Furniture Upcycling Online Workshops from Upcycle Arcade for all age 10 to 100
The new Upcycle Arcade Online School is now OPEN. Unlimited access to all step-by-step video tutorials from just £30.
These courses will unleash your inner creative spirit by giving the skills and confidence to take unwanted furniture and transform it into beautiful statement pieces you will love.
There are two online courses; one for adults who appreciate a little more detail and one for Young Upcyclers age 10-18 years (some help and guidance may be required).
For Young Upcyclers age 10-18
If the young person’s bedroom is in need of a makeover, why not get them to do it themselves and without breaking the bank? You could do it together.
By doing this fun course with your Young Upcycler, you will be spending valuable time helping them gain confidence in expressing their ideas themselves through their creative work. And away from their screens. By the end of the course, they will feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence whilst you would have spent time with them in a fun and healthy way.
For all upcyclers of all ages
By the end of this course you will:
- Know where to find a great piece of furniture to upcycle.
- Know when and how to prepare the furniture.
- Get to know Annie Sloan Chalk Paints™
- Master essential painting skills to bring their creative designs to life.
- Protect their furniture to ensure its durability and long life.
- Learn how to preserve wonderful pieces of furniture. By giving them new life, they will prevent them from ending up in landfill. Reuse, repurpose, recycle; living a little more sustainably and helping our planet.
Follow each step and you or your Young Upcycler will build on creativity and style whilst learning the techniques and skills to bring it all together. You will end up with one marvelous, sustainable piece of upcycled furniture.
This is an opportunity for parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, godparents or carers to spend quality one-on-one time bonding with their young person. You can both learn how to upcycle furniture together.
These online workshops will make a personal, different and highly creative gift, a worthwhile project for Young Upcyclers during the school holidays. They may even create an entrepreneurial spark! The course has that part covered too.
How do I access this course?
Head over to the online school and purchase the course from there: Adult’s Furniture Upcycling Online Course for £45 or Young Upcyclers Furniture Upcycling Course for £30. You will then gain unlimited access to the online tutorials which contains around 3 hours of videos broken down into bitesize chunks. This price includes a full comprehensive shopping list with links to my favourite suppliers. Alternatively, you can indulge in a premium or standard box of products which can be purchased from the Upcycle Arcade shop.
Just think: you or your youngster could have the skills and confidence to start transforming your home or their bedroom. Plus if you purchase a box of products from the Upcycle Arcade shop, you get to keep all the tools ready for the next projects.
What will I need to take part?
You will need a piece of furniture such as a bedside table or small unit. If you don’t already have one, the course will guide you through where best to get one from and at a reasonable price.
Does the course come with all the paint and brushes??
There is a full shopping list as well as links to my favourite stockists, within the course.
Alternatively, boxes containing paints, waxes, brushes and accessories are now available from the Upcycle Arcade store. These complete boxes of products contains the materials needed to complete the Furniture Upcyclers online course are delivered direct to your door.
What you or your Young Upcycler could achieve!
Ava – age 14
“I loved this course and I will definitely keep upcycling in the future…all you have to do is show up, get creative, complete creative control of what you do. This is a perfect course for all ages and I would definitely recommend it. I was extremely pleased with the final result and enjoyed a fun day painting.”
Review from Marie
“I had a lovely day with Kirsty. She guided me through the upcycling process step by step and nothing was too much trouble. By the end of the day I had transformed an old piece of furniture into something special. I would highly recommend her workshops.”
Flinty – age 15
“A special fantastic day spending quality time with my teenage daughter, learning how to upcycle furniture. Kirsty was amazing providing a well structured day, learning techniques, every detail thought of plus an addition to our house of a beautiful upcycled piece of furniture fashioned by my daughter.
Review from Sue
“Thank you for a really enjoyable day. I learned lots of skills I can use on other projects as well as finishing my upcycling project for the day. Kirsty was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and I highly recommend the course. “
Why learn from me?
It’s been nearly six years since I first picked up a paintbrush and since then I have perfected many techniques using many different products. By selling upcycled furniture as well as working on people’s own furniture, I have prevented hundreds of pieces of furniture from heading to landfill forever.
In partnership with Buckinghamshire Council, I have held many in-person workshops mainly at my home, helping adults and Young Upcyclers get creative and confident with furniture paints.
Building Confidence for Young People
Inspiration for the Young Upcyclers workshops came from attending two baking days at Waddesdon Manor with each of my daughters. The Manor chefs took the workshops and we left with boxes full of baked treats. It was one child with one adult and was a fabulous bonding experience for both me and my daughters. These workshops gave my girls confidence to try, have a go at and not be fearful of a cheese scone or a rosemary bread roll.
I want the Young Upcyclers and all adults who attend my workshops and courses to experience the same sense of achievement, if necessary to have the same special one-on-one quality time with each other, and to leave with something rather wonderful and tangible, namely their very own piece of upcycled furniture.
For more information concerning my inspiration for these workshops, read my blog about how to get the Gen Z generation upcycling.
My own Young Upcyclers
I have three teenagers currently living at home, each with their unique style and levels of creativeness. I have helped each one find their own inner-creative and while not always fully agreeing with their choice, I’ve always respected that it is their choice. And besides, everything can always be repainted.
Support from the pioneering chalk paint creator, Annie Sloan
Another supporter of the Young Upcycler initiative is Oxford based Annie Sloan whose chalk paints have revolutionised furniture painting around the globe. “We’re in awe of Kirsty and her noble mission to bring upcycling to the environmentally conscious youth of today. Her workshops will inspire confidence, as well as teaching participants important, useful and FUN life skills so that they can enjoy a life of self-sufficiency, sustainability and independence. I look forward to seeing the projects these young eco warriors create!”
FAQs
Who are these furniture upcycling courses for?
We have two online furniture upcycling workshops:
- one for Young Upcyclers aged 10 to 18 years
- one for adults who appreciate just a little more detail
This course is a great activity to do with a friend or with the Young Upcycler in your life, be they your son or daughter, or a grandchild, niece, nephew.
How much experience do I need to do this course?
Absolutely none! All the skills and techniques will be taught in easy step-by-step videos, supported by some downloadable guides and checklists. Absolute beginners can do this course.
Do I need to be creative to do this course?
Not at all. Of course it helps, but the course offers inspiration at a level your Young Upcycler is comfortable with. This may be a single colour or a range of colours, block colour or stencilled designs. We even discuss knobs and hardware during the course.
How long with the course be available online?
Once you have enrolled, you can work through the course at your own (or the Young Upcycler’s) speed. There is no time limit, and the tutorials will remain accessible indefinitely.
How much is this course?
The course tutorials comprising nearly 3 hours of videos broken down into manageable chunks, plus quizzes and fun facts about sustainable living.
- Young Upcyclers £30 one-off cost
- Adults £45 one-off cost
You will gain unlimited access to the video tutorials.
The boxes of top quality products, specially selected for beginners, are now available in the Upcycle Arcade store. These include all paints, waxes and brushes plus accessories required to complete the course. There is a premium box and a standard box at £90 and £70 respectively. The only difference is in the brushes: all brushes in the premium box are from Annie Sloan whereas the paint and wax brush in the standard box are unbranded. The boxes are delivered to your UK door free of charge.
How do I access the course?
Click here and you will be taken directly to the Upcycle Arcade School where you can enroll and start upcycling immediately.
How can I pay for the course?
From the Upcycle Arcade School, you will be taken to the payment screen where all major credit and debit cards are accepted. There is also a payment plan available for the adult course if you’d prefer to pay in installments.