This Blog Has Moved...

Alas, I will no longer be posting here at the KJ Brown Blog. However, I am now posting at - http://theteamdk.blogspot.co.uk

Make sure you check 

out the Brand New 

TEAMDK Blog

Little Wooden Box

Painted Heart Shaped Box

This is a quick craft project I completed this week. You may recognise this little wooden box from the last post. Yep, you guessed it... it's from Wilkinsons. I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I decided to to use my little tester pots (again, you'll recognise these from the previous noticeboard post).

With a ruler and pencil I sketched out a basic triangular pattern on the top of the box. I then used a tiny paintbrush and applied alternating colours to create a pattern. 

I completed the pattern all over and painted both the inside and out with each of the three colours and a black acrylic. 

This was a really quick and easy project and I love how it turned out. I have in insatiable need to paint things... and love how the vibrant paints brighten up our flat.

D&K Decoupage

Decoupage Project

D and I love a little joint craft project, so on one of our days off this week we headed off to HobbyCraft to get some quick craft inspiration. We saw all kinds of cool stuff to try, but decided on a little decoupage to keep us busy. The only trouble was... the stuff at HobbyCraft is just soooooo expensive. So we headed over to The Range. The Range don't have everything that HobbyCraft carries, but the craft section is still pretty impressive and way cheaper. We picked up some decoupage paper (£2.99) and a couple of cardboard letters to work with (£1 each). We also decided to cover a small wooden box we picked up from Wilkinson's a few months back (only a couple of quid). 

Here's what we used for the project - cardboard letters, small wooden heart shaped box, two old soft paint brushes, decoupage paper and some PVA glue.

We decided on a cute music themed paper for our pieces, but there were a large variety of designs available at both stores. 

Step 1 - We cut our paper up into small random shapes ready for gluing. 

Step 2 - Next, I painted a thin layer of glue onto the area where I decided to stick my first pieces of paper. Once in place, I painted another thin layer of PVA over the top to ensure each piece was secure.

Step 3 - I repeated this process until one side of my letter was fully covered. I then left this side to dry for around 15mins, flipped it over and then covered both the other side and outer edges. 

Here are both mine and D's letters fully covered and dry. The entire process took around 45 minutes (this includes drying time).

Next, we moved onto the small wooden box and used the exact same technique to cover it. 

I love our little joint craft projects. It gives us time to chat, listen to music together and we really enjoy each others company. I just wish we had a little more free time to work on these silly projects together more often. :) 

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

My Favourite Ad

Now this is a slight departure from my regular craft/how-to posts, but I just had to share this with you. Those of you who live in the UK (and watch TV) may have already seen this ad. But, if you've not seen it... watch it!!!

I don't usually pay attention to ads. In fact I don't even have a TV (I watch almost everything on catch up sites). But for some reason this ad resonated with me. I love it. It's just so beautiful. Don't worry, I'm not affiliated with Ikea or trying to sell you a bed. I've just found something beautiful and wanted to share it with my readers(?).

Check it out here -

Here is the Shakespeare quote that accompanies the ad - 

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On 
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, 
As I foretold you, were all sprits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, 
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with sleep. 
(The Tempest, Prospero, Act 4, Scene 1)

The Norwich Flat

Making This Flat Our Own

We've been in our flat for about a year now, but we still don't feel completely at home here. Our old Plymouth flat was an unfurnished rental, and all of the furniture was our own. Working from a blank canvass and slowly building our furniture collection over two years really made the place feel like a home. But, our Norwich rental is part furnished. We were really hoping for an unfurnished property, but at the time this was the only place we could find. This resulted in us storing a ton of our furniture in my folks garage. 

We managed to squeeze in some of our key pieces, but the place is still dominated by the landlords furniture. For this reason, I'm still trying to carve out small spaces in order to inject some of our style and personality into the place. On our bedroom window shelf I've created a little collection of handmade and store bought pieces. These little knick knacks make me smile and look forward to a time when we own a place and can decorate and furnish it in our very own way. 

My Little Pink Chest

Debenham's Pink Chest 

Many moons ago I worked from home and created my own little office work space. For a long time I fit myself into the space, rather than working the office around me... Big Mistake. Back in my PC days my computer set up wasn't ergonomically sound and whilst typing my head was always looking down at the screen. This eventually lead to trapped/compressed nerves in my neck, RSI and months of physiotherapy (and some very painful traction). All caused by bad screen positioning. 

Since then I have been using all kinds of boxes to prop up my screen to achieve the perfect eye-level height. Shoe boxes, decorative boxes even stacked reams of paper. They all worked, but whatever I tried I wasn't ever happy with the look. Until I found this amazing pink metal chest. 

I found the chest at my local Debenham's on sale for just £20. There were other sizes and colours available, but this was my absolute favourite. It's now filled with all kinds of knick knacks and the bright pink colour always makes me smile. Using unique items for functional purposes can added elements of design to spaces that we often overlook. 

KJ Brown On-Line Shop!!!

KJ Brown On-Line Shop!!!

I've been selling my jewellery up and down the country - from Plymouth all the way up to Norfolk for years now! 
But, now it's time to start selling my pieces on-line. Here is a preview of my new jewellery range. All items will be available to purchase on-line (shortly). More details will follow soon...

Making this flat our own

The Norwich Flat

We've moved three times in as many years. Not only is it a massive upheaval, but it takes us ages to unpack, design and settle into our new flats. Our current abode is pretty dull, with its magnolia walls, modern soulless mass produced fixtures and fittings. 

Over the last 10 or so months, we've been slowly editing our furnishing and adding new items to create a fresh individual look. Little by little we have been creating small collections and areas that help us feel like this place is our home.

Playing around with pieces both new and old, mismatching ideas and colours have helped us bring this place to life. 

These little knick knacks make me smile. I'll be adding more and more pictures as time goes by, sharing design ideas and documenting the evolution of our small space over the next few months. 

So watch this space. 

The Gold Chair

The Gold Chair

I've developed a new problem... with spray paint. 

I LOVE it! It's amazing. I can't stop myself. Picture frames, jam jar lids, furniture... you name it, I'll spray it. My favourite spray paint project to date is THE GOLD CHAIR.

This chairs life started out as a boring wood and beige plastic chair (I borrowed it from a restaurant I once worked in - I'm gonna take it back one day... I promise). I use the chair as an office chair, as it's light, comfy and the perfect height for my desk. But the beige just didn't cut it. So out came the spray paint, and what a transformation. 

I used one large gold metallic spray paint can from Wilkinson's - it cost around £5 (I think). As I don't have a garden, I sprayed at my folks house (they weren't too impressed with golden grass - whoops). It only took about 15 minutes to cover the entire chair evenly (there were a few drips I needed to wipe off and re-spray, so beware of spraying too close to the chair), and another 10/15 minutes to dry. All in all this was a super simple project that transformed a boring chair into an amazing golden throne. 

Hello!

And welcome to my brand new blog.
I'll be back soon with all kinds of silly pictures, posts and craft ideas. 
So come back soon. 
See you later...
KJ x