Glasgow Reviewed; Emily Rose Vintage Upcycling Class

 For anyone who follows me on twitter or instagram, you will know I am a huge fan of charity shopping and generally reusing and recycling what I can. The recession means there is just less expendable cash for most and I find taking advantage of second hand anything, from clothes to furniture, is the best way for me to make my salary go further. That, and I have always loved a bargain- so finding good items for much less than in shops gives me a great rush! When I bought my flat 3 years ago I furnished it entirely with second hand stuff which at the time suited me fine, but now it feels a little tired and I am looking to up-cycle what I can to breathe some new life into it. Up-cycling is huge right now, with many others in the same situation financially, people are looking for pretty and affordable options for the home and a bit of DIY can go a long way.

I am a bit a of a creative dunce however and I have just never thrown myself into it properly for fear of getting it all wrong so when an amazing new upcycler called Emily of Emily Rose Vintage moved into premises just two streets along for me in the East End of Glasgow, I just had to get along and let her talk me through it.

Offering a variety of classes and price points, I  first went along to try one of her night classes that at just £25 are absolutely the perfect way to throw yourself into transforming a piece of your own and the perfect option if you just want to get stuck right in and transform something. I have had this boring old brown stool in my house since I was about 14 and have always meant to do something about it but such is life, I just never got round to it! These are where the night classes are such a fab idea, I can take this old boring brown stool and after a couple of hours with Emily it is now one my favourite things in my flat! The workshop, located on Sword street which is just around the corner from Bellgrove trains station ( two very short stops along from Queen Street) is a lovely space, there is room for a few of Emily's absolutely stunning pieces to be on show and room for you to bring something in to get to work on. There is also handily a kitchen which means she can whip up some delicious tea and homemade cake to enjoy when taking a break from all the hard work! All it took to turn this stool into something pretty was a couple of coats of paint, some varnish and an amazing little decal I chose from the catalogue of so many beauts and BAM- gorgeous new vintage look stool that I am so proud of.

before and after thanks to Emily Rose Vintage!

Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paints are Emily's weapon of choice as she is a big fan of the finish you can achieve with it and it was great fun learning about how to mix the colours. I was also lucky enough to go along to one of her relaxed Saturday morning classes where I had the chance to learn lots more about these paints and how they can be used in a multitude of different ways. The morning class is the ideal introduction to learn the basics from getting the 'chipped' look to which top coat is right for the job. For £35 for 3-4 hours we covered all the basics using wooden boards and snarfed down some tea and delicious home made cake . It is such a lovely way to spend a morning, like the evening class the atmosphere is so friendly and open that is a great space to learn in. The other people who came along were aboslutely lovely, it was nice to just sit and chat while painting and learning from each persons board as everyone was choosing different colours. You can also opt to do the whole day session for £55 where you can then move on to working on your own item in the afternoon under Emily's expert guidance and enjoy a lovely light lunch.

cake and painting-bliss!

working on my colour combinations

My practice boards from the Saturday morning class- just look at those colours!

 I had such a wonderful time at this class I have not stopped raving about it since, I would love to treat my mum to one of these day classes as I think she would love to learn a new skill and get stuck in with some old furniture. I can think of so many occasions a class like this would make a lovely present, something for hens or bridesmaids to do together, going with a partner to do up something for the house and working together on it or just for a fun class to take with a friend.  I have to say Ally has never been more pleased with any class I have done in the past, he absolutely ADORES the old stool I upcycled and shows it off to anyone who comes in the door which is really sweet. I can't wait to start work on something new!

You can commission Emily to do pieces for you or even buy some of the pieces she has on display ( I wanted them all!) or find out more about her classes by taking a look on her facebook, twitter and website.