a lampshade making workshop with a lovely Melanie who’s a stockist of Annie Sloan’s paint in Nottingham. Together with her husband Melanie runs this little shop called Heidi’s. Doesn’t this name just bring all the memories of your childhood? It sure does for me! Along with Anne of Green Gables and Pippi Longstocking they were my favourite films to watch as a kid. Funny enough, thirty years later Pippi Longstocking is one of my daughter’s favourites too! Of course you may remember them as books too… So, anyway, let’s get back to the subject. Heidi’s is not just a stockist of Annie Sloan’s paint. It’s a quirky little shop where you can find gifts and home accessories but most of  all it’s where all the beautiful hand painted furniture are born and then sold to others to enjoy them at home. All the pieces you find here are painted by very talented Melanie herself. Just a quick look at the furniture and you will know that this is not just her job but her love and passion first…

So back to the lampshade making workshop!

Oh, where do I even start! I have not only learned how to make a lampshade but also had a go at painting fabrics myself. And all this was filled with a good old chat about interiors and painting techniques!

To make your own lampshade all you need is a lampshade making kit (you can buy them online or at Heidi’s) and some fabric. It is most likely that you will also find the full instruction on how to make a lampshade yourself inside the box, but I would strongly advise you to sign up for the workshop. Creative workshops like this have become very popular in the last couple of years so I’m sure you can easily find one near you. But if you live in or around Nottingham area you should most definitely sign up for the workshop at Heidi’s. You will not only learn how to make a lampshade, but also spend two hours in an amazing company of Melanie and her husband. And at the end you get to take your lampshade home!

Fabric painting

Melanie also showed me how to use Annie Sloan’s paint on the fabric and create stunning designs with stencils. It is not a part of a standard lampshade making workshop so you can imagine my joker smile when she asked if I wanted to try (I think it was rhetorical question though). Apart from my latest “emergency button project” for my bed I never tried using Annie Sloan’s paint on the fabric. I wasn’t surprised that it can be done but I was surprised how easy it was. Why didn’t I think about it earlier?

(Excuse the massive roots on my head, hairdresser appointment booked for next week.  And I guess there’s no point in convincing you that I’m a natural blonde, heh?)

For my design I chose a kind of leafy stencil. I went for three harmonious colours based on Amsterdam Green which is my favourite colour at the moment (can’t wait to use it for my bathroom makeover!). I also used Aubusson Blue and Chateau Grey and together they created kind of an ombre effect… Gorgeous, don’t you think?

I had an absolutely most amazing day and I can’t wait to try everything I’ve learned at home. And I’m sure you’ve guessed where my new lampshade is going. You’ll see it in my bedroom makeover round-up, so make sure you stay tuned!

If you live in or around Nottingham and want to book for one of Heidi’s workshops you can do it here or pop into their shop in Beeston.

This is not a sponsored post! This workshop is so amazing I just had to share it with you guys!

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