Hello hello dear otters,

I hope you're well and that you didn't spend the weekend looking for the ultimate gifts! I'd like to remind you that I warned you and helped you as much as possible with the Best-of of the best DIY Christmas gifts. But anyway, I'm sure you've got enough on your minds already, so I won't insist! Today I'm here to tell you about our latest workshop, the first decorating workshop with IKEA ! If you've been following us for any length of time, you'll be familiar with our love for the king of kit furniture. DIY Lemonade stand ! But let's cut to the chase and move on to the summary of this Swedish-flavored day! You can find all the photos on Facebook !

Of course, when it came to choosing the products, we had to choose ones that could be transported, because even if you would have been delighted to have a Billy bookcase, I think it would have been a bit complicated to leave with it. So we decided to do a DIY tableware project, proposing the customization of a set of plates, cutlery and cups using special ceramic paint. And since we're currently partial to marbled and speckled patterns... we sprayed paint on our example to give it a speckled effect (the DIY comes very quickly). Everyone then chose whether or not to personalize their plates using this technique, and believe me, they didn't lack for imagination!

For the second DIY, we opted for a little introduction to sewing, making a tote bag with this incredible fabric Ikea fabric (5 fruits and vegetables a day, remember!). Most of the participants had already sewn on a sewing machine, but sewing a tote bag is a bit basic: straight, precise lines, like a good review of scales that never hurts! To complete the bag, we colored the motifs with textile markers (I can see you coming, we found them at Ponsart Textile, Filles du Calvaire metro station).

And for this workshop, we changed our habits a little by accompanying it not with our usual snack but with a brunch. All prepared with IKEA groceries, spiced cookies, cranberry juice, Swedish salmon and other goodies. It was more than just a tasty treat, it was an opportunity to get to know you better and take the time to chat over a real meal.

I hope you've enjoyed this little workshop report, and I know that many of you have tried, but failed, to get a place. We're doing our best to do it more often, and I can assure you that 2016 will be rich in Workshop, with Workshop coming soon. Wear Lemonade ! I wish you all a wonderful Sunday, and I'll see you next year (yes, I insist on making this joke every year)! A big thank you to the Ikea team for their trust and to Tania for this superb video!

Charlotte S.

December 20, 2015